Wedding planning can often feel like a balancing act. Especially when the bride and groom come from different backgrounds and you want to add culture-specific traditions into the mix. One of the most common conversations we have with our couples is how to incorporate traditions – familial or cultural – into their weddings without sacrificing their own identities and the celebration. Sounds complicated, but we love doing this! Incorporating individual traditions into the wedding events can be a connective thread that links both families together and isn’t that what marriage is all about?

However, there are times where you might wonder, how am I supposed to honor our family and culture, while still getting down on the dance floor? We promise you, it can be done! Remember, it’s a balancing act, and one of our main goal’s when planning a wedding is not losing sight of you as a couple and what makes you uniquely you!

Finding that perfect balance will only enhance and enrich an already beautiful event.

From the moment we started working with Daly and Tyler to plan their August wedding at The River View at Occoquan, we knew they would strike that perfect balance between honoring tradition and having the best party ever with their families and friends by their side.

It was incredibly important to them both to honor Daly’s Vietnamese heritage and Tyler’s – and his family’s – Naval service.  Together we worked to create ideas based on what the couple wanted, but also remaining considerate to the families’ wishes and cultural traditions.  Where we really focused on this in the planning process was their outfits and integrating special events throughout the wedding day.

For the ceremony, and most of the reception, Daly and Tyler wore traditional Western wedding attire.  Tyler and his groomsmen wore their Naval uniforms, while Daly stunned in a floral lace sheath dress.  They could not have looked more stunning!  Later during the reception, Tyler and Daly changed into their Vietnamese wedding outfits that they had worn during their tea ceremony the day before.  They delivered a thank you speech to their guests in these outfits and made sure to walk around to each of Daly’s relatives’ tables to greet them before changing back into their Western attire for the remainder of the reception.  You just knew from the looks on their guests’ faces just how much this gesture and nod to their culture truly meant to them!

Our favorite “traditional” moments throughout their wedding

Tyler’s Naval friends executing the sword arch for the newlyweds as they were introduced into the reception. Complete with kisses required to pass and a smart smack on the booty for Daly with a sword at the end!

Tyler’s family carving and presenting him and Daly with a wooden boat with their wedding date on it.

Daly’s father speaking a majority of his speech in Vietnamese.

Tyler using his sword to cut the couple’s first slice of wedding cake.

Each one of these moments added opportunities to honor both Daly’s cultural heritage and Tyler’s familial traditions while not taking one single iota away from the fun they and their guests had throughout the evening.  Trust us – we had to kick them off the dance floor at the end of the night!

We want our couples to understand that there’s no rulebook about what their wedding should look like. It’s important they stay true to themselves while still honoring their culture and family’s wishes. Daly and Tyler’s wedding is the perfect example of how to nod at tradition while not losing your individuality in the process.

 

WEDDING PLANNER – All The Dainty Details

VENUE – The River View at Occoquan

PHOTOGRAPHER – Samantha Leto

FLORALS – Burke Florist

ENTERTAINMENT – Taurus DJs

CAKE – Nothing Bundt Cakes

HAIR & MAKE UP – Best Face Forward

BRIDAL DRESS – Posh Bridal