They met in a Santa Monica bar in 2014 when he suggested a different angle for the Instagram photo she was taking of her cocktail. When it came time to plan a wedding, two-plus years later, Alina Chu, 35, who works in fashion, and Jason M. Mullens, 45, a chief HR officer, were just as focused on the visuals. The pair hired the Silhouette Group design firm to create an Alice in Wonderland–meets–Secret Garden look at NoMo Soho, with its leafy entrance and greenhouse-style roof. At the ceremony, Ballet Academy ballerinas danced as Alina walked down the aisle to the sounds of a gospel choir. “The girls opened around me like a flower to ‘Ave Maria,’ ” Alina says. Bottles labeled DRINK ME welcomed guests to a reception with yet more performers, such as a Korean drummer to honor Alina’s heritage and a Cuban cigar roller to reflect Jason’s. The night ended with a mossy green cake followed by deliveries of fried chicken. According to Jason, “You’ve never seen a woman crush fried chicken like my wife.”
Alina Chu-Mullens & Jason M. Mullens
NoMo Soho
Married: September 23, 2017
The Details
Dress: Gemy Maalouf
Suit: Ermenegildo Zegna
Choir: The New York City Gospel Choir
Guitarist: João Kouyoumdjian via Juilliard
Trumpet: Brandon Bergeron via Juilliard
Saxophone: Braxton Cook via Juilliard
Korean drummer: Vong Pak
Ballerinas: Ballet Academy East
Late-night caterer: Popeyes
Cuban-cigar roller: La Casa Grande Cigars
Flowers: By Yena Designs
Hair and makeup: Mika Shimoda
Photographs by: Brian Dorsey Studios
*This article appears in the winter 2019 issue of New York Weddings.
