Earlier this year I had the amazing opportunity to travel to Hong Kong as part of my TABAsiaHoneymoons trip to highlight Hong Kong and Tokyo as top honeymoon destinations especially for American couples. Although the focus was meant to be on honeymoons, I can’t resist sharing wedding details as well! For the first part of my trip, I was hosted by the InterContinental Hong Kong, a gorgeous five star hotel that sits on the Kowloon Penninsula and offers uninterrupted views of Victoria Harbor and neighboring Hong Kong island across the bay. But what really resonated with me about this gorgeous hotel was its back story.
The InterContinental Hong Kong is a hotel where the architecture and decor are designed with strict adherence to Feng Shui. Although a focus on luck and fortune are not unique to Hong Kong, if you are at all familiar with many Eastern cultures you’ll know that the dragon is considered an especially lucky symbol and is a water animal (unlike in the West where dragons bring misfortune and are land animals). And as it relates to Hong Kong, mythology says that the famed city is surrounded by the nine dragons of Kowloon who come down from the mountains every day to bathe and drink in Victoria Harbour. And depending on the location of your building, their path to the harbor can bring luck or misfortune.
The hotel is perfectly situated with a strategically placed fountain in front of the all glass lobby that was designed to attract the dragons and not impede their path. This creates a positive flow of “Chi” that ensures prosperity and good feng shui for not only the hotel but its guests. The dragons enter every day past the fountains and travel through the all glass lobby – touching the reception desk and dropping off some of their wealth – on their way to the bay through the floor to ceiling windows. This attention to feng shui also makes the InterContinental Hong Kong one of the most popular and auspicious wedding venues for local and destination bridal couples. To further ensure good fortune, the wedding team provides a calendar with days highlighted for bridal couples that outline the luckiest days for their nuptials. And as a side bar, this is quite common in Asia as my own wedding in Tokyo was selected for a lucky day using an auspicious calendar.
The InterContinental Hong Kong boasts a dedicated wedding team that will focus on all aspects of planning your big day from catering to entertainment, floral arrangements, invitations and several “day of” components. The hotel offers a diverse array of harbourview function rooms that can accommodate up to 200 guests for a full sit down reception and a breathtaking staircase to create the perfect grand entrance. But they also feature three signature terrace view suites for more intimate affairs. I had the opportunity to tour their Presidential suite – a 7000 square foot two story townhouse – which features a full patio with a pool and several interior private rooms to hold a ceremony and reception.
An added feature of the InterContinental Hong Kong is that their in-house restaurant NOBU can also cater wedding receptions with a Japanese themed wedding menu. Or, if the couple prefers, they can pick from two other in-house restaurants including the 2-Michelin star Yan Toh Heen. And to make wedding planning easier, the InterContinental offers a wide array of packages to suit your needs. Whether you’re hosting a large wedding party or something far more intimate and want to pick a more unique locale, the InterContinental Hong Kong should be at the top of your list.
For more details on the InterContinental Hong Kong whether to stay as a just a guest or for weddings or vow renewals, visit
www.hongkong-ic.intercontinental.com
or follow them on Instagram @interconhk
The Anti Bridezilla 