An unforgettable week of festive activities preceding a grand wedding was more than your society columnist could resist. So, off she flew, across two continents, to witness a beautiful international wedding that could only be described as the wedding of the year or, perhaps, the wedding of the century.
The elegant Vera Wang-designed invitation, coupled with the splendid events coordinated by Pam Chun, the groom’s mother, foretold an important event that would unite two savvy young people, Ryan C. Leong and Erzsebet Galfi, in marriage on Sept. 15.
Ryan, son of Kevin Leong and award-winning author Chun, is a diplomat with the U.S. Department of State, whose postings have included Sarajevo, the United Nations, Belgrade and Washington. He is the grandson of Harding Leong, co-founder of On Lok and longtime manager of San Francisco’s Portsmouth Square Garage.
The bride, a law student at Serbia’s University of Novi Sad, is the daughter of Laslo and Jelisaveta Galfi of Palic, Serbia.
Ryan and Erzsebet were married at the Gradska Kuca Palace, one of the grandest buildings in Europe, done in the Hungarian art nouveau style. Sixteen massive stained-glass windows lit the ornate wedding chamber, where the bridal couple took their vows before family, friends, classmates and diplomats who had flown in from around the world. Erzsebet wore a stunning white gown, custom designed by Fara, and a full-length veil.
The wedding combined Hungarian and American customs. At the start of the reception at the Storybook Restaurant of Mala Gostiona, the couple served each other teaspoons of honey to sweeten their lives.
After a sumptuous dinner of Vojvodina cuisine, Ryan re-entered the reception at midnight with his bride, now dressed in a crimson gown also designed by Fara for the Hungarian “red dress dance.”
Guests included Ryan’s fellow diplomats from across Asia, the Middle East, United Kingdom, Eastern Europe and U.S.; friends from Washington, D.C.; classmates from the University of Southern California; and childhood friends from Alameda, Calif., including Jason Chin, son of Carol and Supreme Court Associate Justice Ming Chin. We stayed at the Elitte Palic Resort, built over 150 years ago on the shore of Lake Palic, specifically for visits by the Austro-Hungarian monarchy.
The week’s activities included carriage rides; visits to Ergelo, home of the famed Lipizaner show horses; tours of the 16th century monasteries famed for their frescos; guided tours of Subotica, known for its secessionist (art nouveau) architecture; historic Novi Sad on the Danube; lunch at the 14th century Petrovaradin Fortress overlooking the Danube; and the awesome capital, Belgrade. The bridal couple arranged for each meal to reflect the cuisine of the area, and a giant “black market” about the size of two football fields satisfied the hardiest of shoppers.
Other guests enjoying the week-long festivities and hospitality of the groom’s parents, Pam Chun and Fred Joyce and Kevin and Cathy Leong, were Dr. John and Muriel Kao, Dr. Patricia Seid and Slava Thomson, Cynthia and Thomas McCullough and children, Heather and Ian, Beverly and Stanley Sugimoto, Leida and Allan Lowe, Luther Lee and cousin Greg Lau, who flew in from Kula, Maui.