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An Evening of Traditions

For Emily and Yeung, the traditions and celebrations continued from morning to night. When last I wrote, I left off just as the Western wedding ceremony was beginning.

emily-yeung-church-scientology-boston-ma- ceremony at quincy marriott- chinese couple reception banquet later

They included their own personal touches, such as the blending of colored sand.

emily-yeung-church-scientology-boston-ma-sand combining during ceremony at marriott hotel in quincy ma

After the ceremony, we toured around Boston to capture some great portraits of the newlyweds and their bridal party. We started at the Church of Scientology. Loving the trees surrounding the fountains when you first enter.

emily-yeung-church-scientology-boston-ma- on the campus of mother church, bride and groom kiss- boston ma- back bay

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Then we headed over to Copley Square, just with Emily and Yeung, and took a few by the John Hancock and then the Trinity Church.

emily-yeung-church-scientology-boston-ma- groom helps bride with train at trinity church in copley square- boston ma

We finished up in Chinatown where the banquet would be held. And perhaps my favorite image, on the ramp of the parking lot above the Chinese Restaurant. You never know where you will find something fun and playful.

emily-yeung-church-scientology-boston-ma- bride and groom with arrow by garage in chinatown- boston massachusetts

Soon the party got started. They kicked off the evening with a slideshow. Here the bridal party watches and enjoys.

emily-yeung-church-scientology-boston-ma- hei la moon restaurant in chinatown- bridesmaids and groomsment during slideshow- boston, mass

They worked really hard on the choreography for their first dance. Showing off their moves….

emily-yeung-church-scientology-boston-ma- bride and groom's choreographed first dance at chinatown restaurant- boston wedding banquet

Yeung took on the task of opening the champagne.

emily-yeung-church-scientology-boston-ma- groom opens the champagne- pops the cork at chinese banquet- boston, ma

One of my favorite Chinese traditions are all the games. This crew put a twist on the evening. Instead of Emily and Yeung having to perform (at least at first), the guests had to complete challenging tasks (such as moving an ice cube from one tray to another with only a pair of chopsticks) in order to get Emily and Yeung to kiss. This lady was successful!

emily-yeung-church-scientology-boston-ma- friends play chinese games at banquet in chinatown, boston, ma

Emily’s maid of honor toasted the newlyweds, making everyone laugh, then cry.

emily-yeung-church-scientology-boston-ma- best friend and moh gives speech at reception in boston masschusetts

It wouldn’t be a crazy chinese wedding without karaoke. This crew got together to share a song for the bride and groom.

emily-yeung-church-scientology-boston-ma- guests sing karaoke to the bride and groom at their reception

Bouquet and garter tosses? Well they don’t happen quite as often as they used to, but when you get the right crew, they can be a lot of fun.

emily-yeung-church-scientology-boston-ma- bride prepares to throw the bouquet- boston ma wedding

emily-yeung-church-scientology-boston-ma- groom gets garter between his teeth in chinese wedding banquet- boston, ma

And then a new custom, perhaps. The gent who caught the garter put on a show for the lady who caught the bouquet. He happens to be a black belt and his moves were amazing.

emily-yeung-church-scientology-boston-ma- guests put on show with kung fu and martial arts displays at chinese wedding reception

He wasn’t the only one with great moves. Here’s another guest, putting on a show for our bride (now wearing one of her Chinese dresses). Loving it!

emily-yeung-church-scientology-boston-ma- dancing for the bride at her wedding reception in boston's chinatown

What a great day, full of fun and traditions!

Congrats and thanks go out to all the professionals who helped make Emily and Yeung’s day so special.

Getting ready venue: Home and Marriott Hotel
Ceremony Venue: Marriott Hotel
Reception Venue: Hei La Moon
Cake: Konditor Meister
Wedding Gown designer: Maggie Sottero
Bridesmaids dresses: Maggy London
Groom’s suit: Hugo Boss
Groomsmen’s suits: Kenneth Cole

And finally thanks to Emily and Yeung for choosing us to photograph your day. So glad we could be there to capture all of these special moments.

If you want more from Emily and Yeung, definitely check out their engagement session, sneak preview, and slideshow.

A Morning of Traditions

For Emily and Yeung, we kicked off the day with a few Chinese traditions. Emily was tucked away in their new house with her close friends and family. Yeung and his boys arrived to "break in" and get to his bride. And they came bearing the flowers. Very nice!

emily-yeung-boston-chinese-wedding- groom and groomsmen bringing flowers to bride for chinese tea ceremony- needham ma

From the inside, I could catch glimpses of the groomsmen as they tried to negotiate their way in.

emily-yeung-boston-chinese-wedding- groomsman helping at door to get bride in needham massachusetts

And I was able to spend a little time with Emily, as she observed the boys’ efforts from above.

emily-yeung-boston-chinese-wedding- bride watches on as groom and groomsmen try to get in during games of chinese tea ceremony in needham ma

And also capture a few details, such as the shoes she wore with her Xi-pao.

emily-yeung-boston-chinese-wedding- bride's shoes for red dress- dorothy- needham mass

Eventually the boys were allowed inside. Yeung wasted no time; he jumped over the barricade on the stairs and rushed towards his bride with flowers in hand.

emily-yeung-boston-chinese-wedding- groom brings bouquet to bride- needham ma

Emily greeted Yeung with smiles and the two of them joined their guests downstairs for the traditional tea ceremony. It was followed by a few portraits. Here, a silhouette of our bride and groom.

emily-yeung-boston-chinese-wedding- bride and groom silhouette after tea ceremony is over at home in western suburbs of boston ma

It was then time to head to the hotel where they would host their Western ceremony. Emily had a room where she could change into her white wedding dress.

emily-yeung-boston-chinese-wedding- bride's western wedding gown in quincy marriott room during getting ready

Her girls helped get her into her ballgown.

