Many couples have old school themes for their wedding but overlook tradition. Not these newlyweds. They embraced their roots, with its detailed traditions, with open arms, and managed to make it their own in all of its trendy glory. With pops of red against whitewashed walls, and elements rich with lace and pearl textures, you’d have a hard time figuring out if this really took place a hundred years ago. Many thanks to Jasmine. A of MunKeat Studio for capturing this lovely set!
Huiwen: “Our favourite moments were truly all of it! From the jazz band that belted out Chinese oldies and classics, setting just the right mood for the guests, to the lion dance that accompanied our walk down the aisle, everything just reminded us that our wedding was the one big celebration we wanted to share with everyone.
“We’ve always joked that we were old souls. We love tradition, and knew a modern wedding would not be our cup of tea. We decided we wanted a rowdy, old school Oriental wedding. With that in mind, we set out to pick our venue because it would form the foundation of all our other wedding preparations.
“We wanted a space that was cosy yet elegant, so we ruled out hotel ballrooms and decided on the Grand Shanghai Restaurant. With its chandeliers, high ceilings and antique décor reminiscent of Shanghai in the 1920s and 1930s, it was perfect for our old school wedding.
“We briefed our florist on our 1920s Shanghai theme, and left most of the planning to them. For my bouquet, Brendan created a cascading bridal bouquet, complete with flowy red ribbons. For the tables, he picked a palate of lush maroon with tinges of blue and gold, and to my surprise, included peonies as a nod to the theme. It all turned out beautifully.
“I sourced the props online (through Taobao), including face cream that Shanghainese women used, fans, old radios, vintage Chinese posters and fake pearls. I reused mooncake boxes from the Mid-Autumn Festival that suit the theme, and I wanted our stage to capture the glitz and glamour of a Shanghai jazz bar.
“What’s more Chinese than a little gambling? We also wanted to inject a bit of Singaporean flavour so we bought all of our guests 4D (lottery) tickets as wedding favours, using our wedding date as the winning digits. Our guests loved it!”
Tips from the bride: “Spend more time on finding the best photographer and videographer to document your wedding. Our wedding went by in a flash and I could not recall half of what went on because it was such a big day. I’m so thankful to have great photos that captured the love and essence of our wedding.”
HUIWEN & COLEMAN {Singapore}
Photography by Jasmine. A by MunKeat Studio / Wedding Planning by Lesley Phay / Venue Grand Shanghai Restaurant / Number of Guests 220 / Bridal Gown Custom made / Bride’s Shoes by Pazzion / Wedding Jewellery by Pearl Jewellery / Hair and Makeup by Priscilla Er / Wedding Bands by Mishal Diamonds / Groom’s Attire by Silver Strip Tailor / Bridesmaids’ Dresses by DoubleWoot / Groomsmen’s Attire by Taobao / Flowers and Décor by Brendan Jenkins of Spellbound Weddings / Wedding Entertainment by Grand Shanghai Jazz Band
{Read more about this in the magazine}