Michelle Li & Hans Ni
After a ceremony in Shanghai, this couple had a gorgeous reception in Toronto.
On the day of the wedding, as guests arrived, they were greeted with cookies dressed in the traditional qipao and cheongsam sitting atop traditional Chinese furniture. They then made their way to the scroll “guestbook” where guests wrote well wishes to the newlywed couple in calligraphy.
When guests entered the dining room, you could hear the “oohs” and “ahhs” as they stopped to take pictures of this beautifully transformed room. Using the cherry blossom wall as the backdrop, the head table was embraced by breathtaking floral arrangements that mimicked cherry blossom branches with peonies, a traditional floral symbol in the Chinese culture, peeking out. Paddle fans with delicate Chinese art added a different dimension to the floral arrangements. The gold accented place settings and crystal candle holders helped to infuse some western elements into the picture.
The guest tables were dressed similar to the head table with a mix of high and low centrepieces that matched the colours and flowers of those surrounding the couple. Unlike the head table though, the guest centrepieces were accented with bamboo fans instead of the paddle fans. Mahogany chiavari chairs imitated the dark wood that is so often found in traditional Chinese style furniture.
Sitting next to the head table was the couple’s custom designed cake inspired by the bride’s qipao. The cherry blossom was once again the centre of attention on this sweet treat which used blush and light blue colour tones.
Michelle’s favourite part of the day? “Too many to just pick one,” she says. “Seeing the wedding cake and the decor for the first time were very big wow moments, but I would have to pick us taking photos at the historic No. 10 Fire Station in Yorkville. A firefighter invited us to take our wedding photos in the station. My husband and I really had a blast sitting in the fire truck!”
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