Monday, December 1, 2008
♥ The Wedding Bed
The wedding bed is a rather important tradition in the Chinese wedding ceremony. The bed has to be dressed in red as the thousands year old tradition states, since red is the symbol of good fortune. During the morning of the ceremony, the groom's mother and other married women on his side of the family make the bridal bed. Widowed women and divorced women are usually forbidden to take part in the making of the bed because of supersitition; the fear that the husbandless women will bring bad luck and misfortune to the new bride. After the bridal bed is made, the door is closed and no one is allowed in there except for the bride and groom. Not even family is allowed in there for fear of tainting the purity of the room.
Usually made by the groom's mum, good fortune and thoughts are kept in mind during the set up for the soon to be newly weds. Traditionally those good thoughts usually had to do with bringing forth sons into the family. However in more recent times, those thoughts probably deal with the hopes of a long lasting relationship and not an early divorce.
After the wedding banquet and celebrations are finished, the retiring couple is expected to start the procreation process. Traditionally the wedding night is supposed to be the first night the groom sleeps with the bride. Thought admittedly there probably wasn't much sleeping involved in those days (let alone nowadays).
So after this lovely historical note about the wedding bed, I just wanted to say I'm so happy we (Maman and I) found a nice comforter set for the wedding bed. We purchased this lovely 70% silk/30% polyester red comforter set from Bed Bath and Beyond. We also found a beautiful 600 count gold coloured cotton sateen sheet set at Mervyns for a good price too. It's simply gorgeous. It's not terribly traditional but Hung and I wanted something that we could use when we moved out into our own home. I hate it when things go to waste and I'm fairly pragmatic. For now I'm going to dance a little happy dance now that we have another item checked off our to-do list. Now for the veil and shoes. T_T
Usually made by the groom's mum, good fortune and thoughts are kept in mind during the set up for the soon to be newly weds. Traditionally those good thoughts usually had to do with bringing forth sons into the family. However in more recent times, those thoughts probably deal with the hopes of a long lasting relationship and not an early divorce.
After the wedding banquet and celebrations are finished, the retiring couple is expected to start the procreation process. Traditionally the wedding night is supposed to be the first night the groom sleeps with the bride. Thought admittedly there probably wasn't much sleeping involved in those days (let alone nowadays).
So after this lovely historical note about the wedding bed, I just wanted to say I'm so happy we (Maman and I) found a nice comforter set for the wedding bed. We purchased this lovely 70% silk/30% polyester red comforter set from Bed Bath and Beyond. We also found a beautiful 600 count gold coloured cotton sateen sheet set at Mervyns for a good price too. It's simply gorgeous. It's not terribly traditional but Hung and I wanted something that we could use when we moved out into our own home. I hate it when things go to waste and I'm fairly pragmatic. For now I'm going to dance a little happy dance now that we have another item checked off our to-do list. Now for the veil and shoes. T_T
♥ Le petit chat dit "non!"
2:29 AM
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2:29 AM
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Friday, September 19, 2008
♥ Invites!
We ordered our invitations a month ago and I went today with Mum to pick them up. They're quite pretty. Simple in design with nice foil printing and it's all assembled. We ordered 300 invites for $555. The printers gave us a deal cause Mum knows them. Sweet huh? The wedding favors have also been ordered. They're light up glass sculptures with "Hung and Jenny" written inside in bubbles. Mum and Hung liked them. Well anyways..I'll take photos of the invites tomorrow :). I'm tired.
♥ Le petit chat dit "non!"
10:54 PM
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10:54 PM
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Monday, July 14, 2008
♥ The Honeymoon & Rings update
It's official, we're going to go to New Zealand for our honeymoon. We're not sure exactly where just yet. We want to take the Lord of the Rings tour! I want to admire the pretty scenery and the fresh air. Whoot! More updates soon after we figure things out.
We've also found our wedding bands :). We're going with titanium with silver inlay.
We'll be ordering these rings soon. They're really gorgeous. We both agreed that we're not terribly fond of the price for platinum, nor do we like white gold because of the tendency of turning yellow. We like the feel and the weight of titanium. Durability will also be super important because I do so much with my hands. So there ya have it! Our soon to be wedding bands.
I've been looking through etsy.com for a replacement engagement ring. :) So far I see one that I like.
This coming weekend we'll be traveling down to LA to find dresses and items for the wedding. Whoot. :)
I've been looking through etsy.com for a replacement engagement ring. :) So far I see one that I like.
This coming weekend we'll be traveling down to LA to find dresses and items for the wedding. Whoot. :)
♥ Le petit chat dit "non!"
