My Modern Cambodian Wedding

A modern Cambodian wedding has traditional elements of Cambodian culture including a condensed version of the wedding ceremonies. The reception is Westernized, which means it is generally not held at an Asian restaurant or banquet hall. Often times a Western ceremony is also performed at the reception venue or in a church setting. The Cambodian wedding and reception is celebrated in one day instead of 2-3 days. In a previous post I blogged about why we choose to go the modern route. It was important to us and our families to include only the ceremonies we considered important. Below is our Cambodian wedding program with a time line of our wedding day from start to finish.

Traditional Cambodian Wedding 8:30 Am - 1:00 PM @t Parent's Home
(Location traditionally takes place on the bride's side)

6:00 AM
- Hair & Make Up for Bride & Bridal Party
- Groomsmen get ready too
- Photographers arrive

8:00 AM
- Day of Coordinators arrive

8:15 AM
- Bride & Groom 1st outfit change
- Bridal party 1st and only outfit change









8:30 AM
- Blessings from the Monk or Soat Mun
- Bride & Groom 2nd outfit change. Hair and Make up Touch ups
- Call to Ancestors


- Pairing Ceremony or Knot Tying Ceremony


Blessings along with money and jewelry are given during the The Knot Tying ceremony



Palm flower seeds
We did not have the groom's procession. This is when the groom and his groomsmen parade down the street with friends and family in tow - carrying fruits and gifts wrapped in bright colors to the bride's home. It is definitely a spectacular sight to behold but my hubby and I decided not to have this ceremony as it was more for show than anything else. We also did not want the presentation of dowry, a complex and lengthy ceremony to perform. We skipped the hair cutting ceremony aka the Cleansing ceremony (sometimes this entails washing your future husband's feet!) and the Tea Ceremony, which is a great way for Cambodian Chinese couples to observe their Chinese heritage.


Originally we planned to perform this ceremony but alas time was not on our side so the very expensive fine China tea set I received as a gift from my husband did not get used. I really wanted to honor each of our parents and pay respect to our Chinese roots. So in total we had 3 ceremonies with bits and pieces of cultural love here and there. My husband's cousin married us at the Western ceremony. He also provided music with his flute at our Cambodian ceremony. It was such a special blessing for us because it made our wedding so warm and personal. We never felt so much love.


Dry palms with Bird of Paradise for the ceremony centerpieces

Many of the fruits symbolize fertility. The Cambodian eggplant (round with green and white stripe marks) are called "trop" in Khmer. The word sounds similar to the Khmer word for"Fortune" so it is always part of the dowry presentation.

Tips

- Keep it simple. Save time and money by selecting only to wear 1 or 2 outfits. Stay with one bridal look for your Cambodian ceremony.

- Choose outfits that will not only look good on you but your groom too. I would avoid overtly feminine colours like pink and purple. There are colors that might not work on some complexions - like lime green. Blue, Red, Gold & White are gender neutral. It is best to select the outfits in advance to ensure proper fitting.

-You don't need to hire live musicians for the ceremony. The cost of this service can exceed $1,000. The Cambodian coordinator/stylist or Priest should be able to provide recorded music as part of their services. Each ceremony has its own song so you will only need songs for the ceremony you selected.

- Decor should be bright and bold to represent the richness of Cambodian culture. Silver and Gold are found in many of the decor pieces and traditional clothing worn during the ceremony.

- The flowers should compliment the decor. Look for blooms with a Asian flair like Oriental Lily, Orchids and exotic Bird of Paradise and Plumeria. Roses and Carnations are also ideal because they come in a myriad of colours. Greenery like bear grass, palm leaves, ti leaves or banana leaves (can be found frozen in the Asian grocery store) make nice full fillers too. Dracaena also known as Lucky Bamboo also make beautiful arrangements. Palm Flower seeds will be needed for tossing. My mother-in-law was kind enough to bring it over from California. Some Asian markets will have them available too.

