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Asian American weddings in New York

Many of the couples we work with bring more than one tradition to their wedding: a couple raised in New York, parents who grew up in another country, and a day that has to feel right to everyone in the room. We have planned weddings with traditional tea ceremonies, at Blue Hill at Stone Barns and 74 Wythe, and a lion dance, and planned the paebaek into a New York day. We plan these weddings with you from the start, and with the people who keep the traditions where that helps.

The bride bends low to offer a tray of tea cups to an elder, in a room of warm wood and greenery at 74 Wythe.
74 Wythe. The tea ceremony.

Two ceremonies, one day

The first decision is the shape of the day. A tea ceremony in the morning and a Western ceremony in the afternoon. A paebaek during cocktail hour. A ceremony that brings both traditions into one moment. Each changes the timeline, the rooms, the attire and the photographs, and we plan them together rather than one after another.

Read more about Chinese weddings and the tea ceremony, Korean weddings and the paebaek, and how a tea ceremony fits a Western wedding day.

Honoring the tradition

Parents and elders sometimes have expectations you are still learning about: the order of greetings, who is seated where, what is served, who speaks. We ask early, we write it down, and we make sure the day meets those expectations without the couple having to negotiate every one of them. Often that means a separate conversation with the parents early in the planning, in the language and at the hour that suit them, so they are part of the day rather than informed about it.

Attire changes, planned

Two or three looks in a day is common. Each change is built into the timeline, with a room, a dresser and time to breathe, so it never comes out of the guests’ evening.

Two languages

Programs, signage and menus in both languages where you want them, speeches that land with both sides of the room, and officiants who can speak to everyone present. Where a ceremony is held in two languages, we time it with the officiant in advance, so neither half of the room waits for the other.

Design without cliché

Tradition belongs inside the design, not laid over it. Colors, symbols and flowers are chosen for what they mean to the two of you, and the rest of the day follows your own taste. At Blue Hill at Stone Barns, the lion dance came into the reception as part of the evening’s design rather than a performance set apart from it.

Weddings we have planned with these traditions

Venues that suit two traditions

  • Blue Hill at Stone Barns

    Pocantico Hills, Westchester

    A tea ceremony and a lion dance around a farm dinner.

  • The Rockleigh

    Rockleigh, New Jersey

    A ballroom for a large banquet, a grand staircase for the entrances, and a courtyard for the photographs.

  • 74 Wythe

    Williamsburg, Brooklyn

    A tea ceremony in a room of wood and greenery, then a ceremony with the skyline in the windows.

  • The Yale Club of New York City

    Vanderbilt Avenue, Midtown Manhattan

    A ballroom and private rooms of several sizes under one roof, so a private ceremony can take place upstairs while guests gather below.

Olha, in the press

Every feature

Questions couples ask

Do you plan weddings with Chinese or Korean traditions?

Yes. We have planned Chinese tea ceremonies and a lion dance, and planned the paebaek into a New York wedding day.

Can we hold a tea ceremony and a Western ceremony on the same day?

Yes, and most of our couples do. The tea ceremony is usually in the morning or during cocktail hour.

Can we include our parents in the planning?

Yes. We plan with you first, and where you would like it, we speak with your parents directly about the traditions they care about.

Do you work with couples abroad?

Often. See our international families page.

More questions couples ask

Tell us about the traditions you will keep.

Tell us about your wedding, and we will take it from there.

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