So in love with the feature on Wedding Chicks of our East meets West modern wedding inspiration for multicultural couples. The shoot is based on the Oriental-inspired bridal couture of the lastest collection from Lumiere Couture Bridal, which mixes the look of a traditional Chinese gown with more contemporary silhouettes. The challenge was to create a balanced and seamless blending of cultures in a chic & contemporary way.
Such a joy to work on this inspiration shoot with Just Merried Events. The styling captures how Oriental details can be woven into a Western wedding beautifully, elegantly and cohesively. We really hope it can encourage couples who are planning their own multicultural wedding to proudly integrate elements from their families’ cultures. See all the little details in the full gallery on Wedding Chicks here, photographed by Sarah Zing Photography.
We chose a rather “Western” setting as the beautiful canvas of the photoshoot – the Pasadena Museum of History encompasses a historic estate with sprawling green lawns and an elegant mansion built in 1906. We then sprinkled in details with hints of Oriental charm. The bilingual invitation set from Minted was designed by a Chinese graphic designer who created a watercolor floral design reminiscent of traditional Chinese watercolor peony paintings. The Chinese character for “happiness,” which is prevalent at every Chinese wedding, was used as a motif on the invitations and envelope design.
The color palette we selected for the shoot was vibrant and cheerful. While red and gold are the lucky, prosperous and celebratory colors in Oriental culture and typically the traditional colors of a wedding, we wanted to offer a variation on the color scheme, something a little softer and more romantic without losing the festive vibe. We included various shades of pink and wove in peeks of pastel yellows. For our tablescape, we complemented those colors with sleek tabletop items, a muted silvery textured linen, and transparent chairs; we wanted to let the florals and their vibrant colors do the talking against the lush green landscape.
For the dessert table, we kept the aesthetics minimalist and modern as we did with the tablescape. Here, we integrated Oriental inspiration in the flavors, a treat for the taste buds – black sesame macarons with green tea filling, tea-flavored cookies shaped like tea bags, a lychee flavored cocktail, and a beautiful pot of green tea with blooming tea leaves. We were also so fortunate that a real multicultural couple modeled the photoshoot for us – we really want readers to be able to see couples that are representative of who they are and wedding inspiration that they can relate to.
Of course, tying it all together were two beautiful and very different Oriental-inspired gowns. I love that the white gown for the ceremony has just a tiny hint of Oriental in its Mandarin collar – the beautiful beaded pearl cap sleeves and ornate back detail are things we could expect to see in a traditional Western gown the bride would wear walking down the aisle.
Fashion: Lumiere Couture Bridal
Coordinators & Stylists: Just Merried Events
Venues & Officiants: Pasadena Museum of History
Photographers: Sarah Zing Photography
Flowers: Violette's Flowers
MUA: Kelly Zhang Studio
Rentals: MTB Event Rentals & Party Pieces by Perry
Cakes & Catering: Elise Cakes & Pamplemousse Bakery
Linens: Glow Concepts Fine Linens
Paper Goods & Calligraphy: Qing Ji Design
Real Couple: Amber & Brian