Wedding Guide Asia

Just got these pics from WGA vendor Andy Lim! He recently shot Pascal & Mishell’s traditional Chinese wedding  and dinner reception at Hotel Equatorial in Kuala Lumpur. Rather than send us an array of photos, to be a bit different this time, Andy kindly edited the pics into a video. Makes checking out the photos easy peezy!

http://www.vimeo.com/13454526

Wonder what Andy’s style is like? He aptly describes it as “capturing emotion in pictures.”

If you like Andy and his work, give him a buzz and contact him through his Little White Book page by clicking here.

P.S – If you feel like you’ve been attending a few too many weddings of late, (more…)

Many Chinese couples usually opt for a more western-styled reception nowadays, so it’s nice to see a classic chinese wedding. These pics are from Kam Soon & Wendy’s recent reception and tea ceremony that was organised by WGA Vendor and wedding planner, Natasha from The Peak Xperience. Enjoy!

Why Classic Chinese?

Natasha: Wendy wanted a wedding theme which was more pinkish, sweet and romantic whereas Kam Soon wanted a wedding that was majestic, festive, red and oriental. To compromise, we suggested they go with a Shanghai-inspired wedding, sort of a ‘Paris of the East’ theme which was oriental yet sexy. But after many rounds of changes and discussions, the theme became more and more classic, which was of course pleasing for the older folks! From the morning session right through to dinner, every customary step was properly adhered. We had quite a lot of restrictions given to us – strictly no candles, no bird cages, no butterflies, no black. Hahaha… plus Kam Soon and Wendy didn’t want the standard jazz band where the guests probably wouldn’t know half the songs. So moving along the lines of this theme, the older folks also had a wonderful time singing along to timeless tunes from the 1940-50′s Shanghai era and evergreen English songs from Ben E King, Bee Gees and more.

Kam Soon & Wendy’s Little White Book:

Wedding Theme: Classic Chinese

Wedding Day Photographer: Edwin Tan, Exes – Studio (more…)

As promised here is part 2 of photographer Andy Lim’s post! We continue to cover Davinder and Shahlini’s five-day wedding:

And it begins! Here are shots from the early morning. For the bride she’s busy getting ready and dressed into her traditional sari, while the baraatis (groom’s party) are received by the bride’s family at the entrance to the wedding venue. Here, the bride’s mother welcomes the groom by performing the aarti (traditional Indian welcome ritual with a lamp or diya placed on a thali) to welcome her son-in-law and places a tilak on his forehead.

What do Hindu and Chinese weddings have in common? Both seek consultation to find out which dates are considered the ‘best wedding days’ with the most ‘muhurta’ (auspicious timing). However in Hinduism, this is decided by the vedic calendar known as Panchang.

I wonder what happens if you have a Chinese/ Hindu marriage!

The last event for the day is the Saptapadi, which is considered the most important rite where the bride and groom recite specific vows that touch on love, respect, commitment, fidelity and their eternal union.

I think every religion and culture more or less say similar things. Just be good to your wife! And husband, hehe. (more…)

One of my favourite shots by Andy Lim!

Indian weddings are well known for being long, lavish affairs that can sometimes last for days on end – yes, some cultures really know how to celebrate love! These pics from WGA vendor Andy Lim showcase Davinder and Shahlini’s wedding that took place over a period of 5 continuous days. As it was a Punjabi Sikh and Ceylonese Hindu marriage, there were a mix of different traditions that were upheld – a gold-melting ceremony (Ponnurukku), groom’s party (Sangeet), bride’s oil ceremony, groom’s oil ceremony, a Hindu temple wedding, a Sikh temple wedding and finally the dinner reception at the Sheraton Subang.

The celebrations started with the Ponnurukku ceremony on Day 1. During this ceremony, the gold is melted so it can be made into a thaali (the gold chain that the groom fastens on the bride’s neck at the height of a Hindu wedding). It is said that after the Ponnurukku, both bride and groom are not allowed to meet or eat meat! I guess a lot of cultures don’t like the bride seeing the groom before the big day hmm? :)

Day 2

Good evening it’s Sangeet time! The Sangeet is a party held for the groom and his friends and family where one can expect a lot of singing, dancing and celebrating! Sounds like a must, hehe.

On Day 3, it was time for the bride’s oil ceremony. Don’t Indian weddings have the most amazing gowns and details? Great if you like colour! (more…)

Nowadays mix marriages are becoming very common in Malaysia and around the world for that matter (both Steph and I are products of mix marriages in fact). Recently, WGA reader Fara contacted us and asked about mix marriage wedding tips. After doing a fair bit of research and contacting a Malay friend who recently married a Chinese man (thanks Niz!), I came up with this post.

When you mix two very different cultures, you need to take extra care in maintaining a balance and keeping both sides of the family happy. In this case, the cultures differ tremendously and each one has their own specific tradition when it comes to weddings. Here are a couple of tips that might be helpful if you find yourself in a bit of a pickle.

Courtesy of FIFOTO

What to wear

Ah, the big question… Generally for the akad nikah, the bride should be in more conservative attire (baju kurung or kebaya) whereas the groom wears the baju Melayu. For the tea ceremony, maybe change into a beautiful cheongsam or kwa. As for the reception, go for anything that suits your fancy (and that goes with the theme of course).

Food

Well, there won’t be any pork (obviously) and pretty high odds of there being yamseng because no alcohol is being served. Try to serve something that reflects both cultures – after all, both the Malay and Chinese are known for their yummy food :) You’ll be spoilt for choice!

Mocktails, anyone?

The Picking up of the Bride and Tea Ceremony

Marrying a Malay man or woman doesn’t mean you have to refrain from carrying out Chinese traditions such as picking up the bride and conducting the tea ceremony. In fact it will be a lot of fun considering the whole procedure is new to the Malay side. In this case, to respect of the Malay side of the family alcohol and pork should be crossed out (unless of course the family is very liberal).

