Copacabana Through a Wedding Planner's Eyes

There are destinations that photographs simply cannot do justice to, and Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro, is certainly one of them.

As I stood atop a luxury rooftop overlooking the famous Copacabana coastline, I was immediately captivated by the scale and beauty of the landscape before me. The vast Atlantic Ocean stretched endlessly into the horizon while the gentle curve of the beach embraced the city below. In the distance, Rio's iconic mountains framed the coastline, creating a dramatic backdrop that felt almost cinematic.

As a wedding planner, I instinctively imagine how a space can be transformed into an unforgettable celebration. Looking across this spectacular view, I could already envision an elegant rooftop wedding set against the ocean's endless blue.

Imagine arriving for a sunset cocktail reception as the sea breeze drifts through the venue. Guests gather along the glass balustrades, taking in panoramic views of Copacabana Beach while sipping signature cocktails inspired by Brazil's vibrant culture. Every direction offers a postcard-perfect view, making the destination itself part of the wedding experience.

The beauty of a rooftop celebration in Copacabana lies in its effortless sophistication. Nature provides the décor. The ocean becomes the backdrop. The golden sunlight creates a natural glow that no ballroom lighting can replicate. As the sun slowly descends, the coastline transforms into shades of gold, amber, and soft blue, creating a romantic atmosphere that feels both luxurious and intimate.

For the wedding design, I envision a tropical tablescape inspired by the colours of Rio. Crisp linens, elegant glassware, soft candlelight, and lush tropical florals would complement rather than compete with the breathtaking surroundings. Every table would be positioned to allow guests uninterrupted views of the ocean, ensuring that every seat becomes the best seat in the house.

What makes destination weddings so memorable is the feeling they create. In Copacabana, guests are not simply attending a wedding—they are experiencing a destination. They wake up to ocean views, spend their days exploring Rio's vibrant culture, and gather in the evening to celebrate love against one of the most iconic coastlines in the world.

Standing there, watching the waves meet the shore below, I was reminded why I love creating destination weddings. The most beautiful celebrations are not defined solely by décor or luxury, but by the emotions evoked by the place itself. Copacabana offers exactly that—a sense of wonder, romance, and timeless elegance.

For couples dreaming of a tropical luxury wedding, Rio de Janeiro offers an extraordinary canvas upon which unforgettable memories can be created. And from this rooftop overlooking Copacabana, the possibilities feel endless.

Alin Anuar

Lead Wedding Planner

A Day in a Wedding Planner’s Life: Visiting the Iconic New York Public Library by Alin Anuar

There are certain places in the world that make you pause the moment you step inside. For me, the New York Public Library was one of them.

As a wedding planner, I am constantly looking at spaces not just as venues, but as stories waiting to happen. The architecture, the energy, the way the light enters a room… all of it matters. And honestly, the moment I walked into the library, I already imagined a bride in a custom kebaya walking through those grand halls.

Very me, right?

New York has always inspired me creatively. It is fast, iconic, timeless, and emotional all at once. But this visit felt different because I wasn’t just sightseeing. I was experiencing the venue through the eyes of a planner, designer, and storyteller.

The ceilings were breathtaking. The marble details felt regal without trying too hard. Every corner looked cinematic. I remember standing quietly for a moment and thinking, “A wedding here would feel like a modern fairytale.”

And naturally, my mind immediately went into planning mode.

“Cocktail reception here.”

“String quartet there.”

“Imagine a bride entering in a modern kebaya with dramatic draping.”

“Candles everywhere.”

That is honestly how my brain works every day.

One thing people do not always see about being a wedding planner is that inspiration becomes part of your lifestyle. Even when travelling, we are observing details, understanding flow, imagining guest experiences, and asking ourselves how we can turn a space into something deeply personal for a couple.

For me, weddings are not just events. They are emotions, culture, fashion, and storytelling combined together.

