Korean Weddings Traditions
Jasper & Deborah’s Korean Tea Ceremony & Wedding
One of my favorite things about being a Temecula wedding photographer is hearing the back story of how a couple met. I know that most people now meet online which is totally cool, but whenever I get to hear a real unique story I always get a little pumped. And that was certainly the case with Jasper and Deborah. Oddly enough, Jasper and Deborah were both traveling solo and met coincidentally on a plane to Thailand in December of last year. When the plane began disembarking the two soon-to-be love birds made small talk before somehow Jasper convinced Deborah to take a ferry to Krabi with him the next day. I assume the small talk was about Jasper’s rigorous Cross Fit classes, and after a quick yet subtle flex of his biceps (or as he calls them “guns”) she was anxiously waiting for that ferry ride to Krabi!
Once Jasper and Deborah met up again, they spent the next 4 days together enjoying the Thai life of riding elephants, drinking warm beers, and rocking karaoke at dive bars. Unfortunately, the holiday ended and they both went back to their respective ends of the world – Jasper in Los Angeles, and Deborah in Singapore. They both tried very hard to forget each other but couldn’t, mostly due to Jasper constantly sending photos of himself at Cross Fit. Deborah also coincidentally, had a ticket to California she had to use so they ended up meeting again in July… that was when they decided they wanted to be together. Things starting moving very fast as they planned a wedding in Temecula while still working on the opposite ends of the Earth. Oh, and they also planned on moving together to Australia a week after the wedding. So yeah it was all nuts! But these two are amazing people with a fantastic support system so I already know they are going to conquer life. Below are a handful of photos from their traditional Korean tea ceremony and intimate wedding in Temecula!
Korean Tea Ceremony Photographer
In the past, I have photographed Chinese weddings, Indian weddings, Filipino wedding traditions, and other unique traditions important to brides and grooms. However, this was my first experience capturing a traditional ceremony with the wedding guests and family drinking tea, expressing gratitude, and simply showing some good love for one another. The Paebaek ceremony was really amazing to photograph from the colorful traditional Korean wedding dresses to the authentic emotion.
Korean Wedding Ideas (Destination)
Words From The Bride!
“We chose to get married in Temecula because we wanted something less busy and laid back that our families would both enjoy. The plan was to have a relaxed weekend with both families (and 5-7 friends) staying in an Airbnb we rented, and use the backyard of the property for a garden wedding. After the small intimate wedding ceremony, our guests would be treated with food from a pizza truck as well as cocktails! The wedding would be fun, but we also wanted to keep it simple and elegant, with the focus on God and honoring our parents/families. Jasper and I are of different cultures (he is Korean American, I’m Singaporean Chinese) so celebrating the coming together of 2 families was very important.”
Congrats again Jasper and Deborah! It was truly an honor to photograph your intimate Korean tea ceremony and wedding in Temecula. I hope you enjoy looking through these photos and smile while you are on the plane to Australia, and I promise I will have them all edited and ready to go by the time you settle into your new home! I loved hearing your story, being a part of a culturally significant tea ceremony, and just having the opportunity to meet you two amazing humans. I really wish you the absolute best in Australia and whatever adventure you have next after that! CHEERS!
