Ascott Parc
This romantic summer wedding at Ascott Parc unfolded so beautifully. It was a dream to capture this special day with a venue like this. Andrea and Robert have a very tight family and there was so much emotion in the air. Everyone was so happy to celebrate this day with them. But I must admit, I couldn’t wait for when we had time alone with them for their bride and groom portraits because they could just relax and be themselves. Their love was just pure magic.
They kicked off their reception as Ascott Parc with a group performance involving the entire bridal party. They played an assortment of games throughout dinner keeping their guests entertained. The couple even went around table to table toasting each of their guests as is traditional with modern Chinese Weddings.
Fun Packed Day
When wedding days are as long as this one, falling behind on schedule seems almost inevitable. How these two remained on time is still a mystery to me.
- Bride prep/door games in Richmond Hill,
- Portrait Session at Lake Wilcox Park
- Christian Ceremony at Toronto Christian Community Church
- Traditional Chinese Tea Ceremony
- and an action-packed reception at Ascott Parc.
Totally exhausted after this one but loving the variety of photos throughout the day. Most photographers would call me crazy for taking on events like this. 14hr wedding with a Western Ceremony and Chinese Tea Ceremony. The pacing of this day was amazing, and the couple did give me a lot of freedom to keep everything on schedule. I was even able to include additional photo ops they didn’t realize would fit into their day. As excited as I was to photograph this wedding, I was even more excited to deliver the final photos.
Chinese Tea Ceremony
The tea ceremony begins for the groom’s family, followed by the bride’s family. It is an ancient ceremony to honour your elders. As always, these traditions differ from family to family. As a rule, the tea is usually served in order of hierarchy. So starting with grandparents. Then parents, aunties/uncles, elder siblings, and finally cousins. The tea set is often a family heirloom. If the bride has a dowry, they will include a tea set for the ceremony. The tea is usually infused with lotus seeds or even red dates to symbolize fertility. The bridal party will usually help with pouring the tea and cleaning cups during the ceremony.
Traditionally, the couple serves tea whilst kneeling down, but some modern families prefer to bow instead. Either way shows respect to your elders. Following the tea ceremony, gifts are given to the bride and groom. They can usually be red envelopes containing money. They can also consist of jewelry handed down from mother-in-law and female relatives to the bride.
I also photographed their family session and engagement shoot.
