East meets west
Couple
carin & Yosua
date
a long long time ago
Summerstory
Chinese-Indonesian Style Tea Ceremony
Chinese Gardens of Friendship, Darling Harbour, Sydney
LOCATIONS:
PHOTOGRAPHER:
EVENT TYPE:
This one is personal
Although we have made the deliberate choice not to share too much from our own wedding -to give ourselves a sense of separation from our personal and professional lives- we're delighted to share this particular part: our Tepai (Chinese-Indonesian style Tea Ceremony).
This took place on the night before our wedding day itself, in the beautiful Chinese Garden of Friendship in Darling Harbour, Sydney CBD. This venue is truly one of a kind -gifted by the State of Guangzhou in China to the State of NSW to symbolise friendship and cultural exchange. It follows traditional Taoist design principles -apparently!
Departing From Tradition
When designing an event such as this, it's always tempting to default to super traditional designs, e.g. red washing over everything.
We wanted to reflect modernity as well as our lives and community here in Australia. As such we took a creative spin of the colour wheel and reinterpreted the traditional Chinese shades of colours with a mix of terracottas, peach roses, rust tones, and creamy neutrals, softened with sprigs of fresh greens and white daisies.
The mood we wanted to strike was warm, filial, yet romantic. Rich with depth, but still soft and airy.
We also designed the shuāng xǐ (囍) sign out of greenery wall. because, why not?
And Carin's dress was just a DREAM. It is also a faithful extension of the styling overall. We had the season's blooms in mind when picking the colour tone. Alas the designer is based overseas, so we won't be able to connect First Sunday brides with them.
Whereas Yosua had opted for a qipao with clean lines. He designed a custom lapel pin with his family's surname 游 on it, which he also gifted to his side of the family -many of whom wore it to the actual wedding itself too.
honour, gratitude, and good food
And though you pay respect to your own side of the family, there is an added layer of meaning when you pour tea for your spouse's relatives -it became a gesture of goodwill and acceptance.
In turn, the older generation will provide words of wisdom, and present a token gift as a gesture of goodwill; to welcome you to the family.
As generations of people have migrated away from mainland China to different parts of Asia, the Tea Ceremony culture evolved depending on where your roots were from. A Vietnamese Tea Ceremony would be different from a Korean Tea Ceremony (called a Paebaek), which is different to what is practiced in South East Asia, such as Malaysia or Singapore, or the tradition that we followed: the Chinese-Indonesian Tepai. As wedding planners, we have become familiar with most of them through experience!
What comes next after the proceedings were a succulent feast! This should sate their appetite for Chinese food, and true enough we didn't hear a blip of complaint when we served fish, chicken, and steak in our wedding reception the following day!
Each moment between tea pouring was profound. It could be lighthearted, humorous, or very serious, but no doubt it was memorable moment for all involved.
We curated the vibe we wanted at the event with an amazing harpist, Jo Baee. The ceremony took place around 'golden hour' and it was simply perfect.
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Check Availability!
Say hi via the form below and let us know your preferred wedding date, month, or season. We’ll confirm our availability and send over our Services Guide, which includes pricing.
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Check AvaiLability!
Say hi via the form below and let us know your preferred wedding date, month, or season - we’ll confirm our availability and send over our Services Guide, which includes pricing.
Complimentary high-fidelity renders
Unlimited Meetings
Exclusive Vendor Perks
chauffeured venue tours
Broad cultural understanding
Transparent service fees starting from $4,500+gst
