Multicultural Wedding Planning

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of WeddingWire. The opinions and text are all mine.

Asian weddings. I love them, and I hate them. My hopes on the first few wedding venue options were crushed when I learned it didn't have the capacity to hold all our guests. Why must we have almost 300 guests, with 200 being family and/or people we don't know? How do we pay respect to our elders when we're not fluent in the language? How do we let non-Asian guests know that our culture takes cash as wedding gifts? It's been a tough aspect of our wedding planning.

I'm Chinese, and Brian is Vietnamese. My family is actually from Vietnam, so culturally, I didn't mind doing a Vietnamese tea ceremony. However, the logistics were hard to plan because neither of our parents live in the same city as us. I also asked my mom how to plan for a tea ceremony, and she basically shrugged and said her mom planned it for her. I don't know how to speak about weddings in Cantonese. Cue headache.

I looked into a helpful WeddingWire article on this topic as well: 11 Tips to Help You Plan a Multicultural Wedding. There were some tips I'm used to, like holding two separate ceremonies, but it also gave me ideas I never thought about, like hiring a wedding planner with experience. However, I didn't know where to begin to look for a tea ceremony planner, and we didn't want to spend extra money on a just a tea ceremony.

However much I wanted to wear a pretty ao dai (Vietnamese traditional dress) and have our families meet, it just wasn't coming to fruition. In the end, it seemed like neither of our families would be disappointed if we DIDN'T have a tea ceremony, so we decided not to. However, we are going to wear our traditional gowns during the reception, which I saw was something WeddingWire also suggested! I actually won't be wearing an ao dai but a cheongsam (Chinese traditional dress) instead.

A wedding I helped shoot, with the mother of the bride in a traditional Korean hanbok

A wedding I helped shoot, with the mother of the bride in a traditional Korean hanbok

We're also going to be serving Chinese-Vietnamese cuisine! In the end, we're keeping a lot of our culture, and we're happy enough with that! As for the tradition of receiving cash gifts, the WeddingWire forums have also been very helpful! We just won't set up a registry, but we won't ASK for cash either because it's perceived as rude to ask money. I also learned that in some cultures, it's rude to set up a registry. Ahh traditions.

Babbleboxx: Bridal Bliss

This post is sponsored by BabbleBoxx.com. The opinions and text are all mine.

I'm so excited to show off my Bridal Bliss box from Babbleboxx! It's a box filled with a variety of products meant to prepare and pamper a bride for their big day. And they sure know how to pick out the items!

Jewelry: Charles & Colvard Moissanite Studs | Garment: Bali Lace 'N Smooth® Bodybriefer | Nail polish: Zoya | Sweatband: RingHero | Stationery: Mixbook

Jewelry: Charles & Colvard Moissanite Studs | Garment: Bali Lace 'N Smooth® Bodybriefer | Nail polish: Zoya | Sweatband: RingHero | Stationery: Mixbook

Mixbook

mixbook

Isn't this wedding stationery from Mixbook so GORGEOUS? You can choose from their templates or create your own from scratch! With their website, you can create anything from wedding invitations to saves the dates. Since we designed our save the dates from scratch, we're big fans of this option. I love that they have trendy designs like this laurel one. And until 12/31/2018, you can use code BABBLE50 - 50% off all wedding stationery!

Bali Lace 'N Smooth® Bodybriefer

The Bali shapewear pictured in the first photo came in such a beautiful rosewood pink! I was amazed at how secure and supported I felt when I tried it on. And the lace is gorgeous. If you're looking for confidence in your robe before getting ready for your big day, this will do wonders.

Charles & Colvard Moissanite Studs

charlescolvard

These moissanite studs from Charles & Colvard are so stunning! I'm definitely going to wear them the day of my wedding! I had been looking for some jewelry that are dainty and elegant, so this is a perfect fit. Charles & Colvard has beautiful fine jewelry all around, so if you're looking for some for your big day or special occasion leading up to it, they've given me a discount code to share with everyone: use code BRIDALBLISS15 for 15% off* purchases on www.charlesandcolvard.com from 5/1/2018 through 11:59pm PT 06/30/2018

*Discount not valid on loose gemstones, green moissanite, prior purchases or with any other offers. Offer expires 11:59pm PT 06/30/2018.

Zoya Nail Polish

ZOYA

I'm a huge fan of Zoya because they make their nail polish free of the most harmful chemicals and are an award-winning, healthy, long-wearing, vegan-friendly formula focused on health and the well-being of salons, spas, and consumers worldwide. My favorite color in the box sent to me is the Jordan (pink) one! 

RingHero Ring Storage

ringhero

I talked a little bit about the RingHero sweatband when I first got it, but I love how useful it is for the gym! I always take my ring off before I go to the gym, whether I'm running, doing yoga, or lifting weights, but sometimes I can't leave it somewhere safe. This will help me keep my ring on me at all times! You can use the code BBRingHero for 10% off, valid May 1st – June 30th, 2018!

Thanks so much to Babbleboxx for this Bridal Bliss box! It really comes with everything a bride-to-be would need!

Wedding Planning Update #2

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of WeddingWire. The opinions and text are all mine.

Photo by Maribel Morales

I'm back with another update! Only 4 months before the wedding! According to WeddingWire's checklist, I'm overdue on ordering a cake... I've actually been talking to a cake lady, and it hasn't been fully finalized yet! I did think about having a pretty and trendy cake, as most weddings these days seem to have. WeddingWire has a great article on all of the 2018 wedding cake trends! I definitely ooh'd and ahh'd at a few of them, like the hand-painted and gold leaf ones. But in the end, we have our heart set on our favorite flavor: berry chantilly! I actually hate cake and most sweets, but for some reason, I love this type! Brian even got it for me when he threw me a surprise birthday party when we first started dating :) 

Another big thing I got out of the way is floral! We came in right on budget! I've been working closely with Angel from Love & Sparrows, who is extremely amazing at picking floral styles, and pays super close attention to details I like and don't like. She has also given me great ideas based on the random photos I've sent her, and ways to re-use floral so I can stay within budget. I'm so grateful for her! 

The next big thing on my list is to order invitations, set up a wedding website, alter my dress, and finalize some decor and details! I've also been working with my friend Vivian on some handlettered art that I'm super excited about! Can't wait to show you guys her handiwork!  I'll update you guys again in June! 

Photo by Maddie Tober

Photo by Maddie Tober