A New York Kinda Love: A Sweetly Blended Tea Ceremony

*All photos courtesy of the amazing Angelica Glass, unless otherwise noted. Please note that the photos have only been color-corrected and not fully retouched.

Alas, I embark on my recap journey... close to three months after the big event. Did any other bees and brides get extreme post-wedding fatigue? The weekend after the big day, Mr. Canary and I dove right into the home improvement projects that we had neglected while planning the wedding... and then came our fabulous honeymoon (which Mr. Canary will be writing about in the near future!)

And now with our pro-pics in hand and our brains back from vacation, we can fully relish in the best day of our lives.

The week leading up to the wedding was one of the most hectic: guests from all over the world arriving, last minute projects, and even dance lessons! But all our hard work paid off and our day went off without a hitch (mostly thanks to our super coordinator, Christine Viola, who was able to make our crammed schedule feel stress-free and even relaxed.)

My day started with a 5:00 AM wakeup call. Despite getting to bed around 11PM the night before, I didn't get much sleep. My two cousins (also bridesmaids) and I made the smart decision to stay at a local hotel the night before to give my parents and all the guests staying at their home enough room.

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All the bridesmaids in vary stages of transformation by the magic of Stacy Pitt (hair) and Sally Duvall (makeup).

We arrived at Mama and Papa Canary's house at 7:00 AM for hair and makeup (with Stacy Pitt and Sally Duvall), despite some burnt fingers, an almost forgotten BM dress, and extreme grogginess, it was a pretty cheery morning. While all the girls were getting ready, relatives and close family friends from my side of the family started to trickle in. There was definitely a great buzz in the air. Lots of greetings and laughter. Mama and Papa Canary had a tent behind the house set up to stave off heat stroke and served traditional Chinese dim sum/breakfast items.

The Brothers Canary with Uncle Canary and Papa Canary getting a quick photo op before things got hectic!

Lucky oranges (that BM Seattle decorated with hand-cut double happiness characters) and our tea set.

Stacy putting the final touches on my finger curls and vintage Shanghai cigarette girl look.

The hours passed by so quickly, before I knew it, we were preparing for the arrival of the groom and groomsmen. When all the bridesmaids and family members left to greet the new arrivals, I was allowed a few moments to myself. I wasn't nervous or anxious, but extremely excited. I let go of any notions that anything would go wrong because at this point-- what could go wrong that would matter? I was just so psyched to know that today was the beginning of my life with Mr. Canary-- and that feeling trumped everything else.


Before Mr. Canary could enter the house, the bridesmaids grilled him with some trivia questions. I was too far away to hear the responses, but apparently they were quite entertaining!


Once Mr. Canary passed the test, he was allowed to enter and I was escorted by Mama Canary to meet my groom. This was our actual first meeting of the day. I thought Mr. Canary looked smashing in his mandarin collar shirt.

"Hey, I passed the test... where's the prize?"

Right here!

An older friend of Mama and Papa Canary's acted as the "officiant" for the tea ceremony. First we paid tribute to our family ancestors, by burning incense. Then we bowed to each other. I love this photo because you can see Mr. Canary and I secretly smiling at each other.


After, we began serving tea to the remainder of our family members in order of age and role. First my parents, then his parents, then grandparents, uncles and aunts, and older siblings. This was one of the most fun parts of the day because most of Mr. Canary's family had never participated in a tea ceremony before. And even though my family had participated in several, there were several hiccups and confusion as to when to drink the tea that was served and gift the requisite red envelope.

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Our first portrait of the day together.

Me with Mama and Papa Canary. Poor Mama Canary slept only an hour the night before, but doesn't she look so beautiful anyway?

After the tea service, it was time for some grub! While Mr. Canary and the rest of the family got to snack, I had to hustle to a hair and makeup change.

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MOH and our monster truck.

Meanwhile, some of the bridesmaids got to check out our sweet ride. Instead of getting a limo, Mr. Canary and I had opted for a huge party bus because we wanted to travel with the entire bridal party. We definitely didn't regret the decision! We loved the spaciousness of the bus and what's a perfect wedding day without some stripper pole action? I was told that the Brothers Canary each had a spin on their trip in the bus.

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Everyone cracking open their Sofia mini champagne cans (except the kiddies who got Izze sodas) and munching on personalized cookies.

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Who says you can't have some striptease fun on your wedding day?

Next up: Hotel shenanigans, a photo shoot, and a ride on a carousel!

Were you surprisingly not nervous or anxious on the day of your wedding?