Heritage at the Heart: An Anglo-Chinese Wedding at the Ritz-Carlton, Kuala Lumpur
This week, Choo Yilin x En Pointe take a peek into the quiet moments behind one of life’s most significant occasions: The Wedding.
Just minutes upon entering the Private Room of the Ritz-Carlton, Kuala Lumpur, we witness Miss Universe Malaysia 2018, Jane Teoh, twirling with unbridled joy; she is radiant, dressed in a pristine white gown by Malaysian luxury designer, Tsyahmi.
Subsequent to the Chinese tea ceremony, where 8 out of 10 modern Asian brides choose to don more traditional gowns, the bride may opt to wear a white wedding dress for the wedding ceremony and lunch.
An influence from the West, Queen Victoria wore a white dress for her wedding in 1840, and set the wedding trend for generations to come. Nearly two centuries later, and white still reigns as the universal colour for wedding dresses across the globe.
The exchange of vows takes place amidst lush florals by Spring Cottage, in brilliant blues and grand golds. The Anglo-Chinese theme features a colour palette inspired by Chinese ceramics, and Ming Vases.
Vases were traditionally presented to a bride during a Chinese Betrothal Ceremony or Guo Da Li (过大礼), as they represent peace; the Chinese character for vase is ping “瓶”, which sounds like the mandarin word for peace -“ping an (平安)”. A vase filled with flowers from all four seasons is “si ji ping an (四 季平 安)”, which signifies “peace for the whole year”.
For the millions of ethnic Chinese across Southeast Asia, incorporating wedding traditions from their grandparents’ and their grandparents’ generations is key. In Singapore and Malaysia, it’s most often called the Guo Da Li, and in Indonesia, the Sangjit. The Filipinos have a very similar Chinese ceremony called Ting Hun, and the Thais refer to it as Yok Num Cha.
There is something incredibly special about honouring our roots in any celebration of love, whilst having the freedom to blend in Western traditions and aesthetics as well.
The bride wears Choo Yilin’s Cherry Blossom Jade Bangle, Warisan Desire Ring (18KT) and Genuine Pearl Necklace with diamond-embellished Peranakan clasps.
The bride herself wears emblems of heritage through precious jade jewellery: Choo Yilin’s 18KT Rose Gold Warisan Ring compliments a diamond-embellished Lunar Jade Bangle - two fine keepsakes from her Si Dian Jin (四点金).
Every piece plays a part; it’s always the little things that add magic to memory.
The third installment of our Heritage at the Heart series will unveil yet another dimension of Asian love stories. Be sure to stay tuned, and if you have any stories of love to share, we look forward to celebrating, and immortalising them with you.
COLLABORATORS:
Co-producer: En Pointe
Designer: Tsyahmikl via En Pointe
Female Model: Jane Teoh
Male Model: Shan Ratnam
Make-up Artist: Razzi Musa
Hair Stylist: Cody Chua
Set Stylist: Fleursdeco_official
Videographer: Faris Fakri, Mustard Media
Photographer: Bibo Aswan
Floral arrangement: Spring Cottage
Wedding invitation: Spinsugar Stationery
Location: The Ritz-Carlton, Kuala Lumpur, a YTL Hotel