Obviously, y’all put a ring on it 💍– tell us your engagement story!
My husband proposed to me at the Vanderbilt Museum which was located on the North Shore of Long Island, New York. The Vanderbilt Museum has a unique combination of mansion, marine and natural history museum, and it’s a popular wedding venue. The ocean view was amazing. I asked him to hire a local photographer to capture the proposal which was one of the best decisions we made.
Tell us about your fams 👨👩👧👦 – what are your families’ cultural backgrounds and did you two incorporate any cultural traditions into your wedding?
Our families are both from China. I was born and raised in Guangzhou, China. My husband was born and raised in New York. We both speak Cantonese. We had an American wedding and we did not have a tea ceremony, but I still wanted to wear a qipao in the morning of our wedding to celebrate our Chinese heritage. I purchased a mermaid style qipao dress in Chinatown and got it tailored. I picked a modern material, lace, which creates a soft and romantic look. The dress is in red, which symbolizes good fortune, happiness, and celebration in Chinese culture.
Girl meets dress 💃🏻 – how did you learn about East Meets Dress and why did you choose EMD?
I was looking for a modern lace qipao and accessories to wear on the morning of our wedding day, so I found EMD. I purchased the blossom wedding pin to match my qipao. Because the hairpin has red and gold, I wore a pair of Jimmychoo gold glitter heels and a Cartier love bracelet in yellow gold to complete the whole look. It was not a traditional, but more modern and feminine look which I absolutely love.
Putting your own spin on things 💕– How did you make your wedding more unique and personal to you two?
My husband never danced so we took five dance sessions for our first dance. The instructor helped us design the dance and the song we used was Perfect by Ed Sheeran. It was the most special and memorable 3.5 mins in our wedding. It’s been 6 months after our wedding but we still remember the dance. We even dance at home and every time we dance, we laugh. It brings us back to that day.
The big day 👰🏻– How did everything go on your wedding day?
I was mentally prepared for something unexpected to happen, but luckily everything went very well. We had a team of vendors to make sure the day went smoothly - they were just amazing and we were so grateful for that. We were so glad that everyone enjoyed the wedding and we got so many compliments that everything was so organized. It was such a fun and romantic day that we would never forget.
Seeking your wisdom 🙋🏻♀️ – lastly, do you have any advice for other brides planning an Asian-American wedding?
Hire a wedding planner if you have the budget. Wedding planning can be very stressful and frustrating especially when you have a full-time job. I was so glad that I hired Lisa as my wedding planner. It was the best investment I've made.
Decide what’s the most and least important to you and spend your money wisely. To me, photos and videos are the most important, so I spent the most on those; floral decoration is the least important, so I cut down a lot on that.
Special Thanks:
- The Bride: @renees.liu
- Wedding planner: @blooming_wed
- Photographer: @allentsaiphoto
- Videographer: @haseokchungstudio
- Venue: @ravelevents
- Photo gallery