Irene and Leon married at Shaughnessy Golf & Country Club in Vancouver — a day in two parts: a morning of tradition at home, and an afternoon ceremony on the club's lawn under a white-draped arch.
The morning started the way a Chinese wedding morning should: with games. Leon arrived at the house in a navy jacket embroidered with gold dragons, and the groomsmen had to earn their way in — small oranges underfoot, a basketball shot, a photo-matching game with the bridesmaids. Then the room went quiet for the tea ceremony. Irene, in a red qun kwa embroidered with gold dragons and phoenixes, knelt and served tea to her elders, Leon beside her — the formal, tender heart of the day.
At the club, the afternoon was all white and navy. The details first — his-and-her vows booklets, the rings, her perfume — then Leon in his navy suit with his groomsmen, and Irene in an off-the-shoulder lace gown with a long cathedral veil, her bridesmaids in pink fussing over the train. The first look undid him: Leon turned, saw her across the lawn, and wiped away tears before he took her hands.
The ceremony was outdoors on the lawn, under a wooden arch draped in white with peach and white roses. The officiant read, they exchanged vows — Leon wiping his eyes again as Irene read hers — and then the family gathered at the arch for portraits before the couple walked back down the aisle through a storm of petals, the flower girl and ring bearer leading the way out.
We finished with portraits in the gardens — Irene alone under the big tree, her veil catching the light — and one last playful frame: the two of them back in their traditional attire, sunglasses on, laughing. Shaughnessy in summer does a lot of the work for you — you just have to be there and let the day happen.
If you are planning a wedding at Shaughnessy Golf & Country Club or anywhere in the Lower Mainland, I would love to photograph it. Wedding collections with Silver Moon Photography begin at $3,400. Get in touch here: https://www.silvermoonphotography.ca/contact/