A very typical situation that I often encounter with my Chinese clients is: The bride and groom announce their engagement to their parents. The parents are so happy that they call “Uncle Wong” right away about booking his Chinese restaurant for the wedding reception. The bride and groom are less pleased about this because Chinese weddings held at Chinese restaurants are all alike and they look “tacky.”
My clients rarely win the battle of changing reception venues so they ask me for advice on designing a Chinese-Western fusion wedding. Here are some of the solutions I provide them:
1. Disregard all Chinese superstitions when decorating. This means is that you can use the colors white and blue, light candles, and have lilies or gladiolas. In case you didn’t know, all of these things are traditionally associated with death or funerals.
2. Focus on the entrance. Create a welcoming entrance. Decorate the front of the venue or doors.
3. Create a photo area. Usually a receiving line is just done at the entrance against some wall that has no decorations. Focus on this area and create a beautiful backdrop. This backdrop will be in every single picture of the couple and guests.
4. Focus on linens. Forgo the table linens and napkins that come with your dinner package. Rent luxurious table linens. This will really change the look of the room quickly.
5. Focus on the chairs. Rent chair covers and chair sashes. Or if your budget allows, rent different chairs.
6. Have centerpieces. This is often excluded because there are so many dishes on the table by the end of the night. This is a really important aspect to your wedding because it creates a visual when guests are just walking into the venue.
7. Print your own menu cards that match your wedding stationary. This is often not done because it is often printed and provided by the venue.
8. Print placecards or one card with all the guest names. Often guests are assigned to a table but not a specific seat. Placecards indicate to your guests where exactly you want them to sit.
9. Have a dance at the end of the night on a rented dance floor. This also changes the look of the room.
10. Have a sweet table at the end of the night. Once all the dinner has digested, it is nice to refuel with some sweets and to end the night on a sugar high.
I always tell my clients that our ultimate goal is to design a wedding that transforms the venue. Guests shouldn’t feel that they are at a typical wedding at “Uncle Wong’s” restaurant and guests that couldn’t make it to the wedding shouldn’t be able to tell right away where the wedding was held. Here are two pictures of two weddings I did at two Chinese restaurants in town. See if you can tell which restaurants they are!
