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 :).

Wow, I can’t believe it’s been a year since I first met this special girl named Nancy :). What started out as a random meet up at 3AM for dinner/breakfast quickly turned into something much more. I’ll save the mushy stuff for another time :)…

That being said, I’m taking next week off and going on my first vacation in…in, well, a very long time! We’re celebrating our uno anniversary in Los Cabos, Mexico (perfect timing as I’m temporarily changing my name to Enrique Chen as I lost a Lakers-Celtics bet last night; long story folks).

So no weddings, e-sessions, portraits, nada from 6/21-6/24. I’ll have my iPad and iPhone with me in case you need to reach me, but my response may be a bit slower than usual. I hope to blog about the trip with photos and videos when I get back. I have a 12-hour wedding tomorrow but am around part of Sunday (Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there!) in case anyone needs to get a hold of me. Adios for now!

What happens when everything seems to “clique” once again? It’s been nearly two years in the making. Since I met Trini in the Summer of 2008, we’ve been discussing, collaborating, brainstorming, and pretty much talking non-stop of how we can better the experience of brides and grooms planning their big day.

As a planner, coordinator, and stationery specialist, Trini works with couples well before their big day, helping them make the biggest and smallest decisions. And as a photographer, I get the utmost privilege of not only being a part of their wedding but capturing memories and moments that will last beyond a lifetime. We feel so honored to have our clients’ confidence and trust, but also realized just how much goes into planning and executing a wedding.

When we meet with our potential clients at our studios, we see how happy and anxious about everything. But we also notice how overwhelming it may be for a bride and groom to plan their day. Where do you even start researching? What questions do you ask? Who do you go with? The list of wedding-related questions go on and on.  And when it come to the most important day of your life, we want to make sure we give you every once of our time, knowledge, and commitment in ensuring you get the best service out there.

Trini and I quickly realized that more than planning their day, taking their photos, helping them with invitations and wedding favors, what we absolutely love the most is being around a bride and groom and becoming their friend. And even if they don’t become “our” clients, we want every bride and groom to get the most out of their wedding planning experience. Whether it’s a phone call, e-mail, or simply dropping by our studios in Long Beach, CA, we want to make us available to every couple out there.

So it’s with great excitement and a few butterflies in our stomach, that we present to you the brand new Wedding Clique website, your one-stop everything wedding shop online. Extra special thanks to Iaan van Niekerk of PlusPlusMinus for not only designing an amazing blogsite (blog + website) for The Wedding Clique, but being an absolute professional to work with and getting everything to us well ahead of schedule. You rock Iaan!

Without further adieu, to brides, grooms, and industry professionals, I’d love to have you come over to The Wedding Clique website and see what we’re cooking up this week. We hope you enjoy your stay :).

Hey gang, I’m off to San Francisco again tomorrow (or rather today, as it’s currently 2:30AM) for Jenny, David, and their beautiful dog Daisy’s engagement session. I’ll be back in the LBC at night, but couldn’t wait to post a sneak peek of what I’ve been up to the past few days, enjoy!

Sheri and Will’s wedding on Saturday:

Stacy and Shannon’s e-session from earlier today:

Check back on Wednesday for more photos from all these amazing events! Now it’s Jack Bauer time :D.