An Elegant Historical Wedding at the Statehouse in Columbus, Ohio

Karen Lai, 25, a Human Resources manager, and Sam Brown, 25, a financial analyst, met in their first class of their first day in high school. Although they knew each other, Karen and Brown didn't start dating until they both attended the same university after graduating. Sam proposed to Karen on Valentine's Day in the comfort of their own apartment after exchanging gifts, and started the search for the perfect wedding venue for their elegant wedding. The couple came across the Statehouse in Columbus, Ohio and fell in love with the deep history, marble decor and art emphasis that the place embodied. Most of Karen's family lived in Taiwan, so although many of them couldn't attend the wedding, she made sure framed pictures of them were around during the ceremony. It was important to the bride to incorporate Taiwanese traditions into the wedding as well, so the couple made sure that small details reflecting the heritage was present throughout the day. "There is a Mandarin symbol used frequently at weddings to express happiness, and we stamped this onto our wedding invitations and wedding favors," says Karen. "We also had a special cloth scroll my mom brought back from Taiwan. It's used as a Taiwanese version of a guest book, where your guests will sign their names on it."