Jenny and Dan’s love story is one that effortlessly weaves together history, culture, and an appreciation for life’s simple beauty. From an unexpected “not-a-date” lunch in Harvard Square to dual proposals at two iconic libraries, their journey is marked by moments both charming and deeply meaningful. When planning their wedding, they drew inspiration from their Chinese-Irish and Jewish-Japanese heritages, infusing their celebration with vibrant symbolism, heartfelt traditions, and the serene beauty of nature.
Set against the backdrop of deCordova Sculpture Park in Lincoln, Massachusetts, their wedding embraced the late-summer light, the shimmer of nearby Flint’s Pond, and the lush greenery of the surrounding landscape. Red lantern tassels, a floral-covered chuppah, and bold blooms in pink, orange, and soft blue painted a scene both joyful and serene. With co-officiants who knew them best—their fathers—the ceremony became the most treasured part of the day, a perfect reflection of a decade-long love story and the merging of two families.
“Every detail was a reflection of who we are—two families, two cultures, and one incredible summer evening we’ll never forget.”
Jenny was recovering from a particularly grueling physics exam the day Dan first noticed her. He thought she was incredibly beautiful, intelligent, and just a bit intimidating. Their paths crossed that day in the university dining hall, and soon after, Jenny invited Dan to lunch at Al’s Sandwich Cafe in Harvard Square. Dan assumed it was a date; Jenny did not. Over sandwiches, they delved into a spirited discussion about local politics and shared their thoughts on Boston’s newly elected mayor. Despite the initial misalignment of expectations, this “not a date” sparked a naturally blossoming love story. When COVID-19 upended their lives Dan and Jenny moved back home to live with their parents. They spent their days enjoying socially distanced walks before deciding to move into their own place in Cambridge. The couple had already started looking at rings when Jenny surprised Dan with a proposal in front of the Cambridge Public Library. It was a momentous time for Dan — he graduated from his PhD program just days later. Not to be outdone, he counter-proposed to Jenny on the steps of Widener Library at Harvard, braving twenty-degree weather and four feet of snow to make the moment even more unforgettable.
Dan and Jenny trusted their intuition when planning their wedding day. Though neither considered themselves natural creatives, they found inspiration in their rich cultural backgrounds — Chinese-Irish and Jewish-Japanese — which instinctively drew them toward the beauty of the natural world. They focused on bright red accents, symbolizing good luck in Chinese tradition, complemented by vibrant pinks, oranges, and soft blues. This harmonious palette seamlessly integrated with the surroundings of deCordova Sculpture Park, where artistic outdoor installations and views of nearby Flint’s Pond enriched their color story. In the week leading up to the wedding, they held a traditional Chinese tea ceremony and an abridged Japanese sake ceremony in Jenny’s family’s backyard. What they hadn’t anticipated, however, was just how meaningful their wedding ceremony would feel. Co-officiated by their fathers, it featured heartfelt reflections on Dan and Jenny’s decade-long journey together. The ceremony took place on a stone patio, framed by the serene blue waters and hazy late-summer sky — enhanced by their luminous, floral-covered chuppah. Jenny wore an Ines Di Santo gown, drawn to its timeless lines and intricate silken jacquard floral design. She completed her look with a jade bracelet, gifted by her mother as her “something borrowed” for good luck. Escort cards appeared to float in the air, strung like delicate lanterns suspended in the sky. At each table, menus and place settings featured name tags adorned with small red lantern tassels, a nod to their vibrant and meaningful aesthetic.
How we met:
We actually met as children at an academic conference that our fathers were at in 2003, though neither of us remembers it (though we both do remember the Red Sox losing the ALCS on the Aaron Boone walk-off…). We also attended the same summer camp as children – again, no memory of this. We met officially in college at the dining hall. Jenny was recovering from a particularly strenuous physics exam, and Dan thought she was so incredibly beautiful, smart, and scary.
Jenny decided to use the family connection as a cover to ask Dan to lunch in June 2014.
Lunch was at Al’s Sandwich Cafe in Harvard Square, where Dan thought it was a date and Jenny did not. Dan had a meatball sub, and Jenny had the chicken pesto. We talked about local politics, our opinion of the first new mayor of Boston in our lifetimes (Menino had just retired), and how our research wasn’t going well. Jenny was working in a physical chemistry lab, which inspired her not to be a physical chemist, and Dan was working on the microbes of cheese, which was fascinating and inspired him to love cheese.
