Cultural Conflict: RSVPs & Open Seating

One of the most tormenting task for me has been creating a seating chart for our wedding. The other is getting guests to RSVP. Both are relatively foreign notions to most of our Cambodian guests. So I have resigned myself to the fact that most of our elderly guests will not RSVP. I can accept this as RSVP is not the norm. However, I can't figure out why my friends - mostly my age have not RSVP yet. I had to send messages, texts and make a few phone calls. It is a bit annoying as the deadline date gets closer. I don't want to assume no response is a no show.

As for my plans for open seating - it makes me a bit nervous. I find this type of seating arrangement to be unorganized and somewhat chaotic. However this is the norm at Cambodian weddings. On the other hand, it is often helpful to design a seating chart that assigns tables but allows individual guests to decide. This works well with guests who know each other and are assign to the same table where they can intermingle freely. We have decided to mark a few tables "Reserve" for these guests and the rest is free style - open seating. Wedding Seating Etiquette differs from culture to culture but being able to find a compromise that is both practical and respectful is always important.

Engagement session in Cambodia

Beautiful, Breath taking, Brilliant! Those are the words that sum up this amazing engagement session on Savady Photography . The couple looks blissfully in love while the the backdrop shots of the majestic temples of Angkor make it even more Ah-mazing! To see more stunning photos please click above!

Hair comes the bride!

A Cambodian bride will have more than a dozen wardrobe changes on her wedding day or days if she chooses to go all out. She will have her hair styled and make up applied just as many times. As a no fuss bride, I prefer practicality over tradition. I plan on wearing two traditional wedding outfits for the morning ceremony and than don my white gown for the evening reception. This means I will have two looks for the wedding. My make up for the Cambodian wedding will be on the dramatic side. I will go more natural for the Western reception. As for hair styles, I love the half up and half down dos with soft romantic curls. A dramatic updo is also timeless and classic too. My hair trial isn't until May 5th so I have a little more time to narrow it down.

Light it up

My monogram luminaries came in the other day! I assembled two so I could bring them to the venue on Monday when we meet with our DOC. The luminaries look really chic. They are also fairly budget friendly. Originally, I wanted uplights but I couldn't justify spending the money with so much daylight hour (sunset is around 8ish).

The luminaries will be used to decorate the windows inside the Rotunda ballroom. I am using battery operated flickering led lights for safety reasons. 6 luminaires, 3 lows and 3 highs for each window unit. There are 9 window units total so that's about 54 luminaries! We have a few more that will be used to decorate our guest book table. Thanks to The Papery Nook for making my custom luminaries!

The Menu: East Meets West

Cocktail Hour

- Shepherd's Pie (My favorite!)

- BBQ Pulled Pork with Corn Bread (Pepe's favorite)

- Scallops wrapped in Bacon

- Boneless Buffalo Chicken wings with celery and bleu cheese dip

- Crispy Veggie platter with tangy parmesian and peppercorn dip

- Fresh Fruit platter with low fat yogurt dip

Dinner - Family Style

1. Marinated Beef Sticks

2. House Fried Rice (pork, chicken, shrimp, eggs) w/ carrots

and peas

3. Lemongrass Chicken Wings

4. Vietnamese Sweet & Sour Soup with Shrimp

5. Steamed Whole Fish with ginger and scallion

6. Fried soft shell crabs

7. Seafood Delight with Bird's Nest

- also served with white rice

Tip-C Cupcakes, North Providence, R.I

The Dessert Bar

- Creme brulee

- Tiramisu Espresso Rum

- French style Cheesecakes with assorted toppings

- Fruit & Yogurt Parfaits

- mini tarts (coconut, bananas, and pineapple)

- Stuffed Coconut pancakes with nutella

- Alcoholic cupcakes in assorted flavors

Off the Cuff

Tuxedos have always been the standard for men's formal wear but for our seaside soiree, we wanted something a little less formal but still refined and sharp. So the gents will arrive in stylish suits by Alfani Red in solid navy. The slim fit is not only flattering but modern too. They will also don fitted white Kenneth Cole Reaction dress shirts. I am particularly fond of the mercer tonal stripe detail. The tailored look will be completed with a custom designed microfiber tie in white with gold for the groom and fuchsia with gold for the groomsmen. Phalaenopsis orchids with bear grass for the groom to compliment my bouquet and lush fuchsia roses with bear grass for the groomsmen.

While the suit purchases was a bit of a splurge, we felt it was still a great investment in the long run because the guys will definitely put some mileage on them. Macy's had some special sales that saved us some moolah so the total cost was $442 (not including the shirts & custom ties). We did put it on plastic but it saved us an additional 15% so it was worth it.