Re: ***~OFFICIAL Chinese Brides Thread!~*** updated w/ centerpiece ideas

Yes, I am meeting with Charles.

Did you decide which bakery you are going to get your cake from?

I don't want an "asian" cake. I do think asian bakeries tend to be not as sweet and taste better. however, i'm somewhat skeptical of the degree of details they can put on the cake.

how do you think asian bakeries compare to their western counterparts?

Re: ***~OFFICIAL Chinese Brides Thread!~*** updated w/ centerpiece ideas

Who's OUO?? It flew over my head!!!

Re: ***~OFFICIAL Chinese Brides Thread!~*** updated w/ centerpiece ideas

http://www.ouoentertainment.com/

They have a lot of different options.

Have you met with sangalong, dynasty, chinese mc, or any other asian dj companies???

My reception will be completely American. I don't want anything "fobby".

Have any recommendations for a nice Asian-American reception?

Message edited 9/29/2006 4:29:31 PM.

Re: ***~OFFICIAL Chinese Brides Thread!~*** updated w/ centerpiece ideas

I'm actually having a non-asian DJ and MC. I'm using In the Mix. I met with Donny from there and he was very helpful. He's not Chinese but he's done so many Chinese Weddings in East Manor so he knows the basic games. The price is not bad either for them.
The only Asian American Reception I know are:
Gala Manor
Sheraton
East Manor in Elmhurst

I hope that helps!

Re: ***~OFFICIAL Chinese Brides Thread!~*** updated w/ centerpiece ideas

Oh we already booked our reception hall.

I know typical American brides will have their parents and the parents' friends dancing the night away. Our Asian parents will get bored rather quickly if we don't have an entertaining MC. That is why I am looking into Asian dj companies.

Ahhhhhhhh it's so difficult to cater to everyone.

Re: ***~OFFICIAL Chinese Brides Thread!~*** updated w/ centerpiece ideas

hmmm... i'm not korean so i don't know how k-parents are but c-parents can be ultra demanding. just be strong, it's your wedding after all! my parents want to have more of an american style wedding but i'm actually the one that wants to keep it close to the chinese tradition. since i'm the one getting married w/ fh, people have got to learn to respect that~ everyone else will enjoy your wedding b/c they're there to see you guys happy after all!!!

Re: ***~OFFICIAL Chinese Brides Thread!~*** updated w/ centerpiece ideas

Very well said.
When I first starting planning this wedding. I FREAKED OUT!!! I lost 8 lbs in 2 weeks....of course, not on purpose. Geez...if I can lose 8 lbs in 2 weeks again!! I was trying to accomodate my parents' needs, my friends' need, my co-workers' needs and GRANDPARENTS' needs. It was too hard! I said to myself, I always wanted a western style wedding, I'm planning it!!! I try my best to accomodate all of the groups. For example, I'm having my reception at Leonard's of Great Neck and they are very good with International cusine. I added the sea food bar with lobster tails, lobster claws, shrims, etc (you get the picture!!), sushi bar, whole roast piglet and pecking duck! This is really to accomodate my asian category of people. Of course, there will be plenty of Italian Cusine to accomodate the western category of guests.
During the dinner, I'm thinking about doing something alittle bit different. I might do the European sit down dinner style - meaning, having the appetizer until the end of dinner entree with no interruption with dancing on the dance floor. At this time, Donny (my full Chinese wedding experienced MC) will be playing some games with the bride and the groom. We'll wind down the games a little bit before the end of dinner and start pumping music.
I'm still debating about this. I know some older generation of Chinese people (like grandparents) don't really like the continuous loud music going!!! We'll save the best part for last.

I guess try not to be so hard on yourself. Do what makes you happy!! After all, it is YOUR WEDDING!!!

Reception Sites that do traditional Chinese banquet weddings

Alright, I found *THE BEST* Chinese restaurant guide at h2cards.com....


Chinese Restaurant Guide

Message edited 10/8/2006 4:50:29 PM.

Re: ***~OFFICIAL Chinese Brides Thread!~*** updated w/ centerpiece ideas

Posted by oOMarshmallowOo


Very well said.
When I first starting planning this wedding. I FREAKED OUT!!! I lost 8 lbs in 2 weeks....of course, not on purpose. Geez...if I can lose 8 lbs in 2 weeks again!!

ok, i'm not the only one!!!! i also lost 8 lbs planning the wedding this summer!!!! my parents are trying to feed me every chance they get (when i come home from school). it ain't happening!!!!!! going to try and keep those 8 lbs off!!! altho the prospects are slim with sitting around so much ehehehe... jenny craig anyone? in 5 months

The Knot's Chinese Wedding Planning Page

so i found this today and it's got TONS of inaccurate information on it... but hey, i guess you've gotta give them an A for effort, comprehensiveness and presentation

I really do wish though *someone* there would actually get the traditions right~ sigh... at least do "some" research on it!


