It’s Monday morning and you may be feeling a bit low but get ready for something that will lift your spirits! We are jetting off to the beautiful island of Mallorca as virtual guests at this elegant, gorgeous, opulent, magical wedding.
A truly fairy-tale event for the bride and groom and the lucky 175 guests who had the golden ticket to this one-of-a-kind Mediterranean spectacle. So, where shall we start? Perhaps with bride Ying’s not one, but two exquisite custom Galia Lahav dresses. One with a ten-foot-long train and the other selected by the groom. Or, the incredible venue of a 232-acre Spanish fortress with three antique arches against the backdrop of the Mediterranean Sea. Sparkling pools led to these arches to create a truly stunning setting.
And just to add to this already huge extravaganza, guests at the 5-day Chinese and Western celebration were treated to live performances from celebrity visitors – a particularly exceptional one during the first dance!
Take a look to witness this dreamlike wedding for yourself…
The Proposal
This moment set the tone for the entire wedding and the thoughtful and personal touches are evident throughout the celebration. Matt proposed to Ying in the Maldives at the gorgeous Soneva Jani on Christmas Day. The couple had a romantic dinner on a private island and as the sun went down, Matt showed Ying a big wooden treasure chest that had been buried into the sand in advance, which he had filled with gifts. Underneath everything were matching Christmas sweaters which said “Wifey” and “Hubby”. “Wifey? What does that mean”, she said, and then, he got down on one knee and proposed with a stunning ring.
They had a few days to enjoy this special time together and then went to Taipei where Matt had organised all of the bride-to-be’s friends to come and celebrate!
The Planning
The groom was a massive part of the planning process and knew exactly what he wanted as well as being a great communicator and highly organised. According to the bride, he had an extensive spreadsheet with all the wedding details. Mandy, from Alago Events was the wedding planner and was apparently pleasantly surprised by him and his organisation.
Ying’s favourite part of the planning was picking out the décor and flowers for the main ceremony. The scene she created with the mirrored aisle and lovely flowers was a true spectacle.
The couple have a small selection of drinks they enjoy; whiskey, tequila and champagne, so 1300 bottles of these were served at the wedding.
The Venue
La Fortaleza in Mallorca was their must-have location for the wedding. Before venue shopping, the couple had never been to Mallorca or the fort before, so when they saw them, they instantly fell in love with both! Mallorca has so many attributes including incredible culture, friendly locals, great weather, and is a place that loads of their friends wanted to go to but hadn’t managed to yet.
And La Fortaleza is absolutely one of the most stunning venues in the world with its breath-taking views of the sea and historical architecture. Built in 1628, the couple instantly knew that the enchanting 50-foot antique stone arches would be perfect for our ceremony and altar and would look incredible with the background of the shimmering water of the Mediterranean.
Fun fact: BBC used La Fortaleza as a filming location for ‘The Night Manager’ as well as renowned sports stars Gareth Bale and Rafael Nadal getting married here in 2019.
The Celebrations
This was a truly unique celebration over 5 days and with 4 different venues with a separate theme for each day. The two main parties were the opening night “Chinese Tea Ceremony” and the wedding night, “Black Tie Rave”. For the first night, everyone wore customary red Chinese garb to observe Ying’s Chinese heritage for a gorgeous dinner and exclusive part with a performance from Lil Jon.
The big day was a combination of lavish black tie for the ceremonies and dinner and a mini music festival with 3 of the globe’s best DJs (Felix Da Housecat, Bassjackers, MarLo), fireworks, over 5,000 items of neon party gear, C02 cannons, and loads more. It was a grand 4pm-8am party that everybody still talks about!
For the other days, guests were treated to pool parties and boat trips so they could relax and let their hair down on and offshore.
The Dresses
The bride has always dreamed of marrying in a Galia Lahav so when she went to Kinsley James in Walnut Creek, California, she tried on some GL dresses and fell in love with the Ms. Elle dress. She wanted the dress to be customised and the final result featured parts of three separate dresses joined together. She also added a 10-foot train to the dress to extend the original. Galia agreed with the design and at Ying’s first fitting she was enamoured by the dress.
The second wedding dress was a funny story. The couple were in LA and popped in to see if there were any reception dresses available to order. The groom, named “Groomzilla” by Ying, was sad he couldn’t be involved in designing the wedding dress, so she let him pick her reception dress. He chose Gia, but a very large Gia.
Ying said she never would have believed that she would have two custom Galia Lahav dresses for her wedding.
The First Dance
The couple dared each other to come up with the perfect first dance song which was romantic and was personal to us. Without thinking we both just came out with “Back At One” by Brian McKnight, and that was the song we chose. We were so lucky to have Brian come to Mallorca and sing this (and some other hits) for us for the first dance. He was amazing and it was such a personal and romantic moment!
Favourite Moments
The bride says she has a number of moments that are incredibly special and personal. Walking down the aisle with her dad was a particularly poignant moment as he was so happy and grateful for the wedding day finally arriving. She says that when she got to the aisle, she saw Matt’s watery eyes and “I started crying cause I never saw him so happy and so handsome. He’s such a strong man and I had never seen him cry before”, and the couple were so overcome with joy that they didn’t know what to do with themselves.
The best moment though was when Ying reached the altar and Matt said, “you look amazing”. She had been waiting for this moment for so long and to find a soulmate that complemented her in so many ways. After so many years of waiting and dreaming had come down to this exact moment and when she saw the groom cry, it reminded her of why she had chosen Matt.
Advice to Engaged Couples
Remember that this is your day and no one else’s’. Of course, you want everyone to have a great time and be happy but it’s impossible to do, so focus on your loved ones as they want to be included in your day and won’t cause drama.
Choosing bridesmaids can be tricky but again, keep it simple. Pick those that are most present in your life today, not a bestie from school who you haven’t heard from in 20 years. Inviting guests is a similar process to bridesmaids, ask yourself “when did I last see or speak to this person?”. Don’t fret over “having” to invite people, whether they’re from work or because you haven’t been in touch for a long time. This is your day and you can invite exactly who you want to and those people will want to celebrate you.
When it comes to shopping for the wedding dress, don’t be afraid to get dolled up! Styling your hair and putting on some makeup will make the image that bit more special and realistic.
Wedding team
VENUE: Private Estate La Fortaleza, Mallorca // WEDDING PLANNER: Alago Events// PHOTOGRAPHER: Eric Kelley// VIDEOGRAPHER: East West// VIDEOGRAPHER: Caleb Jordan Lee// WEDDING DRESS AND RECEPTION DRESS: Galia Lahav// SHOES: Christian Louboutin// SHOES: Jordan Urrutia// WEDDING PARTY DRESS: Michael Costello// FLOWERS: Brigitta Norrenbrock// CHINESE DRESS: Pricillia Salim// MUSIC: LIL JON// MUSIC: Felix Da Housecat