Falling in love all over again? Images that are all about you. Helping you relive your big day for the rest of your life. Not just a photographer but also a storyteller. These and many more “themes” were what I wanted in my newly-designed website. The folks at liveBooks outdid themselves once again. They took my wedding photography “visions” and turned them into reality in less than a month. Special thanks go to Corrie, whom I personally met at LB’s office in Costa Mesa and the one that came up with the new “storybook” design, and Adam, who designed the flash intro clip. Thanks guys, you totally rock! It was a joy working with both of you.

Okay gang, here’s the official unveiling of my newly-designed website: www.henrychenphotography.com. I’ll be updating both this blog and the website with images from future weddings and e-sessions. What do you think of the new site? Yay? Nay? Thumbs up or down? Please leave a comment with your thoughts :).

WOW. Simply put, WOW. Nadia and Zak threw one heck of a wedding party on Saturday. Everything was absolutely beautiful and fit their personalities so perfectly: the house of Nadia’s parents where she got ready and the hotel room where Zak prepped for the big day, the church where they got married, and the restaurant where they had their reception. It was a rather warm day in Covina, CA and the love N + Z had for each other only made it hotter! That kiss right after they got married lasted a good hour :).

Also, the reception was off the charts! I had no idea there was going to be virtually an unlimited amount of delicious Mediterranean food. Nadia and Zak were so kind to reserve an entire table just for the videographers, myself, and my AWESOME assistant/second shooter/friend Miguel Torres. Plus we were right next to the open bar (not that any of us drinks!). It was truly unique to have a reception where guests ate for a good 15-20 minutes, then danced for another 15-20 minutes, and then sat back down to eat some more! I believe it was already past 9PM and the waiters were just serving the main dish.

There were so many memorable moments throughout the evening. In addition to the traditional events, we had this special dance where Nadia held candles and led a train of lovely ladies around the tables. Later in the evening, guests passed N + K around the dance floor while they sat on a chair! And Nadia gets my vote for the bride with the best dance moves ever. Special shoutout goes to everyone that said hi to me on Saturday and helped me out :). And of course to the newlyweds Nadia and Zak, for inviting me to their wedding. Thanks guys, I hope you enjoy these photos!

Some behind-the-scenes stuff, courtesy of my assistant/second shooter Miguel Torres:

Make-up at 6AM. Getting ready three times. Two tea ceremonies. A huge dog that looked like a wolf who scared the living daylights out of me when it came up to my face :). 300+ guests at the banquet. Yummy nine-course seafood dinner. Top it off with a heartfelt speech and song from Viet to Connie and you have a memorable wedding from start to finish. It was a very long day for me and my assistant/shadow Mark, but was well worth it when we had the privilege of capturing and feeling the love that Viet and Connie had for each other.

Special thanks to DJ Konrad for referring me to the couple and bringing the banquet party to life with his awesome skills. I finally had a chance to sit down tonight and sort through the 2,500+ images from the day, and picked out a few of my favorites to share with you all. To Connie and Viet: thank you both for allowing me to be your photographer. I wish you and Lara nothing but the very best in your new life together.

I just wanted to quickly blog about these two uber nice guest books I got recently. These are the perfect way to display your e-session photos at your wedding, letting guests not only look at your images, but also write a short message (as supposed to just scribbling their signature and you later wondering who the heck signed it!). One guest book belongs to Stacey and John and the other to Michele and Dean.

Both are 10×8” with a hard cover and super sturdy pages. Note: please pardon my crappy white balance on all these shots; I took them under really bad fluorescent lighting earlier today:

I love how the pages fold flat down, making it convenient for guests to sign their name:

Very durable and strong binding:

I love Vision Art‘s attention to details. They’re the album company that takes my design and prints/binds the books…in less than two weeks!

I bought a 8×6” version of Lisa and Aldous’ guest book to show why it’s worth spending a bit more money and getting the 10×8” one:

Yes, definitely get the larger one:

Here are a few spreads from M + D’s guest book:

And here are some from S + J’s: