A maximalist multicultural wedding inspired by Disney’s Tangled

Tangled-inspired wedding

If you're looking for a modern and tasteful way to infuse culture and meaningful details into your big day, look no further than this Maximalist dream wedding! Planned by Two Perfect Events and captured on camera by Hey Honey Photography, this Chinese-Vietnamese multicultural fusion wedding at Olympia’s Valley was nothing short of magical. Isa and Andrew’s stunning celebration shows that even the smallest of details go a long way, and it is a beautiful example of how childhood wonder and nostalgia can define a theme and frame new beginnings with creativity, love, and whimsy.

butterfly wedding invitations

Animation invitations

One of their friends is an illustrator in the animation industry, so she drew a portrait of Andrew and Isa for the front of the invitation. She also painted the back of the invitation—a watercolor composition with the double happiness symbol, butterflies, and Southeast Asian flowers. Isa’s other friend helped hand-press hundreds of hydrangeas, each to be laid flat under a custom double happiness wax seal.

squid ink dyed suit

Squid ink dyed suit

Andrew partnered with a local tailor to design a timeless, bespoke tuxedo made with Japanese fabric and dyed with squid ink, which made it one of the blackest fabrics on the market.

floral applique heels floral applique cape

Butterfly bridal details

After trying on over 50 dresses, Isa’s Tangled-inspired gown by Marchesa Bridal was ultimately constructed of an airy, ivory tulle held together by satin boning and floral appliqué cascading down the skirt. Isa opted for custom tulle cape sleeves rather than a traditional veil, and her aunt and cousin hand-sewed fabric flowers onto the cape sleeves to match the dress. To tie the look together, she wore lavender Bella Belle Shoes, delicately embroidered and embellished with butterflies.

peach blue and purple bouquet

first look on a lake wedding canoe

Maximalist dream wedding

Isa and Andrew’s celebration was a maximalist’s dream. The color palette was infused with bright pastel pinks, oranges, blues, and greens. Their inspiration stemmed from many different places: east-meets-west garden party, Peranakan nonya (a unique culture that is formed through the marriage of Malay and Chinese during the older eras), and Disney’s Tangled.

mod green welcome sign

How to: Last minute venue change

The first venue they had their eyes on was a local community garden, which they booked a year and a half in advance because it was so popular. Just over a month before the wedding date, the venue suddenly had to cancel due to a water main break in the venue’s main building. Thankfully, Isa explained, “Together with the Two Perfect Events team, we contacted over 100 different venues, but only a few were available and could accommodate all the vendors already booked. Andrew turned to TikTok, searching: “Nicest wedding venues in the Bay Area.” He discovered Olympia’s Valley, an idyllic farm and event space run by the same family for multiple generations.”

desert wedding ceremony

outdoor desert wedding ceremony peach and purple ceremony arrangements

Floral garden party on a farm

Because their venue was no longer in a community garden, Isa and Andrew wanted to bring the floral garden party to the farm. Isa was inspired by John Singer Sargent’s painting, Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose, and coincidentally florist Fleurisse Design used those very blooms to construct the bulk of the floral arrangements.

hanging floral installations

Taking inspiration from Tangled

Disney’s Tangled was a formative movie for Isa, so she incorporated the animation’s enchanting lighting and floral elements throughout. They set up a dramatic waterfall string light installation and floral chandeliers that completely covered the barn’s high vaulted ceilings. Isa wanted the space to feel as magical and ethereal as possible, and this is about as close as one can get to a real-life Disney movie!

champagne tower on a barrel

Design inspo: East-meets-West

Isa and Andrew took their east-meets-west theme literally by prioritizing the meshing of their dual Asian and American identities. They incorporated Chinese-Vietnamese details like double happiness signs (a Chinese symbol of joy and marriage celebrations), an ancestral welcome table, and an 8-course dinner menu — all juxtaposed with a venue as Americana as a barn. Their goal was for “the wedding to feel like a melting pot of community, or to feel immersed in the love of our friends and family.” Andrew's parents also organized a surprise lion dance for the reception, which was an exciting way to incorporate Chinese culture.

waterfall string lights

hanging greenery installations

Family heirloom decor and DIY

Isa and Andrew had a special place in their heart for personal touches. They used many vintage pieces and family heirlooms as decor, including a butterfly ring holder, fan-shaped ceramic dish, and several dessert platters. Andrew was inspired by the decor style of Peranakan nonyas and used mooncake molds as decor throughout while also making a double happiness LED sign.

dusty rose and gold place settings

Catering and cocktails

When it came to catering, Isa and Andrew had Smitten's live-churned liquid nitrogen ice cream and Indonesian desserts from NUSA. Isa's cousin helped design the cocktail menu honoring the couple's shared heritage and including a Hennessy espresso martini made with Vietnamese iced coffee from Orbit Coffee, a pandan coconut drink inspired by soda gembira, and a lychee Asian pear sangria.

dance floor with fog

Playlist: From dinner to dancing

The reception playlist by X-Generation Entertainment was a mix of Asian American lo-fi and classics like “Ladyfingers” by Herb Alpert. Their music choices emulated a mesh of pop culture and traditional culture, ultimately creating a lovely ambiance for dining and an incredible night on the dance floor!

Chinese wedding traditions

Traditional Chinese wedding attire

During the reception, Andrew changed into a custom shirt inspired by his Chinese-Indonesian-American heritage—it was a Chinese cheongsam (traditional Chinese attire) made with Indonesian batik fabric, embroidered with idiosyncratic imagery like the lion turtle from Avatar: The Last Airbender.

audio guestbook

A handmade capelet

Isa’s reception outfit was a short, sparkling dress from Bronx and Banco. She intended on making a matching capelet for the dress but never got around it. The night before the wedding, her friend learned about this and immediately got fabric from Joann’s Fabric and Craft Store—she delivered a beautiful two-layer flowing capelet the next day, perfect for twirling around the dance floor!

floral wedding cake

After-the-fact advice from the bride

While reflecting on such a wonderful day, Isa shared some advice for couples going through the wedding planning process: “Consider this triangular trade-off where you can usually only prioritize two - budget, time, and/or expectations. There were some design concepts we loved (e.g. an Alice in Wonderland-inspired oversized paper floral displays), but they were either out of our budget or would take too much time to DIY. In those cases, adjusting our expectations was the most feasible option. On the day of, build in time just to be with each other. We were surprised by how much quiet alone time we had, and that protected our peace. If we could change anything, we would optimize for enjoying the moment! We thought we had time for things like multiple different portrait sessions, outfit changes, a private champagne pour, etc., but we actually didn’t have time, and it took away from enjoying the actual wedding and talking to our guests.”

wedding reception sneakers

The pros of hiring a planner

Isa had a wedding Pinterest board for years but came to their planner, Two Perfect Events, to bring the vision together. Isa explained: “There was no shortage of meetings with our planners, and they helped us narrow down the ideas into something more cohesive. Two Perfect Events was the backbone for this event!”

reception uplighting