Wedding Guide Asia

A Very British affair

The Wedding Theme

It was going to be an autumn wedding and for me, the most romantic time in London (this is when the colours of the leaves change and the sunset remains dusky for hours). Aptly so, Christine and Kenneth chose autumn hues of olive green and beige as the colour palette for their wedding. This was so wonderfully reflected on their wedding stationery.

Hand-written calligraphy on the wedding invite…

A walk in the park

The Legalities

The civil ceremony was held in the Blue Room at the Westminster Registry Office, surrounded by close friends and family. This was a particularly special venue as Christine’s parents also tied the knot at the same registry office and her birth was also registered at the same place. (more…)

The reception is usually where everyone mingles!

There are several things that require long and hard thinking when one is planning a wedding. The theme, the guests, the dress and the location. Here at WGA, we’ve come up with our top 5 picks for wedding reception locations in Malaysia. The list only consists of hotels as they are currently the popular choice of location as Malaysians have an affinity for throwing huge (and I mean huge!) weddings. For your ceremony, chances are it will be held either in a mosque, a church, a temple or even your home. and unless you have a small number of guests, which is highly unlikely, the reception is usually held in a hotel.

Eastern & Oriental Hotel, Penang

We’ve got readers from all over the country here at WGA and for those living up north, then the E & O should definitely be high up on your list. This colonial style hotel overlooks the sea yet maintains a great location in the center of hustling and bustling Georgetown. Prices start from RM788++ for a table of 10 with a minimum number of guests of 300. The grand ballroom has two stories, the ground floor seats 400 while the second floor seats 200. Cocktails are served on the balcony of the ground floor that faces the sea. Their packages usually include basic decorations and a one night stay at the hotel.

Private beach at the resort

Pangkor Island Beach Resort

Having personally attended a wedding held at this resort, I would definitely recommend it for those intending on going for a something a little different. Getting there is easy, you can choose to fly, or drive to the Lumut jetty and take a ferry to the resort. The hotel has it’s own pristine beach and the sea is a lovely emerald colour. Imagine this, cocktails on the sandy beach, dinner at the poolside restaurants followed by dancing in the ballroom, tempted yet? If you’re on a higher budget, then Pangkor Laut Resort may appeal to you as well, it’s more expensive but it’s also much more exclusive.

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Everyone’s doing their bit to save the world, and it’s called going green. Nowadays ‘green’ weddings are becoming more and more of a big deal with the likes of Al Gore’s daughter (no surprise there!!) and Maya Karin keeping up with this trend. If you’re bent on keeping things eco-friendly for your wedding, these tips may come in handy!

1. Location

Set the tone of your green wedding by choosing an eco-friendly location. If you go for an outdoor wedding , choose a location that will show off the beauty of the environment. Have your wedding during the day to take full advantage of the sunlight (saves loads of electricity and pictures taken under natural lighting are so pretty!)

2. Invitations

Use recycled paper wherever possible for wedding invitations, most companies can offer this option. Also consider treeless paper made from materials such as bamboo, hemp and kenaf. Even the type of ink used for the invitation should be taken into account as some inks can be toxic. Weddings can generate a huge amount of paper consumption, so give careful thought to items that can be reduced. For example, instead of a program for everyone, perhaps one per couple or group.

3. Choose Eco-Friendly Rings

When it comes to choosing a ring, make sure to use jewelers that are green-friendly. More and more jewelers are using recycled gold and fair-labor gemstones. To make sure you are not purchasing a “blood diamond,” ask your jeweler about the origin of the stone.

4. Photos

Instead of sending out hundreds of paper based photographs, save on postage, processing and toxic chemicals by storing digital images on your wedding blog for family and friends to download as they please; printing out only what’s absolutely necessary.

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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…)

Planning an Asian wedding from abroad? Here are a few top tips to ensure that your wedding goes as smoothly and remain as special as it can be.

Don’t underestimate the Time!

Wedding planning is time consuming especially those planned from abroad. It is better to make at least one journey to the country for important decisions such as choosing the venue and food-tasting. To maximise your trip, draw up a to-do-list and arrange meetings with the wedding planner, florists and photographers before you fly. This way, you won’t forget any important details and still have time to hit the beach.

Stay extra organised

You will need to make most of your decisions from abroad and communications with the wedding planner, florists etc will tend to be via email or telephone conversations. Most brides start wedding planning 12 months in advance and in that time frame, you would have forgotten the decisions you made months and months ago. Therefore, try and be extra organised and keep a folder with copies of email correspondence and receipts for any deposits or payments. If you have spoken to a specific person, note their names, time and details of telephone conversations.

Hire a wedding planner

It will be hard to be in control of a situation when you are not physically there. Bear in mind that flowers arrangements and food tastings cannot be done over the internet. Therefore it is better to have someone in the location to help make the important decisions for you. You may like to assign some responsibilities to family members or friends but it is best to hire a wedding planner. (more…)