CHRISTINE CHANG — A BOOK OF MAGAZINE

Hi Christine, tell us a bit about yourself and how you got started in wedding planning.

I was born and raised in Koreatown, Los Angeles and graduated from the University of California, San Diego with a degree in fine arts. I feel like my passion for wedding planning derived from a combination of things and it all happened organically. I grew up trained in fine arts and as many know, art/painting can only get you so far, so while I was practicing art in my early 20's I also worked in the service industry as a server for many years to make ends meet. The company I worked for saw me hustling hard as just a server and eventually asked me to train other staff members for events that were being held at the restaurant. Being the lead server/host for the small events at the restaurant led me to bigger off-site events and then to a job offer working with other companies as an Event Director. However, being a corporate planner never really filled my cup. I wanted something more creative, hence diving into the world of weddings. A daydreamed of that requires attention to detail, aesthetics and design that represents the couple that is to be wed. Anyone can plan something and be meticulous about logistics, however, I brought a bit more to the table having an art background. I combined my love of arts with the skillsets I learned working in the service industry to plan, design, and execute my couples dream weddings. Live.Love.Create Events was born in 2009 and our team continues to push ourselves to bring our couples wedding visions to life.

Tell us more about your character in the movie, The Wedding Hustler and what we can expect to see.

My role is the wedding planner in the film! A real-life character comes to life on screen. You can see me as the spicy Asian version of JLO from “the wedding planner.” The wedding planner in this film (aka: the wedding hustler) helps plan a surprise wedding with a groom that is low on his luck and funds. A funny romcom following the duo coming up with a plan to make one bride’s dream wedding come true.

Out of all the 500+ weddings that you and your company have planned, what’s your most memorable one to date?

The favorite weddings I’ve planned are the ones where the couple really go to lengths to bring culture and traditions into the day. For a lot of my Asian American couples, they incorporate tea ceremonies. It's a beautiful tradition where the newlyweds bow and serve their parents and elders tea as a sign of gratitude. I also love weddings where couples from different cultures will incorporate their traditions to the day to make their wedding unique and one of a kind. For instance, we helped a Korean American and Jewish-American couple get married under a Chuppah during the ceremony, then have a Korean tea ceremony (Paebaek) during cocktail hour and conclude with a Western American reception dinner. We, after all, live in a melting pot of so many different cultures and to see them come together during a wedding is one of the most amazing sights.

What’s the most challenging part about being a wedding planner?

The most challenging part of being a wedding planner is working with different emotions from the couple. Because it happens to be one of the most important days of one’s life, you can only imagine the stress our couples go through. I’m no therapist/counselor but at times I feel like I am because we spend a lot of time talking and chatting about the day and its importance. Most of the time it's a joyous worry for the day to go perfectly but sometimes it’s anxiety from the pressure that comes with marriage that we have to help calm down. However, whatever the case, we are happy to hold their hand through the process and come out on the other side with happy newlyweds.

Unforeseen circumstances and setbacks happen all the time in weddings, how do you keep yourself motivated and positive and overcome the challenges?

Listen, Learn, and Evolve. Life itself will present you with so many unforeseen circumstances and it’s no different with weddings and the business that comes with it. At the start of the pandemic, it was a major setback for us since all events were canceled and we had no business. So, we had to evolve and make a business that was going to service the unexpected. We quickly adapted to planning virtual and small backyard weddings to styling wedding/milestone photoshoots instead of planning big events.

I feel even without setbacks, I’m just a scrappy person that likes challenges so staying motivated and positive about things isn’t necessarily out of the norm. Yes, I do get tired at times since I’m human after all, but because I see all this as a form of art, there isn’t a day where I’m not truly enjoying what I’m doing.

What’s the most rewarding thing about your job?

Knowing we helped bring a couple's most special milestone event to life. It brings me so much joy seeing the happy couple dance and celebrate with their loved ones at the end of the night.

What’s the proudest moment of your career so far?

My proudest moment is playing a lead role as a wedding planner in the upcoming movie “The Wedding Hustler.” A moment in history where seeing an all-Asian cast on screen is normalized. As minorities, we are always fighting for our voices to be heard and our stories to be told. And to be able to share with the world our very normal lives as Asian Americans going through the same joyous pains of planning a wedding that everyone else goes through is amazing. I hope that this film brings more awareness to the very normal lives of Asian Americans on film.

What inspires you?

Everything! I’m that person that sees a unique piece of furniture in the background of a scene from a reality show and gets inspired to design and build my next photoshoot set from it. Also, a huge inspiration is seeing peers work, grind and deliver their craft. A win for them makes me feel elated for their success and inspires me to keep going as well.

What’s the best advice you can give to those that are interested in a career in wedding planning?

Time, persistence, and patience! Things really don’t happen overnight but if you keep learning and evolving your craft, your business will blossom. There is so much room for art out there so if you’d like to become a wedding planner, keep at it!

What’s your ultimate goal?

To continue helping happy couples get married and to have more opportunities to play roles in bringing APPI stories to screen!

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