Frequently Asked Questions
How did you meet?
We met the old-fashioned way, online! Christine was not impressed. However, after many hours of phone calls and Skyping, she finally agreed to meet in person. On the first date, we talked until the restaurant closed, and the rest is history...
Where are you both from?
John was born in Seoul, Korea and grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio. Christine was born in Suffern, New York and grew up in central New Jersey and Wilmington, Delaware. John's parents currently live in Marin County, California. Christine's family lives in the Princeton, NJ area.
What do you both do?
Christine is a licensed psychologist. John is a trauma surgeon at Lehigh Valley Hospital.
Unbeknownst to us, we had many common professional paths, but they never crossed, prior to meeting in November of 2012. We both lived in NYC and attended Columbia University (John for his B.A in 1986 and Christine for her M.A. in 2001). John completed his surgical residency in NYC at New York Hospital-Cornell Medical School, leaving for his trauma fellowship at University of Miami in June of 1997. Christine graduated from Wesleyan University and moved into NYC in July of 1997 and then moved to Miami in August of 2002 for her Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Miami. John having left Miami in 1999, eventually ended up on faculty at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School/Rutgers University until leaving for Lehigh Valley Hospital in 2006. Christine arrived at Rutgers in 2008 for her post-doctoral fellowship, and went on to work as a psychologist for the military.
We were clearly destined to meet! Now as fate apparently dictates, we work across the street from each other in Allentown, PA.
What is the Korean dress you are wearing in that picture?
The traditional Korean dress is the Hanbok. John's aunts gave Christine a custom tailored Hanbok to be worn at our engagement party in Korea.
What is the dinnerware you have registered for?
Italian Maiolica. It is an Italian ceramic that dates from the 14th century. It utilizes the technique of applying a glossy base, glaze whitened with tin oxide, onto fired clay pottery. Then, vivid colors are added and the pieces fired again. The finished work is shiny and rich with warm colors that evoke an Italian landscape. Currently, the craftsmen of Deruta, in the Umbria region in central Italy, are continuing the centuries old tradition of creating maiolica.
How do you pronounce "Jasna Polana?"
Jasna Polana is pronounced "Yas-nah Pole-ahna." It is Polish for "bright meadow" and was the also name of Leo Tolstoy's home. Situated on 230 acres in Princeton, N.J., Jasna Polana boasts a TPC golf course, and is a host of the PGA tour. The estate is the former home of the Johnson & Johnson heir, John Seward Johnson I and his Polish wife. Jasna Polana is also frequented by the Prince of Monaco, a friend to Johnson's late widow, and a member of the board of governors. The night of the wedding we will be staying in the "Prince Albert" suite.
Who's officiating your ceremony?
The civil ceremony is being conducted prior by Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman of the State of New York. We are honored to have this opportunity as the Chief Judge is Christine's brother in-law's uncle. Our marriage is being blessed and consecrated on August 16th by Father Philip Carr-Jones, the pastor of the Episcopal Church of the Holy Spirit in Lebanon, NJ. We are so happy to be joining our lives together in faith in the presence of our friends and family, including John's three boys, Matt, Chris, and Joe.