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Rei Kawano Suliawan and Matthew Yoder’s first date in February 2019 was one for the history books. “I remember that it was extremely cold that day and apparently was the first day that it had snowed in L.A. in over 50 years,” Rei says. Having met through the dating app The League, the pair bonded over their business school experiences and love of dogs. On their third date, Matt met Rei’s beloved shih tzu, Rara, and their fate was sealed. “I knew he was the one when I saw him sit perfectly still while Rara sat on his chest licking his face for over five minutes,” Rei remembers with a smile.
The two got engaged on September 26, 2020, right at the peak of the pandemic. They had been talking about their future for some time, and began designing the ring together a couple of months before the engagement with Kat Kim, an L.A.-based jeweler focused on ethical jewelry.) “I kept on asking Matt when the ring was ready and he kept on saying it wasn’t ready yet,” Rei says. “So I didn’t think much of it when he mentioned that his friend Allyson had a ‘beach soiree’ in Malibu that we had to get dressed up for. I should’ve known something was fishy when he willingly drove around Santa Monica with me that day to look for a cute bow for our beloved Rara to wear.”
They drove to Pescadero Beach in Malibu, where they proceeded to walk down the cliffs to the beach looking for Matt’s friends and said event. “Matt looked frazzled as he seemingly called his friends—and I was just along for the ride,” Rei remembers. “We got up on an area of the beach with some rocks, and Matt, who had been carrying Rara the entire time, asked me to fix Rara’s leash and when I looked over to fix it I saw that there was a ring dangling on it. I think he said something about marrying him, but I said yes before he could finish his sentence.”
Afterwards, they looked up onto the cliffs and saw Matt’s family waving at them. They had set up a beautiful picnic, and Matt’s photographer friend Keitaro was hiding among the beachgoers taking photos the whole time. “It was the perfect engagement for us,” Rei says. “We are both L.A. transplants with a love of the ocean and sun.”
When it came time to plan the wedding, the choice of venue was a no-brainer: Rei wanted to get married at her family’s hotel, Ayana Resort in Bali. “Growing up I spent every summer and weekend living out of Villa 1009, which I would later use as my bridal dressing room,” she says. The pair then set the date for their wedding in September 2022. “I wanted an organic and elegant wedding that celebrated Bali’s natural beauty and blended Matt’s western culture with my Japanese, Chinese, and Indonesian culture,” the bride says. “I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted visually, but I knew for certain what I didn’t want.”
Unwilling to compromise on vendors, Rei hired wedding designer Joy Proctor, photographer Corbin Gurkin, videographer CANA Family, and wedding planner Bali Wedding Paradise as soon as she got engaged. “Joy knew instantly exactly what I wanted in terms of the look and feel and did an amazing job incorporating my culture and the things I love throughout the wedding,” Rei says.
The bride initially felt strongly about having the reception in her parents’ yard, which is also located on the resort, but when Joy visited Bali in early 2022 on a site visit, she fell in love with the thousands of frangipani (Champa) trees that cover Champa Garden and convinced Rei to have the reception there. “My dad, who until then wasn’t that interested in my wedding planning process and was seemingly bummed about letting his youngest child go, got really excited after hearing this idea,” Rei remembers.
“The pandemic was extremely hard on the resort, and we had to scale back on maintaining the underutilized spaces so I think my dad was really excited about refurbishing the space and bringing it back to its pre-pandemic glory,” she continues. “This really sealed the deal for me and looking back I couldn’t have been happier about having had the reception there.”
Champa Garden is a working farm: The flowers supply the hotel and are also donated to the local community so that they can be used for temple offerings. “I recall my parents telling everyone not to pick the flowers the week leading up to the wedding, and I was shocked to see and smell the scent of the thousands of frangipani flowers that were in bloom,” Rei says. The couple also worked with Italy-based Jenny from Shhh My Darling to design all of their wedding stationery—including a wedding logo with their dog—that blended Balinese flowers with a unique dolce vita aesthetic.
