Kelsey and Jack's 'Boho Tropical Chic' Unforgettable Wedding in Thailand by Hipster Wedding Asia and Wedding Boutique Phuket

I am so excited to be sharing this totally gorgeous wedding with you today, all the way from beautiful Thailand. Kelsey and Jack are such a wonderful couple, and they decided to let adventure into their wedding and chose Phuket as their wedding destination. With planning help from Wedding Boutique Phuket they created the most magical day filled with the most stunning tablescapes, decoration and jaw dropping flowers. With an intimate wedding of 40 guests they could really go to town on the way the whole day look, producing a wedding that is both rich in design and rich in love. Big thanks to Hipster Wedding Asia for the beautiful photos.

Our wedding day was everything we ever dreamed of—celebrating our love with our closest family and friends in the most breathtaking place on earth. From the first light of sunrise to the last glow of sunset, every moment was filled with love, joy, and unforgettable memories.

Kelsey and Jack were married on 30th March 2024 at COMO Point Yamu, Phuket, Thailand. ‘I dreamed of getting married in Thailand ever since I visited on a girls’ trip after studying abroad in Hong Kong. I wasn’t even with Jack yet at the time, but we ended up getting together that summer, and once our relationship became more serious, I told him about my dream of getting married there. Jack is very much a “yes” person, so he was completely on board from the beginning., we had 40 guests. We were engaged for about two years, but most of the planning happened during the final year. We were lucky enough to find our incredible wedding planner, Ilaire, and her team at Wedding Boutique Phuket, who made the entire process feel effortless from start to finish. I honestly can’t recommend them enough if you’re planning a wedding in Phuket!’

How they met
We met in Florida at a Monster Truck Rally tailgate (not exactly something either of us would normally be doing!). There was an instant spark that turned into a friendship over the next four years before we finally found our way back to each other during my last summer before senior year of college. As an American girl, I couldn’t resist his English accent forever, and the rest is history! This August, we’ll be celebrating 11 years together—time really does fly.

The proposal
It was just the two of us on the beach in Marina del Rey, California. We had planned a romantic Taco Bell sunset picnic on the beach, but the weather had other ideas. It was unbelievably windy, and there was so much sand blowing around that it honestly felt like we were standing on Mars.
Jack kept insisting that I stand up, while I stubbornly refused because I didn’t want to get blasted by the wind and sand. When I finally gave in and turned around, he was down on one knee holding a ring he had designed with our jeweler and asking me to marry him. There were lots of tears, hugs, and kisses that followed.
Then, to make it even more special, our best friends—our future maid of honor and best man—appeared with a bottle of champagne, and the four of us celebrated together on the beach. It was intimate, perfectly imperfect, and completely us.

How did you allocate your budget?
li>We knew early on what was most important to us and what we didn’t need to spend a lot of money on. We were also incredibly grateful to have support from both of our families, which took away a lot of the financial stress and allowed us to focus on creating the experience we wanted.

Where did you splurge and where did you save?
Our biggest priorities were the venue and the photographer. Because of my background in photography, I knew our photos would last long after the wedding day itself, so that was an investment I never questioned.One of the biggest benefits of getting married in Thailand instead of Southern California was how much further our budget stretched. We were able to splurge on things like our stunning ceremony and reception florals while still spending less than we likely would have at home. In many ways, simply choosing Thailand was our biggest way of saving.

How did you choose your photographer?
I studied photography at Savannah College of Art & Design, so choosing our photographer was honestly one of the hardest decisions we made. The wedding lasts one day, but your photographs last forever, so I truly believe it’s one of the best investments you can make.After spending countless hours searching Instagram, we came across @hipsterwedding.asia and instantly fell in love with Andrew’s editing style, storytelling, and overall vibe. Looking back, we couldn’t be happier with our choice.

The dress
My dress was from Dreamers & Lovers, a beautiful boho bridal boutique here in Los Angeles. Every dress is handmade and customized to your measurements, which made it feel even more special.I originally thought I didn’t want a train, but I completely fell in love with this dress and its unique V-shaped train and modern lace design. Shopping with my bridesmaids and my mom made finding the dress such a memorable experience.
My veil was also from Dreamers & Lovers, my shoes were from Nordstrom, and most of my jewelry was meaningful family jewelry.

The suit and bridesmaids
We found all of the men’s suits at Suit & Tux Warehouse in Gardena, California, and all of the groomsmen wore matching suits. The brand was Enzo Tovare linen suits.For the bridesmaids, I wanted everyone to feel comfortable while still keeping a cohesive look, so I gave them a color palette of soft sage, pastel greens, and dusty blues. Most of them found their dresses through Birdy Grey, and I absolutely loved how beautifully everything came together.

