Patsy + Benjamin’s Wedding: 8/28/2010 – Greetings from Beijing, China! It’s currently 7AM but alas I’m finally ready to blog Patsy and Ben’s big day from this past weekend. I’ll write about the details of my current trip in another blog post and instead talk about how much fun it was working with Peanut Butter aka Patsy and Ben ;).

They had a super intimate wedding at a beautiful church in Palos Verdes Estates. Their ceremony, overlooking the Pacific Ocean on a beautiful Saturday morning, was filled with their immediate family and closest friends (around 40 guests). Afterwards, we headed out to The Cheesecake Factory in Redondo Beach for a luncheon reception.

We had a lovely cocktail hour followed by the first dance, toasts, and some hilarious games for Patsy, Ben, and all the guests. It was wonderful being treated like a guest and blending in with everyone. The funny thing was both Patsy, Ben, and a few of the guests including Ben’s sister Arlene are all into photography. So we had a good chat about cameras, lenses, and all that good stuff :).

Since Patsy and Ben had a morning ceremony and matinee reception, we had plenty of time afterward for portraits. We actually went back to the church and later Donald Trump Golf Course for photos. Special thanks to the church ladies and security folks at the course course for being so awesome and letting us do our thang. Congrats to Mr. and Mrs. Ting, for being newlyweds and buying a beautiful home! I look forward to seeing you guys at an upcoming photography workshop ;).

Hey guys, I’ll be out of the studio starting today until roughly 9/14 and heading on over to Beijing, China for Vivian and Chris‘ engagement session and wedding later this week. This will be my first going back to Asia since I came to the US from Burma in 1987 with my parents. Amazing how 23 years have quickly flown by!

I’ll be stopping by Hong Kong afterward and hopefully Tokyo as well before making my way back to the US. Earlier today, I made a video showing what photography-related items I bring for a destination e-session and wedding shoot. Below are parts one and two of my “What’s In My Cameara Bag?” videos. Sorry if they’re a bit long. You know me, I just love to ramble and ramble on ;).

What’s In My Bag? Destination Wedding Version Part 1 from Henry Chen Photography on Vimeo.

What’s In My Bag? Destination Wedding Version Part 2 from Henry Chen Photography on Vimeo.

Hopefully that was somewhat helpful :). Please don’t hesitate to let me know via the comment section below or e-mail if you have any questions on what I talked about in the videos. Also, if you need to reach me while I’m out of the office, please e-mail or call me anytime as AT&T has been very kind to iPhone users and offer a great international data and cellular plan. However, I might be a bit slower than usual on getting back to you :).

And lastly, here’s a sneak peek of Patsy and Benjamin’s super intimate and radtastic wedding from this past Saturday :). They were so awesome for giving me nearly three hours to take portraits and being patient with me. I’ll be editing their images on the plane ride later tonight and hopefully have a blog post soon. Okay, time to split to LAX. See everyone on the other side :).

Results from ISPWP Summer 2010 Wedding Photography Contest:

Ruth + Thomas’ Engagement Session – What a blast it was hanging out with Ruth and Tommy this past Sunday in Pasadena and the surrounding areas :). They’re friends with one of my past clients and even know one of my upcoming 2011 couples, what a small world! We reenacted a few scenes from Ruth and Tommy’s dating lives, like how it was the first time they met each other and some of the fun things they do together.

They even brought their little lobster friend, symbolizing the lobster from Friends (as Tommy travels a lot for work and they’ve had to fight through the long distance thing). It’s always great when the bride and groom are willing to go with the flow and are up for anything, and not hesitant to be a bit silly and dorky at times too :). Ruth and Tommy’s wedding is in just a few months and I can’t be more excited to be the one photographing it! Thanks guys for a great time on Sunday :).