East meets West, Tradition meets Surprises, US Air Force meets Chinese Culture...from beginning to end Nancy and Steve's wedding preparations and the celebration itself were a graceful mixture of diverse cultures, respectful formality, and plain old fun.
During a year of planning the Palo Alto destination wedding for Nancy, living in Nevada and Steve, based out of Virginia, I was always impressed with the priority they made to honor their respective cultures: as a Colonel in the US Air Force, Steve's love and enjoyment of military traditions went deep; and honoring the Chinese heritage passed on to Nancy through many generations was key to all of her wedding decisions. BUT, there was always a sense of humor and playfulness surrounding each idea and plan we considered. As you will see from the photos by Catherine Hall, the wedding celebration for Nancy and Steve was one of lovely contrasts, expressing eloquently the mixture of history-steeped formality and child-like joy, which exemplified Nancy and Steve's relationship.
The Ceremony:Stanford Memorial Church is one of the most traditionally beautiful locations to be married in the Bay Area; with its cathedral-like arched ceilings, a museum worth of intricate mosaics and stained glass windows throughout, and the the sheer immensity of the proportions, the church is breathtaking.
Nancy and Steve's wedding ceremony reflected the beauty and elegance of the church by incorporating the traditional liturgy, music and of course the majestic sounds of Wagner's Wedding March (Here Comes the Bride) played triumphantly on the historic pipe organ built into the church over a hundred years ago.
When Nancy and Steve exit as man and wife, the formality of the traditions begins to change a bit....
At the door of the Chapel, with all the guests assembled outside, Steve introduces his new wife to his fellow Air Force officers, who are lined up for the formal Saber Ceremony.
Steve ushers his new bride through the swords which rise as the couple approach....
...except for the last 2 sabers, which remain down, successfully halting the exit of the bride and groom. It is formally understood by all the Air Force officers involved, that until there has been an "acceptable" kiss, the bride and groom will not be allowed to move on....it took a lot of tries,
..but finally Steve and Nancy won the approval of those last 2 officers, and the sabers were raised. I think Nancy was initiated into the Air Force family with the traditional swat on the rear as she passed the last sabers...but they were very subtle, so you will have to ask Nancy to know for sure!
For the first non-traditional event of the day, The (Infamous)
Stanford Band surprised Steve, Nancy and their guests by running out onto the quad just as the couple passed through the last set of sabers....a definite switch of atmospheres...but all celebratory!
It seems that one member of Steve's Saber Ceremony team also plays trombone with the Stanford Band occasionally; he had the band cued for this seeming serendipitous arrival...the officer, seen in white above, put down his saber to pick up his trombone and join the Stanford band in celebrating Steve and Nancy!
The Reception:After the excitement of the Stanford Band, it was time to move to the Sharon Heights Golf and Country Club in Menlo Park where Nancy and Steve would host their wedding guests for cocktails, dinner, dancing, cake and a dessert buffet.
The striking place setting for each guest honored the Chinese traditions of Nancy's family, and incorporated her colors of blue, lavender, red and white.
After cocktails and dinner, the dancing began with the traditional first dance for Nancy and Steve...under the "stars" as would befit an Air Force wedding.
...but Steve and one of his colleagues in the Air Force had been secretly practicing another dance to get the action started....
After the first dance no one expected the music to switch quite as drastically as it did for the surprise performance Steve had planned; here again, the element of fun and formality continues to permeate the day!
Needless to say, the dance floor was soon packed with family and guests who were requesting dance lessons from these agile Air Force officers...they rocked!
The cake cutting provided a break in the dancing; here again, there was a formal and fun element brought into the traditional bride/groom cake cutting; Steve and Nancy cut the cake with an Air Force saber.
As you can see, this technique is only possible if the bride and groom are quite a distance from the cake and have a good aim...in Nancy and Steve's case, Steve proved to be an expert in wielding a cake saber!
The last tradition to be honored during the wedding day was a formal Chinese Tea Ceremony, managed by one of Nancy's aunts, who brought in a family tea set so Nancy and Steve could honor the elders in their families.
In Chinese culture, the bride and groom traditionally honor their parents and elder relatives by serving them tea the day of the wedding. In turn, the family members bless the marriage with words of encouragement and quite often, generous gifts of jewelry or cash, to help establish the couple in their new life together. The bride wears a traditional dress, or jacket, such as the elaborate one Nancy put on for the ceremony.
Nancy serving tea to her new relatives from Steve's side of the family.
Immediately after the formal tea ceremony, it was time for the exit of the bride and groom; by including everyone in a sparkler send off, Steve and Nancy kept their guests smiling with surprise all the way to the end of the evening!
Thank you to all of my wonderful colleagues who worked alongside me in the months of planning and throughout the wedding day itself, to pull together all of the details and transitions in the background, so Nancy and Steve's Traditional/non Traditional wedding celebration came off flawlessly.
Stanford Memorial ChurchSharon Heights Golf and Country ClubAtelier JoyaWeddings on FilmCatherine Hall StudiosSound in Motion DJ'sLone Star TransportationClifford Style
After the ceremony in the garden behind the Villa, Vanessa and Matt walk the inviting paths of Villa Montalvo to have some carefree romantic portraits with John.
I love the balcony on the second floor at the Villa where I can look down on the entire reception set up, and enjoy the beauty of what I was able to help Matt and Vanessa create for their guests.