- Prepare yourself for a long day by getting plenty of rest the night before. I know this is easier said than done but you definitely want to wake up feeling refresh and energize. I took 10mg of melatonin the night before the wedding to help ease my nerves so I could fall asleep. Melatonin is naturally found in the body and is safe and non-habit forming.

12:30 PM
- Lunch
- Formal Portraits


1:00 PM - 3:30 PM
- Cinematographer Arrives
- Personal Flowers delivered
- Resting


- Hair & Make Up/Getting Ready for Reception
- Travel
- Vendors Arrive to set up
- Bridal Portraits with Bridal Party


Western Ceremony & Reception 6:00 PM - 11:30 PM @t Easton Beach Rotunda

6:00 PM
- Processional

6:15 PM
- Recessional

6:30 PM
- Cocktail hour

7:20 PM
- Introductions


7:30 PM
- First Dance


- Dinner

8:15 PM
- Dancing
- Cake Cutting


8:45 PM
- More Dancing
- Private Portrait Session: Bride and Groom



- Meet & Greet with guests
(Bride and Groom with their bridal party visits each table to collect gifts and thank guests)

11:00 PM
- Bar Closes

11:30 PM
- Reception Ends

12:00 AM
- DOC drives us to our hotel for the night :-)

Review: Metal Photo Print

We ordered our mental print from Full Metal Photos over a month ago with a Groupon purchase but because of the holiday rush and the overwhelming popularity of the Groupon discount, the production time and delivery period took longer than usual. However, it was well worth the wait.


Pictures on my camera phone doesn't do the actual product any justice but it does show the thinness of the metal photo print

Metal prints are ultra modern and they are water proof, fade proof, and scratch resistant. They make a great archival piece of art without the glass. The product itself is a thin light weight aluminium material with the picture heat infused on the surface. I love that the details are sharp and the colors are vibrant. The resolution is also impressive. Overall quality is very nice. The only drawback is that they are pricey compared to traditional canvas prints. However metal prints are a great investment because they are guaranteed to stand the test of time.


Professional shot of a Metal photo print by EZ Photo Templates

Other popular photo labs that offer metal photo prints with different styles and surfaces are Metal Murals and Image Wizards. Bay Photo also gets good reviews too. They offer a great product line of metal photos including ornaments.

Budget Savvy

I am a strong believer that you can have your dream wedding without breaking the bank. As a self-proclaimed frugalista with a voracious appetite for all things chic and cheap, I wanted to save as much moolah on the big day as possible. Below are a few tips and tricks I used to plan a budget savvy wedding.

1.We booked our venue on a Sunday. But we choose a holiday weekend to take advantage of the Monday off. Booking your wedding on any day other than Saturday is going to save you money. For most brides, a weekend wedding is a must so I suggest a Friday or Sunday night. (Take advantage of Memorial Day or Labor Day). Another big way to save is getting married in the off season. Most venues offer discounts so even a Saturday night wedding in April is going to cost less than one in June. For brides who are very flexible with their date, last minute bookings can equal huge savings.

2. Catering Costs

- For our cocktail hour, we skipped the cubed cheese platter since it is considered the least popular item at a wedding. Most of our guests are Asian so cheese is not a very palette pleasing food. We also choose less expensive but filling appetizers like mini pulled pork sandwiches with corn bread over pricey shrimp cocktails. We did have a fruit and veggie display and food stations so guests self served which saved on labor costs. Our caterer told us that serving comfort foods with a twist is a great way to save money. Think mini grilled cheese bites and garlic smashed potatoes in martini glasses. People eat with their eyes so offering a creative visual presentation makes the food more enticing without raising the cost

