happy new year to all my clients who celebrate the lunar new year! i really enjoy exploring cultural traditions with my camera. the vibrant colors are so fun. probably why i always love photographing chinese weddings and tea ceremonies! there can never be too much red and gold!
and last but not least, ronald mcdonald tries so hard to look happy but to me he looks quite sad!
新年快乐
i always love having opportunity of shooting cultural weddings. i met with charlotte last year and was so excited to be hired to photograph her and mike’s wedding. earlier this year i photographed charlotte and mike’s engagement shoot, and since charlotte and mike travel frequently for work, we did a lot of communication via email regarding the details of the wedding day and her photography plans and ideas. in addition to wedding-related chatter, charlotte, being a foodie, she gave me some great tips on where to find true Québécois poutine made with real cheese curds.
charlotte is from singapore and her family spoke mandarin, while mike’s family spoke cantonese. i love being able to document cultural and family traditions, and this wedding in particular had some especially fun parts to photograph. i witnessed some hilarious games and a pretty tea ceremony which happened before the traditional style wedding ceremony that i am used to. before tea, the groom was quizzed by bride’s friends and family and had to partake in humorous demands before the mother of the bride released her daughter to the groom.
i asked charlotte about some of the details of her wedding day and she said:
The Chinese tea ceremony was requested by my mom. Basically it is a way for us to thank our families for raising us. The groom comes to the bride’s house to collect the bride. But the bride’s friends and family will try and block the groom and his men. The groom will have to go a series of games to prove his love for the bride. At the end, the girls will negotiate a price for the bride. Usually the number ends in 99. So $299, $399, etc.
When the groom claims the bride, they are supposed to go to the groom’s family to do the tea ceremony. Then they return to the bride’s family to do the tea ceremony. We did it all in the same room to save time!
Mike and I are so laid back, so we wanted fun pictures. Mike requested the lakefront shots and I like indoor shots and vintage looking locales, so Union Station was awesome! I love the look and feel of your photos! Very different from the others I have seen and very imaginative! That was ultimately the reason why we picked you!
after their wedding, the bride and groom headed to Curaçao for their honeymoon where they went to explore the island’s shores via scuba diving.
婚礼摄影师在芝加哥
中文和粤语的新娘和新郎
charlotte purchased adorable containers for the wedding rings which were enscribed with to have and to hold.
the bride’s mother watched over over the groom during some lighthearted games
the groom answered questions regarding his new bride
mike and char were a very easy-going couple – they joked around a lot and had a blast all day!
two families came together during a tea ceremony overlooking famous michigan avenue. they had one of the best hotel suites i have ever photographed in.
charlotte takes tea to present to the families.
i heard someone mutter that some of the tea had some wasabi in it!
the groom leaves the room before the bride changes into a white wedding gown.
simple bouquet of flowers to match a simple elegant dress.
the groom waits in the hotel lobby for a scheduled “first look” as the bride descended down a grand glowing staircase.
we took a limo to museum campus and played a little game of trust over lake michigan.
the chicago skyline is in the distance as the groom holds on tight to his bride.
charlotte forgot the disposable adhesive heating pads in her hotel room to keep her bridesmaids warm for outdoor photos so we went to union station after museum campus. she had prepared for inclement weather by buying a photo permit in advance for union station so that we would have no issues if we needed to use the location as a setting for her wedding photos.
the groom looked dapper don’t you think?
the groom looked dapper, don’t you think?
we wrapped up our 90 minute photo shoot by heading back to michigan ave and the bride and groom were cuffed by a chicago cop (all in good fun of course!).
the newlyweds had beautiful rings which i photographed on the stem of a tulip.
cocktail hour…
what a cute nephew and a proud father!
here are some of the wedding reception details including favors, cupcake centerpieces, and an overall theme of red – the color of happiness.
and a toast…
and a cake cutting and a cake smoosh followed by a smooch.
guests seemed to be having a great time
charlotte’s matron of honor was just as fun as she, and raised the bar on the dancefloor getting everyone going!
the bride and groom were a very fun laid-back couple to work with, and definitely know how to throw a party!
