Lesser has been done for fantasy worlds. But in Jacqueline Tien Nguyen‘s eyes, her three-part wedding spanning the cities of Ho Chi Minh and Danang in Vietnam was the collective dream for both herself and her partner, Justin Cohen, whom she tied the knot with back in December.
Right from the beginning, it had always felt like the two were a tag team; constants in one another’s lives in some sort of way, as friends first, then lovers. “Justin had always been my older brother’s friend but we all became really close after I returned home from London. I never thought anything about it, but one day we just started hanging out more, got closer, and he confessed his love.” And it’s all made sense for Nguyen since.
Romance came easy for the two, but the proposal was, in Nguyen’s eyes, the most romantic thing anyone had ever done for her. Staged as a brand’s event over the course of Paris Fashion Week, Cohen took care of the whole shebang, from setting up a fairy tale dress code to asking for her dad’s approval in advance. Putting on her business woman hat as the founder of luxury fashion distributor DAFC Fashion in Vietnam, Nguyen was under the impression this last-minute event was a work appointment. “I was really confused. But it clicked when my assistant told me to just enter the room and I saw a cameraman. The room was filled with red roses and candles, and he had prepared a whole speech. I had thought he was on a work trip the whole time,” she recalls.
One can say the planning kicked off instantly. Within hours, Nguyen had misplaced her ring (found well within time) and also visited a bridal boutique whilst in Paris. “I had booked the appointment to visit even before I knew I was getting proposed to. It was just serendipity.”
But the real work only began six months out. Something private, for them and their loved ones, and something of a bigger scale in Ho Chi Minh, for the party people they are. “We love seeing people have a good time and enjoying the little things we prepared. And I knew my mum wanted to be involved as well. Every single person we knew was there. My real estate agent was there, even my pet’s vet was there!”
But perhaps it started off in the best way: with the tea ceremony for just family, held at her father’s house, where she grew up. “It’s a tradition to go to the bride’s house and bring trays of different things. It’s for the men to show that they have the capability to take care of a family’s daughter. But that was probably the most emotional of the three events, because my parents are very traditional in that way. We made our speeches to them and everyone cried.”
A touching moment it was, but it was underscored by a lovelier stroke of whimsy: their wedding attire. For Nguyen, it was important that things were in line with traditional Vietnamese bridal customs. Using lotuses as the main symbol—with its strong ties to Vietnam—the couple wanted to have their attire and her customary áo dài designed in lotus silk too. To achieve the intended effect, Nguyen travelled to Hanoi to have her lotus silk specially handmade by an experienced artisan Phan Thị Thuận. “We got to witness her whole process, right from her pulling apart the lotus stem,” she explains. The silk then travelled home to Ho Chi Minh with her, and Minh Hạnh, a trusted embroidery artist in Vietnam, was left to create the magic of her áo dài and headpiece. “She was initially hesitant to share it with us, so it felt extra special that she decided to share it with us.”
In contrast to the dogged, intimate approach of her tea ceremony attire, the search for her evening gown catalysed a whole other adventure. Dress after dress she tried, but nothing felt right for the scintillating affair of her 750-strong wedding party. Not till her make-up artist in London, Kelvin, chanced upon a dress that he knew she would love. “The wedding was three weeks away, and I wouldn’t have time to try it. I just saw it and loved it immediately. So Kelvin took care of everything and transported it to Vietnam. It was the heaviest thing I’ve ever worn.”
As for the piece de resistance? There was perhaps nothing like the custom Miss Sohee couture gown finalised which only began being put into motion two months out. It was fairly unheard of, to get a custom gown done in such a short span of time, but when Sohee jumped onto a call with Nguyen, the stars began clicking into place. “She told me I was her most detailed client ever, with my sketch and drawing, and even materials in mind. She said “You know exactly what you want, so I’ll do it for you. Let’s do this.”
And leave it to Miss Sohee to bring dreams to life. With fittings to do and a few final details needing tweaking, the back and forth resulted in her dress only arriving the night before the wedding. Nguyen was clearly no stress-free bride, but it was clearly worth her time, to walk down the aisle in Danang with the dress of her dreams—to meet the man who worked on everything with her, and stayed right by her side.
“Justin was heavily involved, and we aligned on every single detail and every single thing. It meaned a lot to us that we were preparing for it and going through all that together,” she adds. At the Intercontinental in Danang, all their hard work came to fruition. What began as something pristine, heavenly and doused in white, slowly shifted into something moodier and filled with personality—an enactment of the duo’s fun-loving personalities. “We had a wall of moving picture frames because I love Harry Potter and each of our guests’ names were tagged to mini Moet champagne bottles, so they could find their seats,” she describes.