How we got engaged:
During COVID, both of us lived with our parents, taking socially distanced walks until moving in together in Cambridge in September 2020. We looked at rings together, and Dan was waiting on final delivery when Jenny surprised him by proposing in front of the Cambridge Public Library (Dan cried). In a big couple of days for Dan, he graduated from his PhD program a month later and proposed to Jenny on the steps of Widener Library at Harvard – where it was 20 degrees with a real-feel of 4. In our pictures, we look very happy and very cold.
Any special ways you incorporated your family or family history into your wedding day?
We both come from diverse households – Jenny grew up Christian and is half Chinese and half Irish American, while Dan grew up religiously Jewish and is half Japanese and half Jewish. We therefore wanted to incorporate a whole array of these elements into the ceremony and reception. In particular, we focused on bright red elements associated with good luck in Chinese culture paired with the beautiful and vibrant pinks, oranges, and light blues – displayed in Jenny’s bouquet, across our chuppah, and on our table settings. During our ceremony, we used red lanterns in a Chinese style along each row.
We also love Boston’s beautiful summers, and we wanted to pick a venue that would really show the natural beauty of the Boston area, with lush trees and water, and cool evenings. Getting married with that view was very special (as discussed more below).
Also, we’d had the good fortune to attend the weddings of friends in recent years, and the opportunity to bring together all of your loved ones in one place was the most important to us. We knew that in our planning, no matter what shape it took, we wanted there to be time for friends and family to visit, reconnect, and have fun together during the whole weekend.
The week prior, we did a traditional Chinese tea ceremony with an abridged Japanese sake ceremony in Jenny’s family’s backyard, where we had the chance to celebrate the marriage traditions of two of our quarters.
Jenny’s mom gave her a jade bracelet to wear on the day for good luck as her “something borrowed,” which was very special.
We were married under a chuppah, which was covered by the tallis of Dan’s late grandfather.
We signed the ketubah with our officiants and two dear friends from college, Marc and Amanda, surrounded by our families and wedding party.
What part of your wedding day was/is most important to you?
The entire ceremony is really cemented as our favorite wedding day memory. Each part of it felt personal to us, and we didn’t anticipate how meaningful it would be to have it all put together.
Our venue, the deCordova Sculpture Park in Lincoln, MA, has the most amazing view looking out over neaby Flints pond. The ceremony location, which is on the stone patio outside the museum space, therefore seems to open up to the natural world. Thanks to the talent of our wonderful planner and vendors, the blue of the lake, the green of the trees, the hazy light of the late day summer sun all seemed to be captured and reflected in the colors of the day. It really felt like we had captured and accentuated the natural beauty of the location. The same was true, if not more so, as the sun set throughout the day in vibrant gold and rose. Enjoying a perfect summer evening, while getting married, was truly memorable.
On a less colorful note, our ceremony was co-officiated by Jenny’s father and Dan’s father, which meant that each could speak on an incredibly personal level about us and how we had grown together over our ten years of dating before getting married. This, along with having all of our friends and family at the reception, meant that the wedding really felt like it was the joining of two families.
If you had one piece of advice for other couples, what would it be?
In addition to loving all of the hard-working people who worked on the wedding alongside us (and recommending them to anyone who will listen), we want to emphasize that neither of us had grown up with specific dreams or visions for our wedding days!! Also, neither of us are natural creatives. Despite this, we found it incredilby helpful to trust instincts and intuition, as well as having a wedding planner that can help shape these thoughts into a cohesive and wonderful plan.
Photography: Halie Child Photography / @haliechildphoto
Wedding Planner: Katydyd Events / @katydydevents
Venue: deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum / @decordova_museum @decordovaevents
Florist: White Birch Floral Studio / @whitebirchfloral
Cake: Montilio’s Baking Company / @montilios
Videography: Antonelli Visual Media / @antonellivisualmedia
Catering: Capers Catering / @capers_catering
Entertainment: Beat Train / @beattrain
Ceremony Music: Boston String Ensemble / @bostonstringensemble
Rentals: PEAK Event Services / @peakeventservices
Invitations: Minted / @minted
Calligraphy: Merrow Creative / @merrowcreative
Transportation: Black Tie Limousine / @blacktielimousineinc
Transportation: First Student, Inc. / @firststudentinc
Hotel & Accommodations: Archer Hotel / @archerhotels
Hair & Makeup: Love Notes by June / @lovenotesbyjune
Wedding Dress: Ines di Santo / @inesdisanto
Publisher at The White Wren and Bajan Wed, Award Winning Photography + Videographer at Live View Studios, Dad, 80s music lover, crunchy health advocate
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