A Fresh Spin on Tradition: A Styled Shoot Celebrating the Modern Asian American Couple

Written By Diana Mok
From Inspiration to Reality

My design process begins with my couples’ inspiration for their wedding, which can take many forms—photographs, lyrics from a song, or even the flavors, colors, and aromas of certain foods. I created this Asian American styled shoot to show how even a photo like this one of my grandmother’s living room in Taiwan can draw up ideas for adding those personal touches to your wedding. I reimagined the colors and elements from this room in a wedding setting, weaving my grandmother’s Japanese-Taiwanese roots with my own Asian American upbringing. Beautifully captured through the lens of Ariel of Ariel Min Photography, the result is a design that looks and feels intentional, elegant, and functional, yet modern, playful, and organic.

Venue, Rentals, & Florals

The Brownstone, part of the Citizen News venue collection, offered the perfect backdrop for this shoot. The space harkens back to the glamorous Old Hollywood era, but still provided the flexibility to bring my concept to life. Archive supplied the foundational elements for the design, including rattan chairs featured throughout the shoot that added an intimate touch, transporting me back to the family gatherings at my grandmother’s home through their textures and scent. The reception tablescape seamlessly combined textures of stoneware, metal, and glass, creating a minimalist yet modern design. Cecilia of Village No. 7 enhanced the setting utilizing Ikebana-inspired floral arrangements to create a stunning ground floral arch that brought tranquility to the ceremony space. For the reception, she added Asian fruits such as Korean pears, oranges, and persimmons, symbolizing good fortune and happiness. These pieces seamlessly tied together the shoot, blending Western familiarity with a distinctly Asian aesthetic. 

Stationery & Cake

Believing that a tablescape should be as functional as it is beautiful, I included origami-inspired place cards by Velvet Fox Designs, which doubled as personal letters to each guest. Melanie from Sweet Pea Cakery LA elevated the baby blue color from my inspiration photo into a luxurious two-tier blue marble cake adorned with abstract sugar flowers.

The Glam

To complete the vision, Christy from Christy Yoo Artistry and Mandisa from Sweet Dreams Makeup created a sophisticated, glamorous look with a touch of drama for my model bride, who wore East Meets Dress’ Jade wedding dress—a modern interpretation of the traditional Chinese qi pao.

Vendor Credits

Thank you to the all-star vendor team, almost all of whom are woman owned businesses, for collaborating with me and dedicating their time and talents to bring this vision to life.

Photography: Ariel Min // Design & Planning: Pivotal Events // Venue: Citizen News Events // Florals: Village No.7 // Rentals: Archive
Cake: Sweet Pea Cakery LA // Hair + Makeup: Christy Yoo Artistry & Sweet Dream Makeup // Stationery: Velvet Fox Designs
Dress: East Meets Dress // Suit: Friar Tux // Models: Malika Kanatova & Vihan Chelliah

Diana Mok