Photo: Kevin Tachman Studio / @kevintachman1/45“Live in the sunshine, drink the wild air!” The light at Amangiri was incredible on our wedding day—bright, warm, and clear—just like our emotions. My ring is by Alexandra Mor, who included custom numerology details and a knife’s-edge setting. Instead of something formal, Or Gotham drew peonies, calla lilies, and poppies from Georgia O’Keeffe’s flower paintings as an ode to our setting (and preview of our reception). I loved it!
Photo: Kevin Tachman Studio / @kevintachman2/45The lineup of my wedding dresses, or—as I called them—the three muses: Emilia (Wickstead) for our private vows, Joan (of Arc) for the ceremony, and Tina (Chow) for the rehearsal dinner.
Photo: Kevin Tachman Studio / @kevintachman3/45Nick and I woke up at dawn on Friday morning to catch a helicopter to Tower Butte for private vows. This last-minute suggestion by Nick was unplanned and all the more magical. I loved that our pilot played Wagner’s “Flight of the Valkyries” as we landed—bring on the mythical female heroes! On a more practical front, Net-a-Porter saved the day with same-day shipping on an Emilia Wickstead gown.
Photo: Kevin Tachman Studio / @kevintachman4/45Getting out of the helicopter, I could still smell the previous night’s rain on the ground. Can you imagine anything more beautiful than this view? We got married in the clouds, witnessed by the sky.
Photo: Kevin Tachman Studio / @kevintachman5/45Magical realism at the edge of the sky. With private vows we had the pleasure of being imperfect, of taking our time to find the exact right words for the exact right ideas. Neither of us knew what was coming next, and the joy was in letting this shared moment reveal itself.
Photo: Kevin Tachman Studio / @kevintachman6/45Jurassic? Or intergalactic. Utah’s landscape is both vast and intimate.
Photo: Kevin Tachman Studio / @kevintachman7/45Our photographer Kevin Tachman is famous for getting the shot—whether it’s Fashion Week or the Met Gala. Our wedding was no exception and he literally rode circles around us in a helicopter to capture these moments!
Photo: Kevin Tachman Studio / @kevintachman8/45Nick was my support system that morning, as the ground on Tower Butte was extremely rocky. Great relationships are built on mutual admiration and support right?
Photo: Kevin Tachman Studio / @kevintachman9/45Pick a few things you really care about and do them incredibly well—you don’t often hear that about weddings, but what’s a start-up founder to do? In place of stationery, we opted for simplicity with these kaleidoscopic Ellsworth Kelly Moo.com cards named The Desert, The Courtyard, The Garden, and The Extras for each of our events.
Photo: Kevin Tachman Studio / @kevintachman10/45To have the support of friends who find the best in you—Laura Choi and Gloria Lin flew in days early and by the time I arrived all of the boxes had been unpacked! Multiple guests have already inquired if Laura can plan their lives and they look so damn good in this photo that no one would believe they got ready in 15 minutes.
Photo: Kevin Tachman Studio / @kevintachman11/45“That you are here . . . and the powerful play goes on, and you will contribute a verse . . . .” Can you imagine walking into this sunset dinner? We kept it simple at Friday night’s rehearsal dinner with pops of ochre and blankets for each guest.
Photo: Kevin Tachman Studio / @kevintachman12/45I’m wearing generational jade that I hope to give my children—earrings that belonged to Nick’s great-grandmother gifted by his mom and a bracelet gifted by my grandmother. I worked with Maria Jose to carefully adapt the earrings with pearls to enhance the gorgeous tones in this YSL/Tina Chow–inspired gown. How perfect is the capped sleeve that Bill created?
Photo: Kevin Tachman Studio / @kevintachman13/45I wanted to freeze-frame so many moments that weekend—there was so much light, beauty, laughter, and love.