- Family style is a marriage of a sit down dinner and a buffet. There are definite pros and cons to this type of dinner service but it worked well for us because traditionally Asian weddings serve up multiple courses. Family style offers guests more than two entree selections. You also don't have to worry about losing money if a guest doesn't show up since you are not paying by the plate. However, some caterers are opposed to self serve meals simply because they don't have the experience to estimate the appropriate portions for a dish. And while family style is more expensive than a buffet - you and your guests won't be waiting in a long line. You also have the option to serve some dishes family style and have a couple of food stations set up that offer up something totally different like say sushi :-)

- An all-inclusive wedding package does not give you the same freedom or flexibility like booking your own vendors. This is especially true when it comes to providing alcohol for your guests. It was important to us that we host an open bar. We saved money by purchasing our own alcohol (tax free) from the state liquor store in NH. We bought a liquor license online along with our venue insurance and hired bar tenders for their professional services with all the bar fixings (ice, sodas, mixers, plastic drink ware, ect.). Our bar tenders were able to get us a deal where any unopened beer would be returned to the store. At the end of the night, we collected all of the left over liquor to stock our personal bar at home :-)

- Mind you, we bought a mix of premium and ultra premium liquor. The really good stuff was reserved for straight shots. We also skipped the champagne toast which saved us some money too. People toasted with whatever they had in their hands at the time. We did offer glasses of Moet & Chandon to our guests and we kept the liquor flowing with a good selection of beers and the basics for mix drinks.

- Cake Cutting Fee
If you decide not to use the in-house baker supplied by the caterer, than you might incur an additional fee to cut and serve the cake which is between $3-$5 in some cases. We had a dessert bar which included cupcakes, parfaits, cheesecake and other scrumptious sweets served up in unique dishes and martini glasses. Our guests really loved the eye candy display, it was a real treat for them and it was less expensive than the traditional wedding cake.

- Gratuities
Not to be confused with service charge. Definitely consider this as part of your final tally for catering cost.

- Taxes
There's no way to avoid it but paying the taxes in one lump sum will help ease out the existing payments. Also ask for different payment options because going the green route (cash) will sometimes get you a discount on your final bill.

3. Rentals
chargers and fine linens can add up. Skip the chargers and buy the linens in bulk online. You can always resell them after the wedding or use them for other occasions. Keep the table setting simple and uncluttered. Buy fancy disposable napkins instead of linen napkins which can cost up to $3 per rental. We used origami napkins with a linen texture that were cheap but elegant and also disposable.

4. Postage - For the DIY bride, make sure your invite is not over sized, bulky or irregular because you will pay dearly for it. Things like envelope liners can be skipped (nobody will notice) and fancy multi-layer invites add extra weight that will increase the postage cost.

5.Overtime - When planning for the big day, factor in the time you need to get ready, travel and the time reserved for pictures among other things because the last thing you want to do is incur extra cost from your venue and vendors because you went into overtime. For photography, 5 hours is really limited so make sure you carefully plan your day of timeline to include everything you want including extra time for any mishaps!

6. The Wedding Dress

via Etsy

Ladies, there are bridal outlets like Vows in Watertown, MA that will deliver you your dream dress for way less than retail. If you are up for Running of the Brides than you might be as lucky as me and score your dress for $250. Also, make sure you get properly measured by a professional seamstress so you know that the bridal consultant isn't ordering a dress size that is way too BIG for you. This way you are not paying for extra alterations to get the dress down to your size. Used or Sample dresses are the best way to save. Most designers will also offer discounts at trunk shows so be on the lookout. And whatever you do, stick to your budget! Bring in pictures of dresses you like and don't be afraid to try on different styles. KEEP AN OPEN MIND. You might be surprised to find that your dream dress is something you never imagine yourself wearing in the first place! The custom route is another option for the bride who has done her research and knows exactly what she wants because she can have a pro recreate her dress for less. Also, you can order a WHITE bridesmaid dress and accessorize it with a nice bling belt and hair accessory - turning it into a simply stunning wedding dress.