And of course, I could not leave without imagining how beautiful Asian heritage fashion would look in a venue like this. I kept picturing our brides wearing elegant kebayas against the classic New York architecture — traditional yet global, timeless yet modern.

That contrast excites me so much creatively.

As someone building Asian Atelier International moments like this remind me why I love what I do. It is never just about planning weddings. It is about creating experiences around the world while still honouring who we are and where we come from.

A little bit of New York.

A little bit of Asian elegance.

A little bit of magic.

And honestly… I cannot wait to create something here one day.

You can also see moments from my New York visit here:

[Instagram – Asian Atelier Weddings]

A Year of Growth, Love & Learning — 2025

2025 has been a year that truly changed me, both personally and professionally. What started with intimate micro weddings slowly grew into beautiful intercultural celebrations, and from there into unforgettable destination weddings. Each step brought new lessons, stronger passions, and deeper meaning to the work that I do.

This year took me across cities and cultures — learning traditions, understanding love stories from different backgrounds, and bringing those experiences back into every wedding we create. Every destination, every couple, and every culture has shaped the way we design and execute weddings today.

Because of the trust and love from our couples, we were humbled to be named among the 10 most sought-after wedding planners in Malaysia, Top 3 Intercultural Wedding Planners in Asia, and to receive the Most Recommended Wedding Planner in Asia award. These recognitions are not just titles — they are reminders of the responsibility we carry to serve our couples better.

The support and love we received this year have motivated me even more to grow, to learn, and to help couples experience their weddings in a way that feels truly meaningful and personal.

In 2026, we are excited to introduce our collaborative online wedding planning platform, along with more iconic and meaningful venues, all designed with one thing in mind — creating unforgettable experiences for both couples and their guests.

I want to thank my incredible team, who stands beside me every day, and every couple who trusted us with their most important moments. Your support has shaped everything we have built.

As a business, we will continue to support aspiring wedding planners and growing businesses, because we believe in rising together. We will also continue supporting animal shelters, and we are excited to expand our work and presence globally.

In 2026, we will be in New York City and Rio de Janeiro for our international wedding showcases — and we can’t wait to share what’s next.

Here’s to love, growth, and new beginnings.

Cheers to 2026.

Love,
Alin Anuar

Unveiling the Elegance: Crucial Aspects of Planning the Perfect Wedding

Planning a wedding is an intricate dance of dreams and details, where each element contributes to the grand symphony of love and celebration. As you embark on the journey, there are several crucial aspects to consider, ensuring that your special day unfolds seamlessly. Let’s delve into the 7 essentials that pave the way for a memorable wedding experience.

1. Venue & Catering

   Selecting the perfect venue sets the stage for your love story. Whether it’s an enchanting garden, a historic mansion, or a chic urban space, the venue reflects your style. Equally important is catering - imagine a culinary journey that tantalizes taste buds and complements the ambience.

2. Wedding Coordinator

   A wedding coordinator is the unsung hero behind the scenes, orchestrating every detail to perfection. From timelines to vendor coordination, they ensures your day unfolds effortlessly, allowing you to savor every moment.

3. Decorations

   Transforming your chosen venue into a dreamscape requires meticulous decoration. Flowers, lighting, and personalized touches create an atmosphere that mirrors your love story and captivates your guests.

4. Master of Ceremony

   The Master of Ceremony sets the tone, guiding the celebration with charm and charisma. Whether it’s a close friend or a professional, their role is pivotal in engaging guests and maintaining the flow of the event.

5. Entertainment

   From live bands to DJs, entertainment elevates the celebration. Choose music that resonates with your journey, and consider additional elements like photo booths or interactive activities to keep guests entertained.

6. Bridal and Groom’s Wear

   The attire worn by the couple is a visual expression of their unique style. Bridal gowns, groom’s suits, and styling choices contribute to the overall aesthetic, creating lasting memories in photographs and in the hearts of your guests.

7. Photography and Videography

   Capturing the essence of your wedding day is entrusted to skilled photographers and videographers. Their lenses immortalize the fleeting moments, allowing you to relive the magic for years to come.

