Give us the scoop 😉how did you two meet and who asked who out first?
We met on Match.com in late July 2017. My husband was the one that started up the conversation and sent me a message. I waited at least two days to respond! We had our first date not soon after at Biagi’s Restaurant in central IL.
Obviously, y’all put a ring on it 💍tell us your engagement story!
My husband had first asked my Dad for my hand in marriage during Spring 2018 and said that he would propose at Walt Disney World (since I love going there) during our upcoming trip in Fall 2018. But, he couldn’t wait.
So the actual propropal happened when he was moving out of his apartment in July 2018 while I was helping him move out that day. He went to pull out a box from his closet and asked me, “Will you be my Mrs. Guinea Pig?” and I said, “Yes!”
You both had a vision for your wedding 🔮how did you come up with ideas?
During our Walt Disney World trip in Fall 2018, we did our engagement photo shoot down on Main St. with one of the photographers. We also met with a Disney Wedding Consultant and got some basic information on how to plan for the wedding.
We also did some site visits as well to get an idea of what we wanted as a venue. We both knew we wanted it to have a small, intimate wedding with our closest family and friends.
During Spring 2019, there was a lot of planning with our Disney Wedding team once we were assigned to one. We had our multiple planning sessions via phone, emails, etc. with our Disney Wedding Planner. My now husband let me decide on most of the details, but still helped out wherever he could. Our color schemes with coral, blush and gold.
Tell us about your fams 👨👩👧👦
My husband’s family is Caucasian, while my family is Asian. Given that we were having a destination wedding at Walt Disney World, my parents decided to host a Chinese wedding celebration a few months after our wedding date.
With that in mind, I started to look for cheongsams online, since I couldn’t find a shop that I liked locally in Chicago, IL. Otherwise we kept things small, since we wanted it to be modern while still honoring Asian wedding traditions.
My parents volunteered to plan for the Asian celebration. They found a print shop in Chicago that made the traditional pink/red wedding cards with the light scent on them. They worked with a family member in getting the Chinese wedding dinner celebration all set up.
Location, location, location 🎯where did you get married?
We had our destination wedding at Walt Disney World: Grand Floridian in October 2019 and held our reception at the Contemporary Resort’s California Grill (Napa Room).
Disney has always been a huge part of my life. My aunt was the one who first introduced me to Disney World way back in 1994.
I remember seeing the Wedding Pavilion on later trips, and I thought, "wouldn’t it be great to be a Disney Princess for just one day?"
Girl meets dress 💃🏻 how did you learn about East Meets Dress (EMD) and why did you choose an EMD cheongsam?
I ended up coming across East Meets Dress after a Google search since I couldn’t find a local shop in Chicago that made wedding cheongsams the way my mom preferred.
After researching and looking through the awesome photos, I decided to get one from EMD. I was in contact with Vivian and was looking for a specific brocade with both the dragon and phoenix.
She showed me an example of the pattern and I was in love. I ended up getting the Gemma Bespoke Dress with this dragon and phoenix brocade fabric. The process of ordering and customizing was easy and I had my husband to be at that time take my measurements.
I ended up wearing the cheongsam at our Chicago Wedding Celebration in December 2019.
Putting your own spin on things 💕How did you make your wedding more unique and personal to you two?
We both wanted to keep things simple and minimalistic and didn’t want to over splurge for the wedding. I kept the floral and decor to a bare minimum, but we decided to get the Cinderella Coach for sure at Disney World.
The big day 👰🏻How did everything go on your wedding day?
Disney does a great job helping you get through the wedding day perfectly. It all went by so fast! Of course, with Florida weather, you never know when there will be a popup shower.
Thankfully, we were done with almost everything and the rain was just a light sprinkle that lasted a few minutes.
There was one memorable story to tell from this wedding. My husband and I were shooting our video during the Happily Ever After Fireworks show at the Magic Kingdom.
We were dancing and doing light spins for our video and then we both heard a “clink.” I quickly grabbed my left hand to make sure my rings were still there, and they were. I looked at my husband's left hand and we were both like "OMG!" but we couldn't express this on the video! Thankfully, our video crew and photographer stopped for a few minutes and tried to help us find his gold wedding ring.
After our video and pictures, we immediately talked to our Disney Wedding Planner about the whole thing. She assembled a team to find the missing ring. It turns out, a couple celebrating their 10th wedding anniversary on the 4th floor balcony, our wedding planner AND another guest together all found the three pieces of my husband’s shattered ring. So now we’re keeping the shattered three pieces as a family heirloom since my husband and I are thinking we might have three kids. 😉
Seeking your wisdom 🙋🏻♀️ do you have any advice for the brides planning an Asian-American wedding?
Some tips I would offer when it comes to wedding planning is:
1. Start early–I went to a Barnes and Noble bookstore and bought a wedding magazine to get some inspiration. EMD was also so helpful in getting my cheongsam created.
2. Try to stick to your budget–it helps to prioritize what matters most to you at your wedding.
3. Do what makes you happy–this is your wedding at the end of the day!
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Special Thanks:
- Disney Wedding Planner: Jennifer Sharpe
- Floral: Disney Floral
- Hair & Make Up: LeJeune Artistry (@lejeuneartistry) | Website
- Photography: Randy Chapman (@randychapmanphotography) | Website