This Couple Incorporated Nods to Jewish, Vietnamese, and Chinese Traditions in Their Pacific Northwest Vineyard Wedding

Jennifer and Lee met in the summer of 2017 when they ran into each other while playing Pokemon Go in downtown Portland. By November of 2022, the couple was engaged to be married. “We had a sweet and casual engagement,” Jennifer remembers. “Lee made me dinner and proposed in front of the fireplace.” The couple started planning their wedding during the winter of 2023 with help from Danielle of Danielle DeMarco Events, and the highest priority item on their to-do list was to choose a venue that would allow Jennifer and Lee to prioritize their love of nature on the big day. The first property they toured? Gorge Crest Vineyard in Underwood, Washington, which was blanketed in over a foot of snow and surrounded by a thick fog on the day of their visit. “The fog was so thick we couldn’t see 20 feet in front of us,” the bride remembers. Their planner was describing the views when the clouds parted revealing a breathtaking river and mountain vista. “It felt like it was meant to be—we had to get married there!”

With a venue booked, Jennifer and Lee got to work planning the finer details of their August 8, 2024 nuptials. On the big day, 70 guests watched as the couple exchanged vows under a pergola covered in wild wisteria vines during a ceremony that incorporated elements of Jennifer's Vietnamese background and Lee’s Chinese and Jewish heritage. The couple included various family members throughout the day’s celebrations, including Lee’s dad as the officiant, a reading by Lee’s mom, and a memorable speech from the bride's dad.

Here, every detail from this couple's intimate wedding, including a family-style meal and a surprise opera performance. Read on to see the photos by Carlos Hernandez.

Jennifer and Lee worked with Kelsey Maile Design to create their invitation suite and wedding-day paper goods. The invitations featured cursive fonts, an embossed floral pattern, and custom envelope liners with an illustration of the views seen from their venue.

Guests were welcomed to the Pacific Northwest with wine and custom matchbooks featuring the bride and groom's first initials. The couple also offered chopstick holders from Musubi Kiln. “We were really excited about the ceramic peapod chopstick holders that Danielle sourced,” Jennifer says. “They made each place setting feel so special and guests could take them home.”

Jennifer initially envisioned herself thrifting a wedding dress, but when she went shopping with her mom and sister, she fell in love with an ivory gown with a mermaid silhouette, plunging neckline, and lace details throughout. "When they put the veil on me, the whole look came together and I knew I had found my dress,” she remembers. She kept her accessories simple, wearing just her mom’s Jade pendant necklace to emphasize the gown's low v-neckline.

“I don’t wear a ton of makeup and didn’t want to feel too done up,” Jennifer says of her big-day beauty look. “Just the best version of myself!” To that end, she asked for natural hair and makeup, choosing soft waves that were pulled back slightly at her face and glowy makeup.

Jennifer carried a bouquet of summer blooms, including caramel phlox, Koko Loko roses, butter yellow scabiosa, champagne foxglove, and vibrant greenery. “Almost everything was sourced locally at the market in Portland and could not have been more perfect,” she explains. Her bridesmaids, who wore pale blue gowns with varying necklines, held small bouquets of yellow scabiosa. “It can be hard to source this specific color and type of scabiosa but the season was perfect for this color scheme,” the bride notes.

Lee spent the morning of the wedding getting ready with his brother and dad. He wore a classic tuxedo from Brooks Brothers, which he paired with cufflinks his dad surprised him with on the wedding day. He finished his look with a floral boutonnière made with some of the elements of the Jennifer's bouquet.

The couple’s planning team set up a hightop table with a botanical patterned tablecloth for the guest book and cards. The table was decorated with an arrangement of roses and  caramel phlox, another nod back to Jennifer's bridal bouquet.

Jennifer and Lee had the perfect guest count to tie the knot under the venue’s pergola, which was covered in wild wisteria vines. “It was such a romantic setting and we hadn’t seen that done before, so it felt extra special,” the bride says. White and green floral arrangements, which contained roses, snapdragon, and greenery, were displayed along the aisle. Two large arrangements flanked the altar, creating a designated space for the couple without obscuring the stunning views beyond. 

The couple hired live musicians to perform during their ceremony. Lee and the wedding party walked down the aisle to "Air on the G String," and Jennifer walked down the aisle with her dad to "Canon in D." Lee’s dad officiated the ceremony and they asked their closest family members to share readings. They included a glass breaking tradition at the ceremony as a nod to Lee’s Jewish background.

The couple also wrote personal vows for each other to exchange in front of their loved ones, something they were initially on the fence about. "Danielle recommended we do so since it adds such a personal element to the ceremony,” Jennifer says. “I’m so glad we did!” The newlyweds celebrated back down the aisle to “Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring.”

The couple’s reception took place on a lawn overlooking the vineyards. Lounge seating was set up around the patio, and a single long dining table was topped with crisp white linens for dinner. Guests found their seating assignments at an escort table with leaf patterned linens, which were displayed on wooden holders and finished with white custom wax seals.

Live musicians provided entertainment during cocktail hour, and guests visited a rattan wicker bar with black arched displays for signature drinks. “We aren’t big drinkers, but we decided to have two signature cocktails and a mocktail we called 'The Night Shift' since I’m a nurse that works the night shift!” Jennifer says.

Guests also enjoyed appetizers like prosciutto chevre and fig crostinis, Pacific Northwest oysters on the half shell, and fresh Vietnamese salad rolls.

The single long dinner table was paired with cushioned chairs and decorated with garden style centerpieces. Ivory taper candles in glass hurricanes added warmth and texture to the tabletop. Each place setting included white dishware, silver flatware, and a set of chopsticks. “Our menu was a fusion of Asian and Middle Eastern,” Jennifer says. “Lee’s family has a deep affinity to crab, so it was fitting to start the meal off with an Amuse Buche of Oregon Dungeness Crab salad with shaved fennel, chive oil, hers and lemon.” The family-style dinner also included Hoisin-Braised beef ribs, coconut cured Steelhead, jasmine rice with charred scallions, roasted green beans, and glazed carrots with pistachios, orange, chili, and tarragon.

After speeches, Lee’s aunt, who is a trained Romanian opera singer, stood up to surprise the couple and their guests with a Russian ballad. “Everyone sitting at the long gorgeous table, hearing live opera—wow, what a moment to remember for the rest of your life!” the bride says.

When the couple’s planner showed them a sample wedding cake that looked like an engraved marble box, Jennifer and Lee fell in love. “We had the baker match the floral design from our invitations to the cake,” the bride says. “The cake stand was custom made of wood to fit our cake!”

They chose vanilla cake with strawberry compote, vanilla custard, and vanilla bean buttercream.

The couple tasked DJ Chi Duly with getting guests on their feet during the reception. “We didn’t know if we wanted a DJ since we just weren’t sure how much a dance crowd we had—were we wrong!” the bride says. “It was such a good choice to add the DJ—our guests loved it!”

Jennifer and Lee are now busy planning their honeymoon in South East Asia. To couples starting their own planning process, they highly recommend hiring a wedding planner. “We trusted the process and schedule and Danielle’s recommendations, which took a lot of pressure off planning and making it perfect,” Jennifer says. "We just wanted to get married and everything else was a plus!”