On a pouring-down-buckets, rainy day in March, two deeply in love, San Francisco natives got married.
I met Nancy last year through the Weddingbee community. Little did I know that she would eventually become Mrs. French Toast! We met up for coffee at a local Peet’s shop and hit it off immediately, chatting about weddings and photography for hours.
Nancy and John, who are both photographers in their own right, asked me to photograph their wedding with their friend/business partner Diana (who was a blessing to shoot for). It’s always humbling–and intimidating!–when photographers trust me with the biggest day of their lives. But Nancy and John were so relaxed and at ease on their wedding day, it made shooting them a breeze. Their wedding was a 14-hour celebration of love and family. Every piece of their event was created by the loving hands of family and friends, from the party favors to the photo booth (they did their own!). There’s something so joyful about working together on a huge project and seeing it come to fruition. The feel of love and community in the air was palatable. I broke a record with the amount of CF cards I filled up for their wedding! I’ll have to split this post into two because there are too many lovely images to share.
Nancy and John, thank you so much for inviting me to document your wedding and making me feel like a part of your family. Your warm and welcoming spirits are just a glimpse of the happy future I know you will share together.
We started off the day at Nancy’s house where she was beautified for the morning tea ceremonies.
Nancy’s red cheongsam (Chinese dress) was custom made for her in China and fit like a GLOVE.
Then, there was the exchanging of the gifts. Nancy opened her gift from John, a gorgeous Marc Jacobs handbag and Burberry wallet. John, you did well.
For those unfamiliar with Chinese wedding customs, it’s a tradition that the groom arrives at the bride’s house to collect his bride the morning of the wedding. Before he’s allowed to see her, he must prove his love through different “door games,” or tasks that the bride’s family requests of him. Nancy’s family let John off easy by reciting a few poems and smearing some red lipstick on his face.
Finally, John passed the love test and was allowed to see his gorgeous bride and present her with her bouquet!
The tea ceremony commenced at Nancy’s home. Nancy and John served tea as a sign of respect to Nancy’s family and received words of blessing and red envelopes in return.
Next stop: Hotel Sofitel in Redwood Shores for the tea ceremony on John’s side. For the Bay Area brides looking for a place to get ready, Hotel Sofitel is a lovely spot with amazing areas for photo opportunities.
Once the tea ceremonies had been completed, Nancy changed out of her cheongsam into her gorgeous wedding gown. Just look at those tiers of ruffles and the soft light falling on them. LOVE.
Nancy’s shoes were so pretty, I couldn’t bear to share just one picture of them.
While the ladies finished dressing, the guys and I took some quick photos in the hotel lobby.
Although John had already seen Nancy at the tea ceremony, we orchestrated a “first look” after Nancy changed into her wedding gown. One would think that a first look would be anticlimactic because Nancy and John had spent the morning together already, but you not believe how emotional this scene was. I was shooting these images through my happy tears. I guess there’s something unexplainably emotional about a groom seeing his bride for the first time in her wedding dress.
All of the bridesmaid’s bouquets were created with different pink flowers; one with pink roses, another with pink tulips, and a third with pink peonies. Nancy’s bouquet had a mix of all three flowers.
Finally, we were off to the Palm Event Center! Time to get hitched! To be continued…
