Wanwan Lei and Lin Han’s Wedding at a Castle in Switzerland

I got ready in a hotel close by Schloss Tarasp, which had its own collection of works by Giacometti. My friend Ding Wei did my hair and makeup while the dress was being steamed. The view from the hotel we stayed in. Lin Han and I have a deep fondness for art and artists from northern Europe, stretching from the Northern Renaissance to our love today for artists like Guido van der Werve and Raoul De Keyser. I had brought a book to Switzerland to read, but it was only that morning that I took the dust jacket off, and to my surprise Van Eyck’s Arnolfini Portrait revealed itself. Lin Han and I love the light in Sent, where Schloss Tarasp is located. We have been a few times, at different parts of the year, and this special light means you never see the mountains in the same color twice. Two friends, Qiaoran and Su Yuwen, helped me dress. It was a complicated process and I truly couldn’t have done it without them. I was fortunate to collaborate with Masha Ma on my dress at her atelier in Shanghai. We agreed that wedding dresses should have a personal connection to the bride and decided to use an artist’s canvas in the underlayers, which gave a fullness to the skirt. My shoes are by Gianvito Rossi. Masha Ma also used canvas in the tiny dots of the veil. Lin Han chose to wear Tom Ford. Our wedding rings and my jewelry on the day were designed by Chaumet. I had never seen Lin Han’s suit, and he had never seen my dress, so at this point in the day we were both still in suspense. I believe this is what a fairy tale looks like. We had only 20 guests at the wedding—just family and our closest friends. Lin Han is walking to the castle here with his father and artist Ouyang Chun, our friend and museum cofounder Michael Xufu Huang, photographer Li Cong, and Lin Han’s childhood friend Wang Xinmeng. When I took my father’s arm to walk up to the chapel, I could sense his joy. Guests driving to the castle. I had met this horse on previous visits to Schloss Tarasp and really made a connection with him. He has such a calm demeanor, which I wanted to channel on the way up to the chapel. Lin Han waiting for me at the chapel in the castle. The chapel is in its original state from medieval times. This is one of my favorite pictures of the day by Yang Zi, an artist who is a dear friend and a mentor to me. She knows me very well, and I think her picture captures the spirit we’d intended the day to have. I rode this horse up a steep path through the forest for almost half an hour. It was quite perilous at times and Lin Han was worried we’d fall off the cliff. Here we are listening to our friend, artist Not Vital, deliver a short passage. There was no specific religious aspect to the service, and he was saying that what we all believe in is art. The chapel was so tiny that not all of our guests could fit inside. Exchanging rings, as my grandparents, parents, and sister look on. The moment we emerged from the chapel was so special. This is an area within the castle walls that we picked for some photos because we love the interesting details and colors of the stones. The grounds of Schloss Tarasp permanently feature some of Not Vital’s sculptures, of which this is one. It seems to defy gravity, and within the already-sublime landscape it was a truly surreal moment for us after the ceremony. Sent’s light creating beautiful colors. Dinner was prepared by a local restaurant and served in the castle’s dining room. Flowers for the whole day were arranged by two artists, picked from their gardens in the mountains. This was a quick moment we had to ourselves. Masha Ma made my evening dress, too, which we wanted to be sculptural. Lin Han and I had always talked about having flowers as a feature and decided to use poppies—so deeply colored, beautiful, wild, and intoxicating. Lin Han and I sat at opposite ends of the table so that we could spend meaningful time with our guests, who had traveled from China, France, and America. This is Michael Xufu Huang giving a speech about our friendship over the years. Lin Han, Michael, and I believe the theory that a triangle is the most stable structure, and we have built our museum around this as the three founders. He is family to us. Lin Han organized fireworks to be set off after dinner. We all went to the very top of the castle to watch, as it was drizzling slightly outside, and the reflection of the fireworks on the lake was just magical.