Vicky and Mike were married at Southwestern University Chapel at the college where Vicky got her undergrad degree. After the service they had a traditional Chinese tea ceremony, and then the reception was held at Fortune Chinese Restaurant (the food was a traditional Chinese feast– my stomach rumbles just thinking of it.) Vicky wore three (yes three!) wedding dresses: a traditional western gown, a traditional Chinese dress, and a cocktail dress for the dancing. Oh and the dancing! These photos from Lauren McGlynn photography will show just how epic the dancing was.

Did your wedding location and date hold a special significance for you? 

The location had a special significance, but I chose the date so it wouldn’t coincide with home football games for the University of Texas. Ironically, it turned out to be the weekend of ACL, but it ended up working out just fine.

Tell us about the details of the day. 

The wedding ceremony at the beautiful Southwestern University chapel, where I graduated. My mom cried the whole time she and my dad were walking me down the aisle. After the ceremony, we had a traditional tea ceremony, where family members blessed us with lucky money and words of advice over tea. The reception was awesome because we had a traditional chinese banquet with family style food, which was one of the few things I really wanted to have. We danced all night and had lots of fun, and then randomly, the people who were left at the end of the night sang “Country Roads” together in a circle, swaying to the music (my husband is from West Virginia). I felt happy that we did things that were Asian and American…which is what I am. Things I did without…the bouquet toss, a veil, garter toss, trinkets for wedding favors (we did donations instead), going over budget, being a bridezilla. 

How was the wedding day? 

WONDERFUL and full of love. Just like I wanted it to be.

Do you have any advice for couples planning their wedding? 

If I knew how fun the day of the wedding would be, with all my friends and family there, I wouldn’t have been so grumpily stressed out during the planning leading up to it. There are a few hitches I got fired up about after the fact, but even then the little material things didn’t matter. People will say…as a bride, do what makes you happy, don’t worry what everyone else thinks. But at the end of the day, I think it’s healthier to know that you will compromise because you want guests to be happy too.

Vendors:

Photography: Lauren McGlynn and Zachary Hunt
Cake: Sweetish Hill
Reception: Fortune Chinese Restaurant