Today’s stunning affair at one of our all time favorite venues, Pippin Hill Farm, is everything we needed to remind us why we love winter weddings so dearly. With planning help from Elle Loren & Co., the couple paid homage to the bride’s heritage with a a traditional Chinese Tea Ceremony, as well as bright pops of red in the floral design by Wild Fleurette! Read on to find out the sentimental reason why they chose Pippin Hill that will have you reaching for the tissues – and don’t forget to check out the full gallery of details by Molly Lichten Photography before you go!
From The Bride… Cathy and John choose Pippin Hill for their wedding venue because of the significance it holds in Cathy’s life. Cathy’s father passed away during residency shortly after Cathy and John met. He wanted to see the leaves change one last time, so Cathy took a road trip with her parents from Birmingham, AL all the way up to Charlottesville, VA along the Blue Ridge Mountains in October 2016. The three of them stopped by Pippin Hill to enjoy their famous wine while taking in the breathtaking mountain scenery. It was one of the last trips Cathy was able to take with her father. Cathy and John felt choosing Pippin Hill for their wedding venue was a nice tribute to Cathy’s father on their special day.
When we started planning, we wanted to incorporate part of Cathy’s Chinese culture into the wedding day by taking part in a traditional Chinese Tea Ceremony. In Chinese culture, red represents fire, luck, and celebration. So we decided on a winter wonderland wedding with lots of greenery and pops of red.
The most important thing for us was to celebrate our marriage with family and friends, including our fur baby, Sir Jasper Sisney Zhang! We were thrilled that he was able to participate, and he looked very handsome in his tux. We also were able to include him in some of our wedding stationary details by Emily Mayne Studio, and we managed to sneak in a little of his mischievousness with our cake detail. We also both love Christmas, so since we were getting married in December, it was an absolute must to have a Christmas tree at our wedding. We decorated the Christmas tree with beautiful wooden ornaments that served as wedding favors for our guests, who were able to take them and add to their Christmas tree as soon as they returned home!
John and I met during our second year of Anesthesiology residency at our home away from home in Birmingham, AL. Coincidentally we were both from Louisiana, and both in the medical field (which can be a pretty small world) but had never come across each other before! We first became friends by watching our sports teams together (Geaux Tigers & Saints!). Then it slowly progressed into a romantic relationship – you can only hang out one-on-one and go to dinners together so many times before it was bound to happen! All of our friends and coworkers suspected it was happening, and no one was surprised when we made it official!
Cathy: My favorite moment was our first look – there was so much hype leading up to the wedding day from so much time and effort trying to plan during a pandemic, moving back home to Louisiana, and us both starting our own separate medical private practices. So the moment we finally got to see each other on our special day, I definitely got very emotional, but in a good way! In that moment, I felt like it was just the two of us, and completely forgot about everyone around us. It was such a mixture of happiness, disbelief, and of course, lots of love!
John: My favorite moment was celebrating with everyone during the reception. It’s amazing looking back at the guests who were there and realizing there was someone from every stage in our lives in attendance – from grammar school, high school, college, medical school in Australia, residency, even into fellowship. We were humbled to have such a vast spectrum of people attend and celebrate with us. It was truly a special night to remember forever.
Photography: Molly Lichten Photography | Floral Design: Wild Fleurette | Wedding Dress: Antonio Gual | Cake: Maliha Creations | Shoes: Jimmy Choo | Band: Sam Hill Entertainment | Groom's Attire: Tuxedos To Geaux | Harpist: Virginia Schweninger | Wedding Venue: Pippin Hill Farm | Beauty: Caitlyn Meyer | Beauty: Avenue 42 | Planning: Elle Loren & Co.