Multicultural weddings in New York
Many of the couples we work with bring more than one background to their wedding: two cultures, two languages, or a tradition one of you grew up with and the other is meeting for the first time. We have planned weddings with traditional tea ceremonies at Blue Hill at Stone Barns and 74 Wythe, a lion dance, and a paebaek planned into a New York day. Whatever traditions you bring, the work is the same. We learn what each one means to you, and we plan the day so both belong in it from the first hour to the last.
Two traditions, one day
The first decision is the shape of the day. A ceremony in the morning and another in the afternoon. A tradition held during cocktail hour. A single ceremony that brings both together. Each choice changes the timeline, the rooms, the attire and the photographs, so we plan them together rather than one after another.
For the traditions we have planned in depth, read more about Asian American weddings, Chinese weddings and the tea ceremony, Korean weddings and the paebaek, and how a tea ceremony fits a Western wedding day.
Learning what each tradition means to you
A tradition is rarely only a custom. It carries a memory, a person or a promise. We ask early what each element means to you, why it matters and how you want it to feel, and we write down the order of the day so nothing is left to guesswork. Where someone close to you is the keeper of a tradition, we speak with them directly, in the language and at the hour that suit them, so you do not have to carry every conversation yourselves.
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 your evening.
More than one language
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.
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 ceremony can take place upstairs while guests gather below.
Questions couples ask
Do you plan weddings that bring two cultures together?
Yes. We have planned Chinese tea ceremonies and a lion dance, and planned the paebaek into a New York wedding day, and we plan any combination of traditions the same way, by learning what each one means to you first.
Can we hold two ceremonies on the same day?
Yes, and most of our couples do. One is often held in the morning or during cocktail hour, and the other later in the day.
Can the wedding be in two languages?
Yes. Programs, signage, menus and speeches can be in both, and we time a bilingual ceremony with the officiant in advance.
Do you work with couples who live abroad?
Often. See our international families page.
Tell us about the traditions you will bring.
Tell us about your wedding, and we will take it from there.