The Knot's Chinese Wedding Planning

Re: ***~OFFICIAL Chinese Brides Thread!~*** updated w/ centerpiece ideas

Posted by kewlpuff

so i found this today and it's got TONS of inaccurate information on it... but hey, i guess you've gotta give them an A for effort, comprehensiveness and presentation

I really do wish though *someone* there would actually get the traditions right~ sigh... at least do "some" research on it!


The Knot's Chinese Wedding Planning

I personally don't find the website itself to be helpful. I do like reading the real wedding bios though. Sometimes I can catch some ideas from it.

Re: ***~OFFICIAL Chinese Brides Thread!~*** updated w/ centerpiece ideas

i agree, the real weddings had some pretty pictures but it just totally irks me on how they pay tribute to some of the tradition like "i think the tea ceremony means...."

and they included a korean wedding as a chinese wedding because the groom was chinese but it had no chinese traditions in the wedding!!!

Re: ***~OFFICIAL Chinese Brides Thread!~*** updated w/ centerpiece ideas

Posted by oOMarshmallowOo

Posted by kewlpuff

so i found this today and it's got TONS of inaccurate information on it... but hey, i guess you've gotta give them an A for effort, comprehensiveness and presentation

I really do wish though *someone* there would actually get the traditions right~ sigh... at least do "some" research on it!


The Knot's Chinese Wedding Planning

I personally don't find the website itself to be helpful. I do like reading the real wedding bios though. Sometimes I can catch some ideas from it.

Those sites are for twinkie people like me who are completely clueless about Asian traditions.

I actually found that guide to be quite helpful. Thanks for clearing it up that is not accurate.

Re: ***~OFFICIAL Chinese Brides Thread!~*** updated w/ centerpiece ideas

Do you know of any chinese gardens in nassau or suffolk for pictures?

Re: ***~OFFICIAL Chinese Brides Thread!~*** updated w/ centerpiece ideas

I know in Stony Brook University there's a Wang Center. (I know this because I went to school there). There's a Chinese garden within the Center that's actually kind of pretty. Go check it out to see if it's to your taste!

I also know that Kewlpuff went the Staten Island Botanical Garden and there was a gorgeous Chinese Garden there!! You should ask her about it!

Re: ***~OFFICIAL Chinese Brides Thread!~*** updated w/ centerpiece ideas

brooklyn botanical gardens has a japanese garden that's really pretty.

Re: ***~OFFICIAL Chinese Brides Thread!~*** updated w/ centerpiece ideas

I just found this thread and although I have been married for over a year now, this is a great thread! Both my DH and I are Chinese and we incorporated some Chinese traditions into our wedding, such as the tea ceremony. We also changed into Chinese clothes for part of the reception, and our wedding colors were traditional red and gold. We had a Chinese banquet dinner for our rehearsal dinner, and we had lucky bamboos as our centerpieces. Here are some pictures.

Message edited 10/2/2006 5:13:56 PM.

CHINESE BACKDROP FOR PHOTOS

i've got pics in my photo album if you want to see the different gardens!

edit: personal preference is to goto the chinese scholars garden for a more authentic experience. you can read about the gardens at www.sibg.org. good for all year round photography.

if you're taking pics next may, then the BBG has awesome cherry blossoms during cherry blossom season.

Message edited 10/3/2006 2:26:47 PM.

Re: ***~OFFICIAL Chinese Brides Thread!~*** updated w/ centerpiece ideas

such pretty pictures!!!!! thank you for posting!!!! i really like the bamboo and the teacups~

Re: ***~OFFICIAL Chinese Brides Thread!~*** updated w/ centerpiece ideas

awww... don't feel that you're clueless! people gotta start somewhere~ actually, many aspects of korean/japanese/vietnamese etc culture is based off of ancient chinese traditions.

the chinese language itself was used first by koreans as a written language until korea created their own language at a later point in time. this was the same for japan as well. altho the chinese kanji characters are probably used more frequently in nihongo now as opposed to korean.

the korean and japanese language also both retain a lot of classical chinese pronounciations which have been lost in china after the implement of mandarin chinese by the "mandarin" court. for instance, the word "tang" for hot water in japanese is pronounced and means "hot water" as it did in classical chinese. modern chinese though references "tang" as either just "hot" or soup. although maybe the more literate/poetic can still use it for its classical meaning.

the current korean national dress for women, the hanbok ,also is based on tang/ming dynasty style hanfu with the high empire waist. the japanese kimono as well with the use of the Y collar, but in another direction.

culture has to cross-polinate in order to flourish so referencing one another's culture is not shameful. but getting the tradition right in the beginning will mean for better preservation for future generations to come. it's a shame that alot of this knowledge has been lost in our time. and if it's not lost, it's just over-commercialized into something that's not true to substance.

Re: ***~OFFICIAL Chinese Brides Thread!~*** updated w/ centerpiece ideas

Can you recommend some decent chinese banquet style restaurants in queens for my rehearsal dinner???

I am going to have a full western wedding with no asian traditions so I'm going to try to have a chinese style rehearsal dinner.

How far in advance do I need to book?

Re: ***~OFFICIAL Chinese Brides Thread!~*** updated w/ centerpiece ideas

reference 9/29/06 posting for some chinese restaurants. i'll update that list later :P

personally, i wouldn't do a chinese banquet for rehearsal dinner, at least not a full one, unless you want to pay $1000 per table!!!

you could maybe go to east buffet (there's one in elmhurst and 2 in flushing) or even minado (thirty something street and there's one near Roosevelt Field) and get more food for your money.

if you're not tired of eating too much korean food at home, Seoul Garden in K Town I think has pretty good stuff. maybe you've been there before. they are on the second floor though of a narrow building so it might be a pain to get to. once you get in though, it's pretty big there are also a ton of very nice korean restaurants on Northern Blvd but i gotta admit i don't remember the names

edit: doh, computer sent post before i finished! u don't need to book far in advance for a chinese banquet. i don't recommend them because the food is not good. there is no chinese restaurant in NY that I've been to that can prepare a decent banquet w/o over-charging you an arm and a leg. there is a higher chance of you getting charged an arm and a leg for food also that won't taste good~ i feel like uv gotta practically bribe the chinese restaurant in order for them to cook you a proper chinese meal sometimes.

Message edited 10/3/2006 2:48:26 PM.

Re: ***~OFFICIAL Chinese Brides Thread!~*** updated w/ centerpiece ideas

I agree with kewlpuff. There are decent Chinese retaurants in Queens or Flushing, but they are not cheap. If you want above average food, you will be looking at about at least $600/table. This is not including drinks. The food is pretty decent as the price gets higher. The nice ones I know are East Manor on Kissena Blvd., Kung Fun near the large municipal parking, Gala Manor (they actually have VIP room to separate you from the common dinners), and East Buffet on Main Street. I know that East Manor's food is actually pretty good. I'm not too fund of Kung Fun.
I hope this helps!!
Did you decide on which photographer you are using?

Re: ***~OFFICIAL Chinese Brides Thread!~*** updated w/ centerpiece ideas

Hey Ladies,

I'm Latina and my FH is Chinese. We also wanted to have a Chinese banquet for the rehearsal dinner. We held ours at East Manor in Elmhurst. The food was great. Everyone loved it, and there is a parking lot.

HTH

Re: ***~OFFICIAL Chinese Brides Thread!~*** updated w/ centerpiece ideas

i agree with you about the chinese banquets kewlpuff.

I heard it's hard to find a good chinese restaurant that will provide good food and great service at the same time.

Most of the chinese banquet weddings I've been to in Chinatown or Flushing are decently priced at 50-60 per head, but service is really nonexistent!

They pretty much just screen you off from other restaurant guests so you really dont get much privacy and the wait staff aren't experienced. You can also hear the music from the other weddings if they hold two weddings at a time.

They also tend to do things like take away your food if you're on the dance floor or plopping the food down in front of your face so they can move on to the next course. Then they rush rush you outta there 'cus they wanna get outta there at 11pm! :P

That's why I didnt even think about having a chinese banquets even though I do love the food.

I heard there's a hotel in Flushing that actually will do chinese weddings and give you a good level of service 'cus the staff is not american but they allow chinese food to be catered. If you want I can help you find out. I think the hotel starts with H. Hilton perhaps?

I know the Hilton out in Long Island did this for my Indian friend. She had indian food and it was fantastic, service was also great!

Message edited 10/3/2006 7:56:01 PM.