My last two posts have highlighted some of my favourite moments at weddings with just what the title says – unique Chinese wedding elements. Part 1 was about a friend’s wedding with their aunts and uncles opening up the reception with a choreographed dance and Part 2 featured my cousin’s wedding at her lion dance performance. This Part 3 post, might possibly be the last in this mini series, and it is about a beautiful wedding I helped with recently.
This past September I had the pleasure of helping coordinate Karen and Billy’s wedding. Billy, being a fellow wedding photographer with a design background, included many intricate details into his wedding day to make it unique. It is always exciting to work with clients who have an artsy background! His wedding background also allowed him to pick some great vendors for me to work with.
The magical day started out with a ceremony at the lovely Graydon Hall. The picturesque background made for beautiful photos and the overcast sky was a photographer’s dream! The team at Graydon Hall was a pleasure to work with and it came together without a hitch, even with the possibility of rain in the forecast.
The wedding reception was held at King Edward Hotel, adorned with high ceilings and ornate crown moulding. The couple’s eye for detail could be seen in the selection of coloured table linens and alternating favours from DavidsTea.
What was memorable at this event was the impact the live band had on the evening. The Laura Lynn Band graced the presence of this wedding and she was a huge hit. They were entertaining and engaging, flexible to the changing schedule.
Before dancing was even scheduled, guests were up and enjoying the dance floor – a rare occasion at a Chinese wedding! A lively dance floor at a Chinese wedding is already rare enough, but dancing for the sake of dancing before the dance floor was even open?? A sign of a great band, no doubt. I was starting to worry how we would get people off the dance floor so we could move on to speeches!
What made it even more special was that they mixed in two traditional Chinese songs into their repertoire, gaining huge brownie points with the Chinese crowd. Looking at the band you would never know they had it in them&emdasha 5-piece Caucasian group. A table near me was full of older aunties was actually quite disruptive during speeches, talking amongst themselves and not paying attention. But once the band busted out the classic “Yue Liang Dai Biel Wo Di Shin”, otherwise known as “The Moon Represents My Heart”, they were engaged as ever twirling napkins in the air to show their enthusiasm.
Don’t take my word for it, take a listen on their website here.
Yes, they also have songs in Korean, Japanese and Opera in their repretoire! Kudos to the Laura Lynn Band for being so multi-faceted. Needless to say, it was a delight to be a part of this wedding. Thank you for the opportunity and congratulations on the new journey together!
See more photos from this gorgeous wedding in my gallery here.
Photos courtesy of award-winning Calculated Style Photography – www.calculatedstyle.com