Wife's POV: 5 Wedding Tips from a Hong Kong Covid Wedding

5 Wedding Tips I learnt from planning my covid wedding on a budget

Today marks one year from the date we were finally able to host our wedding banquet in Hong Kong, so I thought it was the perfect time to share some tips on how we made our day work for us.

My Husband and I both grew up overseas, him in England, and I, New Zealand, so our ideal wedding was always more western in style and arrangement. And unfortunately with Covid, what would normally have been a given to have our closest friends & family attend, was not such an easy thing. Hong Kong had the 7-day quarantine at that point, and while our immediate family made the trip over, it was an anxious time worrying about the whole process.

So here are my tips for making the day your own (within budget of course):

Tip #1 - A Venue that Decorates Itself

We selected Rosewood Hotel Hong Kong as our wedding venue, and a huge deciding factor was the venue itself. One of our favourites was the entrance stairway, as well as the modern aesthetics that carried all the way through. It also had a lawn ceremony area overlooking Victoria Harbour that gave a more western look and feel (almost like we were having our wedding overseas). All of this meant that we could keep our decor simple, adding little personal pieces here and there, like a photo hallway, a DIY photo table, simple backdrop & wedding arch design.

In Hong Kong, Hotels also tend to offer wedding packages that include a lot more than if you had to start from scratch and coordinate everything yourself, down to the staff, the food, the tableware...

Tip #2 - Taobao, Taobao, Taobao!

We saved a lot on our wedding by doing a few things through Taobao, we had our invitations printed there, the decoration photos printed and framed there and it just helped us to save costs on our decor while still keeping it in line with our simple aesthetics. The photo probably doesn't do justice to the size of these prints but they went up to 50*70cm / 60*60cm - link to something similar in Amazon.

...6x 60*60cm large photo prints, 2x 50*70cm and 1x 60*60cm framed photo prints cost us less than $1K HKD

Tip #3 - Partner with Up-and-coming Vendors

For my bouquet, my friend put it together https://www.instagram.com/ibuymyselfflowers/ and I absolutely adored it, as well as the corsages. I decided to put together the bridesmaid bouquets myself and while I thought they turned out well, just be aware it's an added layer of stress the night/day before. I was lucky to have one of my bridesmaids to help me buy flowers and deliver them to me.

I also went with the following vendors:

Hair & makeup: https://www.instagram.com/borntoglow_makeup/

Photography: https://www.instagram.com/lovememohk/

Wedding Decor: https://www.instagram.com/pridetobe.florist/

Tip #4 - Something New, Something Borrowed

I made the decision to rent my dress as I just couldn't imagine where I would store it after the wedding. And while it did take a while to find the right dress, especially since from the very start I wanted something that was satin finish, off shoulder, and simple which I ultimately found at Koon Nam Wah (tip is to go to the Kowloon branch as they have more choices, as well as go to wedding fairs as usually they have a stand and do special packages!)

I did get a package at Koon Nam Wah for a traditional kua, and 1 bridal dress, and 1 evening wear. I was able to get my mum's dress from there as well, which also helped to save on stress! Although I ended up paying more for an Italian branded dress (Nicole-Colet), I really did feel it was worth it.

Tip #5 - Really decide if a Videographer is for You!

We both really considered whether we would re-watch any videos and ultimately decided we wouldn't. However it is not for everyone! We were lucky to find a photographer that really focused on capturing the story through photos and when he knew we didn't have a videographer, it was important for him that every little detail was captured as well.

Ultimately as long as you have an idea of how you envision your day, a clear colour palette, I really do believe all the little things in between can be found here and there and it'll all come together in the end!

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. This means I may earn a commission should you chose to sign up for a program or make a purchase using my link.