Sarah and Lance held a wonderful, laid-back wedding affair in Hoi An this spring. And I think Sarah’s vintage-look 1940s wedding dress is now my all-time fave. Red Bridge once again proved itself the best venue in town, and big thanks to Nadine for helping organize everything. I’ll be back in Hoi An at least twice for weddings this year, and to be honest, I can’t wait to get back.

I met MinhChau and Peter in the old capital of Hue where we had a morning for a photoshoot around the old citadel. We also had a chance to stop at the beautiful Lang Co lake, 30km north of DaNang on route to the airport. That evening we flew to their home town of Pleiku in the central highlands.

But this was more than just a wedding, MinhChau left Vietnam when she was just 4 years old and this was the first time the whole family had been together for 26 years! It was a beautiful, emotional time for everyone. The whole family was wonderfully accommodating and the next day we had a chance to explore their countryside. Many might think of Pleiku as a big industrial town, but just outside the city is stunning countryside, lakes, coffee and tea plantations.

The wedding day itself was spectacular. MinhChau’s cousin, Đại đức Thích Tâm Mãn and owner of the spectacular “Chua Minh Thanh” pagoda in Pleiku, opened the doors for their first ever wedding there.  The temple was founded by his master as a small little humble temple on the family’s coffee farm and he started to study to be a monk there at age 6. After the master past and when MinhChau’s cousin finished his doctorate in fine Asian art in Taiwan, he started expanding on the original temple based on influences from temples around Asia that he had visited. Every small detail of the temple has been designed by him. Beautifully decorative and ornate, it was the perfect location for exchanging their vows.

After the wedding we had the chance for a quick photoshoot around the countryside before the reception at their family home which went on long into the night.

Thank you to everyone for making me feel so welcome and letting me be part of your celebrations, it is a week that will stay with me for a long time…

Aidan: It poured with rain the entire 4 hour journey from Saigon to Mui Ne, and reports from the beach confirmed the same. In Mui Ne it had been raining so heavily the last few days that the near by town of Phan Thiet was flooded and on emergency standby. Sitting in the covered restaurant we discussed the next days schedule, excited but understandably apprehensive; there were already plans to move the ceremony from the beach to the library upstairs….

The next morning we awoke to the clearest blue skies and a hot, sunny day….game on!! Bill and Ashley’s wedding was being held at the stunning beach-side resort, The Sailing Club. Like most of Vietnam, Mui Ne has undergone huge development in recent years and hotels and resorts line the beach front, seemingly never ending. But The Sailing Club stands out for its intimate setting, beautifully landscaped gardens and very friendly service.

After a gorgeous beach wedding, we rushed off to the sand dunes for sunset, dinner by the pool and a little party that went on until the wee hours of the morning!

Thanks to Bill, Ashley, Damo (Best Man, Celebrant, Second Photographer!) and all their friends and family that came from all over the world and made the trip a very memorable one.

Slide-show music “Rhythm of Love” by Plain White Tee’s, turn it up, its a great tune!

As always, it was a pleasure working at my favorite venue in Khao Lak – The Sarojin.

But maybe it was a bit too intimate. In the funniest moment I’ve experienced at a wedding so far, during the ceremony the ad hoc celebrant asked Jason if he would take Hollie as his lawfully wedded wife. Yes, he asked if he wanted to marry the bridesmaid. Without missing a beat, Kat simply walked away and made as if to jump overboard. Classic.

From a cyclo processional to a stroll with a bottle of champagne in-hand through the streets of Hoi An, Katie and Dave proved that keeping things simple can be the key to actually enjoying your wedding day. No stress, no problems, no worries.

Katie dropped a bit of a surprise on family and friends, who expected the ceremony to be on China Beach. Instead, everyone was whisked off to the Hoi An old town for an impromptu cyclo ride to Hai Cafe, where the ceremony took place in a lovely little courtyard of an old shop house. Just perfect.

Image by Julian

The ceremony was set for the fantastic Red Bridge cooking school, a few minutes out of town along the lush backwater canals leading towards the South China Sea. It’s a gorgeous little venue if your having an outdoor wedding, with tropical gardens, swimming pool, beautiful lawns and a bucolic spot along a river.  Only one concern – it’s really an outdoor venue that can’t use it’s best assets if it rains.

And it rained. And rained. And rained.  All day long.

So we all had to adapt to Plan B, which my good friend Nadine – the event planner at Red Bridge – put into effect without a hitch, moving the ceremony from the pool area to inside the bamboo cooking class enclosure. Joleigh and Marcus really didn’t seem to care one bit – there was no way a little rain was going to dampen their big day. And judging by the dancing by the end of the night, everyone else felt the same.

Image by Julian

Image by Aidan

Image by Julian

Image by Julian

Image by Julian

Image by Julian

Image by Aidan

Image by Julian

Image by Julian

Image by Aidan

Image by Julian

Image by Aidan

Image by Julian

After the wedding presentation on stage, the new bride and groom and their parents made their way to each and every table, as is custom, to share a toast with their guests. Like I said, there were over a thousand people here, so there was a lot of toasting. After a beautiful evening, I’m sure Thuy Linh and Andy were excited to head back home to start their new life together.

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.