You guys! My awesome cousin Linda and her equally awesome (now husband) Jendy got married! I'm immensely proud of how far they've come and how much they've accomplished together. From their early days of dating, to college & nursing school, to owning a home and going on all these amazing worldwide adventures. And yet, they still remain so grounded and humble.
They had their beautiful ceremony and reception at the Manor House at Prophecy Creek in Ambler, PA. That's right, they live in Pennsylvania, and yup, I drove the 20 hours from Tulsa to Philadelphia for it! Definitely wasn't going to miss their big wedding! And it was a big wedding too. Full house, with lots of family and friends. Although it was an American style wedding, it was still very cultural, with Linda being Vietnamese and Jendy being Cambodian.
So while I wasn't their official photographer, I was asked to take photos at their traditional pre-wedding tea ceremony the day before. In Vietnamese culture, the bride & groom does a tea ceremony at the bride's parents house. It's normally a grandeur affair. Traditionally, the groom and his groomsmen would arrive at the bride's parents house holding up trays of gifts consisting of: fruits, teas, alcohol, jewelry, and a roasted pig. The bride & groom would also wear traditional ao dai's and ao gam's (formal dresses/tunics that are typically colorful). Since Jendy was not Vietnamese, they were able to skip the arrival of the trays (they still had a roasted pig though) and he didn't need to wear the traditional wedding outfit for men.
During the tea ceremony, tea is poured into small cups and is then presented by the bride & groom to their respective parents and elders. This is to show respect and honor as newlyweds, and in turn the elders will give their blessings to the couple. Sometimes they also give gifts as well, in the form of jewelry or money.
Fun Facts About Linda & Jendy
They are big adventurers and have traveled to 8 countries together so far, and have visited over 20 cities within the continental United States!
They are both proud dog parents of a Yorkshire Terrier and a Jack Russell Terrier.
Linda somehow always manages to scratch the rims of their new car within the first month(s) of owning it lol. Jendy has stopped getting upset over it because he already knows it's going to happen (good man) hahahah.