The Meet Cute : You could say Katie was the quintessential girl-next-door . She and Jeffrey grew up as neighbors , not knowing they would eventually marry many years later . Their families were extremely close with each other .
The Traditional Celebrations : On the first day of intimate celebrations , the families participated in a traditional Chinese tea ceremony , serving tea to one another . “ It ’ s a formal way to have a moment and officially acknowledge each other as each other ’ s families ,” Katie says . “ It was really important since these traditions were representative of our values of keeping family close .” Katie wore a qipao , a Chinese ceremony dress , which Jeffrey ’ s mother arranged to be shipped from China . It was a bright red adorned with a gold phoenix and detailing . In Chinese culture , red is the color of celebration and a gold phoenix is representative of being a bride .
The Day of : Katie and Jeffrey did a first look and a traditional American ceremony before heading out to the Coachmen ’ s Lodge to get the party started . To symbolize the joining of families , they incorporated a tree planting ceremony of a bamboo plant . They used the soil from each of their childhood backyards , creating unity between the two and their linked pasts . While she wore a white gown for the ceremony and most of the reception , Katie slipped back into her qipao for dancing .
The Decor : A frame with origami paper cranes carefully folded by Katie ’ s sister surrounded the couple . “ It was a mesh of skills and talent ,” Katie says . “ Our wedding planner proposed the idea of paper cranes and origami pieces and incorporated them into the cake display .” Katie says gifting origami was a display of affection between her and Jeffrey in the early days of dating . The tables were simple : white tablecloths with floating tea light candles , simple fall centerpieces and a small gift of thanks at each place setting . Katie and Jeffrey folded origami boxes with a Chinese happiness symbol , filled with small candy to “ share the sweetness and happiness of this moment ,” Katie says . The happy couple received many red envelopes from guests , a Chinese act of gifting money in a long envelope with characters symbolizing happiness and wishing luck . “ I didn ’ t realize it until after , but it really was the happiest day of my life ,” Katie recalls .
88 | ENGAGED IN SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND 2023