Weddingbee Blog

Donna and Mike hosted a gorgeous wedding for 85 of their closest friends and family, making sure to infuse their family histories and cultures into their day.

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The Details

1. Bride’s Name: Donna
2. Groom’s Name: Michael
3. Venue(s): The Filter Building on White Rock Lake, Dallas, Texas
4. Wedding Date: 5/22/2010
5. Bridal Gown Designer: Christos by Amsale
6. Florist: Branching Out Floral & Event Design
7. Photographer: Perez Photography
8. Cake: Panini Bakery
9. Wedding Coordinator: Altar Ego Weddings
10. Bridesmaid Dresses: J.Crew
11. Honeymoon: Hong Kong (Langham Place Hotel)

The Story

My husband and I hosted an intimate wedding for 85 close family and friends that celebrated our family histories and our future.

Our wedding was a marriage of vintage and modern while observing my husband’s Cleveland roots, my birthplace of Shanghai, and our present and future life in Texas.

We had a cultural tea ceremony at the rehearsal dinner.

Out of town bags:

The ceremony was held on the lakeside lawn of The Filter Building featuring a string quartet playing Beatles themed music for the ceremony.

Petal cones with red rose petals decorated the aisle while red carnation pomanders mimicking the paper lanterns in the indoor reception space framed the altar.

We were showered with red rose petals as we walked off to the Beatles’ “All You Need is Love”.

The wedding was held at a renovated water utilities building constructed in 1921. The lakeside Filter Building served as a part of the water utility system in Dallas until the 1950s, and the renovation preserved the history of the building while giving it a modern, lofty feel.

Red paper lanterns that are symbols of celebration in Chinese culture decorated the lofty reception space.

Vintage milk glass pieces that belong to my husband’s grandmother were used for the centerpieces and cake stand, while bold, modern shades of orange, pink, and green were chosen for the flowers.

The centerpiece for the table for the bride and groom featured a smaller milkglass cake plate and a pink peony and green apple topiary.

Our cake was a three tier chocolate wedding cake with cappuccino mousse on my husband’s grandmother’s vintage milk glass cake plate.

Generations of Love - this table presents wedding photos of our grandparents and parents in vintage frames while the simple green on white contrast of apples and orchids add a modern flare.

The signature cocktails (Shanghai Lotus, Cleveland Super Bowl Fantasy, and Texas Rum Rita) used Texas handmade Tito’s Vodka and Treaty Oak Rum.

The three food stations (A Taste of Asia, American Traditions, and Avocado Bar) also followed our East, West, and Texas theme.

We also had a sparkler departure where we exited to sparkler magic.

What were your favorite or most memorable aspects of your wedding day?

The most memorable aspect of my wedding day was hearing my husband say his vows. We wrote our own personalized vows that truly expressed all that we have been through in our seven year relationship and all that we have to look forward to in our marriage.

Is there anything you would have done differently?

I have no major regrets, though we did have some trouble with our transportation vendor and I wish I would have done more research before making the decision to hire them.

Do you have any advice for future brides?

My advice to future brides is don’t fret over the small details. So many DIY brides focus so much on the details that they forget to relax and enjoy their wedding day. Remember all those months of planning is leading to only a few hours of ceremony and reception time. There isn’t much you can control on the wedding day. So take a deep breath, have fun, talk to your guests, be a gracious host and lavish in the glow of being a bride.

All images by Perez Photography

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