在教堂行禮，一般都以顏色淺淡的花材做裝飾，以凸顯教堂的莊嚴和神聖。如果想要清新喜悅的感覺，一束簡單的滿天星即能帶出與眾不同的驚喜。在滿天星的點綴下，教堂長椅、門前、燭台，甚至在花童頭上，一切都閃耀著純潔的美麗。

除此之外，以滿天星配搭其他花材設計而成的花球和襟花，簡約而不失莊重，用來襯托盛裝禮服，不但沒搶走戲份，還可以和諧地與各種質料融合，起畫龍點晴的效果。

別以為滿天星只適合戶外或教堂使用，不能登大雅之堂。雖然她予人感覺未夠隆重，但是正好這份簡約美更能表達清麗脫俗的氣質。把她放在餐桌佈置上，就好像一棵棵覆上薄薄白雪的樹，令人眼前一亮。

this tradition shows your union in a solemn and sacred way while incorporating additional meaningful elements to the ceremony.

handfasting is a simple and traditional ceremony in irish, scots, and the welsh which goes back to the medieval and renaissance period.   the ritual includes a loose binding together of the couple’s hands, which also gave rise to the slang phrase “to tie the knot”. 

nowadays, handfasting is a symbolic acknowledgment of the couple’s lives and fates being bound together.   it has been a custom in many cultures and is gaining popularity in modern ceremonies.   there are many forms of handfasting ceremony.  the most traditional way is tying a knot around the couple’s hands with just one single silk cord or a clan’s tartan.  the couple can choose to hold all the hands together to shape an infinity symbol, or hold only right hands together and tie a knot around their wrists.

another practice is a very detailed six-corded ceremony.   in front of all witnesses, the officiant will ask the bride and groom to make 6 promises, including but not limited to share the joys and dreams together, respect each other and not to hurt their spouse or cause him/her anger.  meanwhile, the officiant will drape a cord across the couple’s hands after they said their promises until the sixth is finished. 

however, handfasting ceremony is something including a “pagan” (polytheistic nature religions) element.   before you choose to conduct this rite, make sure your other half and both families are open-minded with this option.   as this ritual has yet to gain popularity in hong kong, be sure to communicate this in advance with your officiant about the handfasting ceremony, you may need to spend more time to work it out, or try to consult your wedding planner.

the old saying is english, and sources say it began in the victorian era. each item in this poem represents a good-luck token for the bride. if she carries all of them on her wedding day, her marriage will be happy.

brides nowadays still follow the phrases religiously and take in these elements to their bridal outfits and accessories.

 faced with a constant union (or clash) of the western and chinese traditions and culture in hong kong, these elements can still be incorporated.

 after all, you can never have too much luck right?

 ”something old” symbolizes continuity with the bride’s family and the past, particularly mother or grandmother.  this could be a piece of antique family jewellery which belonged to the relative.

 ”something new” means optimism and hope for the bride’s new life ahead.  as for the item, i’m sure it poses no difficulty for the bride to get a new item for herself J

 ”something borrowed” is usually an item from a happily married friend or family member, whose good fortune in marriage is supposed to carry over to the new bride.  in a way, this is similar to the blessings given by a好命人 (a person with a good life and fortune) at the 上頭 (hair combing) ceremony in chinese wedding customs.

 all the above mentioned things are easily done and adapted for a hong kong wedding…which then brings us to the color item – “something blue”.  blue has been connected to weddings for centuries in rome, where brides wear blue to symbolize love, modesty, and fidelity; christianity has long dressed the virgin mary in blue, so purity was associated with the color.

 though we are seeing an emerging use of blue in some weddings, this color is in fact still, for many chinese families, a taboo in weddings, since it is associated with somber occasions.

 however, there are a few areas we can display the ‘something blue’ elements to still fulfill ones desire.

 ‘i do’ rhinestone sticker

a quirky idea for the something blue that you place on the bottom of wedding shoes.  these cute little stickers add a fun element to the wedding outfit and solves the problem of what to go for on the something blue.

sources: mindy weiss                                                                                            source: for wedding sake

blue champagne 

why not having a hint of blue for the bubbly friend?  be it the toasting moment, or just celebrating during the cocktail, the blue champagne can sure steal a little attention from the crowd.

source: blanc de bleu

 “a silver sixpence in the bride’s shoe” – to be continued in the next blog, stay tuned.  :)

paying tribute to the heritage of the groom, hints of thai are incorporated in the wedding, which were reflected in the rundown, decor, and the dinner menu.

sherman & aup from Match and Fusion on Vimeo.

sherman & aup – video productions by Johnny Productions

eva & thomas’ wedding – bali from Match and Fusion on Vimeo.

eva & thomas – video productions by Wedding Story

these sandles look very ‘shabby chic’ with the white drawers

source: wedding bee

playing with the veil and shoes, and against natural background

although white is the safest bet and it will go perfectly with your assumingly white wedding dress, one may also consider choosing a different color – wedding theme color, red for auspiciousness in chinese, blue (something blue) for western tradition. the color just pops out so nicely!

source: MOONbelle Photography

source: ME photographs

 source: wedding bee

even better, personalizing the shoes is a great keepsake to enjoy in the years to come.

wedding dresses by monique lhuillier and marchesa

’something blue’ for the sensual bride

in fact, the non-white wedding dress is not a modern-time invention.  red was a popular choice in the middle as it was disseminated by queen victoria when she married in 1840.  only in the 19^th century white became the almost unique color of choice for a wedding dress.

source: claire lafaye and vera wang’s new line – white

these are one of the most delicate and imaginative wedding gowns i have ever seen and feels like the first page of a hundred beautiful stories.  source: moonshadow by claire pettibone and pleated fantasy from bhldn

the theme of the wedding was shabby chic, with a touch of balinese to pay tribute to the location.  day time colors were light gray and pale pink, in which the night time was intensified to silver and fuschia pink.  the result was an intimate affair, with vibrant colors and happy faces jumping out  (literally) of the photos.

dress code was: summer glam with a splash of pink

thanks to the rain chaser, the day was bright and sunny until the banquet ends,  and that’s when tropical rain came in and gave us a ‘grand finale’, what a night!