Photo: Kevin Tachman Studio / @kevintachman14/45Growing up in a city like Beijing, I’m always astonished that nature is free. These orbs were the perfect accent and our guests didn’t want to leave the desert and canyon views.
Photo: Kevin Tachman Studio / @kevintachman15/45Carbone is one of our favorite restaurants in New York, so we served spicy rigatoni vodka along with regional meats and a fresh fig salad. Nick picked a Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon that that his dad reserved for special occasions when he was young.
Photo: Kevin Tachman Studio / @kevintachman16/45We placed rose quartz and candles on the tables that gave a gorgeous glow as the night went on. Our friends James Lam and Alex Kirk gave toasts and roasted us!
Photo: Kevin Tachman Studio / @kevintachman17/45As it got dark, we cast James Turrell projections of Roden Crater to inspire our guests to plan their own adventures the next morning. We purposefully left the schedule open as our hotel is surrounded by national landmarks like Horseshoe Bend, Bryce Canyon, and Monument Valley!
Photo: Kevin Tachman Studio / @kevintachman18/45Nick and I fell in love with the architecture of the Amangiri immediately—and for my ceremony dress, I knew I wanted something just as modern with a touch of stardust. I worked with our wedding stylist Cynthia Cook Smith and the legendary Bill Bull on the dress, and after Jakob Schlaepfer in Switzerland made us the most exquisite, light filled clear paillettes on silk tulle, we knew that a cape was in the books!
Photo: Kevin Tachman Studio / @kevintachman19/45Through decades of friendship, my bridesmaids are the sharpest, smartest women I know—meet Mackenzie Sigalos, Laura Choi, Gloria Lin, and Alex Kirk. Before the ceremony, they celebrated my recent Ad Age win with printed T-shirts, complete with the illustration used in the issue! I wouldn’t be here without them.
Photo: Kevin Tachman Studio / @kevintachman20/45Bill Bull is a poet with fabric! I’m wearing a pair of De Beers diamond studs named “drops of light”—a perfect description for the otherworldly light the entire weekend.
Photo: Kevin Tachman Studio / @kevintachman22/45The boy band that never was—Nick’s groomsmen Gaurav Sharma, Jordan Chiu, Scott Wilmore, and his brother Phil Haslett.
Photo: Kevin Tachman Studio / @kevintachman23/45I absolutely love this photo of Nick walking down the aisle with his parents—their faces say it all.
Photo: Kevin Tachman Studio / @kevintachman24/45Yohji Yamamoto once said, “Behind the wedding dress, there must be many stories.” I think the same must be true of fathers and daughters on their wedding day. My dad was quite nervous and asked to practice the day before the ceremony, but when the time came he was all smiles! I walked down the aisle to a song that Nick and I fell in love with from Terrence Malick’s The Tree of Life called “Má Vlast (My Homeland),” a set of “symphonic poems” by the composer Smetana.
Photo: Kevin Tachman Studio / @kevintachman25/45Nick and I have always valued deep experiences over shallow pleasures, so it was no surprise that we invited just 25 of our friends and family celebrate with us for three days in Canyon Point, Utah. For the ceremony, my keywords were intimate and intergalactic—with Ridley Scott, Gus Van Sant, and Terrence Malick as visual references. The Aman shut down the courtyard for us, and our decorator Kevin Clark built the altar of our dreams!
Photo: Kevin Tachman Studio / @kevintachman26/45During the ceremony, I thought back to a conversation Nick and I had years ago—what is most interesting and beautiful about life is to surround yourself with people you really admire.
Photo: Kevin Tachman Studio / @kevintachman27/45To know Laura and James is to know their laughter and light.
Photo: Kevin Tachman Studio / @kevintachman28/45Nick’s brother Phil Haslett officiated holding Dune, the book that brought us together while waiting in line at the AMC Lincoln Center. I think I’m laughing here because Nick said “I do” before Phil was done. I also need to take a moment here and thank Morgane Martini and Joey George (team #mojo) for the perfect unplanned beauty and hair look. Our inspiration was Joan Chen, Diaghilev, and Morgane’s signature glow.