The Hantaran

The Hantaran is a vital part of any Malay wedding and it usually isn’t omitted no matter what race the bride or groom may be(as long as one is Malay at least!). What the couple choose to give in the hantaran depends solely on them as long as it respects both cultures. If the bride is Malay and the groom is Chinese, cheongsams and songket materials are a cute gift to have as one hantaran. It could symbolise embracing the others’ customs.

Courtesy of FIFOTO

The Reception (more…)

Donovan & Julia

Poised as one of Kuala Lumpur’s ‘weddings of the year’, the union between Donovan Tho (aka Da Funkie Junkie) and his beautiful bride, Julia Nicholson, was so talked about that it’s been featured in the likes of Harpers Bazaar and (woohoo!) Wedding Guide Asia. With a guest list of the who’s who, celebrity performers and an afterparty with one of the world’s best house DJs, I was more than excited to attend the wedding in November last year!

Performances from Malaysian celebrities - Ning Baizura, Jaclyn Victor & Camelia

As a revered house DJ, Donovan called upon some of his friends to sing a song or two at the wedding. Just so happens his ‘friends’ are some of Malaysia’s top soul divas; Ning Baizura, Jaclyn Victor and Camelia! They belted out some awesome love songs that sent the rest of humming and daydreaming of love…

But first things first, where do I begin?

Why with love of course!

"Love is in the air"

Tell us how Judo (Judo = Julia & Donovan) began.

As Don tells it, in a sea of 500 faces, one stood out. He spotted me at Velvet (K.L nightclub), and sent his friend over to talk to me, but didn’t come up to me himself because he was too nervous. He thought I was a tourist and he kicked himself because he didn’t get a phone number nor an email address. (more…)

You will never forget a Persian wedding. Whether it’s the food, the music or just the people, you will find something to remember it by. Being half Persian myself, I felt like sharing with the readers here at Wedding Guide Asia what is it that makes a Persian wedding so special.

Aghd, the Solemnisation

The Sofreh

During this ceremony, a spread or sofreh is prepared for the bride and groom. The spread is typically set on the floor facing the east so that the couple will face the light. Each content of the sofreh has its own meaning. At this point, the officiant arrives and proceeds to read the agreed upon vows and begins the ceremony. After the preliminary blessings and a few words about the importance of the institution of marriage, the officiant asks the groom if he wishes to enter into the marriage contract. Then the bride is asked the same question.

Courtesy of Merge Weddings

Here, the bride traditionally plays shy and makes the groom wait for her hand in marriage by not answering the question right away. The guests scream in the background, “the bride has gone to pick some flowers” or “the bride has gone to bring rose-water”. She then says yes on the third try and they are pronounced husband and wife, a kiss and the exchanging of rings ensues. At this point, the honey is also presented to the happy couple. Here, the groom dips his finger into the honey and gives some to the bride. She does the same in turn and they are ensured a sweet and happy life together.

(more…)

This funky video was shot by Rocket Science Productions and is a pre-wedding video of couple Rachel and Albert. Both of them are dancers so you’ll see a lot of movement incorporated into the video!

In all, a rather cool pre-wedding video :)

My wedding.

Just kidding! A couple of years ago I shot a travel show called ‘Luxury China’ for Channel News Asia. My co-host Pierre Goh & I spent a month living it up (and working hard!), flying the literal length and breadth of the country. We were lucky enough to stay at the Banyan Tree in Ringha, which is situated in the Yunnan province (formerly part of Tibet). When we think of China, images of a billion people and city life come to mind. Ringha, however, is a hidden gem. High up in the mountains and still deeply immersed in Tibetan culture, you’ll feel completely away from it all.

Being the novel brand it is, Banyan Tree Ringha offers a wedding package where couples can tie the knot Tibetan style! Since Pierre and I had signed our souls away in our TV contracts (hehe, j/k!), we were asked to conduct a mock wedding as part of our Yunnan episode. I’m not sure if our ‘arranged’ marriage was one made in heaven, but it was definitely an affair to remember! :)

How to get married Tibetan style:

Pierre and I both get dressed up in traditional outfits. I am of course, the lady in red and he the knight in blue armor.

Next, I dutifully wait in a Tibetan lodge, while Pierre…

Finally, Pierre enters the room. But it’s not over yet!

Pierre must now bargain with my ‘mum’ (not my real mum, this lady above kindly volunteered!). Traditionally, the groom must ‘buy’ his way to sit with the bride at the banquet table.

Pierre sadly used his pocket change to bargain for me. Not a good sign!

After bargaining, Pierre takes his seat next to me while I remain hidden under my ‘veil’. (more…)

Courtesy of Andy Lim

Wan Sim recently got married in the U.K (where she currently resides) and back here in her homeland, Malaysia. Having written her first post about her ‘English’ Wedding, she took the liberty of also sharing her experience of planning her M’sian wedding from halfway across the world in London!

Written by: Wan Sim Tan-Sainsbury

Here is the list of suppliers whom my husband and I genuinely believe to be on our A-list. Four thumbs up for all!

The Venue

A small wedding, less hassles? Not quite. Since it is not the norm in Malaysia to have such a wedding, most of the hotel banquet rooms require a minimum of 200 guests.

Our winner was the Ritz Carlton Kuala Lumpur. It is centrally located and has beautifully set up function rooms that suit smaller weddings (from 40 – 120 people). The fact that we always had a very pleasant stay in this hotel did sway our minds a bit. It was also such a blessing to have a very capable and professional in-house wedding/catering coordinator, Ms Lim Kim Shia. (more…)