Image by Julian

I’d been to Hue several times before. It’s a really wonderful, mystical place. It makes you feel nostalgic for the pace of life that used to be more common in Vietnam’s cities. It is changing, much like the rest of the country, but at a slower pace. People there seem don’t seem to be in as much of a rush to trade in bicycles for motorbikes, motorbikes for cars, telephones for iPhones, or even ao dai for jeans.  Hue is aso home to the old Imperial City, and the tombs of emperors who used to rule these parts. There’s an endless supply of traditional design and architecture to frame images, and we would absolutely love to come back again to shoot. I feel Aidan and I could easily have done a two or three-day shoot there with Bi and Ygal, and never run out of fresh ideas. That had something to do with the amazing location, but more to do with them. They have so much fun together, and it shows.

Image by Julian

Image by Aidan

Image by Aidan

Image by Julian

Image by Julian

Image by Aidan

Image by Julian

Image by Julian

Image by Julian

Image by Julian

Image by Julian

Image by Julian

Image by Julian

Image by Julian

We’ve got their big wedding reception coming up this weekend, so stay tuned….

I only noticed after that the above images made a lovely diptych. On the right is Thuy Linh, and on the left is her 91 year-old grandmother.

Donna and Steve live in London, and decided on a small destination wedding in Thailand for various reasons, though I’m pretty sure that the weather this time of year in London was probably the deciding factor. The setting at the Sarojin resort could not have been better – lush yet understated. We had some spare time in the morning to fit in an impromptu engagement session and take advantage of that gorgeous blue ocean and green grounds, and in the afternoon I had lots of time to capture Donna and Steve preparing in their separate side-by-side suites.

And, for the first time in many many months, I was able to shoot a wedding bathed in stunning late afternoon sunshine. I finally know what it would feel like to shoot a wedding in southern California.

One of the advantages of photographing such a small wedding party (9 people in all) is that I got to spend a bit more time than usual getting to know everyone. And getting to know Donna and Steve was a genuine pleasure. They are one of the friendliest, fun couples I have met, let alone photographed. To have been allowed to be part of their intimate wedding was a real privilege, and a definite highlight of my year.

Two weeks ago we photographed Vinh And Diep’s  Hanoi wedding. Vinh is a worldly young man who studied in France, Canada and the US, and its remarkably romantic that he married Diep, the girl next door (or, the girl from about a block and a half away).

The weather gods were not smiling on us, and we had to improvise between shooting in some pretty tight, crowded interiors and then outside along some pretty soggy streets as Vinh and his entourage rode bicycles through the traffic over to Diep’s family home. Of course, once we got everyone indoors at the Sheraton for the reception, the rain stopped, but c’est la vie.

Thanks to Diep and the girls for getting everything organized, even with some difficult last minute twists!

Julian:

Julian:

Julian:

Julian:

Aidan:

Julian:

Aidan:

Julian:

Julian:

Julian:

Julian:

Julian:

Julian:

Julian:

Julian:

Aidan:

Julian:

Aidan: This was one of the most fun weddings we have shot, full of games and entertainment, and back to the stunning Park Hyatt Hotel in Ho Chi Minh City. Julian was caught covering Typhoon Ketsana in Central Vetnam, so we called in Francois from NOI pictures to help out with the day’s coverage. We only wish we could have joined Cynthia and Michael on their honeymoon in The Maldives!