7. Do yourself a favor and skip the favors altogether. Unless you can DIY on the cheap, it isn't worth it. Most wedding favors are usually cheesy and tacky and get tossed out. However, edible favors are popular and are relatively inexpensive. If you want to splurge, your guests will appreciate the photo booth more than that expensive paper weight. It is still one thing though that can easily save money if crossed off the list.

8. Flowers

I highly suggest using seasonal blooms to save money and to use less flowers by decorating with ribbons, lanterns, glass bowls using flower heads or candles. Non floral centerpieces are a great alternative. We alternated between floral and non-floral centerpieces. Reusing blooms from your ceremony (or skipping them altogether) will save you money too. For instance my bridal bouquet was the centerpiece for our head table. I cut down the flower bill by having my bridesmaid carry fans instead of bouquets. They also had floral wrist corsages as a floral accent. Non-Traditional bouquets made from brooches and fabric flowers are also a nice alternative plus they last f-o-r-e-v-e-r as a keepsakes!

via Etsy

If you are a flower lover like me, certain blooms like orchids will be costly but having a great florist helps. My florist suggested mini Cymbidium orchids instead of using Phalaenopsis or the full size Cymbidums in my bouquet which brought down the cost. Also, roses...they are available year round and they are lush/full and come in a myraid of colors. Cheaper flowers like carnations make a huge impact as clusters.

The lovelies with their fans and flowers

9. Shrink the guest list. This is the quickest and surest way to save money. We did not have a big fat Cambodian-Chinese wedding. However by most standards, 200 guests is still a lot of people. Each time you subtract a name from your guest list, you significantly lower your overall cost.

10. Lastly, be realistic. If you have grand visions of a gold gilded ballroom venue and chiavari chair rentals at $7 a piece than you need to prioritize! Find the 3 things that matter most to you and your beau because most couples don't have a unlimited budget. So if you decide to splurge on that designer Monique Lhuillier wedding dress or the 6 tier fondant cake than you have to find other areas to cut or save.

- Most brides have some half baked preconceived notions about wedding budgets (myself included). The DIY route doesn't always equate to savings, just more creativity and control over the final product. Most brides don't complete all of their DIY projects because they fail to factor time and money into the equation. Sometimes it is best to hire a professional like say for alterations on the wedding dress (unless you are an expert seamstress with experience). Also, don't expect the parental units not to put their two cents in when they are contributing dollars to the wedding budget. Our parents did not and therefore had little say in our wedding plans although we respectfully listened to their ideas, opinions and advice. Just remember, the person or persons who hold the purse strings have the final say.

11."You get what you pay for"

While I don't believe you have to pay an arm and a leg for great service - it goes without saying that hiring a professional is always a good idea. So do you research! Weddingwire.com, The Wedding Channel and Yelp to name a few have thousands of vendor reviews available online at the click of a button. The Knotties on your local board can also recommend vendors in your budget too. Less experienced vendors will be significantly cheaper but if the deal is too good to be true than you are probably not getting the quality service you deserve.

One fellow bride told me about how she hired a amateur DJ for her wedding - who not only showed up late but he was also very unprepared (he forgot the no play list) so there were several songs played that raised more than a few eyebrows.

- A friend who is a vendor can sometimes be a slippery slope. They are called friendors. If this friendor is hired for his or her expertise in a profession they do for a living than go ahead and hire him or her. However to ensure the friendship is still intact after the wedding please pay them for what they are worth even with the discount. Show your appreciation. Also be upfront with expectations so there aren't any surprises. C-o-m-m-u-n-i-c-a-t-i-o-n is key with every vendor including the ones who are your friends.

I asked for small favors and designated certain tasks to members of my bridal party and family in order to avoid the messy ordeals with friendors. My bridal party completely understood my expectations and my family knew how to handle me - and my sometimes silly demands :-)

Everything else I left in the hands of my Day of Coordinator (another great wedding investment).

