After professional hockey player Michael Kim briefly met Riley Denihan at White Mountain Creamery during their sophomore year at Boston College, he DM-ed her asking if she would be his date to his Christmas formal. “To be fair, my friend would not give me her number because he liked her,” Michael laughs. She said yes, and after four years together, Michael proposed on Riley’s birthday.
“The plan was to pop the question before we went out for Riley’s birthday dinner with her family,” Michael shares. “I remember waking up and going through the morning and afternoon without any nerves. However, as it got closer to dinner, the nerves kicked in. I remember having to sit down and take some deep breaths for a couple of minutes just to calm down.” It was a group effort, as Riley’s brother, Q, scattered rose petals and candles on the boardwalk, her mother made sure Riley took her time getting ready, and her father waited in a hot car to capture the moment on camera. As Riley finally met Michael, he surprised her and dropped to one knee, and she of course said yes. He adds, “It was the happiest moment of my life.”
Once engaged, the couple said yes to a venue in South Carolina that could host them and all of their guests for the weekend. Michael truly gave Riley full control over the wedding aesthetic, later dubbed as “modern-meets-organic” by the event’s designer Stonekelly And as this was the first wedding he would attend, Riley started jokingly calling it “Michael’s surprise party.” To help bring their forest fairytale vision to life, the extremely talented Marcy Blum was brought on. And Swell Press set the tone for the weekend with a bright invitation suite.
On Thursday, the two were legally wed in a Catholic service at a local church with just their families and Deacon Denny. “I was a little nervous that the Saturday ceremony would feel less special since we were doing a Catholic ceremony before, but this was far from the case,” Riley concludes. “The deacon had us gather in a circle to signify the union that was about to happen, and I have never felt closer to our families.”
For the rehearsal dinner, Riley wore a custom Bardo dress with an Olympia Le-Tan clutch that her mother gifted her. The Southern-Korean–inspired welcome party followed with a live performance by Southerland. The couple also wanted to honor Michael’s culture by wearing blue and red. “The Korean tradition of the groom wearing blue and the bride wearing red represents the taeguk—or more commonly known as the yin and yang,” Riley explains. The bride looked beautiful in a rouge Aje dress with custom Miron Crosby boots that had their initials on them and Or and Elle jewelry.
For her summer Southern wedding, Riley knew she wanted “a big dress.” After several bridal appointments, Riley narrowed it down to two strapless designs. With indecision setting in, Marcy and Riley’s mom helped the bride choose the Monique Lhuillier option. They even made the train detachable, as Riley isn’t in love with how bustles look. It was perfection. On the morning-of, Riley got ready with hairstylist Patrick Navarro and makeup artist Jose Corella.
After the ceremony, the bride changed into a Mônot dress that she ordered a week before saying, “I do,” and got tailored in 24 hours. Riley’s third outfit of the day was a sheer Project Bridal beaded dress, worn with white bikini bottoms.
Thanks to Riley’s mom’s friend, who works at Ralph Lauren, Michael ordered a custom black linen tuxedo for the ceremony. However, a week before the wedding, Michael discovered his look was actually blue. Luckily, the team had an extra black one ready to tailor, and Michael gained a dark navy second look.
On July 30, 2022, guests were greeted outside the chapel and handed their programs—with reception seating assignments inside—and Champagne. A gospel choir sang “The Wonder of You” by Villagers, as Riley and her dad entered the church and walked down the aisle. “I could not stop smiling,” Riley says of the ceremony. “I swear my mouth was glued upwards. The ceremony in particular was where I thought my nerves might get me, but I was truly on cloud nine.”
After exchanging their own vows and sharing a romantic kiss, the newlyweds led their guests out, as the choir sang, “Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours.” The country music fans had their first dance to “Whatever It Is” by Zac Brown Band under the greenery-filled Skyline tent. And post-delicious dinner, Element Music put on one of the best live performances the bride had ever seen. “No one wanted to leave them and that tent,” Riley admits.
For the after-party, trolleys transported still-standing guests to another venue, where the vibe was set as a St. Barths nightclub. DJ and saxophonist Natty Rico kept the guests going all night long. As the newlyweds have big sweet tooths, the candy bar also helped keep guests energized. “Despite this being the official last part of the night, my friends kept the party going by hosting people at their Airbnb,” Riley shares. “In fact, some of my bridesmaids never went to bed, yet somehow managed to make it to brunch the next day. Michael and I lasted until 5:30 a.m. before finally going to bed.”
