Jia + Adam’s Wedding: 9/24/2011 – What a way to end the busiest wedding month for me with Jia and Adam‘s super intimate and memorable day at the beautiful The London West Hollywood Hotel. It was really nice and relaxing to shoot a small yet larger than life wedding with everything from the getting ready and portraits to the ceremony and reception all at once place :).

But what I loved the most about this past Saturday was how Jia, Adam, and all their loved ones wore their emotions on their sleeve and let out all the laughs, smiles, tears, and crazy dance moves all day long ;). Special shout out to the AWESOME wedding party and unforgettable guests Jia and Adam invited. Each stood out in their own, special and unique way.

From Jia’s maid of honor who sang a song for the bride and groom and Adam’s best man/twin brother who gave a perfect toast, to the one young gentleman that liked to eat paper and food with a tong and older folks dancing their heart out…to say Saturday was filled with a ton of moments would be an understatement!

And of course, the biggest shout out/thank you goes to Jia and Adam themselves. Thank you for trusting me to photograph your big day…have a blast at your Asia reception this Saturday, then your amazing honeymoon in Thailand, and most definitely have a beautiful start to the next chapter of your life together, congrats you two!

Ceremony and reception locations: The London West Hollywood Hotel in West Hollywood, CA

Wedding coordinator: Savoir Flair Wedding Design

Make-up artist and hair stylist: Kelly Zhang

Tobbi + Alan’s Wedding: 9/18/2011 – In this industry, you just don’t know what tomorrow will bring. Such as who you’ll hear from, who you’ll meet, or where you’ll be going. Life sure is full of surprises…meeting Tobbi and Alan and photographing their wedding in San Francisco was definitely one of the best surprises ever. Long story short, Tobbi had e-mailed me last year about capturing her big day on 9/18/11. At that time, I had already booked a wedding, coincidentally also in SF, the day before.

And to make things even more crazy, Tobbi’s sister, Terra, who got married back in June and my associate Brian photographed, was the maid of honor for my 9/17/11  bride Sabrina. Confused yet? I hope so! :) Speaking of e-mails, that’s all it took for Tobbi, Alan, and I to work together. She didn’t call me or even asked for much more than if I was available and a photography quote. That’s it! Fortunately, I had the chance to speak to and meet Tobbi for the first time last month, when I went up to the bay area to do a portrait session for her sister and husband (Terra and Peter).

But it wasn’t until the wedding day that I finally met and spoke to Tobbi’s now-husband Alan. Having back-to-back 15-hour wedding is a ton of fun, but it can certainly take a toll on your body (especially when you’re sick!). But when I saw Tobbi that morning and met Alan for the first time, I can’t tell you enough how overjoyed, honored, and excited I was to spend that whole day with them. Tobbi and Alan are beyond a sweet couple. Actually, sweet would be a huge understatement. They were all smiles the entire day and couldn’t have been nicer to everyone, including myself and my second photographer H2!

I feel so blessed to have met Tobbi and Alan as well as their wonderful wedding party. They made me feel like an old friend and trusted me to do my thing with the camera all day long. Tobbi and Alan had a few morning tea ceremonies at their parents’ place, followed by an intimate church ceremony, portraits around SF, and then a beautiful banquet reception. Thank you both so much for choosing me to be your photographer well before we even met in person or spoke to one another. Congrats you guys!

Ceremony location: Chapel of our Lady in San Francisco, CA

Reception location: Grand Palace Seafood Restaurant in South San Francisco, CA

Sabrina + Mike’s Wedding: 9/17/2011 – Last weekend, I flew up to San Francisco to shoot back-to-back weddings. There were so many factors that made the weekend memorable. The weather was perfect (sunny yet cool), I had a chance to hang out with my favorite cousins, and enjoy the SF city life. But the best part was spending 30+ hours documenting some amazing weddings!