   Keep in mind that specific details and customization options will depend on the wedding planner or service provider. It’s recommended to discuss your preferences and requirements in detail to tailor to your needs.

   Thanks for reading and sharing!

   Alin Anuar

   Asian Atelier Weddings

2020 - Reflect.

The year is almost coming to an end. It has been quite a journey with a lot of time to reflect and prepare for a better future. I have been kept busy focusing on giving back to the community.

We re-launched the free wedding training program with CPD ( Continual Professional Development) certification. I want to keep the spirit up and upskilling should be encouraged.

There has been little overseas travelling and weddings this year - but memorable ones I managed to do in Q1 will always be etched in my memory. Travelling in my beautiful country is amazing anyway and I came up with a more curated and intimate venues in Malaysia. I even bought a beachfront land that can be a wedding venue in the near future ( impulse purchase discussions in next blog.. haha) The locations and packages are available on our IG @asiantelier_weddings

On the bridalwear front, we are excited to work with aspiring young designers with amazing ideas that we will be showcasing early 2021. A little hint, think of a “lego” concept whereby the designs should be reusable, sustainable & able to create multi looks.

I have also acquired a larger workshop in Kuala Lumpur since I am not able to travel to our Jakarta hub. The new workshop will not only be for our bridal collection but it is able to cater for training and business opportunities for single-mothers and underserved women through the batik project that you can check out on our IG @asianatelier_chantiqskaly

On the personal front, I am spending more time with my loved ones and spent more time on my wellness business @thegoodkit.my that promotes jamu drink to boost the immune system & giving free online yoga classes that kept me connected with my family and friends during the lockdown.

All in all, it has not been all bad and definitely praying for a better years to come for us all.

Happy new year and stay safe everyone.

Ps: if you need any wedding advice, costing, sites - send me a note & I will be happy to help.

xx

alin anuar

Covid-19

Weddings are  currently being banned in many countries. In Malaysia, online solemnization has been introduced. How do we adapt to this new norm? It is unfortunate that such a happy event to gather loved ones to witness the joining of two souls does not fall under “essential services”.

But, life must go on. We are to pivot and make things work in the most complex situations. At Asian Atelier, we’ve worked on a standard operating procedures that will be implemented. There are 3 parts to this exercise and let me break it down as follows:

1. Event rules that covers the areas of concern - no of guests, communication pack, health and safety measures

2. Pre-wedding Preparation ( hiring of vendors, execution and rehearsal)

3.  On-day protocol and program

Let me go through this a little bit more - item 1:

The size of the invites should be limited to close families & friends. The no of invites will depend on the size of the venue as we have to follow the distance of 2 meters.   Once this has been determined, the invited guests will be given a communication pack to advice them on the mandatory protocol to follow such as wearing mask, sanitizing and to comply to the social distancing. The wedding venue will also have to be sanitized and health screening of the guests will be taken prior to admitting them into the venue. 

On Item 2:

We have to use video calls for vendor meetings, selection and even the rehearsal. there are many types of vendors and areas of expertise that would be typically hired for a wedding. However, we have to keep to the essentials such as decorator, videographer and photographer ( their role becomes very different now in the new norm which I will elaborate further) , caterer ( another strict protocol in food preparation ) and entertainers ( I will explain why)

The selected vendors will be given a schedule for installation and their specific tasks. It is critical for these matters to be handled by a wedding planner as it can get complicated. As I mentioned above, why do we need to care about the decoration, videographer/photographer , caterer and entertainers?  Simply because the venue will have to be designed in a way that it will create the ambience suitable for a wedding but with social distancing in mind - imagine a dias with a see through veil sort of thing to protect the couple. While the videographer and photographer may need to do live feed / live video on social media to update others that has been invited to attend the wedding virtually. While food preparation and presentation needs to follow the health and safety measures and lastly the entertainers would be able to cheer up the event which is otherwise can be a little bit too quiet.

