Chinese New Year, or the Lunar New Year, is celebrated every year and lasts for 15 days until the Spring or Lantern Festival. Approximately 1/6 of the world's population will celebrate the occasion in 2018, the year of the Dog. Creative Director Wendy Lee of Asian Fusion Weddings decided to incorporate Chow Chows, a dog breed originating from northern China into the shoot, complete with adorable bowties. The beautiful shoot was gorgeously captured by Pepper and Light Photography.
Fusing Eastern and Western design elements, the shoot features modern pieces and traditional elements to create a fresh design showcasing a contemporary interpretation of the Lunar New Year. The 2017 Pantone color of the year, Greenery, served as a grand source of inspiration, as Jade also is valued as a prized stone in the Chinese culture. Hints of gold to parallel the symbol of wealth and prosperity during the holiday added a sparkly shimmer to the shoot, perfectly on trend with today's wedding trend of mixing patterns and sheens.
The breathtaking tablescape showcased textured black chargers to mimic flagstone, bonsai trees to bring the outdoors in, and incredible octagon-shaped laser cut menus graced each place setting. Custom-made green chopstick holders and golden lanterns added fun details to the shoot. The dessert table housed decadent sweets unlike any other, while hand painted chinoiserie scenes of bonsai trees and a gazebo along with gold ornaments to mimic door locks from ancient palaces and a fabulous fortune cookie tower provided a modern take on traditional desserts.
From Wendy Lee of Asian Fusion Weddings:
As a wedding planner, you participate in styled shoots on various themes. So why one about the Lunar New Year?
Chinese New Year is always celebrated with friends and family at home, and eating together is always part of the 15 day celebrations. Although food is a very important element at these get-togethers, often times the visual and aesthetic experience for our guests may be overlooked. These decorative ideas are really simple to execute, but they really do enhance the dining table tremendously.
What was the inspiration for this styled shoot?
Thinking about all those Lunar New Year family dinners over the years, personally, I was ultimately inspired by two specific things. First, Pantone's colour of year for 2017; greenery. This was the reason green was selected in the colour palette. I believe our team was successful in demonstrating a modern interpretation of Asian decor and styling when you look at the video and pictures.
What is the one key piece of advice that you can offer to couples looking to design their own event?
My continuous inspiration is derived from my clients' cultural backgrounds, their individual tastes and impeccable styles. Hence the company name "Asian Fusion Weddings". However, there are also clients that want a very visually detailed rich celebration where the cultural aspects are not the main focus. Hence "Formosa Events". Formosus in Latin means beautifully formed. Therefore, when couples consult with this company, they desire more visual eye candy at their events.
In either case, it brings me great joy to be able to infuse their wishes into one creatively detailed and cohesive design; whether it be a gathering at home, an intimate affair and/or an extravagant wedding. The key for designing any celebrations is to maintain the colour scheme, use a variety of textures and remember what the purpose of the event is all about.
