CNN
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There’s a photo of my mother on her wedding day that I love. She’s sipping soda and laughing with relatives at my parent’s Chinese banquet, looking radiant in her evening gown: a strapless, mandarin orange dress that puffs out towards the floor, princess-style. A classic pillbox hat sits poised over her trimmed bob; a sheer shawl drapes over her delicate arms. It’s a striking and unusual look for a Hong Kong bride in the 1980s.
Inspired by Western haute couture, she designed her wedding gowns (in Chinese weddings, the bride wears several outfits), hiring a neighbor who was a seamstress to help sew. “We didn’t have money for new dresses and I wanted something special that…
