Katrina and Matthew’s wedding at the historic James Leary Flood Mansion was a stylish love letter to their shared history, heritage, and impeccable taste. Their day beautifully blended Chinese and Filipino traditions—including a tea ceremony and barong attire—with modern luxury and whimsical touches like tattoos, pastries, and a photobooth. Set against a backdrop of sweeping architecture and rich, layered florals, their celebration felt as effortless as it was elevated.
With not one, but three incredible bridal looks (hello, custom couture!) and a misadventure involving martinis and a misplaced marriage license, their story is the perfect mix of chic, hilarious, and heartfelt. Every element, from the curated cocktails to the conservatory string trio, created an experience uniquely theirs.
“We signed our marriage license mid-reception… and all three witnesses signed the wrong spot. San Francisco paperwork chaos ensued!”
How did you two meet? What were your first impressions of one another?
We met in summer school right before starting high school. Matt thought Kat was cute and introduced himself. We “dated” for about a week before deciding to be friends and we were friends all throughout high school and college.
Tell us a funny story relating to your wedding day or relationship!
We signed our marriage license at 9:00pm, mid-festivities. We grabbed our officiant, a groomsman, and another witness. Things were blurry during this part of the evening (lots of martinis!) so 3/3 witnesses signed the form in the wrong place. We had to re-do a lot of forms with the city of San Francisco for 2 months after so technically we did not get married that day!
Describe a hurdle you had to overcome in your relationship or during your wedding planning.
We moved in together in 2020 after dating for 6 years. We assumed it’d be easy since we’ve spent countless weekends together, but nope. Kat is messy and Matt is clean – it was a huge learning curve and we had to learn how to work through this. And by work, we mean that Matt has to constantly clean up after Kat. This new system works well.
Any special ways you incorporated your family or family history into your wedding day?
Matt is Chinese and Kat is Filipino so we hosted a traditional Chinese tea ceremony right before walking down the aisle. Lots of guests were also wearing Filipino “barongs!”
What part of your wedding day was/is most important to you?
Sitting at the head table and seeing all our family members and friends around us was a surreal moment.
What was your favorite part about planning your wedding?
We loved every single part of the wedding planning process! We’re both very organized people so the entire process was generally stress-free. We really enjoyed going on all the tours and trying our caterer’s food. We wish we could go back and relive those moments.
Content Creation: The BTS Bride / @thebtsbride
Florals: Marbled Mint / @marbledmint
Photography: Stephanie Klotz Photography / @stephanieklotzphoto
Cakes: Baby and Boy Pastries / @babyandboypastries
Tattoos: Kyley Tattoos / @kyleytattoos
String Trio: San Francisco Conservatory of Music / @sfconservmusic
Makeup Artist: Justyn Gee / @justyngee
Hair: Hannah Aubrey / @hannahaubreyhair
Barber / Groom’s Hair: Phil Panopio / @makeyouphilgood
Coordinator: Natalie Choi Events / @nataliechoievents
Photobooth: Photomatica / @photomatica
Food: Le’s Kitchen Catering
Venue: James Leary Flood Mansion / @floodmansion
Jewelry: Josun Jewelry / @josunjewelry
DJ: Party Ardi / @partyardi
Dress #1: Unveiled Bridal / @unveiledbridalsf
Dress #2: Kyha Studios / @kyhastudios
Dress #3: Kat Corpus Atelier / @katcorpusatelier
Veil: Grace Loves Lace / @grace_loves_lace
Publisher at The White Wren and Bajan Wed, Award Winning Photography + Videographer at Live View Studios, Dad, 80s music lover, crunchy health advocate
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