Michelle and Jeff were avid Hockey fans from the start.  Jeff played hockey from a young age and has continued his love of the sport by coaching a youth tri-valley team.  As a couple, they’ve attended countless San Jose Sharks games together at the SAP Center, also known as the Shark Tank, in San Jose, California.  Mr. and Mrs. Imahara recently welcomed an addition to their young family and can’t wait for her to be old enough to go to a game as well.  Even their four pound dog, Porsha, wears her Shark’s jersey on game days for good luck.

After Jeff proposed, Michelle recounts how they decided to include their beloved San Jose Sharks in their special day, let’s hear it from the bride …

“When we started planning our wedding we reflected back on some of the weddings we had recently been too.  What was important to us?  Good food was obvious, a stunning dress, trying to keep it stress free and also adding a wow factor of fun.  Jeff suggested that we have a Sharks themed wedding … almost as a joke, assuming I would shoot that idea down immediately but I didn’t. We laughed and joked and said, we couldn’t…wait, could we!?  The excitement started from there.  As long as the bridesmaids didn’t have to wear teal, everyone was all for it!”

Their wedding was brilliantly photographed by A Perfect Impression out of the Bay Area in Northern California …

From the San Jose Sharks cufflinks to the hockey jersey table numbers, the newly married couple’s reputation as die-hard fans was never a question.  Michelle and Jeff wanted to incorporate the San Jose Sharks as part of their wedding day, without it becoming too tacky or overdone.  It was important to include a subtle reference to the team, but also to maintain the elegance of their special day.

The bridal party wore black dresses, while the flower girl wore a black dress with teal sash.  The white rose bouquets included teal diamond accents to highlight the connection to their favorite NHL franchise.  The groomsmen sported teal ties and custom teal and black Chuck Taylor sneakers, while San Jose Sharks cufflinks completed the groom’s outfit.  The cuff links were actually a groomsmen gift to Jeff from his brother’s wedding, which made their inclusion on this day even more special.

The wedding reception was held at the Wedgewood Wedding and Banquet Center-Brentwood.  Each table number card was created to look like the back of a hockey player’s jersey with each guest’s name and number on it. Upon arrival at the reception, wedding guests had to find their personalized jersey and match their jersey number to the table numbers to locate where they were seated. The bride chose to use San Jose Sharks teal as the dominant decorative color element, and the banquet hall looked magnificent.  The wedding cake was topped with the bride fan and hockey husband cake toppers on a multi-tiered white and teal masterpiece provided by A Sweet Affair Bakery.

The wedding reception also included a photo booth, so guests could take home a personalized memento.  NHL goalie facemasks were included in the photo booth props and they were a huge hit.  In addition, the couple provided a fully loaded candy bar, where guests could load up their black take out box full of teal, black, orange and white candies.

“We look back at our wedding and feel as though we accomplished a few things: we enjoyed it, it wasn’t stressful or stuffy, we got to marry one another and we will never forget the amazing time we had planning it.”

Suggestions for other brides and grooms:

“Don’t stress the small stuff. Weddings can be overbearing. I never got too deep into it. There are about 25 shades of white linens for example. I didn’t view all 25, we saw the white napkins and were fine with the first choice. You can really drive yourself crazy if you over analyze each decision you have to make. Also, work as a team. The end goal is to marry the one you love, so enjoy the process together, have fun and remember you are in this together for the long haul!”