12:44 PM
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12:44 PM
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Sunday, June 15, 2008
♥ Planning Block
Mum has gone wild with the wedding. She's already booked the karaoke person and band. The restaurant I think is booked too. Apparently the top floor of the restaurant has enough room for 40 tables. That's ridiculously spacious. It'll probably be less because I'm hoping there will be a dance floor. She's been complaining that I need to get glamorous dresses for the wedding. I still need to get the Chinese qipao and the banquet gown. I'll probably head down to LA and get the qipao made in Chinatown (or I'll order it online). Dad is rather excited about the wedding too. I do believe they'll be inviting a lot of people, after all, I am the first born of the family.
I have the videographer booked. My friend Derek and one of his assistants or associates will be filming the entire wedding from start to end. He's one of my best friends that works at a video studio so he knows what he's doing. It's his gift to us for our wedding. ^_^ Derek's awesome.
The wedding cake will be made by Jes. Mom doesn't want the cake to be too sweet but it's my wedding after all. Jes made a fabulous birthday cake for me last year. I can't wait to see what the wedding cake will taste like.
I need to find a make up artist and photographer. We haven't really figured out plans for the honeymoon either. So much planning. Oh dear we still need to pick invitations. So much to do, so little time.
I have the videographer booked. My friend Derek and one of his assistants or associates will be filming the entire wedding from start to end. He's one of my best friends that works at a video studio so he knows what he's doing. It's his gift to us for our wedding. ^_^ Derek's awesome.
The wedding cake will be made by Jes. Mom doesn't want the cake to be too sweet but it's my wedding after all. Jes made a fabulous birthday cake for me last year. I can't wait to see what the wedding cake will taste like.
I need to find a make up artist and photographer. We haven't really figured out plans for the honeymoon either. So much planning. Oh dear we still need to pick invitations. So much to do, so little time.
♥ Le petit chat dit "non!"
12:25 AM
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12:25 AM
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Tuesday, May 6, 2008
♥ Broken Engagement Ring
The engagement ring broke and we had to return it. We got a full refund for the ring because the jeweler who sold it to us couldn't fix it. We had an extended warranty on it which required the jeweler to "restore the ring to manufacturer standards" if anything were to happen within the year of purchase. Well lets just say one entire part of the bow came off and could not be found. It happened to be that Vera Wang discontinued designing jewelry pieces, like the signature bow ring, because the designs were structurally weak.
Now Hung and I have been shopping around for another ring. I'm looking at some filigree vintage gemstone rings. Rather quaint and feminine but not too delicate. We're looking to spend 1/5 the price of the previous engagement ring and putting the other 4/5 towards the wedding bands (which we've also begun to shop for).
I'm rather fond of the Moissonite mineral. It's so gorgeous. Moissonite is a mineral that was cultivated off of shards of moissonite found in meteors. We both thought it was pretty cool that this was a space rock. :) So we're looking into some moissonite rings.
It's so hard to decide! :O Wish us luck.
Now Hung and I have been shopping around for another ring. I'm looking at some filigree vintage gemstone rings. Rather quaint and feminine but not too delicate. We're looking to spend 1/5 the price of the previous engagement ring and putting the other 4/5 towards the wedding bands (which we've also begun to shop for).
I'm rather fond of the Moissonite mineral. It's so gorgeous. Moissonite is a mineral that was cultivated off of shards of moissonite found in meteors. We both thought it was pretty cool that this was a space rock. :) So we're looking into some moissonite rings.
It's so hard to decide! :O Wish us luck.
♥ Le petit chat dit "non!"
9:13 PM
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9:13 PM
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Tuesday, April 22, 2008
♥ 3 Outfits
It is Chinese tradition for the bride to have 3 outfits. The first is the wedding gown (typically white). Second outfit is the chinese qi pao (formal chinese dress post Qin dynasty). The third outfit is an evening dress/gown (whatever the bride likes so long as it is suitable for the wedding - that means nothing scandalous). I already have the wedding gown. The qi pao must be custom tailored because I don't fit the standard sizing that they come in. The evening gown is proving to be a difficult task to pick out. I'm leaning towards beaded or sequined. I find it glamorous and the weight of the dress drapes quite nicely. Mom wants something that will stand out. Something that no one else would consider wearing to our wedding. When I find some ideas I'll probably post them up. :)
This coming weekend Mum and I are heading down to LA to look for some evening gowns. It'll be...very...interesting...wish me luck.
This coming weekend Mum and I are heading down to LA to look for some evening gowns. It'll be...very...interesting...wish me luck.
♥ Le petit chat dit "non!"
9:20 PM
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9:20 PM
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Wednesday, April 9, 2008
♥ The Start
Hey there. You've stumbled upon our wedding blog. I'm using this to keep track of the changes that are occurring in our lives. The date has been set for January 10, 2009. Exciting non? :) Hope you guys keep checking this blog cause I'll be updating!
-Jen
-Jen
♥ Le petit chat dit "non!"
2:52 PM
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2:52 PM
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