FAQ Answers
Last updated on : Sunday, August 24, 2008

What florist did we use?
Answer: We had 3 floral vendors:
1 - The ceremony place provided a vendor as part of the packaging for the ceremony location.

2 - We had ThePetalDesigner create the floral arrangement for my bridal party. Since my wedding was around Valentine's Day I had to shop around for a vendor that could provide me with roses at a good price. And Terri made sure we had LOTS and LOTS of beautiful BIG roses!

3 - The reception was in Chinatown so we had to hire a LA Vendor that knew the location. Creative Floral Designs was terrific! We LOVED the way he used chinese orchids as garlands and bows. We also liked the fact that he could create balloons archways and decorations.

Who designed your wedding cake?
Answer: We went with Maria's Bakery on 1820 Marengo Street, LA, CA 90033. (323) 224-0488. We didn't want sugar flowers or real flowers. We wanted well-designed cream flowers, thus we were recommended to visit Maria's Bakery. They had the BEST looking detailed cream flowers we'd ever seen! The prices were great and the cake looked better than we could ever have dreamed! Of course it tasted delicious too!

What videographer did we use?
Answer: We used Robles Videos and we highly recommend them. They are a small family-owned business that pays great attention to details. They also provide superb customer service in the office and on-site. Raul even helped us set up the "beverages" table because he saw that we were short-handed.

What photographer did we use?
Answer: We used Celebration Photography because of their great pricing. The photographs were great, however they limited us to 300 photographs. The fine print said we would get a minimum of 300 and so we were given 305. All the other beautiful pictures were not even shown to us. When I asked to see the other pictures, they denied that they existed. So we have very few pictures of our wedding guests. The photographer probably shot over 1000 pictures throughout an 8 hour day and we barely got 1/3 of those.

Who's the officiant?
Answer: We selected Bruce because we wanted a non-denominational ceremony. Bruce is great at working with us at creating a ceremony that WE liked. Talk about customization! We really enjoyed having Bruce as our officiant. We had a slight technical difficulty with our the lighting of the candles and "high wind" but Bruce kept the ceremony going as if that was part of the ceremony.

Where did you get your chinese wedding invitations?
Answer: We went through a wedding coordinator that specialized in asian wedding invitations. She ordered the invites directly from Hong Kong. We're not sure if she's still doing that. (714) 757-1188. If you're looking for a printing shop located in Los Angeles, Quality Printing & Graphics Corp, 8 West Main Street, Alhambra, CA 91801, (626) 570-8075. There are many printing shops around that area and Chinatown too.

Did you use a limosine service?
Answer: Yes we did and we used Optimum Limousines. Gus was terrific. He kept us on schedule to all our detinations. The limo was nicely decorated and the drinks were well-stocked. He even gave us weather reports of our destinations to ease our stress on possible scattered showers!

Where did you get your wedding gown?
Answer: The wedding gown was purchased through Ferndales Bridal Salon. Originally I was treated very well. However when my bridal gown assistant got laid off, I was no longer treated like a valued customer. First they lost all my original selections I had made (such as veil and matching jewelry). When I went to pick up the matching underskirt for my gown, it was the wrong one. However when I called to confirm the underskirt, they said the skirt should fit. When I took it home to try it on, it was too long, had too many ruffles, and it had no zipper. I took it back and they suggested that they could tailor it to fit for an additional $100, however the skirt itself was only $80. That's when I asked for an exchange for something my size. Then they told me that they can't exchange if I had already opened it. So we argued until the lady finally gave in and gave me a new bag for my size.

So if you're looking for petite wedding dresses without worrying about severe alterations, go visit the wedding studios at Las Tunas Drive in Los Angeles. For example, GP Studios offers a WIDE variety of pre-made asian wedding dresses imported from asia made to flatter the petite size. I'm only 5'3" and I need styles that make me look tall and thin, NOT short and fat. In addition, if slight alterations need to be made, they usually charge $20 or so, or they might even do it for free. Generally alternations can be completed that same day or a couple of weeks. Unlike Ferndales Bridal that was charging me $300+ for alterations and I had to wait 4 months. But thank goodness by then I had already discovered GP Studios and I had all my wedding gown alternations completed there.

Where did you rent the tuxedos?
Answer: We went through Friar Tux Shop. Our wedding party was scattered throughout Orange and Los Angeles County. So Friar Tux was very accommodating when it came to pick ups and drop offs of the tux rentals. Also they allowed us to try on all the tuxes before choosing the official ones. I also enjoyed using their website to update changes of our selections. The quality of the tux and shoes were nice too.