- The non-professional-friendor. I am kinda against hiring them. They don't have the experience or insurance to handle a crisis should god-forbid something goes wrong on your wedding day. Don't take this huge risk if you want peace of mind. It is complicated enough to hire your friends but if you are unhappy with their services because the friend didn't decorate your wedding cake to your specifications or the photos your friend took didn't include the detail shots on your photography list than you might lose a friend because of a wedding snafu.

Case and point - Your photographer friend gets sick or something terrible happens to him or her on the day of your wedding. Does this friend have a backup available to shoot your wedding? Probably not. Does this friend have liability insurance to cover costs for any damages that occurred during the wedding? Probably not. Does this friend have backup equipment for the backup? Probably Not. Does this friend have the experience, education, skill, software and lenses/lightening equipment to shoot your wedding come rain or shine? Probably not. If so, he or she would be a professional in their field. Yes, you will be saving money hiring your friend but your visual memories should not be measured in nickels and dimes. They are a treasured keepsake that should be a reflection of the happiest day of your life. So you NEED a professional with a artistic vision to capture all of that!

I had 3 professional photographers plus a family member who is also a pro. We had him marry us so there was no way we could ask him to shoot our wedding too. We also had a friend, who is really talented but because he didn't have the experience, we could not ask him to shoot our wedding. He did deliver us some amazing pictures but when I compared them to our pro photographers' work, there were definite differences in style and the types of lens and post production work. We knew we made the right decision to hire our photographers. They were worth their weight in gold.

Below are a few articles worth reading in regards to hiring a professional photographer. There are differences between consumer photographers, commercial photographers and wedding photographers so it is worth noting that wedding photography is a specialty. The last link is a tool to help you find a wedding photographer. G.L

http://www.vandenheuvelphoto.com/2010/why-hire-a-professional-photographer/

http://www.weddingwindow.com/blog/2010/11/26/why-everyone-should-hire-a-pro/

http://www.bridepop.com/advice/professional-for-wedding-photography/

http://www.wpja.com/

For Sale

The hubby has been on my case for many moons about selling the wedding leftovers. Some items have been gently used and others are brand new. Prices are for local pick up only. Cash & Carry. Thank You~

Custom Tie
- Microfiber silk screen design in White & Gold
- "Oh Honey" Design by Cyberoptix Ties (click for more images)
Condition: Used/Excellent
Price: $13


Wedding Gown: Pronovias Romina

Street Size: 6
Style: Lace Modified Mermaid/fit and flare with chapel length train and French Bustle. Removable one shoulder strap, modified sweet heart neckline (slight curve), Zippered back
Condition: Used/Altered/Very Good
Color: Ivory
Price: $220
- The dress has not been cleaned
- You may try on the dress
- Ideal for petite brides
-Relatively light weight despite the layers, easy to boogie the night away in!
- Contact me for more pictures!


Veil: Ivory Lace Fingertip (40 inches in length and 54 inches in width with 2 inch lace trim)

- The lace is similar to Alençon lace

- Originally retails for $78

- First image is of me wearing it. I kept the veil on all night as it was so lightweight.

- Second image is of the veil on Etsy.com

Condition: Used/Fair – I bought this item used with a slight defect so there is a tiny hole in the veil but it is barely visible.

Price: $10

Veil: Ivory Chapel Length (90 inches in length and 108 inches wide)

- 2 tier circular drop veil

- comes with a metal comb

Condition: Used/Excellent

-I wore this veil for group formals only.

Price: $35.00

Bridal Shoes: Coloriffics Carmen

- Ivory Satin with a cushioned sole

- Size 7

- 2 inch heel

- Originally Retails for $67

Condition: Almost New/Excellent

- I never wore them on the Big Day but I did try to break them in a little but changed my mind last minute when I found bridal sandals which were more appropriate for my beach wedding.