On Saturday, I had the privilege and pleasure of working with probably THE MOST DOWN TO EARTH AND FUN couple ever in Sabrina and Mike. Seriously, you won’t find a more easy-going, relaxed, and definitely caring pair like these two. Not only were Sabrina and Mike so awesome to work with, but their entire bridal party (as you might see in some of the photos below) made the 15-hour day feel like minutes. Really, the last thing I felt I was doing was working!

The day started with Sabrina getting ready with her bridesmaids at her mom’s house. But just down the block were Mike and the guys having a bit too much fun. He got them some super sweet gifts: Ray-Ban shades, red G-Shock watches, flasks, and red converses…really slick! We had the traditional Chinese games followed by tea ceremonies at both Sabrina and Mike’s parents’ places. Safe to say the games the bridesmaids had Mike and his groomsmen play were rather challenging (to say the least!).

Afterward, we had the Western ceremony at a beautiful boutique hotel, where many of Sabrina and Mike’s extended family members and friends gathered to witness them tie the knot. Many drops of tears were shed by Sabrina and Mike, and for the first time in all my weddings, both the bride and groom not only cried at the same time, but wiped away tears with their tissue also at the same time. Most definitely my favorite moment of the entire day! We followed the beautiful ceremony with portraits around SF, heading out to Potrero Hills and Embarcadero area.

Finally, we capped off the amazing day with a gorgeous banquet reception, filled with nearly 500 of Sabrina and Mike’s family and friends. We had everything from memorable toasts and dances to even more games and lots of good food :). I can’t thank Sabrina, Mike, their family, and certainly their super-fun wedding party for a great time last Saturday. More so, for treating me like a friend from the very second I showed up until I departed. I sincerely hope the photos will give you a glimpse of the countless, unforgettable moments that took place at Sabrina and Mike’s big day :).

Ceremony location: Stanford Court Hotel in San Francisco, CA

Reception location: New Asia Restaurant in San Francisco, CA

Anjali + Mohsin’s Wedding: 9/4/2011 – Where do I begin talking about Anjali and Mo‘s four-day Indian wedding? After over 40 hours of shooting and 25,000+ photos, words or photos can’t begin to describe what an experience it was for me. I think I speak for my associates/colleagues when I say it was the most intense, exhilarating, rewarding, and memorable 4-day of weddings we’ve had.

Just a quick recap, Thursday night was Anjali’s Mehndi and Mo’s Pithi. Friday was Anjali’s Pithi followed by the Mehndi ceremony for everyone. Saturday was the big day with both the Hindu and Nikkah ceremonies. And finally, Sunday was the reception. Every second of the 4-day wedding was filled with so much love, life, emotion, personality, and everything in between.

I told my colleagues that if they can only shoot one type of wedding, then make it an Indian one. After having shot a few, it’s definitely one of my favorites if not my absolute! Anjali and Mo put on an out-of-the world event for all 400+ of their loved ones. I can’t imagine planning one day’s worth of wedding, let alone FOUR. But with the help of their family, friends, and fabulous coordinators in Elegant Events by Nutan, every large and small detail was planned and executed to perfection.

Just hearing about an Indian wedding or even seeing photos won’t do justice. You really have to attend, or even better, shoot one to fully experience all of it. I can’t thank Anjali and Mo for choosing me to document their once-in-a-lifetime event. I commend them for having so much energy and love every minute of their wedding. From getting ready at 5AM and dancing their hearts out to greeting all their guests and being patient with all my photography directions, Anjali and Mo were more than a delight to work with.

It truly felt like jumping into a fantasy world when photographing Anjali and Mo’s wedding. The culture, religion, music, colors, food, and personalities of the individuals totally consume you and make you feel so happy and humbled at the same time. I can only hope the photos I captured can begin to depict how amazing it was witnessing Anjali and Mohsin’s big dayssss. Enjoy!

Reception location: Irvine Marriott Hotel in Irvine, CA

Coordinator: Elegant Events by Nutan

Videographer: 618 Studios