wedding ceremony & reception: marriott magnificent mile
makeup: monique madrid styling
dj: one stop dj (peggy liao, speaks mandarin and taiwanese)
alterations on white gown: Ms. Couture
alterations on qi pao/chengosam: oriental fine tailor
before their wedding, i had the opportunity to work with jen and grant during their engagement photo session. they selected to shoot at rock n’ roll mcdonalds so i wasn’t surprised when i found out that the shoot was profiled on the popular blog rocknrollbride.com. have a look here. when they added some McRomance into their engagement shoot, i had to ask, what can i expect at the wedding? they did not let me down! i was anxious to see what she had up her sleeves. jen cleverly integrated the color blue as a tribute to grant’s favorite team duke as well as tying in a playstation theme (see cufflinks below), and left plenty of room for her obsession with skulls. the hampshire house wedding venue was transformed for jen and grant’s dream wedding. for the ceremony, grant’s best man served as the officiant by becoming a JP for a day, by getting his one-day marriage designation in the state of massachusetts. they had one of the coolest sets of bridesmaids and groomsmen i’ve worked with. after the ceremony, the newlyweds allocated a bit of extra time beyond traditional formal photographs to allow for some creative portraits walking around downtown boston in the boston public garden and an MBTA subway station. at the reception, DJ addam bomb provided music that had everyone on the dancefloor, including jen’s 86 year old grandfather rocking out to billy idol’s “white wedding.” if you are having a boston wedding and are looking for a DJ that can throw down great alternative music, yet still has a tasteful demeanor, this is your guy.
update august 18, 2009, the bride jen writes:
“I honestly thought the pictures of the wedding couldn’t outdo our engagement photos, but they did!!! To be honest, after our wedding was over I was having regrets about not hiring a videographer. The whole evening was so amazing and everyone was so animated that I thought I needed to capture it on film. I received heather’s pictures in the mail the yesterday and realized my regrets were COMPLETELY unwarranted!!!! I felt that Heather’s pictures captured the ENTIRE essence of the night PERFECTLY and in ways video could never accomplish. Thanks for showing me the power of photojournalism, Heather!!!”
i met charlotte back in november when she hired me to photograph her october 2009 wedding. she and her fiance mike made time in their travel schedules to meet for a shoot before their wedding. the hour was full of natural smiles as i followed them around their neighborhood. i’m excited to know that these photographs will most likely make their way around the globe for friends and family to view, since charlotte is originally from singapore.
my photography was recently featured on rock-n-roll bride.
jen & grant were such fun clients to work with. when i first heard that they wanted to have me photograph them at a mcdonalds, i probably raised an eyebrow. after we corresponded a few times, i knew this shoot was going to be an interesting one. they really brought creativity to the shoot, arriving in colors that complimented the scene. i had a red umbrella lying around the house and thought it would be a nice addition as well. this is a true example how something that might seem completely ridiculous can turn out amazing. i look forward to photographing their wedding at the hampshire house in downtown boston this summer. from the client:
Heather,
The pictures are BEAUTIFUL! I have already shared them everywhere possible. Everyone says they can’t wait to see the wedding photos! (Although, I’m not going to lie, they wont be as fun as these!)
Jen
A vibrant, multi-cultural wedding under a rainbow of autumn leaves at the historic Commander’s Mansion in Watertown, MA.
The mansion held the energy and excitement for the bride and groom. The California couple brought together two cultures, both Chinese and American at carefully restored New England brick mansion.
The Commander’s Mansion located in Watertown, MA, was built in 1865 and is lavishly decorated with marble fireplaces, ornately carved moldings, and a magnificent Victorian veranda. Guests are able to step back in time, weaving their way through the grand foyer, elegant, sweeping staircase, and charmingly-restored rooms.
With intricate details throughout, the mansion is a classic example of Italian Victorian architecture. Rich autumn leaves painted the trees and decorated the grounds, perfectly complimenting the bride’s traditional Chinese, red wedding dress. The mansion which boasts a rectangular grape arbor, sits adjacent to the Charles River on six richly landscaped acres, providing privacy and natural beauty not commonly found so close to Boston in recent times.