But once you stepped inside? The fantasy came to life. Working with Justin’s friend, who was a 3D designer, the interiors were completely transportive. “I love transformations. I love fantasy worlds. I just wanted it to be like an escape—to a different place. It was like a castle with stars effused with beautiful scenery. Everyone loved it.”
And talking to Nguyen, it’s not hard to see why. To pull off three entire wedding events was no small feat, especially when you’re the bride. Even then, it was filled with a desire for all their guests to have a good time. “All the heartfelt romance, all the emotions, we can keep that to ourselves—in private. But what really made us happy was seeing people so happy too. Everyone was just being present with us.”
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The golden hour did it's thing, Messika did the rest of the sparkling
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For our wedding shoot, we decided to try something new and bold with a vintage bob, wearing custom Montsand
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Fun fact: after this shoot, the dress went back to London for final touches and flew back to Danang the night before the wedding. Slightly stressful but so worth it!
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A bespoke áo dài embroidered by Minh Hạnh, with fabric handmade from thousands of lotus stems by artisan Phan Thị Thuận. Hundreds of hours of craftsmanship went into this piece. I wore it with pride, carrying so much art and heritage with me
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Final touch-ups. Quiet moments I’ll always remember
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All my girls beside me in their custom elegant áo dài. That meant everything
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Moments before the tea ceremony began—where my side of the family was waiting to welcome the groom and his family in. You could feel the nerves
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Exchanging rings in front of our ancestral alter, and family around us, Sacred and grounding
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Justin’s family came all the way from Canada, and we had áo dài custom-made for each of them. The preparation was part of what made it so special
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Serving tea to all our close relatives—a simple gesture that carries so much meaning
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I think they won best dressed, for the cutest little áo dài!
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Ong Ba and Má (Dad and Mum) right before sending me off. I promised myself I wouldn’t cry. That lasted about 10 seconds
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We wanted the decor to be very traditional with natural Vietnamese materials, using lotus as the main flower. Grateful to Kye and team for everything
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The groom with his groomsman, all looking dapper in matching Louboutin and Santoni
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My parents came out for a last greeting before sending us off to our own home! Bittersweet moment
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The tea ceremony car send-off was bittersweet. A real “this is happening” moment
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Our welcome reception area, a vintage Garden of Eden dream. It was surreal seeing our months of preparation came to life
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Thousands of crystals. The weight of it all—literally and emotionally
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Yes, I might have worn platform sneakers underneath. Who’s gonna know!
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The wedding wouldn’t have been complete without our guest of honour. She had her own grand entrance in a custom gold vehicle, dressed in white—introducing Miss Potato, our tiny poodle
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The room filled with guests, the anticipation, the corset, the veil, the adrenaline but seeing Justin on the end of the aisle somehow made everything calmer
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For a second, it felt like it was just the two of us
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A full orchestra playing 'Viva La Vida' while we walked down together. Pure adrenaline and joy
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We needed a harp, but it had to be playing pop songs. Garden of Eden but make it more us
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I’m still in awe of the details on The Atelier couture gown by Prof. Jimmy Choo—it’s more than I ever imagined for myself. Huge love to my London glam team for turning it into reality
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Driving off in our vintage car, just the two of us. Mountains, ocean, and finally a moment to process everything that just happened
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Cake cutting and champagne pouring to start the reception!
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We made it! Proud I made it down the aisle with a bouquet that weighed four kilograms and a gown full of crystals without falling.
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Ho Chi Minh wedding done! Husband in arms, Custom Chung Thanh Phong mini dress draped in pearls, my favourite dancing Louboutins, and we’re ready for the afterparty!
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It had been storming all week, but come wedding day, we woke up to a bright sun with clear sky. Blessed and so grateful!
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Danang felt different—smaller, more intimate, more relaxed. And effortlessly flowing in my custom Miss Sohee
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Getting ready in my custom robe made by Daphale gifted by my bridesmaid
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Catching the sunset in my family backyard wearing my dream wedding dress, custom couture by Miss Sohee
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Old Hollywood glam. Our guests delivered. The months of planning suddenly felt very real
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Just a few faces from my glam team. Missing many more, but these were my behind-the-scenes angels who made the whole journey feel lighter and more special
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Justin would much rather be behind the camera than in front of it… but I have to say, he makes it look effortless
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Pure love with my best bridesmaids
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Exchanging our vows with just family and close friends felt comforting and peaceful—especially since we’re both a little shy with holding the mic!
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Danang reception dinner in custom couture by Sabina Bilenko. Toasts, laughter, and then the party
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