Hilton Norfolk The Main

Rehearsal Dinner

Ohef Sholom Temple

Wedding

Main Sanctuary

Ceremony

Kaufman Hall

Reception

Brunch

Our Wedding

Meeting the One in a city of 9 million

On August 2, 2022, Sam first reacted to Nana’s (Shuyang’s) profile on the dating app Hinge. Within days, Shuyang replied and asked Sam why his profile said, "he is the type of guy her parents would want her to date." He responded by claiming to be, "trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent." Then unknown to Nana, these are the 12 tenets of the Scout Law. The conversation continued, Sam asked for her number, and they planned their first date.

First Dates

On August 9, the two finally  met at Deniz Mediterranean Restaurant in Brooklyn. When Sam saw her first walk in, he couldn’t believe his eyes. Shuyang was by far the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. All he could think was “don’t mess this up.” Somehow he didn’t, and the time flew by as they talked for over 3 hours. A second date was soon planned for August 13, which lasted over 6 hours. Starting in Prospect Park and ending at Eataly in the Financial District, never did the conversation dry. The dates continued: Sam’s first taste of authentic Chinese food, Nana’s first viewing of Star Wars, and the couple’s first kiss in Washington Square.

Boyfriend-Girlfriend 

On September 4, the couple for the first time decided to call each other Boyfriend-Girlfriend. The magical dates continued.

Year 2

It took one amazing year, but Nana finally convinced Sam to shave. Year two was even better.

The Proposal

See the next page for the start of the next chapter of our journey together.

Our Story

September 6, 2024. Two years and two days of boyfriend-girlfriend. Sam had just moved to Philly for his PhD. Nana just started a new job teaching in NYC. Nana thought she will go catch a bus after work to visit Sam - she was already packed. But she wasn’t going to Philly. Sam had a black car ready to pick her up. After she returned home from work, Sam informed Nana of the transportation arrangements, and advised her to dress for a nice dinner. The car arrived 30 minutes later, and everything went smoothly. Nana tried to ask the driver where she was going, but he was in on the surprise and kept it a secret. Sam had already arrived at the destination - the historic Claridge hotel in Atlantic City. He convinced the front desk to upgrade their room to a large, luxurious suite, which he decorated with 60 photos of the couple, two custom made banners, rose petals, and more. Finishing right as Nana arrived to the hotel, Sam told her that there is a room key waiting for her at the front desk. A 5 minute eternity later, Sam saw her walking down the hallway. With the same incredulity as when he first saw her over two years before, the same words again repeated in his head: “don’t mess this up.” He didn’t. Nana was jumping with joy as she said yes! The happy couple then enjoyed a steak dinner, and a lovely weekend at the beach. Still living in separate cities, they visit each other nearly every weekend and impatiently await the start of the next chapter of their lives together on June 28.

The Photoshoot

Engagement Photos

Shuyang (Nana) Zhang

Samuel (Sam) Lisner

Min Zhang

Charles Lisner

Zhimin Zheng

Diana Lisner

Xinyu (Rain) Xiao

Benjamin Brotman

Ruanjun  (Rigel) Lyu 

Russell Finelsen A W 

Xing (Star) Zhai 

Carter Litton

Zhicheng Zhang

Bhavik Patel

Rachel Lisner

Joshua Lisner

Anna Lisner

Parker Vorhees

Sarah Lisner 

Everett Vorhees

Wedding Party

Wedding Planner

We are very grateful for the assistance of Reva Stein throughout the wedding planning process. Please feel free to reach out to her with any questions and concerns.--------------------------------Reva SteinEmail: revaks@cox.netCell: 757-373-1555

Q + A

Location

The Wedding Ceremony and following Reception will both take place at Ohef Sholom Temple, located at 530 Raleigh Ave, Norfolk, VA 23507. Please walk in the doors by the parking lot.

Accomodation

A block of rooms is being held for June 27-June 29. A limited number of rooms are also available starting June 26. Rooms either include on king sized bed or two queen sized beds. For online reservations, use the direct website link below in order to access our reduced rates. You may also make reservations by calling the above phone number and asking for the Zhang-Lisner Wedding rate. Please make reservations before May 27 to access the room block at the special rate. Brunch will be served the morning of June 29 from 9-11 AM.

Transportation

The city of Norfolk is easily accessible by road, rail, and air. I-64 and I-264 cross the city with exits near the hotel. Amtrak's Northeast Regional line services the Norfolk Rail Station one mile from the hotel (a 5 minute drive or 15 minute commute on the Tide light rail train). The Norfolk International Airport (ORF) is a 20 minute drive (12 miles) from the Hotel.

The Main hotel has a parking garage for overnight guests with self parking at $13 per car per night and valet parking at $28 per car. The Wedding Venue has limited parking in a lot as well as nearby street parking.

Wedding Day Shuttle Service

A 14 passenger white van will provide transportation between the Main hotel and Ohef Sholom Temple. Make sure to board the van with the Orange Peel transportation logo (see image). Trips to the venue from the hotel will leave at 5:15 pm and 5:30 pm. Space is limited on each trip to 14 passengers, so please sign up using this <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1yZNRZpKy_YsjLIPIdvksVlAWV5Ml2pffxVULuVHm4-M/edit?usp=sharing" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">link</a> to reserve your seat. Trips returning to the hotel from the venue will start at 10:30 pm.

