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As you might remember from my last post, our floral design for the personal bouquets and the reception decor consisted of lush, romantic, fresh-from-the-garden-like arrangements of big blooms. But I also wanted to bring in some Eastern elements as a nod to my Chinese heritage and save some cash by cutting down the number of fresh flowers needed, because, let’s face it, saving money is the ultimate nod to my Chinese heritage.
Brilliant! A bamboo bird cage enclosing a few blooms. I’m planning on sourcing a few of these from China when I’m there later this month, but one could just as easily get them from Pearl River Mart or from Chinatown on the relatively cheap.
And here’s another vignette from Michelle Rago:
She did this with what looks to be fancy gourd-shaped vases, but I’m thinking a few loose blooms in bamboo steamers would look just as chic. Pearl River has these steamers for less than $5, and I’m willing to bet that local Chinese restaurant supply stores or Chinese grocery stores would have them for even cheaper.
I’m going to keep these Asian decorative elements to just the cocktail area, so I’m only going to need maybe two bird cages and five bamboo steamers. I want to allude to Chinese culture, not make it a themed wedding, so I have to force myself to, in the immortal words of Tim Gunn, “edit, edit, edit.” If I get overly exuberant, the area will go from Chinese chic to Chinese restaurant reject in less time than it’ll take me to say, “me rove you rong time.”
How are you integrating your culture into your wedding? Any other ideas about how to keep a floral budget within reasonable bounds?
Omg I TOTALLY love those ideas! I can’t wait to see the end result of all your hard work Ms. Haute cocoa!
That birdcage is beautiful!! Could you use some paper flowers made from asian inspired papers or use the papers for some signage around the cocktail hour.
LOVE the birdcages with blossoms inside…those are gorgeous! I can’t wait to see what you come up with!
Very cute! 
I have my mind set on a certain centerpiece for our reception, but I love birdcages and just bought a cute black one from target with no wedding purpose as of yet. One of my bridesmaids has already brought over a white birdcage for the cards, but now I’m racking my brain for other uses so I can throw black ones in too!
Oooh. I love these ideas! Actually Miss HC I have that exact bird cage that I hand carried all the way back from China, but never used it for the wedding. 
Let me know if you need an extra cage!
I love this idea! I’m thinking of having Chinese elements, too, but without going all red-and-gold dragons: white paper lanterns, white takeout boxes for the candy buffet (to include fortune cookies in a jar!), hors d’oeuvres served in chinese spoons… Isn’t it wonderful to have such a rich culture to draw upon?
@Vic004: That’s a great idea!
@Miss Taffy: Love the b/w. One for cards and one for wishes? Or one for advice now and one for wishes upon your fifth anniversary?
@Mrs. Canary: Ooh, thanks so much! I’m hoping my mom is going to do the hand carrying of the bird cages all the way to LA. Hee hee.
@Bonnie: I love those ideas. We’ll probably have purple fortune cookies at each place setting. They taste like fruit punch! Oh, one thing to ask your family is whether they will mind white lanterns; my mom has issued a no white lanterns, no white candles (yeah, not even tealights), no white anything rule. 
Sigh. Editing is THE hardest part but definitely something that takes an event from ‘lovely’ to ‘tres-chic’.
*swoon*
i actually considered the birdcages & steamers as well but i couldn’t find them to fit my ultra low centerpiece budget!
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Mrs. Hot Cocoa, Boston/Los Angeles Age and Occupation: 31, JD/PhD Student Fiance's Age and Occupation: 32, Medical Student Engagement Date: May 30, 2008 Wedding Date: March, 2009 Blogging Since: April, 2008 Venue: Ritz Carlton, Marina Del Rey About Me: I am a professional student by day and an amateur cupcake taster, bargain shopper, and wedding planner by night. I am obsessed with NPR, the Food Network, paper, dance shows, Anthropologie, post-structuralist theory, Weddingbee!, "The Office," and celebrity gossip. When not procrastinating from my dissertation, I spend time catering to Jellyby, our overly anxious shih tzu, and getting to know Mr. Hot Cocoa. We have only been dating for fifteen years, so it's like I'm in love with a stranger! From the East Coast, we are planning a Jewish-Chinese Extravaganza in L.A., where we both grew up.
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