A very big shout out goes to Jeanette at Luxury Events Phuket, who organized the wedding. And of course to Suh-Hee and Ricky, the bride and groom, who showed their family and friends what a real wedding is all about: love, devotion, and a kick-ass pool party.

The next day we headed down to Faraway Villa on Lipa Noi Beach; Danny was brought in with a Long Drum Procession which  which wound its way through the villa’s gardens to the beach front. Shortly after Tracey appeared in a spectacular dress and the ceremony was conducted right on the shoreline.

It really was a perfect wedding and thank you to Danny and Tracey for inviting us to be part of their big day.

IMAGES BY JULIAN

IMAGES BY AIDAN

We met in Bali for a portrait session, which gave me an opportunity to explore some great places with them that I’d never been to, including Tanah Lot and Taman Ayun temples. Even with the crowds, Tanah Lot was impressive. Fei and Leon were game to get close to the great big waves pounding the rocks around the temple, and we all had a great time making pictures and getting wet.   

Ly & Ali brought us back to the Vietnam capital for their splendid wedding at the Sheraton Hotel on West Lake, Hanoi. The morning was spent at Ly’s family home in Hai Ba Trung District  before making our way to Tay Ho where The Sheraton put on a spectacular feast in their ballroom.

We loved to be photographing  back in Hanoi and want to thank Ly and Ali so much for giving us the opportunity to do so at their wonderful wedding.

Fast forward one month, and here I am on the 16th floor of the Peninsula Hotel, overlooking the riverboats ferrying across the way to the Oriental. I have to say, I love these Bangkok riverside hotels.

Ann and Jun held a pair of beautiful traditional Thai wedding ceremonies at the Peninsula. One was indoors, attended by saffron-robed monks blessing the couple. The other was outdoors in a gorgeous little wooden pavilion by the river. Which, for a photographer, was fantastic.

Thanks to Ann and Jun and their families for inviting me to participate in the ceremonies.

They had a holiday coming up in Thailand, I was working in Koh Samui at the time, so the stars aligned and we met in Chewang for an early morning stroll along what is, I have to admit, a pretty tired looking main drag. But we were on the hunt for images that were a little bit different, so backing off the beach and into the rundown parts of town actually worked really well for us.

We had big plans for the afternoon session, which were completely derailed by an epic car ride getting lost in the mountains (roads had been washed out by severe flooding the week before), and then a hike up a waterfall that severely tested my ability to breathe. Both Kelsey and Travis are, shall we say, just a tad fitter than me. I had to stop and catch my breath a few times as they bounded up the sheer slopes.

So, we decided to make up for the lost afternoon by having another late afternoon shoot at a great secluded beach area on the north side of the island the next day. And it couldn’t have worked out better. Plus, we got to hang out for an extra day, which was pretty awesome. Hopefully they’re moving to Phuket this fall, and it would be great to be able to see them from time to time. Maybe Travis can help me with my backhand.

But in the end, it turns out the hotel was just an afterthought, a nice backdrop to the main event. Because in Boom and Chris I found possibly the sweetest, most down-to-earth, friendly and generous couple I’ve worked with yet. And that’s saying a lot. It’s nice to know that they’ll be staying on in Bangkok for the foreseeable future. You can never have too many cool people in the neighbourhood.