Travel

A 3 minute walk from the Main Hotel. Located at the mouth of the Elizabeth River on Norfolk’s downtown waterfront, Waterside houses many fine restaurants, including  Guy Fieri’s Smokehouse, Rappahannock Oyster Company, Cogans Pizza, The Fudgery, Blue Moon Taphouse and more.

Waterside District

A 4 minute walk from the Main Hotel. Town Point Park, situated between Nauticus and Waterside, is a landscaped green space on the river with fountains and picnic areas. A great place to look out over the Elizabeth River.

Town Point Park

A 5 minute walk from the Main Hotel, MacArthur Memorial features exhibits, a learning center, and a theater honoring Douglas MacArthur and veterans of WWI, WWII and the Korean War.

MacArthur Memorial

Only a 9 minute walk from the Main Hotel, Nauticus is a waterfront maritime museum with science exhibits, the Hampton Roads Navel Museum and the USS Wisconsin BB-64 - a massive WWII-era battleship open to visitors. It is right next to Town Point Park and the Waterside District.

Nauticus Museum & USS Wisconsin Battleship

A delightful 4 block walk away, this restaurant is highly recommended by Sam's sisters. Grilled Cheese Bistro is a casual restaurant that serves grilled cheese stuffed with anything you can imagine, with dine-in and take-out options. Their fries are also a local favorite. Granby street has all sorts of cute restaurants, entertainment venues, and shops - all easily walkable from the hotel.

The Grilled Cheese Bistro

A 4 minute drive from the Main Hotel. The Tides are a Triple -A Minor League Baseball team and an affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. There will be games during the wedding weekend: Friday 6:45 pm and Sunday 1:05 pm against the Gwinnett Strippers, It is a gorgeous ballpark with views overlooking the river and Norfolk skyline.

Norfolk Tides at Harbor Park Stadium

A 5 minute drive or 14 minute bus ride from the Main Hotel, the Chrysler is an esteemed museum with a broad collection ranging from ancient to contemporary art, including glass and sculpture. They have a tour on Saturdays that starts at 11 am, and and a glass blowing demonstration at 12 pm.

Chrysler Museum of Art

At the Perry Glass Studio, located one block away from the Chrysler Museum, you can discover how the masterpieces in the Chrysler Museums glass collection were made. 

Chrysler Museum Glass Studio

A 12 minute drive from the Main Hotel. the Virginia Zoo is a sprawling Park with 700+ animals from 150+ species and gardens. It was one of Sam’s favorite places to visit growing up - and still is to this day!

Virginia Zoological Park

A 12 minute drive from the Main Hotel. A golf-based driving range game with electronically tracked balls and automatically scored points in a climate controlled setting. Food and beverages make it a fun, festive experience. 

Topgolf Virginia Beach

For the savvy shopper, there is an outlet mall about a 13 minute drive  from the Main Hotel. 

Norfolk Premium Outlets

A 21 minute drive from the Main Hotel, and located right next to the Norfolk Airport. Lush green space which features 450 rose varieties.

Norfolk Botanical Garden

A 23 minute drive from the Main Hotel.  There are many things to do at the Oceanfront, with a 3 mile long boardwalk, many restaurants, and nearby activities including miniature golf, the Virginia Aquarium, iFLY Virginia Beach (indoor skydiving), parasailing, whale watching, Ocean Breeze Water Park and Motor World.

Virginia Beach Oceanfront

A 27 minute drive from the Main Hotel, the Aquarium would make a great rainy day activity or escape from the heat. It has over 800,000 gallons of fresh and salt water displays. There is also an adventure park ropes course on site.

Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center

A 30 minute drive from the Main Hilton Hotel. Virginia Air and Space Center is the official visitor center for NASA Langley Research Center. The center features interactive aviation exhibits, historical aircraft, a space exploration gallery and more. Home to the Apollo 12 Command Module-ask Sam or his Dad what it feels like to sleep next to this exhibit.

Virginia Air & Space Science Center

A 35 minute drive from the Main Hotel, the Mariner’s museum boasts one of the largest collections of naval artifacts in the U.S. Among its exhibits are the salvaged remains of the USS Monitor and the CSS Virginia, ironclad warships from the Civil War.

The Mariner's Museum

About an hour drive out from Norfolk, Colonial Williamsburg is the world’s largest living history museum with 301 acres of restored buildings, authentic reenactments, historic taverns and art museums. One corner of America’s Historical Triangle, the other two corners  -  the original Jamestown Settlement and the Yorktown Battlefield  -  are also located nearby. The Busch Gardens Europe-themed amusement park and the Water Country USA water park are also located in Williamsburg. One could easily spend several days here, so this is not advised for the wedding day. However, if you plan to extend your trip, we highly recommend to visit.

Williamsburg and America's Historic Triangle

Things to Do

Registry

Shared GUESTPIX Album

To help us remember our special day for the rest of our lives, we are inviting all our guests to join the shared album using the link below. Please feel free to share any photos you take while at our wedding, and view the photos taken and shared by our other friends and family throughout the event.

<a href="https://my.guestpix.com/Guest/Access/106960/DNWvjTTu" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://my.guestpix.com/Guest/Access/106960/DNWvjTTu</a>

Samuel & Shuyang

Samuel & Shuyang

Wedding Party