An Elegant Winter Wedding at Oheka Castle in Huntington, New York

Carrie and James met at a mutual friend’s birthday when they were freshmen in college. Initially, Carrie thought James was “too handsome to pass up” and started her pursuit. James, however, was completely oblivious to the situation. Eventually, he caught on, and proposed ten years later during an anniversary trip to Napa Valley. 

Being Chinese American, the wedding planning process was a whirlwind filled with superstitions and strict rules for the couple to follow. With the help of Karyn Michael Events, a lavish Oheka Castle wedding for over 300 guests was planned in under five months. “Karyn was truly amazing to work with and exceeded all expectations with her professionalism and creativity,” says Carrie. “Between the dual-language silk folio wedding invitations and dinner menu, a traditional Chinese tea ceremony, and an American ceremony in one day, there was nothing Karyn couldn’t do!”

While New York’s worst blizzard of the year happened a few days before the wedding, the freshly fallen snow created the most breathtaking scene with Oheka Castle and its grounds listening in white. Inside, the castle was brought to life with lush flowers adorning the staircase, and flowers framing the fireplace during the ceremony and cocktail hour. 

Guests were welcomed by a Veuve Clicquot champagne tower and treated to an elegant dinner – a choice of filet mignon, sea bass, or chicken, accompanied by buttered lobster tails and claws. As a live band played during the reception, everyone filled a custom dance floor with an oversized metallic gold monogram. The newlyweds also nailed their first dance routine to Frankie Valli’s “Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You,” which they had rehearsed the month before.

Two weeks later, Carrie and James jetted off for a romantic honeymoon at the Four Seasons in Maui. “Besides enjoying one another’s company, our most memorable moment of our honeymoon was witnessing the humpback whales during mating season,” Carrie recalls. “The moment that we will never forget was paddling out in the outrigger and seeing massive humpback whales all around them, breaching and waving their tails as they prepared to dive.

Just hearing the humpback whales sing while we were diving off the outrigger was an unbelievable experience. We also recommend to any couples visiting to take the helicopter tour over West Maui and Molokai to see the rain forests, sea cliffs, and the tallest waterfalls of Hawaii!”