The rehearsal may need to be orchestrated well with proper visuals like emulating a virtual reality through the video call.

Lastly, on the 3rd item:

This is critical for the wedding planner and coordinator to manage. We talked about sanitizing the venue and food handling. This is very important to be monitored by the wedding coordinator.  While at the entrance of the event, there will be a dedicated staff handling the health screening of the guests. The management of protocol and event flow will have to be mindful of the social distancing without making it too boring and that’s an important task of a wedding planner to be creative!

While we normally have special wedding favors and couples would receive gifts, it may require a bit of tweaking to this as to reduce contact on surfaces/things. So, it is still possible to think of favor ideas that would be given virtually like an e-thank you vouchers. While guests can opt to gift cash through bank transfers.

In summary we can still have a small wedding party and do the essentials but what if the family is to big to limit? Like we would see in Malay families? I would advice considering staggered sessions which limits the  size and time spent per cluster.

At Asian Atelier, we are always looking at ways to make it work and post the ban we will resume business with the new norm. I look forward to work with the families and couples again and oh how I miss the planning of weddings. If you need to get in touch with us, feel free to schedule the video consultation. Just click on the appointment link and we can set a time and date to meet.

If you follow us on @asianatelier_weddings instagram, watch us LIVE on Sundays to discuss on the new norm with our selected vendors to offer some insights and ideas for future weddings.

Take care now and stay safe !

xoxo

alin anuar

Guest Management

Closing 2019 with sweet memories of the wedding we had the pleasure of planning & coordinating is of a Malaysian actress and celebrity, Nadia Brian & Muizz Nasruddin.

Two events in one day with a huge entourage of vendors to manage & a total of 2,100 guests is by far one of the largest wedding we have done this year. Kudos to my A team who worked tirelessly to put it together.

At every wedding we do, I like to take the learnings for future progress. The wedding had a large number of guests and with over 100 media presence to manage & coordinate as smoothly as possible. To that point, we prepared well & introduced a new check-in system with our technology partner. We had successfully seated a total of 1,600 guests for the reception within 30 minutes! Guest management system is critical & a professional to assist is definitely recommended. For 2020, I am happy to announce that the new service will be introduced and becomes part of our wedding services catalog. The service will make Asian Atelier Weddings a complete one stop wedding planning & coordinator company.

Thank you to the couple and families for trusting us to be the wedding planner & the opportunity to learn and grow. Congratulations on your union and wishing you the happiest journey together!

xx

Alin Anuar

PrettyME

I wished someone would have told me this before my big day:

1. Healthy skin and hair is the key to a glowing bride. Not covering with makeup and certainly not by coloring my hair.

2. Stress gets in the head and the whole wedding jitters and bridezilla moments ARE REAL.

3. Drink a lot of water and exercise (seriously) - the breakouts and dry skin is due to poor eating habits that you tend to practice when planning the wedding.

4. Don’t try to do everything yourself - delegate. Or else, the sleepless nights will cause serious eyebags!

So, ladies hear me out.. I don’t have the magic pill but I do think I cracked the code. The routine I started introducing to brides:

1. Every breakfast drink a small water bottle (500ml) and subsequently, the same amount of water for lunch & dinner.

2. After the 500ml water in the morning, chill a little then do a quick yoga sun salutation for 10mins to warm up the body for better blood flow.

3. After the yoga, apply honey mask to face & the tip of the hair for 15 minutes (rosewater compress for the under eye would be an added bonus)

4. Twice a month after work, prepare a hot salt bath to de-stress & relieve those muscle aches. Add some rose petals to the bath for aura cleansing which is a tradition in the malay culture for that special bridal glow.

That’s all it takes, really simple! I have been religiously doing the above routine for the last 2 years &I am real happy with the outcome (ps: turning 40 this year and I just want that “bridal glow” please)

So recently, I decided to launch a skincare line that is aligned to the bridal business I am in and what I have tried /tested on myself. Checkout my wellness instagram for bridal beauty solutions that is handmade and of natural products for bride-to-be.  On top of that, some good read on the benefits of honey and salt bath here.

