A few questions:
Food – which is better….pan fried scallops or shrimp with walnut (the one with the mayo)?
Flowers – What flowers are pretty? I’m not much of a flower person so I really have NO preference. We looked at flowers this weekend and I’ve always been drawn to orchids. In fact, those are the only flowers boyrobot has ever given me! So I am thinking of that…but they are pretty pricy and kind of simple. Like if we use them as centerpieces, will it look too bare?
Colors – Still debating on a color theme. Sigh…any combos you like?
Entertainment – We’ll most likely have karaoke (at our friends’ requests! haha), but what else is fun to do at weddings besides dancing? We will also have an open bar.
favors – yes or no on edible favors? i’ve heard both sides…what do you most people think? right now we have edible favors!
hair/makeup – man, to get this stuff done professionally it costs quite a lot! should i hire a professional to do it or ask my cousin who works at a makeup counter to do it? i saw her work on my sister this past weekend and i was happy with the result! i might have to find someone pro to do my hair though. a part of me thinks i want a pro to do the whole thing since i NEVER wear makeup and this is probably the one day where I will so I should just go all out. But it seems like such a waste of money! Even the makeup/hair trials are expensive to do!
lastly, from the weddings you’ve been to…what did you care/remembered/enjoyed the most? what should i spend my money on? what should i not bother with?
(I know I asked a lot of questions, feel free to answer 1 or all! any help would be appreciated :))
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tough questions :) this is gonna be LONG :D
food – i love walnut shrimp, but i tried these HUGE scallops at a wedding before and it was delish… i wish i had more. tough call, hehe
flowers – eek, i dunno… im not much of a flower person either, but i tend to like lilies and tulips. you can’t go wrong with roses. maybe look at arrangements with irises too! i had heard that a way to save money on centerpieces is to use the bridesmaids’ bouquets as centerpieces… i guess there are special vases to just pop in the bouquets and itll make a beautiful centerpiece!
colors – that’s on you… you like green, no? maybe a hue of green? like a tiffany blue? :P that’s been pretty popular lately… tiffany blue with brown.
entertainment – your plan sounds good. as long as your mc or dj is good, there shouldnt be too much else to worry about.
favors – i could go either way. edible or not, im gonna save it, haha… but it’s always cool to get favors that are useful, or nice to display.
hair/makeup – i would say get your hair done by a pro. maybe work with your cousin on the makeup and try it a few times w/ her to see if you’ll get the look you want. if she can do it for you and you’re really happy with it, i would say go for it! sometimes a makeup pro can be overpriced.
memorable weddings – hmm… the ones that were the best were the ones i was too drunk to remember! haha jk.. maybe im biased but so far my sister’s is the best wedding ive been to. it was very elegant (but i know she didn’t spend a huge fortune), and i think at the time her wedding favors were unique. in addition to a large figurine per family, a dvd with the montage as well as a cd of their love songs was given away in dvd cases whose sleeves had pictures of them and the family. i know it doesnt seem as unique nowadays, but at the time it was new to me and everyone else. also, a unique montage is memorable, but i know not everyone does it :)
invitations – eileen!
i vote yes on the edible favors. i hate taking more crap home – not to say that what you would have would be ‘crap’ necessarily! but yeah.
I think a wedding is supposed to be about the couple. So the food could be your favorite dishes, but if you don’t want it to be all about you take suggestions from guests. As for the orchids, it could be the center of attention, but it could be accompanied by flowers or other sort of decorations like lamps, candles, fans, etc. For the color scheme you could choose your favorite color and boyrobot could choose a color; if that doesn’t work than both of you could decide which colors look good together. Then the entertainment could be about your Vietnamese heritage, by having a dragon dance. Think about the guests, take their point of view, if you were a guest what would you want, personally I like an edible favor, but a little trinket to keep, that’s part of the theme. For instance one time I went to a wedding that had the theme of fairytales, and the favor was a little unicorn with candy inside. If you’re thinking of getting your hair and make up done than you should let your cousin do it first, but give her suggestions and you should bring your dress and jewelry for inspiration. And lastly, the thing I remember the most is the favors and the food. I went to a wedding once that had terrible food, it was a bit burnt and a little dry, but the worst was it had no taste. But the thing I liked the most was the fun time I had.
I hope I didn’t write too much, and have fun planning your wedding. Good luck with your weeding too.
OOOO i LOVE wedding planning stuff! I’ve been a bridesmaid 7 times, so I’m all about wedding advice!
Food: If you’re going to have mostly older Vietnamese guests, you know they will focus on the food and don’t care so much about ambiance. I would go for scallops because it seems like walnut shrimp is on every Chinese restaurant menu. BUT it depends on what you 2 like better (although you probably won’t have time to eat!). It’s all about you guys!!!
Flowers: I’m a flower girl (not flowergirl). I absolutely love orchids. They’re classy, exotic, and a small simple arrangement can make a big statement. Plus I think it’s a nice nod to boyrobot if you had orchids since he’s always given those to you. I think roses are just ok. Irises, although nice, don’t last as long plus it depends on the season as they’re more available during the spring. Calla lillies are also very beautiful, classy, and popular. I agree w/ the above suggestion about using the entourage’s bouquets as arrangements which can be placed at the head table. If you don’t care too much about flowers or want to save some dough, add candles. It also adds to a romantic atmosphere.
Colors: pick your favorite color and a nice complement. Any color can look good if complemented & integrated well into your overall scheme.
Favors: entertainment…pick a good dj. Karaoke sounds fun! I’ve never been to a wedding w/ karaoke!
Favors: edible! I really don’t care for stuff that piles in my house. I have picture to remind me of a wedding. But don’t get the candy almonds, those are grody!
Hair/makeup: Hair definitely by a pro. You can get hair done for ~$50 at some Asian salon. I’ve always seen them doing a nice job. Makeup, go with your friend and do trial runs. Just make sure she’s there to touch up for you throughout the day! Fake lashes feel funny at first but they do wonders! =)
The most memorable weddings I’ve been to were of good friends, but the most impressive one was at the Ritz in Laguna for my college roommate. It was absolutely stunning. I can send you pics if you want. The food was perfect (steak and lobster!), the atmosphere was amazing, dj was forgettable though. But the funnest one was for a good friend in san jose. I was drunk, maybe that’s why it was so fun. Haha.
Anyway, sorry, that was a really long reply! Good luck planning your wedding. If you need any help, let me know!
Food – Shrimp walnut hands down! But I remember you saying boyrobot likes scallops so iduno… though chances are, you guys won’t be able to eat so :D:D:D.
Flowers – I think orchids should be fine if you play it up with other flowers. You could probably just figure that out by looking again.
Colors – Blue and gold! I’m not really a fan of blue and green but the fact it’s your favorite colors makes it cute :).
Entertainment – You should have some sort of comedian to entertain the old Vietnamese people :P. like… YOUR DAD. I’m just kidding.
favors – Your favors are awesome. But I think the girls should get what the guys are getting too :D.
hair/makeup- Go with the pro just to be safe. You’re never going to go all out with girly makeup stuff again so why not? :)
I remembered this one wedding the best… mostly because they had the reception at a Greek restaurant and not the typical Chinese one. And their DJ was fun! He had games going around the table and then people had to do the chicken dance… and random stuff like that. Another wedding I remember is the one from last summer and that was just because the bride was 20 and the groom was 30 something and it freaked me out that she was my age and getting married. Oh and she was the one who wore the lime green au dai :). DO IT. It will be awesome.
I think the best weddings I’ve ever been to were the ones that were true expressions of the couple and their lives together, not the ones where they just tried to put on a big show that said, “See how much money we spent?” I think your idea about having orchids on each table is precious because of their sentimental value and what they mean to YOU…….who cares if someone might think they’re ‘plain’. Don’t forget it’s YOUR special day with boyrobot and the people who truly love you will just be happy to share that special day by your side.
If someone would dare come to a wedding and judge anything about its esthetic appeal, then should they have been invited in the first place? Trust me dear, I’m 41 and have been married for 23 years to the sweetest man alive and when you and boyrobot get that far, you will know exactly what I’m talking about. Trust me. Just do what YOU want and the rest will fall into place. Remember that old saying, the one that goes something like “the biggest mistake you can make is trying to please everybody”. Have a wonderful beautiful day and remember to have F-U-N!!!! Congratulations and wishes for a million ‘robotic’ years together,
Maureen :)
What great questions. Well, I have been a wedding consultant for about a year now and have seen and heard more than you can imagine. In the end do what makes you happy but hear are a few suggestions:
Food – Shrimp is more popular among guests. (not everyone likes scallops) With that said, also keep in mind food allergies. Especially with seafood and nuts.
Flowers – I love the idea of orchids. They are very classy. And there are many ways you can dress them up. Check out my Kaboodle Wedding Flowers and Centerpieces list to see an idea for mixing flowers in vases with glass pebbles.
Colors – Bright colors are hot this year and using two shades of the same color is as well. Also, I have been seeing an awful lot of coral being used.
Entertainment (& Favors) – I love the idea of karaokee. One idea that is kinda quirky and could work as favors too, is to higher a caricature artist for a few hours. Your guests can have there own photos drawn up to take home with them at night. The idea adds some fun and you can cut cost on favors. (Which most people usually leave on the table, anyway)
Hair/Makeup – This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Spoil yourself. If you think your cousin will do a good job, than I say let her do it. (But if you get it done professionally you don’t have to worry about feeling bad if you want her to do it over cause it’s not want you want. That’s there job)
But definitely, do few trial runs on the makeup with different shades and take pictures to see which color combo looks best on camera. After all, you’ll have those for the rest of your life.
The weddings I remember most are the fun ones. Laid back with dancing, drinks, laughs. Let loose and have fun. Your guests aren’t going to care about their favors. I suggest spending more on the food and drinks and making sure your reception is set up to be inviting. I loved the weddings I went to when the tables were surrounding the dance floor so you eyes were drawn to the fun!
Congrats! Hope these tips have helped.
wow thanks for the link! i really like that centerpiece!!!!!
Food – isn’t shrimp cheaper? everyone seems to like them :P
Flowers – if you guys don’t care about flowers, go for roses. the main reason is bc they’re cheaper AND they last longer (when you pick a colored rose, not the white rose).
Colors – I imagine you guys with like a mint green/brown, since you two are always sporting those colors :)
Entertainment – Minh has to be the FIRST to karaoke, that’d be pimp :)
Favors – I’d nix the favors and just get more booze. Who really wants to hold onto a toy that says thanks for going to our wedding on XX/XX/XXX date?
Hair/makeup – Maybe you should test out some makeup folks. Trang picked a girl that basically gave her a natural look and allowed her to take photos without looking washed out, I think that’s what you should do. It would be weird if you were obviously wearing makeup! Also, I think you’d look cute with a simple hairstyle. Like a bun or just waves, nothing super crazy bc that’s very unlike you.
Most memorable – when the bride/groom were interactive with the guests. I hate when the couple is “too busy” to mingle with everyone! I liked how Trang/Thai took 15 minutes out of the craziness to have a shot with all of their pals.
Don’t put disposable cameras on the table for your guests to take pictures with. My sister thought this would be cute and let me tell you: Drunk wedding guests take HORRIBLE pictures.