Any recommendations for a first dance lessons?
Answer: We took lessons at Avant Garde Ballroom. The owner is very nice, just watch out for his pet bird, he likes to peck at receipts. The dance teachers are very professional and EXCELLENT at what they do. We especially enjoyed how our dance teacher customized a well-choregraphed dance based on our ability level. Just a tip: Make sure the hem-line of dress/gown is at least 2 inches above the ground so that the heels don't step into it. ~_^

What color are the bridesmaid dresses?
Answer: A shade between pink and rose. Very similar to this color. The dresses are a custom-designed by me (the bride) @ La Mode Bridal. I got to pick the fabric, the style, everything about the bridesmaid dresses. I received many compliments on their unique designs. Dorie is simply a genius at interpretting my detailed and specific preferences on the dresses. Yet she knows when to tell me when an idea isn't so good for the bridesmaids dresses. On the fitting day, Dorie spent a long time to make sure the dresses were altered specifically to fit each of my bridesmaids perfectly.

Who are the bridesmaids?
Answer: You'll just have to wait and see. But we've got 2 of them.

Who are the groomsmen?
Answer: You'll have to wait and see too. But we've got 2 of them too.

What am I going to do with all that time between ceremony
and receptioin?
Answer: Go window-shopping around Chinatown! Park your car at the Empress Pavilion and simply explore the area! According to the Los Angeles Chinatown schedule, the Dragon Festival is also on February 12, 2005. So be prepared for traffic and a lot of interesting events.

When is Chinese New Year for 2005?
Answer: The year of the Rooster starts only a few days before the wedding, on Wednesday February 09, 2005. (Find other chinese holidays.)

Chinatown is crazy around Chinese New Year!
So why did you pick such a busy day?
Answer: Why? To join the fun!!! But seriously, we wanted a wedding early in the year, but not January (William's Birthday Month) and March (Sunyee's Birthday Month) is getting a little late. So we were left with February.

Here are the details: according to the Chinese Fortune Calendar, February 12, 2005 is a very auspicious day. I also cross-referenced that with the Chinese Farmer's Calendar and February 12th is still a really lucky day. The times for the ceremony and reception are also very auspicious. Not to mention that according to the regular American calendar, it is two days before Valentine's Day. Of course, in 2005 it also happened to be Lincoln's Birthday (a national holiday for some). The following Monday (Feburary 21st) is President's Day (a national holiday for most). So "when it rains it pours" with holidays.

What are the courses at the reception?
1) Empress Pavilion Cold Seafood and Meat Platter
2) Sauteed Prawns with Honey Glazed Walnuts
3) Panfried Scallops
4) Shark's Fin Soup with Shredded Crab and Bamboo
5) Sliced Abalone with Garden Vegetables
6) Empress Pavilion Special Crispy Chicken
7) Maine Lobster with Ginger and Green Onions
8) Steamed Fresh Fish
9) Empress Pavilion Seafood Rice
10) Red Bean Puree with Lotus Seeds (dessert)

Where did you take your studio pictures?
Answer: GP Studio on Las Tunas.

Where are you registered?
Answer: We weren't going to register, but we could always use a toaster and blender. So we registered at Robinsons May and Target.

What are your last initials?
Answer: Sunyee's last initial is "W". William's last initial is "C". And yes, William did change the spelling of his last name.

How did William pop the question?
Answer: Yes we get this question a lot. Our official answer is, it's a REALLY long story (or actually stories). It's very complicated. Why so complicated? Well it's all due to William's huge lack of planning.

But to save himself from humiliation, he did it all over again and with BIG planning this time. It was Valentine's Day 2004 and he made me put together this puzzle. Yes a jigsaw puzzle in 2004! The puzzle had special shapes symbolic to our seven-year relationship.

Within half an hour, Sunyee noticed the middle heart-shaped piece of the puzzle was missing. That's when William took out the missing piece and placed it in the center of the puzzle. The heart-shaped piece read, "Will you marry me." Then he took out the original box the engagement ring came in and surprise! It was the engagement (the one that Sunyee's been wearing for past many months). He took it out and placed it on Sunyee's finger. Ergo, that's how William finally popped the question.

This last-ditch effort puzzle by William will be on display at both the ceremony and reception sign-in table.

Who picked the engagement ring?
Answer: Sunyee did. It was a custom remake from a Krementz design to fit Sunyee's small ring finger and the big oval diamond.