Former Iowa Gov. Robert Ray's grandson, Tai Dam refugees' daughter wed in Des Moines ceremony

Jay Stahl, Des Moines Register
Updated ·2 min read
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Former Gov. Robert Ray's grandson and a daughter of Tai Dam refugees are now married.

Jeffrey Newland and Jasmine Vong wed in an elegant East Village ceremony Aug. 5 in Des Moines. The Newlands' wedding took place at the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden, 909 Robert Ray Drive.

The pair, who have been together for five years, are descendants of a nearly five decades-long partnership.

The Tai Dam, an ethnic minority who settled in Vietnam and Laos, fled to refugee camps in Thailand after South Vietnam and Laos fell to communists in 1975. The Tai Dam hoped to keep their community and culture intact and asked to be resettled together. The U.S. State Department pushed back on resettling such a large group in one place, but Ray pressured federal officials to allow the Tai Dam refugees to come as a group to Iowa.

Jeffrey and Jasmine Newland first met as students in government class at Roosevelt High School. They continued their friendship at the University of Iowa, and started dating after commencement in 2018.

“It just makes it special too just because we’ve known each other for so long, but technically we didn’t really date until 2018,” Jasmine Newland said in May.

More: Former Iowa Gov. Robert Ray's grandson, daughter of Tai Dam refugees share their love story

Newland popped the question on their alma mater's campus in Iowa City in February 2022.

More than 300 guests attended the celebration on Saturday. The groom donned a black suit paired with a matching bowtie while the bride wore a classic white dress with buttons down the train and an elegant cathedral veil.

Former Gov. Robert Ray's grandson Jeffrey Newland and Jasmine Vong, the daughter of Tai Dam refugees, wed in an August ceremony at the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden.
Former Gov. Robert Ray's grandson Jeffrey Newland and Jasmine Vong, the daughter of Tai Dam refugees, wed in an August ceremony at the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden.

Two important figures were missing from their wedding. Newland's grandfather, former Gov. Ray, died at age 89 in 2018. Vong's mom, Kong, died after a nearly 10-year battle with ovarian cancer in October 2021.

"My grandfather never wanted to be the most important or the loudest in the room. He was always (saying), 'Let's lead by example,'" Jeffrey Newland said in a May interview. "And I think we can do that — we can do that. The state of Iowa can do that, too."

Jay Stahl is an entertainment reporter at The Des Moines Register. Follow him on Instagram or reach out at jstahl@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Jeffrey Newland marries Jasmine Vong in Des Moines wedding