Meet Christine Chang

Today we’d like to introduce you to Christine Chang.

Hi Christine, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I am a wedding planner and an actress!

I think both of the careers (wedding planning and acting) found me. As for wedding planning, it was a combination of things that led me into this role 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 in my early 20’s I 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 FOH staff 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 working 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 day dreamed 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.

As for acting, I was working with a couple re-planning their wedding that got postponed and canceled due to the pandemic. The hustle began immediately since they wanted to get married sooner than later since their family members were waiting years for them to be wed. However, Chris the groom also happened to be a writer, director and producer. He took our real-life experience and was inspired to write a script on the life and process of how Asian American weddings are planned! The wedding planner in the story was based on my character and Chris asked me if I would like to audition for it. Although I didn’t have much experience, I gave it a try and got the part! This also happened very organically and being able to be a part of this project was just as creative and filling as planning a wedding. I can’t wait for more opportunities to come!

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I don’t think anything in life is ever smooth. As for wedding planning, a company that started with 3 of us is now just myself. So the workload that used to be shared was now a challenge for me to perform as a single person. Transitions to the company will happen again and again so it’s up to me to evolve and endure learning curves. As for acting, it’s a new path that I am taking that will of course come with its own challenges. However, I welcome the challenges and struggles. A great success story is never told without the heartaches of stones being thrown at them during the journey. And I hope to one day tell my success story.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I was born and raised in Koreatown, Los Angeles. After graduating from the University of California, San Diego with a degree in fine arts, I became an Event Director, organizing multiple events at a variety of popular Los Angeles venues. Later, I began developing an interest in wedding planning. What started as merely a passion project transformed into a career! My event background gave me the experience and knowledge to help my clients get the best out of their venues and vendors. This led to the creation of my company, Live Love Create Events in 2009. In addition to Western wedding planning, we help those with Asian roots re-discover their traditions and culture on their wedding day with tea ceremonies (paebaek). Over the last decade, the LLC team and I have helped execute hundreds of beautiful events.

In addition to the role I play making brides dreams come true, I have now transitioned into the world of acting playing none other than a wedding planner in the upcoming Amazon film “The Wedding Hustler”.

Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
Any career path will be hard. You will fail along the way an endless amount of times but the key is to not be daunted by that. Failure is natural and if you don’t fail, you never even tried. And with each so-called failure, you evaluate what you could have done better and get up and be better. That is the soundest way to success. Know that if you have a passion and a drive, you will do anything in your power to make things work. However, one of the most important things to remember is that things are not just given to you. You have to work hard at your passion and sometimes hold jobs and work on projects that you are not passionate about at the moment. However, know that your current status is a stepping stone to where you want to go. You are not better or lower than any job or project out there. You do it with your whole heart and things will come your way. Also, staying grounded, humble and grateful to your passion will excel you.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://livelovecreateevents.com/
• Instagram: @christineschang and @livelovecreate

Image Credits
@madisonemilyharephoto @Erinkimphoto @arawcollection @kategarciaweddings