Before The Big Day

Even when hiccups arose—the venue for the ceremony changed just weeks before the date—The Theme Wedding Design handled it with ease and, despite a tight schedule on the day, nothing was delayed and the couple even had time to enjoy dim sum at the Grand Hyatt’s Chinese restaurant before their church ceremony.

Nothing was overlooked—Emerald was amazed by the lengths her planners went to, not only negotiating with the venue, arranging the invitations, decor and wedding favours, and managing the budget, but also booking appointments for Emerald’s dress fittings and finding a suitable make-up artist for her mother-in-law, as well as seeking out someone who could help preserve Emerald’s bouquet as a memento of her big day.

While planning wasn’t always easy, there were some highlights. One memorable aspect for the couple was choosing the wines for their wedding banquet, carefully tasting selections of reds and whites before settling on a cabernet sauvignon from the Napa Valley and a Puligny-Montrachet for dinner, preceded by Ruinart Blanc de Blancs champagne and followed by a selection of aged whiskies, for which Chung-man has a penchant, including Lagavulin 16 Year Old, The Balvenie 21 Year Old and The Dalmore 18 Year Old.

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Dance lessons were another part of the preparation process for the couple. “Neither of us can dance, but we decided to learn something new together for our wedding,” says Emerald. They opted to avoid the traditional waltz for their first dance and instead enlisted instructors Cyik Leung and Ka Yan Ho of Studiodanz who helped the couple master a 90-second dance routine.

“The choreography was very creative and flexible to cater to our very limited skills and inexperience in dancing,” says Emerald.

The Festivities

The wedding kicked off with door games for the bride and a tea ceremony for the Shek family, followed by another tea ceremony, this time with the Ng family, then lunch at One Harbour Road at the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong before the church ceremony at the Chinese Methodist Church—the same church where Chung-man’s parents married. The day ended with a banquet and dancing at the Grand Hyatt.

Emerald and Chung-man wore the traditional kua and makua respectively for the Chinese tea ceremonies before changing into Western-style wedding attire for the church, with Emerald in an elegant Reem Acra gown for the ceremony. “I was looking for something simple but with subtle details and not too over the top. And I didn’t want something too revealing because I’m not used to dressing that way,” she says.

The Details

The couple were accompanied by eight bridesmaids and what they termed a “bridesman,” the mutual friend who first introduced the two of them, as well as nine groomsmen. From the church the party descended on the Grand Hyatt, which was decked out in fairy lights and greenery with red roses. “I didn’t want it to be overly girly but I wanted it to suit Chinese traditions and be romantic. Thinking back, it was a blend of A Midsummer Night’s Dream and an enchanted forest,” says Emerald.

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As for every bride and groom, the day flew by but the couple felt relaxed and happy throughout, and were especially thrilled that all the dance practice they had put in paid off. “Two hours prior to the banquet we still couldn’t get the dance right,” says Emerald, but it all proved to be alright on the night.

The year from the engagement to the big day was a memorable time for the couple. “We really enjoyed the planning process. Through it we realised we were on the same page for a lot of things,” says Emerald. “It is perhaps one of the most stressful experiences, but rest assured that all the problems and stresses we faced will not persist after the wedding.”

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