Asian weddings are a reflection of heritage, intention, and evolving identity. Today’s couples are blending tradition with personal expression to create celebrations that feel both deeply rooted and entirely their own.
In honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we spoke with two Asian wedding planners, Le Petite Privé and Nicole Please Weddings, about balancing tradition and modernity, navigating planning challenges, and more.
What are some common traditions you have helped couples incorporate into their weddings?
Le Petite Privé
As we work with our clients, there’s a shared journey of discovery. Our clients are learning about their own cultural practices, and we are learning alongside them. We’ve had the honor of creating a beautiful kosher wedding and exploring the rich ceremonial traditions found in Korean and Japanese cultures. Each experience expands our perspective and deepens the way we approach every celebration.
Nicole Please Weddings
As a Swiss-Taiwanese planner, I have naturally become very connected to couples who come from different cultures, religions, and family backgrounds. Many of our weddings are not about one single tradition, but about creating a beautiful meeting point between two worlds.
We often help couples incorporate meaningful cultural rituals, from tea ceremonies, family blessings, and symbolic outfit changes to Indian baraat and Sangeet celebrations, cross-religious ceremonies, ancestral blessings, and other deeply personal traditions. Every couple is different, so the process is never about copying a formula. It is about understanding what truly matters to both families.
Over the years, we have planned weddings for couples bringing together backgrounds from the Middle East, Brazil, Indonesia, Korea, China, the United States, Singapore, Switzerland, France, Germany, New Zealand, and many more. This has almost become one of our specialties: helping couples merge cultures in a way that feels natural, respectful, and emotionally true.
Because of my own mixed background, couples often feel that I understand them immediately. They know it matters deeply to me that both families, both cultures, and both personal histories are represented beautifully throughout the celebration, not as separate elements, but as one shared story.
Do most of your couples want to follow traditions by the book or integrate them in a more modern, Americanized way?
Nicole Please Weddings
Most couples today want something in between. They want to honor their families and their heritage, but they also want the celebration to feel like them. Very few couples want traditions to feel overly rigid or disconnected from the rest of the wedding.
My role is often to translate tradition into a format that feels natural for a modern couple. That might mean simplifying the sequence, adjusting the timing, making the setting more intimate, or explaining the symbolism to guests who may not be familiar with it. For many international couples, the goal is not to dilute the tradition, but to make it more accessible, emotional, and relevant.
Le Petite Privé
We love incorporating cultural ceremonies in ways that feel both modern and deeply meaningful. One of the things we appreciate most about being in America is its incredible diversity, and it allows us to learn from and celebrate so many different traditions.
What are some challenges you have encountered when planning Asian weddings and traditions?
Le Petite Privé
I feel we are always striving to reach authenticity in the intentional design to meet our clients’ modern needs. This sometimes will prove to be a really great exploration and source for months, sometimes to find the perfect design elements. It is extremely satisfying to get that perfect puzzle piece in the end.
Nicole Please Weddings
One of the main challenges is managing expectations between generations. Parents and grandparents may have a very clear idea of what “must” happen, while the couple may want something more contemporary or understated. These conversations require a lot of sensitivity.
Another challenge is timing. Asian weddings often include multiple rituals, outfit changes, family moments, and sometimes several days of celebrations. The flow needs to be carefully choreographed so the traditions feel meaningful rather than rushed.
There is also the challenge of explaining cultural elements to international guests. When a wedding includes guests from many backgrounds, we need to make sure everyone understands what they are witnessing, without making the moment feel like a performance. The balance is always between authenticity, elegance, and emotional clarity.
Can you think of the most creative way you’ve helped a couple incorporate a wedding tradition?
Nicole Please Weddings
One of the most creative approaches is when we transform a traditional ritual into a fully designed guest experience, rather than treating it as a separate formality. For example, a tea ceremony can become a beautifully styled, intimate family salon with custom stationery, heirloom objects, floral symbolism, and a carefully written explanation of the ritual for guests.
I also love when we reinterpret traditions through the couple’s personal story. For one cross-cultural wedding, instead of presenting traditions as separate “Asian” and “Western” moments, we created a seamless journey where family blessings, music, food, attire, and ceremony language gradually revealed both cultures. It felt less like two cultures placed side by side, and more like one new family identity being created.
Le Petite Privé
We’ve also had the opportunity to thoughtfully incorporate cultural ceremonies at different moments throughout a wedding weekend. It’s always a beautiful surprise to see how much these ceremonies shape the overall atmosphere. The moments quite often become some of the most meaningful and memorable parts of the celebration.
We truly enjoy watching these moments unfold. There’s something incredibly special about the genuine exchange of blessings from parents to the couple, especially when shared in an intimate setting with their most trusted circle of family and friends. Those experiences bring a depth and authenticity that make each wedding feel deeply personal and unforgettable.
How do you navigate weddings where partners come from different cultural backgrounds?
Le Petite Privé
It’s always incredibly beautiful to witness. Couples are genuinely excited to learn about each other’s cultures, and that excitement often brings a sense of patience and intention to the process. They’re eager to honor these traditions thoughtfully and to do them well.
In our role, we act as a guiding presence to help them become familiar and comfortable with these cultural elements so they feel confident and prepared. Watching that journey unfold, from learning to meaningful participation, is something we truly value.
Nicole Please Weddings
The first step is listening. I always try to understand which traditions are truly meaningful to the couple, which ones are important to their families, and which ones are being included only out of obligation. Once we understand that, we can design the wedding with intention.
For multicultural weddings, I believe the goal is not to give each culture “equal time” in a mechanical way. The goal is to create harmony. Sometimes that means one culture is expressed through the ceremony, another through the food, another through music, dress, family rituals, or the overall hospitality experience.
I often act as a bridge between families. I help explain the meaning behind each tradition, soften potential tensions, and find a format that feels respectful to both sides. When done well, a multicultural wedding becomes more than a blend of backgrounds. It becomes the first shared expression of the couple’s new life together.
How has your Asian heritage influenced or affected your work as a wedding planner?
Nicole Please Weddings
As I am Swiss-Taiwanese and work internationally, I would describe my perspective more as Asian and multicultural rather than strictly Asian European. Growing up between cultures has deeply shaped the way I plan weddings. It has made me very aware of nuance, family dynamics, symbolism, and the emotional importance of honoring where people come from. In Asian weddings especially, the celebration is rarely only about the couple. It is also about parents, elders, ancestors, family reputation, gratitude, and continuity. That understanding influences how I design the guest journey and how I communicate with families.
At the same time, my international background helps me modernize traditions without losing their soul. I see my role as preserving meaning while creating a wedding that feels refined, personal, and relevant for today’s couples. That balance between heritage and modernity is at the heart of my work.
Le Petite Privé
I see myself as a bridge between two worlds. I feel at home in Asia, and I feel equally at home in America. Many of our clients share that same sense of belonging to more than one culture, which makes our work especially meaningful and relatable.
This perspective allows us to serve them with a deeper level of understanding. Because we recognize the nuances of the Asian American experience, we’re able to anticipate needs, honor traditions with intention, and introduce thoughtful details that reflect both cultures in a genuine and meaningful way.
Photo courtesy of BOTTEGA53 (cover photo), Christina McNeill, Kylee Yee, HQ PHOTO HK, CALENROSE, The Wedding Artists Co, Kuenzli Photography, and THE FASHION WEDDING.
Questions? Give us a shout at help@hiholden.com or a ring (pun intended) at 646.722.6817.