A Late Summer Wedding Blending Guyanese and Vietnamese Culture at a Japanese Garden in Pasadena, California
In the early days of the pandemic, both Tiffanie and Jeffery took to OKCupid to find love, and that’s where they found each other. Those first months were filled with good conversation, and this gave them the opportunity to really get to know one another before finally meeting in person. On their three-year anniversary, the couple took a trip to the desert at a private resort. “We went wine tasting in the evening and walked to a secluded area, and Jeff said, ‘This is perfect. I wouldn’t change anything about this… well, actually, if I had to change anything, maybe the next time we visit, we’ll be here as husband and wife?’” Tiffanie says of the moment he got down on one knee.
With Tiffanie’s Vietnamese and Jeffery’s Guyanese heritages, the two wanted to blend their cultures for a unique wedding ceremony, and the Storrier Stearns Japanese Garden in Pasadena was their perfect “magical retreat from the real world” to host this special weekend. The venue offered many spots to explore, while still giving the intimate feel they wanted for their closest friends and family members.
And this historic space would kickstart the weekend with a meaningful and private Vietnamese tea ceremony to honor their loved ones who have passed. “We wanted something that felt like a perfect blend of both of us as a symbol of our new lives together; a perfect amalgamation of the things that made us who we are,” Jeffery says. Tiffanie’s best friend became ordained specifically for this union, and the bride herself walked down the aisle carrying a handmade bag from her sister as “Tamie” by Chloe Flower played. Jeffery’s entrance utilized one of his favorite songs, an acoustic version of “2’s My Favorite One” by Coheed and Cambria.
The couple brought many personal touches to the wedding, including custom áo nhật bìnhs for their ceremony. The traditional Vietnamese attire, in red and blue, had embroidered designs for the bride, with a hand-dyed silk underdress, pearl and jade hairpins and jewelry her mom helped to select. For the groom, his blue nhất bình had a dragon symbol, since he was born in the year of the dragon, along with white silk pants and blue Louboutin loafers. Tiffanie’s bridal bouquet incorporated many of the flowers from the garden and in their decor, while bringing forth elements from her gown.
Since the Japanese garden had an abundance of florals, Jeffery and Tiffanie worked with their florist to amplify the greenery around the venue with natural displays by choosing blooms from a local flower market. Jeffery says, “We had an arch and a handful of arrangements in the same color scheme for the tea ceremony, which all later got repurposed into the sweetheart table decorations…We chose flowers of varying shapes, textures and colors: campanulas, alliums, cosmos and sweet peas to name a few.” They also used flower stickers to enclose their wedding invites, had bud vases at every table and placed lavender stems on each table setting for their guests.
As for another surprise waiting for guests at their seats, the two handwrote letters to each of their loved ones (and their plus ones). “We really wanted to make sure that it was a perfectly curated event and that everything felt like it belonged in our wedding,” Jeffery says. These served as the guests’ seating chart, leading them to a reception outdoors in the garden beneath the tree branches. “We leaned in to the natural beauty that surrounded us and made sure our table settings (warm white tablecloths, white plates with green floral designs and green cloth napkins) felt like a natural part of the decor,” the groom adds.
On the menu for the evening were Guyanese favorites, catered from a local restaurant and one of the most memorable parts of the day, according to the couple. They say, “We were so stressed about everything going perfectly that we were really hungry by the time the food came. We got to dig in and enjoy while taking in the atmosphere that we created.” They also served custom cocktails that night, twists on a Manhattan and a rum punch, along with their own selection of wines.
Throughout wedding planning, the couple found that the “less is more” approach worked for their needs, consolidating many ideas rather than creating additional tasks for themselves. Instead of a custom seating chart, the envelopes of handwritten letters made for that customized touch they wanted. And some of their favorite moments of the day were just checking in with one another and seeing how all of their hard work paid off in their guests’ joy. “You will get a thousand opinions on what you should and should not do, but this is a celebration of your love and the things that are most important to the both of you,” the newlyweds say. “Part of the magic was the fact that the wedding was 100% the wedding we wanted.”