Posts in Wedding
Durango Colorado Wedding, The Black Diamond Lodge Wedding - Crystal and Hunter
 

Crystal and Hunter’s wedding was our LAST wedding that was postponed and rescheduled from the COVID pandemic. I believe their date has changed at least 4 times, and a couple of location changes as well. Crystal and Hunter are very spiritual, so of course they wanted something simple and unique and gathered their beloved ones to celebrate their “overdue” wedding. Oh, and Brett and Crystal have known each other for many years when Crystal was a musician back in the days. I believe Brett photographed Crystal when she was in California.

Their wedding at The Black Diamond Lodge in Durango, Colorado offered a stunning backdrop, celebrating the couple’s love amidst the mountains. Nestled in the San Juan National Forest, we took a short car ride into lush aspen and pine trees. It definitely provides a picturesque setting that was ideal for their celebrations.

Their day was “perfectly” coordinated by Amber from Perfect Day Co., and the lodge offers a warm and welcoming atmosphere, with rustic decor that complements the stunning scenery outside. As the sun sets, the lodge transforms into a cozy retreat, where everyone can celebrate into the evening. They created a truly memorable experience, including a candy piñata for children, a kid’s room, pizzas, fires pits, and sparklers send-off to end the night.

 
San Jose Vietnamese and Chinese Wedding at Koi Palace - Vivian + Curtis
 

Vivian and Curtis had to be one of the most unique couples we’ve photographed in 2024. They didn’t want a wedding. They didn’t want a photographer. They don’t like taking photos of themselves without being goofy. They don’t like attention in general. But then, their kindhearted mind was changed to celebrate their love for their parents and extended family who have been waiting for the occasion for a while.

So Brett and I took a short flight to San Jose and documented their day, with a traditional Vietnamese tea ceremony held at the Vivian’s family home first. Surrounded by closed family members, whom by the way LOVE photos. Vivian dressed in elegant ao dai at her brother’s room, symbolizing her cultural heritage.

Following the intimate tea ceremony, the festivities transitioned to a short DYI Chinese tea ceremony, where the couple paid respect to Curtus' side of extended family members. This ceremony was to connect deeply with Curtis’ Chinese roots, joyfully serving tea to their elders, who offered blessings and advice, fostering a sense of unity among generations.

Later in the evening, the wedding reception at Koi Palace in San Jose brought together family from all walks of life. Guests enjoyed a sumptuous feast that featured traditional Chinese dishes, enhancing the celebratory atmosphere. Brett and I sat with the couple and their closed friends and devoured all the delicious food. Just like their simplicity in life, there was no other “wedding traditional” elements in the reception, rather, they had an awesome karaoke stand where many guests started singing and dancing!

 
Smogshoppe wedding; Covid Pandemic marriage First, then BIG Celebrations! - Stacey & Greg

Stacey and Greg got married during COVID pandemic at Honda Civic Center's Parking lot, and then threw a 3-day #wedding celebrations with their loved ones at #TheCulverHotel and #Smoggshope in Los Angeles. We're a team of #weddingphotojournalists and wedding documentary filmmakers, based in Los Angeles and San Diego, California. We're also experienced destination wedding photographers and #weddingvideographers

 

In the midst of COVID pandemic lockdown, Stacey and Greg couldn’t wait to get married.

So they did it one witness (their friend) in the parking lot of Honda Civic Center. The above 10-minute-long wedding film tells a great story about their love, the spontaneous civil ceremony with their masks on, and then finally 3-day-long wedding celebrations with their loved ones 2 years later in Los Angeles, California - at The Culver Hotel in Culver City, and at Smogshoppe in Los Angeles.

I hope you’ve sat through the entire film and felt all the emotions.

Stacey and Greg are the sweetest couple I’ve ever met and people who I’d personally love to keep in my life. Their gesture and appreciation towards “small things” in life is very admirable; “nothing is too small to celebrate,” they say.

As a couple they value supporting each other’s dreams, growth, and joy. They love being with and hosting friends, and they travel to new places, and their favorite activities are eating, strolling through residential neighborhoods, and visiting cemeteries.

“We like to think we’re pretty laid-back, but we also are chronic over-committers. There are too many things we want to do and too little time!” Stacy says. And I, too, am feeling the same way about life in general.

Stacey has two sisters. Her dad is originally from China and her mom was a refugee from Myanmar and moved to San Francisco as a young adult with her parents and 8 other siblings. Chinese was not her first language but she was ethicially Chinese so could communicate with her dad in Chinese. Her mom died pretty suddenly from cancer when Stacey was 10 years old. And our filmmaker Ailin made a little teaser of the wedding film where you could feel her presence everywhere.

The celebration highlight was at the end - a wedding tradition from Greg’s family side, which family members “surprise” or mess with the newlyweds by “decorating” their car on the wedding day. They secretly decided to fill up their Honda CRV with colorful balloons and cover the entire car including windows with colorful post-its. Then they threw some confettis and baby dolls inside of the car. I almost missed this because I had already left the venue as everybody left, but guess what? I had to go back to the venue because I forgot my camera batteries and charger, and so luckily we got to witness their struggles with peeling off all the post-its and clearing space inside of the car. It was purely amazing that I got to capture their family wedding tradition. That was seriously the best ending to their night. xoxo

 

Tribute to mother. Remembering and feeling her presence on the wedding day.