Cameron Braun 10/19/10 Cameron Braun 10/19/10

Joyce + Tom :: PART II :: St. Louis Wedding Photography

Part Two.

After the Chinese Tea Ceremony Joyce and Tom and their wedding ceremony at North County Community Church. After the ceremony we took the bridal party downtown for photos, and the light was just beautiful. We always love doing portraits just before sunset because the sunlight is soft, warm and just creamy!

The reception was at the Mandarin House, and they served a traditional 10 course Chinese meal. They had everything from deep fried shrimp to duck. Joyce changed back into her Chinese dress and they went around to each table and did a toast with all of their guests. It was really neat to hear individual guests share their love and congratulations with the couple.

Enjoy!

Seriously, how cool is this wall!?!

Cameron Braun 10/13/10 Cameron Braun 10/13/10

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!