Real Weddings

30 real weddings / While Iris and Andy chose to marry in a Western-style ceremony at the Rosewood Hotel Georgia, they also paid homage to their Chinese heritage in various ways, including taking part in a traditional tea ceremony with their families. They spoTTed each oTher across the room at a crowded cocktail party at the Shangri- La Hotel Vancouver: Andy Wang thought Iris Qu was the prettiest girl he'd ever seen, and Iris was intrigued for another reason. "I saw him with his Œve-year-old brother and thought, ''at guy's so young to have a kid already,' " Iris laughs. But it turned out the two weren't exactly strangers. "We wound up running into each other again at a family event, where we learned that our parents knew each other 20 years ago – they were from the same hometown in China, Quing Dau," says Andy. 'e recent graduates (Andy got his environ- mental design degree from UBC; Iris was an accounting major at SFU) hit it o£ immediately. 'e couple describes themselves as "traditional," so it wasn't surprising that things got serious fast. "We Œt each other so well, I thought, ''is is the person I want to spend my life with,' " says Andy. "We were both looking for the same thing," explains Iris. "We dated with the idea of marriage in mind." After a year together, Andy brought a bouquet of 99 roses to Iris at her parents' house, and proposed in front of both families. 'ough engaged in September, with plans for a late-summer wedding, life – in the form of work and travel – got in the way. So, when the pair wound up bumping the date to June 7, a lucky day in Chinese culture, they were left with only seven weeks to coordinate their big day. Luckily, wedding planner Christie Lang at Vancouver's DreamGroup Productions helped them pull it all together in a snap (along with their families pitching in). "It was a group e£ort," says Andy. "And Christie was just the most reassuring person through the whole process. What she promised became a dream come true." Lang helped Iris and Andy narrow down the look of their wedding. "It was elegant and delicate, with a touch of glamour," Andy says of their luxurious pink-and-white scheme. Incorporating both Canadian and Chinese traditions into the wedding made for a full day. Andy and Iris began with a tea ceremony at each other's homes before heading to the Rosewood Hotel Georgia for a Western-style ceremony in front of 130 guests. Beneath a crystal chandelier and dreamy white drapery, surrounded by staggered vases bursting with blossoms, the pair exchanged their vows before entering the banquet hall for the reception. Gorgeous, blush-coloured peony blossoms decorated each table, bursting out of ornate crystal-and-silver vases. 'ough the historic setting of the hotel was obviously a plus, Iris and Andy chose the venue on the strength of its food. Guests at the lunch reception enjoyed four perfectly plated courses – from shrimp and endive salad to grilled strip loin with crushed potatoes and chimichurri – and the

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