Last week, we had the pleasure of being a part of the special 4-segment special on CP24’s Live Eye with Jamie Gutfreund for Chinese New Year. We collaborated with our friends at Shangri-La Hotel, Toronto, for a festive celebration full of food, great energy and inspiration for the new year. Special thanks to Mango Studios for capturing the magic!
Chinese New Year decor ideas
Cherry blossoms, peonies and beautiful diecuts graced our decor segment on CP24. Alongside the chandeliers and cherry blossom carpet at Shangri-La Hotel Toronto, it screamed Chinese New Year in the best way possible!
Flowers from Opening Night Flowers overflowed on the table, with vibrant hues of coral, pink and yellow.
Ettridges Studio created these larger than life and ultra beautiful peonies made out of crepe paper. They took over 14 hours to create one! We accented the wood cutout wall from Dance Floor Decor with the peonies, and it was just magical.
Linen and tabletop rentals from Chairman Mills helped set the tone with chic and modern accents on the table. Brooklin Paper Co’s diecut menu and fortune cookie name cards were the perfect compliment to all the decor, mimicing the wall behind.
Innovative Food Ideas
We discussed unique food ideas from around the city, and featured some of our friends.
Chatime Innovation Bar (inside Yorkdale Mall) provided us their special Chinese New Year drinks and Pink Sakura drink for Valentines Day. All of them swirl with beautiful colours when shaken because of the edible glitter inside.
Daango Cake Lab’s character macarons were so cute and made an appearance as well. Such a cute treat for the season!
Our food segment continued with traditional and modern takes on Chinese New Year foods.
Chef Jolan at Shangri-La Hotel Toronto showed us how to create some of their lychee mooncakes as part of their Chinese New Year afternoon tea.
I shared about the importance of certain Chinese traditional dishes eaten at New Years, including roast pig and steamed fish. Both were catered from Rovey Catering.
Traditional Chinese Arts
Our friends at Wushu Project graced us with lion dancing performances, a traditional dance mixed with martial arts that mimics the movements of a lion. It is said to ward off evil and provide good luck at Chinese New Year.
Chinese New Year is a family affair, so I included my mother, Master Teresa, and her Chi Gong school as part of the segment. She taught Jamie how to do Tai Chi Chi Gong along with some of her students from Pureland Qi Gong.
Lunar New Year Afternoon Tea at Shangri-La Hotel Toronto
We finished off the segments by enjoying some of the special Lunar New Year Afternoon Tea in the Shangri-La Hotel Lobby Lounge. It was available for a limited time only around the season.
Chef Jolan puts the final touches on the table.
My glam squad
I don’t always wake up at 4am looking like this! Thank you to the amazing team that came together to help me look my best.
Stylist: Cindy Conroy; Dress from Christian Boutique.
Stylist: Cindy Conroy; Dress from Christian Boutique. Thank you also to Puzzle Creations and L’une Beauty Boutique for my hair and makeup, I loved my look!
Stylist: Cindy Conroy; Chinese New Year lucky pocket bracelet from Links London.
Cherry blossoms on my nails from The Nail and Champagne Bar.
Me and Nick from Opening Night Flowers! Thanks for doing such a fab job, as always!
Source it
Photo: Mango Studios
Planning/styling: Rebecca Chan Weddings & Events
Venue and afternoon tea: Shangri-La Hotel Toronto
Flowers and cherry blossoms: Opening Night Flowers
Backdrop: Dance Floor Decor
Paper peonies: Ettridges
Stationary: Brooklin Paper Co
Rentals: Chairman Mills
Lion dancers: Wushu Project
Traditional foods: Rovey Catering
Tai Chi Chi Gong: Pureland Qi Gong
CNY macarons: Daango Cake Lab
CNY drinks: Chatime Innovation Bar
Glam squad:
Dresses: Christian Boutique
Stylist: Cindy Conroy
Hair: Puzzle Creations
Makeup: L’une Beauty Boutique
Nails: The Nail and Champagne Bar
Jamie’s tie: Tytan Ties
