Christine Chang Talks About Her Wedding Planning And Acting Role In ‘The Wedding Hustler’

What a double threat!

Known for the iconic weddings that she has planned, Christine is now making her mark in the entertainment industry. On February 7th, she will make her movie debut in the film ‘The Wedding Hustler’.

We had the amazing honor of talking with Christine about planning a wedding for her dream couple, and more!

What started your passion for wedding planning? Was this something you always wanted to do?

C: “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 to work with other companies as an event planner. 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 learned working in the service industry to plan, design, and execute my couple’s dream weddings. Live.Love.Create Events was born in 2009 and our team continues to push ourselves to bring our couple’s wedding visions to life.”

How has wedding planning challenged you, Creatively speaking.

C: “Wedding planning for myself is a balance of art and budget. Having an art background makes creating/designing a wedding easy, however, the hard part is trying to figure out how to deliver this in real life on a given budget. There are many times I come up with a design where quotes for deliverables will be out of means and we have to revisit the design over and over again. We have to get creative/scrappy on where we cut down or glam up to make the vision come to life. And scrappy I am! I’ve thrown myself into situations like staying up all night to hand-make custom stationary- gluing pressed dried flowers to 100 menus. All for the vision because it was going to make a difference.”

What has been your favorite wedding you planned and why?

C: “The favorite weddings I’ve planned are the ones where the couple really goes 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 into 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.”

As we all know, you planned Kalianne and Chase Mattson’s beautiful wedding. Can you tell us more about the behind-the-scenes of the wedding planning and what creative inspirations you had?

C: “They were my dream couple! They didn’t get lost in the nitty gritty dilemmas of choosing color palettes or linen textures but instead on feelings/vibes. They had 2 visions in mind: “It’s about us and the love we have for our family and friends.” The entire design/plans for the wedding were based on feelings and the emotions they wanted to feel on the day of. For instance, Chase wanted Kelianne’s walk down the aisle to be monumental. He did not want any distractions and wanted his eyesight to just be focused on her. A moment he wanted to remember forever. So, we decided on a door frame to adorn with flowers where she can be hidden before that grand reveal down the aisle would be breathtaking. If you haven’t seen his reaction yet, please do! He fell into happy tears seeing her for that moment as she took her steps toward him to become his wife. It was EPIC and the most amazing moment I’ve seen.”

Congratulations on landing “ The Wedding Hustlers ” which is premiering February 7th on Amazon and opening in select US theaters on 1/20/23-1/27/23! Tell us more about your role in the movie.

C: “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 (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.”

Being a part of a movie that has an all-Asian cast, what does that mean for you? Does it make you feel proud?

C: “Extremely proud and honored! A moment in history were seeing an all Asian cast is normalized. As a minority, we are always fighting for our voices to be heard and our stories to be told. To be able to share with the world our very normal lives as an Asian American 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 Asians on film.”

Knowing that you are a wedding planner in real life, you are also a wedding planner in the movie! How did that feel? Did your role come naturally to you?

C: “It felt surreal to play the role as a wedding planner in the film. Sometimes pure brain confusion between reality and not because it was all so emotional for me. I didn’t really have to act the part because I was the part. Therefore, being a real wedding planner in real life definitely helped with the role. The lines were memorized more naturally because they are things I would say in real life. However, there are moments/scenes that weren’t natural for me (such as fictional character scenarios) that I really had to study for. Overall, the whole experience was challenging and fun at the same time.”

Is acting something you want to pursue more?

C: “Yes! I fell in love with the art of acting. When given the role, I took the role extremely seriously and went to work studying with an acting coach for months to prepare myself for filming. The study behind the craft was intense and a completely different challenge than what I face in my current role as a wedding designer. Wedding designs require an art skill in the tangible world, however, acting requires an art skill in the emotional world. Extremely interesting to me and something I will dive further into.”

What message do you want to send to people who want to start wedding planning or have their own event business?

C: “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!”

Do you have anything new and exciting planned for 2023?

C: “Hopefully more opportunities to play roles to bring APPI stories to the screen!”

Christine stars in ‘The Wedding Hustler’, available on February 7th!

Bryana Medina– Celebrity/Entertainment Reporter- Bryana Medina recently graduated from California State University Dominguez Hills where she got her bachelor’s degree in Journalism.  As a journalist, she collected skills like public speaking, broadcasting, and mass media. She has planned on making a difference in the media industry by using her voice and expertise.