A Red-Filled Wedding at Independence National Historic Park's Rose Garden in Philadelphia

The vibrant, candy-apple red color palette Kayleigh and Vince chose for their wedding was fitting for multiple reasons. Including red in the wedding at Kimpton Hotel Monaco was a beautiful way to honor Vince’s Chinese heritage as the hue is considered auspicious in Chinese culture. Furthermore, the bold color the couple picked matched Kayleigh’s red hair perfectly, and the entire palette coordinated beautifully with the burgundy dresses she chose for her wedding party attendants. For their Philadelphia wedding, Kayleigh and Vince wove personalization into every detail. Notably, following the wedding ceremony, they paid homage to Vince’s heritage with a traditional Chinese tea ceremony. They further added unique personalization to the day by including their pup as a guest of honor. 

"Our wedding evolved from its original conception due to the circumstances from COVID-19," explains Kayleigh. "Our initial plan was to have a 250-guest wedding aboard the Spirit of Philadelphia on October 10th, 2020. We had always wanted a large celebration and what can be more fun than a boat party? We knew early on in the pandemic that our plans had to change drastically, however it was uncertain how we could get that accomplished. We decided to have a ceremony-only wedding with only our immediate family on our originally planned date with the plan to have a one-year anniversary party on the Spirit of Philadelphia next October. Planning a micro-wedding in the current climate was difficult as restrictions and plans were ever-changing. After months of searching, we finally found the Rose Garden at Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia, only about a month before the big day. Once we applied for all of the appropriate permits for ceremony and photography, we needed help to get our vision to fruition. In Chinese culture, red and gold are considered colors of luck and happiness. In keeping with the groom's heritage, but also having an American-style wedding, we decided to mold the traditional colors into our own style. Working off of red and gold we went for colors such as burgundy, champagne, and blushes to give it a more modern feel and fit within our fall wedding season. We wanted the colors to feel incorporated as a significant part of our day so the color palette was represented in our florals, bridal shoes, bridesmaids' attire and other details. It also helps that red is my favorite color is red and has been my signature hair color for years. After the American ceremony, we participated in a small Chinese tea ceremony with the groom's parents and siblings in traditional attire."

Kayleigh goes on to explain how the entire wedding was "very sentimental from the start. We purposefully picked the day October 10th, 2020 as it occurred during our dating anniversary weekend. We stated on our wedding website that October 11th would mark our eight-year anniversary together and the first day as husband and wife. Each detail of the wedding was selected purposefully. For example, Vince's ring contains both his birthstone and mine. Which mimics my engagement ring which contains the birthstones on the inside of the band. Another special part of the day was being able to include our dog as our ring bearer. He was adopted by us early in our relationship and became an integral part of our lives. Sadly, he passed away a few days after the wedding so it was so special to us that he was there and will forever be included in those memories."