By Neil Turitz
Photographs by Tricia McCormack Photography

It’s hard to beat a combination of cultural tradition, family history, and a canine ring bearer. All three were important to Natalie Czelusniak and Yuji Callahan when they got married in mid-September at Tanglewood in Lenox.

After meeting nine years ago in a sophomore math class at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, the two tied the knot at the concert venue’s Highwood Manor House, and then strolled across campus to the Linde Center for Music and Learning for their reception. Natalie’s father had grown up nearby and worked the parking lots in high school, and she and Yuji had attended numerous movie nights there over the years, so the location was extra special to her.

Both the bride and groom have partial Japanese heritage, and they embraced that side of their identities, incorporating over 600 origami cranes they folded themselves, as well as ikebana and kokedama flower arrangements and small Japanese hard candy and chocolate wrapped as kokeshi dolls for party favors.

They even made their two dogs part of the fun. Not only were Rue and Tito the flower girl and ring bearer, respectively, they were also the namesakes for the couple’s two craft cocktails at the reception. The Rue was an elderflower spritz, while The Tito was a mai tai.

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