Photo: Kevin Tachman Studio / @kevintachman29/45It was the moment of our lives! I was surprised by how emotional we were as we stood before an altar of golden glass, surrounded by eight bridesmaids and groomsmen. I love how the altar reflected the light, the leaves, and stones around us—it felt like a portal.
Photo: Kevin Tachman Studio / @kevintachman31/45My parents look so beautiful here. Nick and I served them 30-year-old pu’erh tea (which ages like wine) during the ceremony as per Chinese tradition. My dad left everyone in tears during his speech later that night about my stubborn personality and tendency to break the rules. Apparently he knew he was in trouble when I spent four hours waiting in line for Vermeer as a 6-year-old.
Photo: Kevin Tachman Studio / @kevintachman32/45The living walls and wabi-sabi elements of the Aman were a beautiful part of our mornings—the acceptance of transience and imperfection felt right whether in architecture or love. The great part about having a small wedding is that you get to slow down the pace whenever you want and enjoy every moment.
Photo: Kevin Tachman Studio / @kevintachman33/45When the wedding party and background are so Photoshop-perfect that you have to introduce some chaos. Who doesn’t want some Stetson Boss of the Plains hat spirit?
Photo: Kevin Tachman Studio / @kevintachman35/45Lanterns holding the prayers, wishes, and blessings of our guests.
Photo: Kevin Tachman Studio / @kevintachman36/45These clouds are divine! If I could paint my feelings it would be this sky. Right before arriving at the reception, I remember closing my eyes and just listening to the gravel under us.
Photo: Kevin Tachman Studio / @kevintachman37/45Our reception was at a special off-site location nestled between two canyons. This diplomat’s jacket is custom Par en Par, my best friend Laura Choi’s clothing brand.
Photo: Kevin Tachman Studio / @kevintachman38/45I sent our decorator and florist extraordinaire Kevin Clark 17th-century Dutch still lifes and he pulled in Chinese elements to match the lanterns! The mandarins are for good luck; and the fruits, fans, and of course O’Keeffe flowers are for fun. We now have an unusual number of polaroids of guests posing with fruit.
Photo: Kevin Tachman Studio / @kevintachman39/45We toasted with Moutai, a brand of baijiu (distilled Chinese liquor made from fermented sorghum). It’s fire.
Photo: Kevin Tachman Studio / @kevintachman40/45Our last names—陈 海 (Chen Hai)—Haslett Chen. As the neon sign warns, we take our pleasure seriously.
Photo: Kevin Tachman Studio / @kevintachman41/45One of my best friends Eliott Suen flew in for just 24 hours from Hong Kong—and still managed to be the life of the party! Nick’s dad, Steve Haslett, spent decades working in Asia so I’m sure this was not his first post-Moutai arm wrestle.
Photo: Kevin Tachman Studio / @kevintachman42/45Heart to heart—hugging my best friend Laura Choi after her speech.
Photo: Kevin Tachman Studio / @kevintachman43/45You don’t hear Janis Joplin and Daft Punk under millions of stars every night. With Arman Nafeei (music director for André Balazs properties like Chateau Marmont and Chiltern Firehouse) at the DJ’s helm, our guests were laughing and dancing all night.
Photo: Kevin Tachman Studio / @kevintachman44/45Taylor Tomasi Hill and I worked together at Moda Operandi and she quickly became both mentor and friend. It takes courage to build your own world—whether it’s getting married or starting your own company—and Taylor has always been in my corner! One of my favorite parts of the weekend was spending quality time with the people who helped shape our lives.
Photo: Kevin Tachman Studio / @kevintachman45/45The night is always young in a feathered Saint Laurent dress. Between dancing barefoot on shag rugs, cheeseburgers à la In-N-Out, and the perfect Utah sky . . . good night and good morning!