Theme or colour scheme
Definitely! Our vision was “Boho Tropical Chic.”Our color palette included shades of off-white, sand, beige, sage green, dusty green, and deep tropical greens. We wanted the colors to complement the natural beauty of Thailand while also feeling like us.

Flowers
Our floral vision was boho, tropical, relaxed, and elegant with lots of texture. We used white Phalaenopsis orchids, white anthuriums, dusty green willow eucalyptus, palm leaves, pampas grass, dried palmetto leaves, bleached ruscus, green amaranthus, German statice, and other dried elements.I wanted the florals to feel organic and slightly wild, almost as if they naturally belonged in the setting rather than feeling overly formal.

Decoration
We really let the venue and Thailand’s natural beauty do most of the work. Our décor was intentionally understated with beautiful florals, warm lighting, natural wood textures, soft linens, and neutral tones that complemented the tropical surroundings rather than competing with them. We wanted everything to feel minimal, relaxed, and boho.

Food
Our incredible venue, COMO Point Yamu, created an amazing buffet featuring a variety of authentic Thai dishes.Wedding food doesn’t always have the best reputation, but ours completely exceeded every expectation. The food in Thailand is incredible no matter where you go, and our guests are still talking about how amazing everything tasted to this day.

Wedding cake
We actually decided to skip the traditional wedding cake. Since our dinner buffet already included an incredible selection of desserts, we created a dessert table where guests could grab something sweet throughout the evening. It felt much more “us,” and nothing went to waste.

Entertainment
Our amazing planning team at Wedding Boutique Phuket helped us find a fantastic DJ (Shane) who played from our welcome drinks all the way through the last song on the dance floor.Music is a huge part of our relationship, so this was something we really cared about. We created playlists for every part of the day—from welcome drinks and the ceremony to cocktail hour, dinner, dancing, and late-night dancing. I highly recommend taking the time to do this together if music is important to you. Our DJ absolutely nailed the vibe all night long.

Who supplied the stationery?
Card Coach, Wedding Boutique Phuket graphic designer.

Where did you go on your honeymoon?
We actually did things a little differently! Before the wedding, we spent a week exploring Vietnam together as our “pre-honeymoon.”After the wedding, we stayed in Phuket with our closest friends who had traveled all that way to celebrate with us. We figured we’d probably never have all of our favorite people together in Thailand again, so why not make the most of it? It ended up being one of the best decisions we made.To finish the trip, we spent our final two nights together on the Phi Phi Islands, which was the perfect romantic ending to an unforgettable adventure.

Personal touches
Absolutely! I think the personal touches are what make a wedding truly yours.We gave thoughtful gifts to our bridesmaids and groomsmen to thank them for traveling so far to celebrate with us, and we handwrote thank-you cards for both our families and every one of our vendors.My favorite personal touch, though, was adding photo pins of both of my grandmothers, who had passed away, onto my bouquet. Having them with me in that small way meant everything.

Special moments
One of my favorite moments was seeing everyone’s reactions when they saw me in my dress for the first time.My first look with my dad was incredibly emotional. Seeing him tear up as he saw his little girl all grown up is something I’ll never forget.Our first look together was another highlight. I wanted it to be completely private, just the two of us, and seeing Jack cry when he saw me made every second of planning worth it.
Another really meaningful moment was when Jack’s parents gifted him a family heirloom bracelet made from the chain of his great-great-grandfather’s pocket watch. It was such a beautiful way to honor family and carry a piece of history into our marriage.

Advice for other couples
Talk about what truly matters to both of you and build your wedding around those priorities rather than what everyone else expects.If you’re planning a destination wedding, I cannot recommend hiring a wedding planner enough. Ilaire and her team at Wedding Boutique Phuket made everything feel effortless and allowed us to truly relax and enjoy every single moment.Finally, make time for just the two of you throughout the day. We aren’t a particularly traditional couple—we spent the night before together and even had breakfast together that morning before getting ready. We then had a private first look, and those quiet moments together ended up being some of our favorites from the entire day.

Biggest surprise
Without a doubt, the biggest surprise was seeing the level of décor our wedding team created. I honestly can’t even describe the feeling when we first saw everything—from the ceremony and altar to the welcome drinks setup and dinner reception. It was beyond anything we had imagined, absolutely breathtaking, and not a single detail was overlooked.The other biggest surprise was the dance floor! It was incredibly hot and humid, but almost everyone at our wedding—especially our closest family and friends—was out there dancing with us all night long. We absolutely love dancing at weddings, so having everyone celebrating with us from the first song until the very end made us happier than we can put into words.