Caroline and Jamie Sturm were my first long distance couple. They were working in Beijing but wanted to have their wedding in Atlanta (Caroline's home town). We worked over emails and phone calls across the time zones to plan the details of their January 19,2013 wedding. I only met them one month before the big day when they came back to US for the holidays and to prepare for the wedding. Somehow I wish we could have met earlier because they were such a fun couple to work with!
Caroline and Jamie wanted to incorporate two important wedding traditions that honor Caroline's Chinese American Heritage:
(1) Bridesmaid Challenge (Traditionally called "Opening Door Ceremony")
The bridesmaids normally have tasks for the groom and groomsmen to perform before they will open the door for the groom to see his bride. In this case, the guys had to go through a waxing session!
(2) Tea Ceremony
This is for the bride and groom to present tea to the bride's parents and grandparents as a way to honor the elders and for the bride to formally say goodbye to the family before the wedding. The elders provided red packets containing money as gifts for the couple after they drank the tea.
For the traditional church ceremony at Atlanta Chinese Christian Church Northwest (Caroline's parent's home church), the couple chose to have a foot washing ceremony. It was a touching moment when they took turn washing each others' feet to show their commitment and sacrifice for each other in the marriage.
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| Caroline was escorted by her Dad into the sanctuary at the beginning of the ceremony. |
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| Foot Washing Ceremony - Jamie did it first! |
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| Now it is Caroline's turn. |
I was very glad to be able to secure a group of fabulous vendors for Caroline's wedding. The church decoration and bouquets for the bridal party by Cathy Brim from
Bloom Floral Design were amazing. The photographs by
Christopher Helm Photography were stunning. I also love the makeup and hair design by
Nia Tran!
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| Pew Decoration |
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| Altar Decoration |
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| Bride's portrait |
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| The bridesmaids chose different dresses with blush/pink tone. |
During the reception at the historic
Georgian Terrace Hotel in Midtown Atlanta, I also had the honor to work together with their great catering sales manager, Ms. Hannah Bradley. Check out some photos of this gorgeous venue below. The staircase and the rooftop provided really pretty photo backgrounds.
Below are some photos of the ballroom before reception begins with all the different centerpiece designs by
Bloom Floral Design) :
Finally, I was super happy that the talented 5 members
Band of Gold
led by band leader Kris Bayne was able to keep the dance floor full all
night (and even had an impromptu jam session with one of the guests who
played the saxophone!).
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| Grand Entrance to the reception. I love Caroline's cheongsam (Chinese Traditional Dress). It was the same one that her Mother wore during her own wedding years ago. What a great family tradition! |
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| Jamie's grandfather said the prayer before dinner. |
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| A guest played saxophone with the band |
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| Caroline and Jamie dancing |
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| Jamie's brother Brady was having a great time on the dance floor! |
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| I love this photo between Caroline and her sister Virginia dancing together! |
Besides the group of vendors, Caroline and Jamie's families were also involved in the wedding. All the paper products such as menu cards, place cards, invitations,and wedding programs were designed by Caroline's Sister Virgia Shou! The favors were home made bourbon balls (Jamie's from Kentucky) packaged by Jamie's grandparents!
As a planner, I felt bad having to ask the band to play the last song for the crowd (who very much could still go on for a few more hours on the dance floor). However, someone's got to keep the time and make sure the event does not run over time!
At the end, the couple left the reception with a sparkler exit which was a hit among the guests despite the cold winter night. My guess is they are warm from all the love, laughter, and dancing from the great wedding celebration!
Caroline and Jamie had returned to Beijing but I feel like now I have a friend in Beijing! It was such a fun time working with you two and I wish both of you nothing but the best in your marriage.