Price:$21

Linens - 120" Round Turquoise/Teal Polyester table cloth

Condition: Brand New

Price:$7

- ideal for 60" table (seats 8-10 guests)

- high quality

Linen - 90 X 156 Fuchsia Satin table cloth

Condition: Brand New

Price: $7

- ideal for rectangular banquet table

- high quality

I also have available used 120” Turquoise/Teal satin round table cloth and 90” Fuchsia satin round table cloth. I will update on the quantities soon. Each are priced at $4 a piece, discount on bulk purchase.

Basket – Medium Rustic white wicker basket with handle used to hold programs

Condition: Used/Excellent

Price: $5

Basket - Small Rustic white wicker (used to hold bathroom essentials)

Condition: Used/Excellent

Price: $3

Mini picture frames - 2 fuchsia frames, 4 turquoise frames

-used as table numbers

- Indian Design

- size is 2"L X 2"W
Condition: New & Used/Excellent
Price: 75 cents each or $4 for all

Golden Buddha Card Holder - 1 piece

- Size is 2" L X 3" H X 1" W

Condition: Used/Excellent

Price: $2

Acrylic Gold beaded rim chargers – set of 6

Condition: Used/Excellent

Price: $7

Battery Operated Flickering Tea lights - Set of 10
- Safe Alternative to real tea lights, longer lasting too.
- Not pictured since they were used inside our paper luminaries.
- They can be commonly found online if you need more than 10 pieces.
Condition: Used/Excellent
Price: $5

Heart Shaped Glass Candy Dish

- size 4 1/2" L X 5 1/2" W, 2 inch depth

- used primary for mints for guests
- Not pictured (stored away in a box for safe keeping)

Condition: Excellent

Price:$1

I Heart Weddings

It's been exactly 153 days since Pepe and I got hitched! However, the wedding day is still very fresh in my mind. I can easily recall the tender loving moments we exchanged at the altar. I cried because I was so overcome with emotion. The sight of my husband to be and our love ones around us simply tugged at my heart strings. It really was the happiest day of my life.

So when people ask me about my wedding. I can't help but go on and on about it. But it isn't just my wedding that I love. I love weddings in general. Weddings are a day of celebration, pure and simple. It's two people coming together, two families coming together and how their lives will become inextricably intertwined. And the best weddings are those that celebrate the couple in love and showcase details that are meaningful to their relationship.

I may not be planning my own wedding anymore but I still have the DVR set to record a host of wedding shows. I still have mod duties on The Knot R.I board. I am also really looking forward to my friend's wedding next week and my nephew and niece's wedding in the fall of 2012. Years from now, Pepe and I would love to have a vow renewal to celebrate our love all over again. It's also a good excuse to throw a fabulous party!

So for those brides-to-be that are a little doubt plagued about taking the leap into matrimonial bliss. It may not be an easy ride but hang in there. The cloud of stress you are feeling while you plan your wedding will be lifted and it will be worth it because your love is worth all of the hard work, time and money you put into making that one special day perfect. Yeah, it is just one day but you know it's significant and you are committing forever....So just remember to enjoy it. :-)

Love,
Moni

Tying the Knot: Budget Breakdown

I was never planning on doing this post. But after getting a few requests, I decided to share the nitty-gritty details of our budget. This post is an ode to my good work- my hours and hours of hunting for the best vendors and feeling like we really did spend our money well.

That said, here is a fairly accurate estimate of all the gory details. I did round up the numbers since I did not include what we gave in tips. This was a Newport wedding for close to 200 guests (178 lovely people showed up)We are incredibly thankful for all of the monetary gifts we received from our friends and family. They were so very generous.

