Joyce + Tom :: PART I :: St. Louis Wedding Photography
Part One.
We always love being able to experience something different at our weddings. Change is what helps get the creative juices flowing, and always seems to make our jobs more exciting. Every wedding is unique, but Joyce and Tom’s wedding was something completely different for us.
We started the day bright and early (great time for photos by the way!) at the Missouri Botanical Gardens. You see, Joyce is Chinese. Tom is not. We had the huge honor of photographing not only their wedding ceremony, but also the traditional Chinese Tea Ceremony. Our first stop was the Chinese Garden, with beautiful morning light spilling over the trees onto an eastern landscape with Joyce and Tom in traditional Chinese attire. Joyce looked absolutely beautiful in her bright red dress!
The Chinese Tea Ceremony is a way for the family to give their blessing and show their approval of the spouse to be. Joyce and Tom presented a cup of tea to each family member, starting with Grandma and working their way through parents and then aunts and uncles. After accepting the tea from Joyce and then from Tom, the family members then gave the couple a gift. It was either jewelry or “lucky money”. Red is a symbol of luck in the Chinese culture, so the family would put money in red envelopes to wish the couple luck in their marriage. It was intimate and emotional, with only family and their closest friends surrounding the events.
We gotta admit, one of our favorite parts was the homemade Chinese food for lunch right after the ceremony… SO GOOD!
Make sure you stay tuned for part two coming soon!
Emily + Joe :: St. Louis Wedding Photography
I grew up in St. Louis, Missouri. It’s a great city, and I’m still a hardcore Cardinals fan. When Emily called me and asked if I’d be willing to shoot her wedding, I was honored! You see, Emily is the little sister of one of my very best friends (and one of my groomsmen) David. Our families are incredibly close, and I imagine we would have been guests at the wedding had we not been the photographers.
The wedding was at the b-e-a-utiful Botanical Gardens on one of the most perfect spring days you could ask for. It was a late morning wedding (which was something new for us), with a lunch reception at the Randall Gallery. Emily has grown up into a beautiful woman, and Joe is a really lucky guy and has also gained a really wonderful set of in-laws!
It was nice to see old friends, and it was a pleasure having my sister help us out with some detail photos and my mom help us with coordinating. Thanks to both of you!
