1. Real Weddings

A Rainbow Backyard Wedding at a Private Residence in Whitehouse Station, New Jersey

Sue-Yenn (26 and an actor/singer) moved to New York City in 2010 from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. One night after work, her new roommate, Pearly, asked he

Sue-Yenn (26 and an actor/singer) moved to New York City in 2010 from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. One night after work, her new roommate, Pearly, asked her out for drinks with friends--which turned out to be just Pearly, her date, and Sam (35 and a music producer). Unexpectedly finding themselves on a double date, Sam and Sue-Yenn hit it off immediately. Three years later, Sue-Yenn was performing in Hershey Park's main stage show when a fellow cast member called Sam up on stage where he proposed in front of her cheering audience. Wanting to get out of the city, the couple decided to host their wedding in Sam's mother's backyard in Whitehouse Station, New Jersey. Unable to decide on a color scheme, Sue-Yenn chose to incorporate simple, rainbow-colored details with mostly white decor, "so that it wouldn't become a kid's birthday party theme," she says. In keeping with her heritage, Sue-Yenn managed to keep some Malaysian wedding traditions, including her wedding fashion as well as a special tea ceremony with her and Sam's parents.

Sue-Yenn had her sister's sister-in-law back all of the rainbow-colored cupcakes for the cupcake tower. She decided on cupcakes rather than a traditional wedding cake so that "everyone would be able to help themselves whenever they felt like it."
The Bride Getting Ready in Her Chinese Wedding Dress with Help from Mom
The Rainbow-Colored Bridesmaid Shoes
The Bride's Wedding Jewelry and Pearl Floral Hair Accessory
Sue-Yenn braided her own hair and twisted it into a formal updo that she accented with a floral lace headpiece with pearl embellishments that she picked up in China along with her wedding dress. She also wore a bold red lip to match her bold color scheme.
The bridesmaids wore simple light gold dresses that Sue-Yenn's sister picked out to match the bride's shoes. They then each found their own brightly-colored shoes in a different color of the rainbow to match their colorful bouquets.
The groomsmen each paired their gray suits with a different brightly-colored tie and matching boutonniere to coordinate with each of the bridesmaids. The groom, of course, wore a white tie to coordinate with his bride.
Sue-Yenn found her wedding dress in Guangzhou, China while visiting her parents. The fitted lace gown had a traditional Chinese-style high neck with an elegant keyhole opening.
The Colorful Painted Guest Book Illustration with Thumbprint Balloons
The Bride and Her Father in Chinese Formal Attire at the Colorful Backyard Ceremony
A Colorful Tented Backyard Ceremony with Rainbow Pom Poms
To honor her Malaysian heritage, Sue-Yenn incorporated a traditional tea ceremony where the bride and groom serve tea to their parents as a sign of gratitude and respect.
Sue-Yenn knew she wanted bright sunflowers in her bridal bouquet, and then picked out the other red, orange, blue, and purple flowers at a local farm to match her rainbow color scheme. The result was an eclectic and vibrant natural-looking bouquet that perfectly fit in with her relaxed backyard theme.
Sam and Sue-Yenn even managed to incorporate their rainbow color scheme into the catering! A colorful fruit and cheese platter tided guests over during the cocktail hour until the hearty Southern barbecue dinner.
Sam and Sue-Yenn were very thankful for all the help their guests contributed to setting up the backyard wedding and celebrating with them on the dance floor. To give thanks, they gave traditional Malaysian "Bunga Telur" (aka "Flower Eggs") as favors--handmade paper flowers with pouches that traditionally hold hard boiled eggs but were instead filled with Hershey's kisses to commemorate their engagement at Hershey Park.
The dance floor was alive and well at the colorful backyard reception, where Sam's brother emceed several games for guests to play and another close friend served at DJ to play a huge list of songs hand-selected by the musical groom.