Venue: $2,000
Damage Deposit: $200
Insurance/Host Liquor License: $175 (required by our venue)

Photography: $3,250
Video:$1350

Band: $1500

Catering (Cocktail & Reception):$7060
Catering Rentals:$484.00
Bar Expense: $500 (Bar tending service fee plus all the fixings)
Alcohol: $1100 (we hosted an open bar but bought our own alcohol)
Dessert Bar:$450

Officiant/Monks: $100
Cambodian Ceremony Food & Drinks: $250
Cambodian Wedding Clothes Rental: $200 ( The hubby and I only wore TWO outfits and my bridal party wore 1)

Day of Coordinator: $750

Invitations: $275
Save the Dates: $45

Flowers & Non-Floral Centerpiece:$852
Decor: $229
Linens:$375
Misc. items: $189.00

Wedding Dress & Alterations:$528

Bridal Beauty:$580 (I also paid to have my sister and my MOH and BM have their make up done professionally)

Bridal Accessories: $191 (including two veils, two pairs of shoes and a custom couture hair accessory)

Groom & Groomsmen attire/accessories:$512

Transportation:$206

All in all, not too shabby considering we got what we wanted and our day was beautiful and memorable. We did go over budget by a few grand which means I didn't stick to the budget but in the end, we both felt it was worth every penny. The average cost of a wedding varies from state to state. It is actually very expensive to get married in R.I (MA even higher). The national average is $26,542 so we are under by a bit. If you want to find out more about wedding costs in your area, check out the link below. G.L and happy planning!

Cost of Wedding

Picture Perfect Prints

Photography starts with an artist and a camera but it ends with a beautiful image captured in time. So in this digital age where all our memories are stored away in a electronic device, it is so wonderful to actually hold something as tangible as a photograph. The nostalgia is in the physical prints. They preserve a special piece of the day that a digital image simply can't replicate.

We recently took advantage of a special offer by Kodak Gallery to have 200 premium prints (matte or glossy) printed for pennies. We paid close to $3.00 for all of the pictures plus free shipping. The pictures will be sent along with our Thank You cards to friends and family. I also ordered some professional prints from a couple of online photo labs to compare the difference between the Kodak Metallic Endura and the Fuji Crystal Archive Pearl. The metallic has a nice glossy finish and of course metallic appearance. The paper creates images with exceptional visual depth. In addition to delivering rich, vibrant colors and flattering flesh tones, this paper also offers century-plus image stability. The pearl paper is equally beautiful. It has a more softer subtle opalescent shimmer than the metallic paper - hence the "pearl" in the name. I love how neutral and well balance the black and white photos look with the pearl paper. The pictures have the same high gloss as the metallic but with a milky iridescence. I had a combo of both types of photo paper printed to display pictures in our home. The nearest Home Goods store provided professional matte frames for a inexpensive price (starting at $7.99 for 5 X 7). I also took advantage of a Groupon deal to have a metal photo printed. Yes, metal! The metal is heat infused with an image to a specially coated aluminum surface giving the photo a luminescence sheen. It is definitely a great way of preserving and displaying an image. According to the companies that offer metal photo printing, they are scratch proof and are impervious to water. The metal photos are more expensive than the traditional canvas prints but with the deal, I wanted to see for myself what a metal photo looked like. I recently placed an order so I'll be back to write a review on the final product. Also be on the look out for Groupon and Living Social deals for Print to Canvas products as well as other photo print friendly offers.

As for our wedding album, I decided not to go the professional route because it really isn't in our budget. Pro albums can cost thousands of dollars. Plus we also don't care for the traditional flushmounts. They are definitely beautiful but we like the more modern and simple but sophisticated look of the press books. I'm currently working on the parent album with a pre-made designer template on adobe. It is definitely a lot of work but worth it.

The Details pt. 1

Life is all about the details. Weddings are no exception. As discerning urbanites, we wanted an escape from the mundane. More importantly, we wanted our wedding to be uniquely about us. This was by no means an easy feat to accomplish as what was expected from us was a very traditional Cambodian wedding. And yet somehow everything came together for us. We got what we wanted and so much more. Our theme? Moni & Aaron.

The primary colours for our wedding were Fuchsia and Teal. A vibrant shade of pink made perfect sense for a spring/summer wedding. I also loved how the fuchsia complimented the color teal my husband choose. We both love teal and our home is evidence of that - we painted the accent wall in our living room teal. Our kitchen is also a shade of teal with white trimming. So yeah...we heart teal! We also used a lot of gold in our wedding as a accent colour. Gold is a classic rich colour used in Cambodian weddings.