BAEBEEGLO BRIDAL KIT

STAYLIT KIT

Love to hear what you think. Sending lots of love from Kuala Lumpur.

xx

Alin Anuar

Heirloom

An heirloom is a valuable object that has belonged to a family for several generations. I simply love heirlooms’ and particularly jewelry because it is just beautiful!

In South East Asia, wedding jewelry is important as a sign of beauty and esteem. But the culture is slowly fading.. almost forgotten. Some brides would leave it to the parents to decide & most often it clashes with the wedding dress design & color. You could either be proactive and discuss in advance with the family as it can be a delicate matter or propose that you will start designing a special piece to be worn on the day.

As I work with brides in styling and preparing for the wedding, I came up with the idea of designing the bridal jewelry with traditional intricacy to match with the bridal kebaya. For the first collection, I went for the important piece and that is the “subang” ( in english - stud earrings) inspired by my grandmother’s and a pearl subang with vintage filigree.

The subang actually works well with any modern or traditional bridal dress. This classic piece of jewelry worn on your wedding can be shared in the family for several generations and creating your very own heirloom.

I advocate on keeping with the tradition and with a little tweak, making it relevant in today’s world. So, design your own jewelry that would work with your attire/theme & everything from head to toe is well put together on your big day.

Special tip: If you want to get the real vintage jewelry, I used to scout around small- town - jewelry shops in Malaysia to find the authentic vintage jewelry. Something like what my grandmother used to wear.

xx

Alin Anuar

Concierge Seamstress

Many of our clients had been requesting for us to come to their home or office for bridal fittings and alterations . I had been looking into the request and really excited to announce that, YES! We can do this now. There will be no additional charge to this service and it is our way of saying THANK YOU for trusting in us.

Effective on 1st February 2019, the Atelier will offer the concierge seamstress service to your office or home. Our services include tailoring, fitting & delivery of bridal and custom attire (office wear included)

Book your appointment through the website and we look forward to serve you.

Spread the words!

xx

Alin Anuar

She has a certain je ne sais quoi

My journey as a bridal designer and planner has helped me learnt the art of listening. I  envision how they want to look like on their big day over casual chats and let my imagination run free. Recently, I met up with a young lady I had known since she was about 7 years old.

Today, she has blossomed into a beautiful young woman and ready to wed next summer in Sweden. There was a certain je ne sais quoi about her.. something truly effortless and beautiful. I knew immediately after listening to her story that I would call her the "parisian bride"

On being a parisian bride and here I am trying to sum it up into 4 points... In the way I think would resonate well with someone who appreciates beauty in the most natural form:

~ Less makeup & natural radiant skin

~ Comfortable & flowy gown/dresses ( no corsets and go bra less!)

~ Clean hairdo ( not too much hairspray please)

~ Simple and yet elegant veil

I continued my discussion with her and my mind was already preparing the mental moodboard on the dress cut, the material, the color and the antique lace trimmings.

As soon as we ended our meeting, I returned to my office and started my work on the moodboard and sent it across for her confirmation & she said " I'm so happy you got me!"  

Voila! We shall start our journey to put together the parisian bridal look that she has always dreamt of. 

As my mood continues to "feel" the energy of a parisian bride, we were presented with the royal wedding of Prince Harry & Meghan Markle 3 weeks later. It was an event that I was waiting for as I was wondering what she would wear & to my excitement, she was to me what I would call a parisian bridal look! The exact definition that I was trying to sum up in the above 4 points I mentioned and is it truly one of the most beautiful bridal look. 

I will continue my work on the parisian bridal look and I believe this is definitely going to stay.. We are moving into the era of minimalism and effortless beauty. It is so fresh and so evergreen to just have that certain je ne sais quio in you on your big day!