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All the Feelings: The bride and groom took a moment for themselves before the reception. Mary says it was “shocking in a sense, but it was great at the same time” to finally be married to Steven after all the time and effort that went into planning their big day.
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One Big, Happy Family: Mary and Steven’s loved ones are very important to them, so they were thrilled to have so many family members join them to celebrate their marriage.
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All in the Details: In addition to Mary’s engagement ring from Diamonds Direct and the couple’s wedding bands from Emily Warden Designs, the bride and groom knew they wanted to include a necklace that Mary had given Steven when they first started dating. “I was in seventh grade when I gave it to him, and he’s kept it this whole time from middle school,” Mary says.
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Pop of Champagne: The bridesmaids wore different styles of satin dresses from online retailer Birdy Grey in a champagne tone to match the wedding’s spring color palette, which was also carried into the bouquets.
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Cheers!: “One of my favorite parts of the wedding day was seeing my signature margarita come to life,” says Mary about her custom cocktail, a lavender version with fresh peaches and honey. “My favorite alcoholic drink is a margarita, so I asked my bartender, Maegan [Parrish of French Honey Hospitality], if she could create a margarita with my wedding colors. It was so tasty!”
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Game On: The couple put their own spin on the wedding shoe game, a popular trivia-style activity that tests how well the newlyweds know each other. Mary and Steven held up cutouts of their faces to answer “who’s-most-likely-to” style questions about one another.
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Dinner is Served: Since Mary and Steven are both Vietnamese, they wanted to have traditional Vietnamese catering. The seven-course meal featured jellyfish salad and shrimp chips, shrimp balls with crab claws, crab meat asparagus soup, roast chicken with dipping sauces on the side, steamed fish, Yang Chow fried rice, and a fruit spread.
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Let Them Eat Cake: “My brother’s cousin-in-law owns Sweet Fix, so I decided to go with them,” says Mary about the couple’s elongated two-tier wedding cake. It was an almond cake with raspberry buttercream.
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Scream for Ice Cream: Everyone loves ice cream, right? That was Mary’s thinking when surprising the reception guests with a cart featuring selections of Bev’s Homemade Ice Cream. “Both our families don’t have a big sweet tooth, so I wanted something that everybody would love no matter what,” she says.
Mary Tran and Steven Vu were both the new kids when they first met in their middle school guidance counselor’s office. Mary had moved to Richmond from New Orleans, and Steven relocated from California. After also having a pre-algebra class together, the pair started dating in April 2007. They had no idea that seventh grade would lead to finding their soulmates, but they’ve been together ever since.
Sixteen years later, in September 2023, Steven popped the question to Mary at home with roses and candles spread out in a heart shape on the back porch. “He’s a very simple guy. I told him if you ever propose, just make sure that I’m surprised,” Mary says (and she was). “The way he did it was very him.”
They opted for a spring wedding in April 2025 in honor of their April dating anniversary. Mary wanted the day to feel “very simple, natural and romantic.” She was inspired by a color palette she found online and carried it through the bridesmaid dresses, florals and even the couple’s signature cocktail, a lavender margarita with fresh peaches and honey. “I was on Pinterest, and somehow peach, lavender and honey came up, and I was like, ‘Ooh, I like this [color palette],’” Mary says. “It fit the spring colors really easily.”
Family also played an important role in Mary and Steven’s big day, which included a ceremony at The Pro-Cathedral of St. Peter in downtown Richmond and a reception at The Hidden Oaks in North Chesterfield. They had 162 guests, including friends and family who flew from as far as Germany and Canada to witness their special day.
One of Mary’s favorite moments to look back on is also centered around family. “My brother is a Catholic priest. He did my ceremony,” she says. “His homily really meant a lot to me. He said, through tough times always try to put your love first, and love will take you guys a long way.”
Coordinator: Jennifer Bennour, Fête du Jour Events
Florist: Weddings by Vogue
Caterer: Nanking Catering
Cake: Sweet Fix
Hair: Ashley Sanchez Beauty
Makeup: Haley Rose Beauty
DJ: Sho DJ
Videographer: Grant Hart Productions