Vanessa and Matt chose blues, cream and purples, with accents of silver, to make a bold statement against the cream columns and off-white stucco walls of the Villa.
In the ballroom of the Villa Vanessa and Matt used their first dance to set the tone for an evening of "foot loose and fancy free" dancing to be enjoyed by all!
A delicious stack of presents---the wedding cake designed by Butterfly Cakes was as yummy as it was beautiful! After a short break to enjoy the cake, Vanessa and Matt's guests continued to dance the night away!
Vanessa and Matt were fortunate to have a warm evening for their wedding; guests who weren't dancing could enjoy the candlelight and warm ambiance of the lighting outside at Villa Montalvo.
Villa Montalvo is lovely from every angle, but this long view from the end of the lawn is especially striking and one Vanessa and Matt will always remember with joy.
When Nancy and Steve exit as man and wife, the formality of the traditions begins to change a bit....
...except for the last 2 sabers, which remain down, successfully halting the exit of the bride and groom. It is formally understood by all the Air Force officers involved, that until there has been an "acceptable" kiss, the bride and groom will not be allowed to move on....it took a lot of tries,
For the first non-traditional event of the day, The (Infamous) Stanford Band surprised Steve, Nancy and their guests by running out onto the quad just as the couple passed through the last set of sabers....a definite switch of atmospheres...but all celebratory!
After cocktails and dinner, the dancing began with the traditional first dance for Nancy and Steve...under the "stars" as would befit an Air Force wedding.
...but Steve and one of his colleagues in the Air Force had been secretly practicing another dance to get the action started....
As you can see, this technique is only possible if the bride and groom are quite a distance from the cake and have a good aim...in Nancy and Steve's case, Steve proved to be an expert in wielding a cake saber!
In Chinese culture, the bride and groom traditionally honor their parents and elder relatives by serving them tea the day of the wedding. In turn, the family members bless the marriage with words of encouragement and quite often, generous gifts of jewelry or cash, to help establish the couple in their new life together. The bride wears a traditional dress, or jacket, such as the elaborate one Nancy put on for the ceremony.
Thank you to all of my wonderful colleagues who worked alongside me in the months of planning and throughout the wedding day itself, to pull together all of the details and transitions in the background, so Nancy and Steve's Traditional/non Traditional wedding celebration came off flawlessly.
Tory and Zander
What could be better than having your face painted, then joining your friends/cousins for a buffet dinner of chicken tenders, mac and cheese, and strawberries?
The welcome dinner on the lawn at Rosewood Sand Hill featured a Margarita bar for the adults, and a Mocktail bar for the kids. Featuring a menu of 8 hand-mixed specialty drinks using Monin syrups, sparkling water and fruit juices, each drink was named after the bride, groom, or one of their 3 children, who were of course in the wedding party! I must say, the candy display which was a part of the mocktail bar was frequented by many adults as well as children!
Soon after the guests arrived, our juggler/magician Thomas John, began moving among the children providing entertainment and humor to groups of 2 or 3 at a time. Just before dinner, we invited the children (and adults) to gather on the lawn for a juggling show, with group participation and lots of giggles to work up a healthy appetite!
The cozy day bed/couch served as a group seating area for the kids as they enjoyed their mocktails, candy, sliders, and barbecued ribs...
The same day bed/couch provided a cozy nap location after dinner when the parents were still enjoying their conversations, but the kids were ready to snooze after a long day.
When the children arrived after the wedding ceremony, and signed into their activities, they were greeted with a special kids-only buffet set up on the veranda at Kohl Mansion...
...as well as relay races, face painting, caricature drawing, parachute games, and even stilt walkers on the lawn to help get the wiggles out; after riding the shuttle from Rosewood Sand Hill to the wedding ceremony at Stanford, and then up to the reception at Kohl Mansion, it was time to MOVE!
After dinner, when the adults went into their elegant tent for dinner, the kids were invited into a Kids-Only Carnival area which included tossing rings on coke bottles for points and beating the Strong Man challenge by hitting the hammer on the base and ringing the bell at the top, eating unlimited popcorn, and claiming prizes when the right number of tickets were accumulated at the game booths.
The prize booth being stocked before the carnival games began!
Steve and Nancy even knew to expect to be stopped as the passed under the last pair of sabers, where they had to provide a kiss to satisfy all of the Saber Bearers...Steve was happy to acquiesce to that demand, as was Nancy! :)
You will notice that the gentleman in the white uniform, with the trombone, was also the first officer in the line up for the Saber Ceremony; he had plotted this surprise with the Stanford Band, since he is one of their regular trombone players, and has been since his University days!
The band entertained all of us on the quad with 5-6 songs; Nancy and Steve were out dancing with them and all of us were enjoying the "organized chaos" to the max!
Finally the Bride/Drum Major blew his whistle one last time, and the band rushed off into the distance, shouting Congratulations! and scattering into the hallowed arches of Stanford University!
This was one of those special moments in my work as a wedding planner that make me smile with pleasure; I love to see my couples surprised and overjoyed by a loving tribute from a friend...in this case the surprise was a rather raucous group of college students drumming, screaming, jumping, and surrounding them with enthusiastic celebration. Thank you to the Stanford Band, and to the "undercover" band member who was also in the Saber Ceremony!
