“Genba ni iku” or “現場に行く” means “go to the real place.” This philosophy carried Charles and Angelina from the very beginning of their destination wedding planning process all the way to their vows on the beach at the InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort. Rather than planning from afar and hoping for the best, they chose to experience Vietnam firsthand, allowing the place itself to shape what their wedding would become.

Their story began, fittingly, with curiosity. The two met through Bumble, with a first date on a snowy winter night in Seattle. Years later, when it came time to plan their wedding, they knew they wanted something that felt immersive rather than singular. As Charles explains, “We wanted to create an immersive journey and adventure for our guests.” A destination wedding felt like the natural extension of how they already approached life together.

Vietnam entered the picture almost by accident. “On a lark, we heard about it through a friend originally from the Da Nang area,” Charles shares. They had initially been scouting venues in Thailand, but once they visited the InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort, the decision became immediate. “We fell in love with the Intercon at first sight.”

Unfortunately, after already falling in love with their venue, a tour of downtown Da Nang revealed complications they had not anticipated. “Downtown Da Nang was suffering from the fallout from COVID,” Charles recalls. “You could see many of the resorts were in disrepair as a result.” The reality of planning a full wedding week there began to feel heavy. “I was utterly dejected after a few days of touring. It was so bad I was thinking of delaying my return flight to the US to go back to Thailand and tour more venues.”

Instead of walking away, they reimagined the structure of the week entirely. “I spent the night tossing, thinking about how we could possibly make my wife’s dream venue work,” Charles says. The solution arrived quietly but decisively. “Then the idea came that we do a two part wedding week.” An hour away sat Hoian, a 700-year-old city layered with history, texture, and charm. The wedding week would unfold as a progression, moving guests from Hoian to Da Nang, and symbolically from ocean to heaven, mirroring the InterContinental’s Sea, Earth, Sky, and Heaven levels.

With the framework in place, planning became deeply hands-on. Several days were spent on site, mapping the flow of events and meeting collaborators face-to-face. “We spent several days in the city to scout locations and plan the flow of the week,” Charles explains. During that time, a key figure emerged. “While there we met a manager at La Siesta Resort who ended up operating as a handler, guide, and connector.” Ho Phuong, known as Remy, became instrumental in bringing local resources together and smoothing logistics across cities.

Design followed the same philosophy of presence and customization. Working alongside Jason of Rheefined Company, Angelina’s ideas took shape through constant iteration. “Angelina came up with the idea of chandeliers. Jason came up with the idea of hanging them from the rafters. The decorator turned the concepts into reality.” When the right tables could not be sourced locally, they were built by hand. Florals by Ochic Florals complemented the layered aesthetic, while stationery and paper goods were designed by Velvet Fox Designs, with calligraphy by Katrina appearing on personalized luggage tags that doubled as favors.

Angelina’s wedding dress became one of the most personal elements of the process. “The dresses in the US were overpriced, ill fitting, and made with coarse, unflattering material,” she says. Rather than compromise, she sketched her own gown and collaborated with a tailor in Vietnam to custom make and ship the final piece. Hair and makeup by Angelina Buido completed a look that felt true to her vision, not a trend.

As the wedding week arrived, the experience unfolded exactly as intended. The first look took place on the Maison Terrace, where Angelina surprised Charles with a little something. “Angelina planned a hilarious practical joke, dressing one of my friends up in a wedding dress to trick me at the first look,” Charles laughs.

The ceremony itself was intentionally simple. “Our ceremony was simple but blessed and charming,” Charles shares. Their officiant was a close friend, Marcelo, whom Charles describes as a surrogate big brother. “It came to him in a dream that he would be officiating before he did ours, and then I asked him if he would do it. Our wedding was his premonition.” True to their private nature, the couple exchanged their real vows separately, away from the crowd.

Cocktails followed on the Barefoot Deck before guests moved into the Reception Hall, where the custom tables, chandeliers, and layered florals came together in full. Music for the ceremony and reception was provided by Remixologists, setting a celebratory rhythm that carried into the night. Later, the energy shifted at the M Club, where the afterparty took over. “My longtime dear friend, who is a rising producer, DJ, and radio host, brought his A-game to the afterparty,” Charles says, describing a night fueled by Blklght’s signature sound.

Looking back, the lesson that defined the entire experience remains clear. “現場に行く – genba ni iku or ‘go to the real place’,” Charles says. “You can’t truly understand a problem or find an opportunity for improvement by sitting in an office and looking at a computer.” For Charles and Angelina, being present transformed uncertainty into clarity and turned a single venue into a multi-city journey to the altar.

Vendors: Planner: The Rheefined Company; Photography: Kien Photography; Venue: InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort; Florist: Ochic Florals; Stationery: Velvet Fox Designs; Calligraphy: Calligraphy Katrina; Entertainment: Remixologists & Blklght; Local Handler: Ho Phuong (Remy) at La Siesta Hotel Hoian; Afterparty DJ: Blklght

@destinationidoLantern-lit nights. A ceremony by the sea. Custom details made just for this week. For a closer look at Charles and Angelina’s wedding journey through Vietnam – see the link in our bio Video by Lucas Tran of Kien Photography

♬ original sound – Destination I Do