Real Wedding: Linh & David's Enchanting Garden Celebration in Da Lat
When planning a wedding that spans two cultures, two languages, and two entirely different sets of family expectations, the word "compromise" gets thrown around a lot.
But when Linh (born in Hanoi, raised in Melbourne) and David (born and raised in London) started planning their destination wedding in the cool, pine-scented mountains of Da Lat, Vietnam, they refused to compromise. They didn't want a watered-down version of a Vietnamese wedding, nor did they want a purely Western affair that ignored Linh's heritage.
They wanted both. In full. On the exact same day.
The result was an extraordinarily emotional, visually stunning 14-hour celebration that seamlessly transitioned from the deeply respectful traditions of a morning Tea Ceremony (Lễ Gia Tiên) to an ethereal, garden-party vow exchange as the sun set over the central highlands.
Here is an inside look at how Linh and David designed their dream wedding, managed their international guest list, and survived planning a bilingual wedding from 6,000 miles away.
The Vision: "Secret Garden Meets Heritage"
"Da Lat has always been magical to me," Linh explains. "It has this French colonial architecture mixed with incredibly lush, misty pine forests. When we decided to get married in Vietnam, we knew we didn't want a beach wedding or a hotel ballroom in Saigon. We wanted our international guests to experience the mountains."
The couple rented a private, historic French-colonial villa with sweeping gardens. The vision was "Secret Garden"—heavy on wild, untamed florals, moss, vintage brass, and thousands of taper candles.
The Palette: Sage green, dusty rose, antique gold, and deep espresso.
Part I: The Morning Tea Ceremony
The day began at 8:00 AM. In Vietnamese culture, the Tea Ceremony is the official moment a couple is recognized as married by their ancestors and families.
David and his groomsmen arrived at the villa's gates carrying traditional red lacquer trays (Mâm Quả) filled with gifts: roasted pig, betel leaves, tea, wine, and fruit.
"I was terrified," David laughs. "I had spent three weeks practicing a specific phrase in Vietnamese to greet Linh's grandmother. When the time came, I completely blanked. I just smiled, bowed deeply, and offered her tea. She patted my cheek and laughed. That broke the ice."
Linh wore a custom-designed red Áo Dài featuring hand-embroidered golden lotus flowers, taking over 400 hours to create. David wore a matching Áo Dài in a deep, regal blue.
"The Tea Ceremony is incredibly intimate," Linh says. "It's just immediate family. Serving tea to my parents and hearing their advice—unscripted, emotional advice—was the moment I finally cried. You spend a year planning napkin colors, but that is the moment you realize: Oh, I'm actually getting married."
Part II: The Western Vow Exchange
Following a break for lunch and outfit changes, the 120 guests—many who had flown in from Australia and the UK—gathered in the villa's lower garden for the Western ceremony.
Linh changed into a modern, architectural silk Mikado gown, while David opted for a classic black tuxedo.
The couple chose not to have a traditional bridal party standing at the altar with them. Instead, they stood alone under a massive, asymmetric floral arch built directly into an ancient oak tree, creating the illusion that the flowers were growing out of the trunk naturally.
Because half the audience spoke English and the other half spoke Vietnamese, the couple hired a bilingual celebrant who masterfully wove both languages into the ceremony.
"We wrote our own vows," David says. "I wrote mine in English, but I spent two months working with a tutor to translate and memorize the final paragraph in Vietnamese. When I spoke those lines to Linh, looking out at her parents... there wasn't a dry eye in the garden."
Part III: The Reception Under the Stars
As twilight fell, guests moved to the upper terrace for a seated dinner. The space was transformed with two long, sweeping imperial tables, allowing all 120 guests to sit together. Above them, thousands of fairy lights were strung between the pine trees, creating a ceiling of stars.
The Menu: The couple served a fusion 5-course tasting menu. It began with delicate Vietnamese lotus stem salad with prawn, and moved to a main course of slow-braised beef cheek with truffle mash, representing their two culinary backgrounds.
Instead of a traditional DJ, they hired a 5-piece acoustic jazz band that played everything from Frank Sinatra to acoustic covers of modern pop songs, keeping the atmosphere lively but intimate enough for conversation.
The Logistics: How They Pulled It Off
Planning a bilingual, international destination wedding with multiple events in one day is a logistical mountain. We sat down with Linh to ask her exactly how they managed the chaos.
Q: What was the hardest part of the planning process?
Linh: "The guest list and communication. We had 120 guests flying in from three different continents. Trying to explain the logistics of getting to Da Lat, booking hotels, and explaining what a Tea Ceremony was to David's British family... it was overwhelming. We were getting 20 text messages a day asking about flights."
Q: How did you solve the communication issue?
Linh: "We built a really robust wedding website using Wedflip. It was a lifesaver because the platform is natively bilingual. We didn't have to build two separate sites or rely on terrible Google Translations. My aunts could read the Vietnamese version, and David's friends could read the English version."
Q: How did you handle RSVPs for two different events?
Linh: "This is where the website saved us again. Because the Tea Ceremony was strictly for 30 family members, but the garden ceremony was for all 120 guests, we couldn't just have one generic RSVP button. We used Wedflip's smart RSVP feature. When a guest typed in their name, the system knew which events they were invited to. David's parents saw the RSVP for both the Tea Ceremony and the Reception. Our friends only saw the Reception RSVP. It prevented so many awkward conversations."
Q: What is your biggest piece of advice for couples planning a multicultural wedding?
Linh: "Don't feel pressured to do everything exactly 'by the book' for either culture. Pick the traditions that actually mean something to you, and discard the rest. We didn't do the traditional Vietnamese table-to-table drinking toasts (Chúc Rượu) because we hate being the center of attention like that. We didn't do a bouquet toss either. We just wanted to eat good food and talk to our friends. Be ruthless about cutting things that don't serve your vision."
Final Thoughts: The Magic of Bringing Worlds Together
By the time the final song played at 11:30 PM, the temperature in Da Lat had dropped, and guests were huddled under blankets provided by the couple, drinking hot tea and finishing the last of the wedding cake.
Linh and David's wedding is a masterclass in intentional planning. By using technology to seamlessly manage their guests' travel logistics, they freed themselves up to focus on the emotional weight of blending two lives, two families, and two cultures.
"Looking around that long table," David reflects, "seeing my dad from London trying to cheers in Vietnamese with Linh's uncle from Hanoi... that was the whole point. That's why we did it."
Plan Your Multicultural Masterpiece
Linh and David used Wedflip to manage their bilingual invitations, complex multi-event RSVPs, and international travel logistics.
If you are planning a wedding that spans multiple languages or requires guests to travel, stop relying on chaotic group chats. Build a beautiful, functional hub for your wedding that speaks everyone's language.
