Designing big days

Inspiring entrepreneurs

Qian, who earned a university degree in finance, founded Ice Wedding in 2015. She took courses at the wedding-planning institute in 2017.

She has four stores in Zhejiang province's Wenzhou and Dubai. The flagship store in Wenzhou received about 60 orders a month.

She has received many moving thank-you letters from clients, including one longer than 1,000 words, she says.

One client wrote: "Your passion, hard work and positive attitude showed us the beauty of pursuing dreams."

She recalls planning a wedding for a bride who worked in New York and a groom who lived in Shanghai. They'd spent years apart before getting married.

Her team incorporated the skylines of both cities, including the Brooklyn Bridge and the Oriental Pearl Tower, in the decoration to tell their story visually.

Another couple met at a debate competition and first expressed their love under the stars. This inspired the team to decorate using castles and the cosmos as motifs.

"The greatest pressure for a planner is to ensure everything goes smoothly," she says. "The couple won't get a second chance."

Most of Qian's clients were born after 1990 and appreciate customized weddings.

She has learned how to predict their preferences based on their personalities.

"If a bride demands, 'Show me this!', I may recommend bold colors. If she gently asks her husband, 'Darling, which do you think is better?' I suggest pink and princess-related elements."

Her success led her alma mater, Wenzhou University, to ask her to perform a group wedding for 12 alumni couples in May.