8.31.08 Onteora Mountain House Yiting & Scott

Jeff and I watched as the string quartet played and one of the bridesmaids, a tall young woman in a cranberry gown, sang a lovely operatic soprano for Yiting's walk across the lawn overlooking the lush valley.

The guests sipped pomegranate mojitos during cocktail hour as Jeff entertained them with his acoustic guitar. Red, the Chinese color for luck and good fortune, was found everywhere, from the bridesmaids' gowns to the napkins on the tables, the roses in the centerpieces and the Chinese letter candles.

COOL IDEA ALERT: Instead of favors, Yiting and Scott made donations in their guests' names to charity. A printed card invited guests to select one of four "Favored Charities," by checking a box inside their place cards. Cute and generous!Yiting and Scott made their entrance to Harry Connick Jr.'s "It Had To Be You," perfectly timed after the crescendo to begin their choreographed dance. The couple expertly turned and played to the crowd, smiling the whole time.

Later on Yiting changed into an exquisite red and gold dress. She danced swing and hip hop with equal style and grace. And Scott? He invited many of the ladies to the dance floor, showing off his footwork.

The newlyweds weren't the only skillful dancers. A few of Scott's college buddies boasted break dance moves, flips, and handstands--complete with pelvis thrusts--when we broke out the old school hip hop. Even the staff was dancing along!
These gorgeous photos are courtesy of our friends Jeff and Lisa of Forever Moments Photography www.ForeverMomentsPhotography.com. They kept it light and fun as they clicked away, capturing these memories forever. AND they're a husband-wife team (newlyweds, in fact!) and you know how much I love that idea. *wink*