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Love that smile.

emily-yeung-boston-chinese-wedding- bride during getting ready at marriott south of boston, ma

And check out the necklace she chose, such a great match for her gown.

emily-yeung-boston-chinese-wedding- details from bride's wedding gown with veil and necklace- south of boston, ma

Yeung and his groomsmen also had some touching up to do.

emily-yeung-boston-chinese-wedding- groom getting ready at hotel south of boston, massachusetts

As soon as everyone was ready, they prepared for the ceremony to begin. Yeung waited at the end of the aisle and the guests peered anxiously towards the door for Emily’s entrance.

emily-yeung-boston-chinese-wedding- guests eagerly await bride's entrance down the aisle for hotel ceremony south of boston ma

I leave you with that little cliff hanger. More to come soon from the ceremony, portraits and their Chinese banquet.

Want more now? Check out their e-session story: Prescribed Romance.

Intimate Beacon Hill Wedding

We get to see all kinds of weddings, for sure, from the most minimal- a couple at city hall- to the most extravagant- a bride and groom with huge numbers of guests in grand venues- and everything in between. And we enjoy them all; the beauty in each truely comes down to the people involved. When Meagan contacted me, I was very excited. You see, Meagan was referred to us by her friend Leigh-Ann, who also happens to be our friend and a wedding industry peer so we knew Meagan would be fantastic to work with. She and Chris and their wonderful families did not disappoint. And their intimate wedding was absolutely beautiful.

Meagan and Chris had been engaged for awhile, but hadn’t gotten very far into the wedding planning, until this spring, that is. At which point, they decided not to mess around and scheduled the date for early June. They planned a small ceremony at her parent’s home in Beacon Hill, with portraits to follow in the Public Garden, and then dinner at a favorite restaurant. The whole feel of the evening was warm, loving, bright.

Meagan arrived at the ceremony on foot. Calm, at ease, and joyful.

meagan-chris-beacon-hill-boston-wedding- bride in j crew wedding gown

She entered the living room where their guests were gathered. Some stood, some made themselves comfortable on the couches and chairs.

meagan-chris-beacon-hill-boston-wedding- intimate wedding ceremony at parents home

I found myself completely caught up in the meaning of the ceremony, truly listening and feeling the impact of the moment.

meagan-chris-beacon-hill-boston-wedding- ma bride

meagan-chris-beacon-hill-boston-wedding- massachusetts groom

meagan-chris-beacon-hill-boston-wedding- parents of the bride and groom

The kiss and the applause.

meagan-chris-beacon-hill-boston-wedding- the kiss and applause in mass

And the hugs and the tears. Pretty much everyone was in tears.

meagan-chris-beacon-hill-boston-wedding- hugging the bride and tears of joy

Meagan definitely thought about the details and they seemed to match her sophisticated taste to a tee. Her J.Crew wedding dress was modern and chic; her bouquet of cream roses with touches of whites and greens was the perfect accent.

meagan-chris-beacon-hill-boston-wedding- brides bouquet cream roses- greens and whites

Following the ceremony, we took a few portraits in the condo.

I love the moment just before the kiss.

meagan-chris-beacon-hill-boston-wedding- bride and groom kiss portrait

Snuggling up by the window.

meagan-chris-beacon-hill-boston-wedding- bride and groom window portrait

Then we ventured down to the Boston Public Garden.

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meagan-chris-beacon-hill-boston-wedding- bride and groom in the public gardens - reflection

The big tree in the back and the way Meagan casually holds her dress gives this one an old world romantic feel.

meagan-chris-beacon-hill-boston-wedding- boston public garden bride and groom portraits

I am thinking these tourists definitely got their money’s worth from their Duck Boat adventure.

meagan-chris-beacon-hill-boston-wedding- bride and groom with duck tours

We went back up to the flat to hang out for a bit before dinner.

meagan-chris-beacon-hill-boston-wedding- bride with friends

meagan-chris-beacon-hill-boston-wedding- bride and groom reading a card and gifts

The yummy looking cake. Mmm…. I think I am getting hungry.

meagan-chris-beacon-hill-boston-wedding- cake

Then over to the Beacon Hill Hotel & Bistro for dinner.

meagan-chris-beacon-hill-boston-wedding- beacon hill bistro dinner reception

And some more photos?!

meagan-chris-beacon-hill-boston-wedding- iphone camera wedding photography

Many thanks to Meagan and Chris. What a joy it was to work with you and be a part of your celebration!

If you want to see more, check out their slideshow.

Generations: Part 3

For my last entry in the generations series, I wanted to focus on the mini-fam of Linda and Mike. When Linda and Mike found us for their 2006 wedding, we were so excited. You should see the way he looks at her- melts your heart. We were really looking forward to their fall wedding. They celebrated with their ceremony at St. Ignatius Catholic Church in San Francisco, their wedding portraits at the Legion of Honor and their wedding reception at Castlewood Country Club in Pleasanton, coordinated by Jubilee Lau of Jubilee Lau Events.

bride and groom at the legion of honor in san francisco- wedding portraits

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Generations: Part 2

While having a multi-generation mini-family like Karen and Willy‘s is so much fun, we also love our smaller mini-families. We have tons of these. Today I wanted to send a shout out to a bunch of the two generation mini-fams.

First mini-fam:

Sepi and Homan traveled from New York to get married at the Four Seasons Hotel in San Francisco. They had an amazing Persian wedding ceremony followed by great food and endless dancing. We definitely wanted to capture their city sensibilities during the portrait session.

bride and groom outside the four season hotel during their wedding portrait session in san francisco- couple from new york city

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