Concept wise, we wanted to keep things clean, simple, modern but also fun and whimsy. The colors and cultural influence created a marriage of modern meets lush jewel tone seaside soiree.

Teal Satin linens were much more inexpensive to buy than to rent. We also purchased fuchsia linens for the specialty tables (dessert bar, consumption bar, escort table and card table). The colors complimented the centerpiece decor. Our dinner set up was pretty basic and simple - not cluttered since with 7 courses we needed ample space on the table. Chopsticks were also provided by request. The disposable origami napkins were chic and cheap. As a Origamist, it added the perfect touch to our table setting.


I've always considered flowers to be an important aspect of a wedding. They bring color, texture, warmth and aroma to the ceremony and reception. Our venue is a blank white canvas so we used bright bold colours to paint life into them. The roses came in every shade of the rainbow which made it an easy choice for flowers. They are also available year round and are relatively inexpensive so I highly recommend brides to use them. Peonies are one of my favorite blooms and lucky for me they were also in season. Their lush fullness and vibrant pink hues are so dreamy. The billy balls aka Craspedia flowers and bear grass added texture and a whimsical look to the centerpiece.

- Special thanks to Sherry from Wholefoods University in Providence for turning my vision into a seamless reality.


We alternated the floral centerpieces with fuchsia Lotus candle holders made from capiz shells. They were small but had a big impact. Lotus flowers are significant symbols in Asian cultures especially in Buddhism. They represent elegance, beauty, purity and grace. Many of our guests loved them. We used soy candles because of their longevity - as oppose to using paraffin wax candles. It was also an eco-friendly choice too. The non-floral centerpieces helped cut down on the cost. They also last longer than fresh flowers so guests took them home as a keepsake favor.


We eschewed from the traditional choices for cake toppers. I didn't want a generic porcelain figurine, flowers or a monogram letter. Luckily Etsy provided a host of personalized options. We choose the custom clay couple from Etsy artist, Mudcards. she created cute cartoon figures of us. My husband wore his favorite sports team jersey under his suit while holding his xbox controller. I wanted to make sure to his other favorite hobby, tennis was also represented. I decided to have my figurine wear a traditional Cambodian outfit since I had no intentions of changing from my white wedding dress into one. My way of paying homage to our roots.


We had another Etsy artist create us a fabric scroll for us to use as a sign in guest book. We have a space spoken for it on one of the walls in our living room. It has the signature of all of our loves one on it. The Apsara monogram from our wedding invitation suite was also used in our paper luminaries and reserved cards. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of our luminaries from the wedding. We used mini picture frames I found at Target for $1 a piece as table numbers for our reserved tables.


Since we had no assigned seating for our guests, I had place cards made only for us and the bridal party. I had an Etsy artist laser cut their names in gold cardstock (our accent color). Our names doubled as decor at our reception which made for some nice pictures. I still have our place cards in the living room.



As I mentioned before, we had no assigned seating arrangement but we did reserve tables for some of our guests - mostly for the out of towners and our friends who are more accustomed to the Western style seating arrangements. I made a manzanita tree with the names and table numbers but one of the hiccups was we lost the bag containing the origami cranes with the names of our guests and the hanging crystals. Luckily, my day of coordinators quickly crafted paper punches with names of the guests and their table numbers. If time was on our side, I would have requested fresh blooms to decorate some of the branches.

The personalizations continued with the luminaries. I had a Etsy wedding and my penchant for paper things and hand crafted goods made up much of our decor. The Apsara luminaries (not pictured) and the custom name luminaries were placed in one of the many glass windows overlooking the beach. We used led lights for safety reasons to light them up. Our coordinators set up the name luminaries right behind the bar. It was the perfect place to greet our guests. We were careful not to go overboard.