this past week i celebrated my absolute favorite holiday of all time: chinese new year! i look forward to all the amazingly delicious food that my grandma makes, just thinking about all the egg rolls, pho, and sticky rice makes my tummy rumble!!
since i am vietnamese our new years is traditionally called tet, and celebrated on the same days as chinese new year. the little red envelopes full of money is definitely one of the highlights of this celebration. our new years celebration is more than just about food and money, though they are definite bonuses. it really is a time where all of the grandchildren and family get together. My grandparents get so excited for this celebration and spend days in preparation of food and happiness waiting to see the whole family together celebrating!
as a person of mixed heritage, i began thinking about how to incorporate my asian culture into weddings without it being cheesy and cliché. here are some of my thoughts on how to infuse some asian inspiration into your wedding, in a fun and modern way…
1. asian inspired appetizers: spring roll and egg roll mini bites, shrimp balls, sushi (YUM!)
2. origami can be incorporated into the décor as paper flowers
3. fortune cookies as party favors with little notes that say “we’re so fortunate to know you, thanks for being here today”
4. serve traditional hot tea during cocktail hour along with your favorite cocktails
5. traditionally in vietnamese cultures, on the day of the wedding there is an elaborate ceremony where the grooms family receive the bride at her home. but due to the time crunch of the wedding day with hair, makeup, and photos…a way to still do this ceremony without the stress of it the actual day of the wedding, is to do this during the engagement party instead.
6. the chinese lantern festival is a beautiful display of floating lanterns and a perfect inspiration to use at your wedding
hope some of these tips have helped you think of great ways to incorporate a little bit of my colorful culture into your wedding. and of course, no post is complete without inspirational eye-candy…
xoxo,
kerisa
(credits: chandelier tea bags-tumblr; hanging origami-favim; sushi: use real butter
chicken satay-wm events; bride-studio castillero photography; fortune cookies-flickr; paper flower décor-ashley rose photography; lanterns-travelpod blog)
by smw kerisa
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