“At the beginning of June I photographed Helena and Ade, a lovely young couple from Jakarta, in Saigon. The two of them were great subjects, had lots of ideas for style – from classic to street to traditional – and had chosen some beautiful locations. We started early one morning at Notre Dame Cathedral, visited a few more places around the centre, and then finished up in the evening at the Fine Art Museum and Jade Emperor Pagoda. I wish them all the best for their wedding this November and for their future together.”

You can see more at Dominic’s blog Needs Cheese!

The morning was a colourful traditional Vietnamese ceremony at Nha’s family home in District 5, Ho Chi Minh City. Lunch was served at the wonderful open air ‘Quan An Ngon’ on Pasteur, District 1 before heading to The Park Hyatt Hotel to prepare for the evening.

As mentioned during the speeches, Nha and Lee are so warm and friendly that they instantly become your friends and I look forward to seeing them again during our times in Asia.

With the An Hoi and a wedding reception at each of their home towns, I spent 3 great days photographing Cuc and Huy’s celebrations. The first reception for 550 of their families and friends was held at The Sheraton Hotel Saigon and the hotel put on a quality reception. The second party was at Huy’s home in Binh Duong at a new weddings events hall, The Square, and that night they had over 1,500 guests!

There were so many photo/video crews that it was difficult to get a clean shot of the couple, so the incredible 135mm f2 lens played a big part of the night…

Thank you Cuc, Huy and Cuc’s sister Jenny who helped out so much with the organisation.

From Nha Tho Duc Ba we made our way down to Cho Lon temples and markets before heading back to District 1 for the afternoon.

Huge thank you’s to Steve and Josh at  Vietnam Vespa Adventures and to Jap at the La Cafeteria de L’Usine for helping us out with the shoot.

Very much looking forward to Nha and Lee’s wedding at The Park Hyatt in a few weeks…

It was a real thrill to be asked to photograph her party and Trang and Duc were looking stunning as ever. Over 300 of their family and friends joined them in District 7 for a wonderful feast overlooking The Saigon River.

Aidan: What a sight! A bright red Mercedes coupe leading the procession of black Mercedes through the narrow lanes in The Mekong Delta. And what a privilage to go with Yuli to collect Quyen from her countryside home in a small village in Ben Tre. Gifts were exchanged, tea and rice wine were drunk and then we made our way back to Saigon.

Ceremony: Ben Tre, Mekong Delta
Reception: The Park Hyatt Hotel Saigon
Coordinator: Bliss Wedding Planners
MUA/Hairstylist: Nam Trung, Beauty Editor, FTV Indochina

In the afternoon, we made our way back to our favourite hotel in Ho Chi Minh, The Park Hyatt Saigon. Quyen looked absolutely gorgeous and her smile lit up the dimly lit ballroom. This was my first time photographing a Japanese wedding but I look forward to the next one. Every time Yuli’s family or friends took to the stage, their speeches had everyone in raptures. I have no idea what they were saying but they really set the mood for a great night of partying!

Special thanks to Bliss Wedding Planners for organising this event.

Image by Julian

The morning was filled with hijinx as Jason and his entourage donned their ao dai, boarded cyclos and headed over to Truc’s bearing gifts. In a fitting tribute to the culture clash of foreigners partaking in a traditional Vietnamese wedding procession along the busy streets of modern Vietnamese suburbia, there was, of course, a motorcycle crash en route. No one seriously injured, save perhaps the drivers’ egos. On arrival, Jason had to pass the bridesmaid’s tests before entering the house, answering a set of questions about his bride to be. Considering the heat and the pressure of the moment, he did very well.

It’s always nice to shoot an event where the bride changes outfits – it’s often like photographing two different, beautiful women on their wedding day. And Truc’s transformation from traditional red robes to elegant white evening gown (complete with beehive and tattoos, of course) was stunning. She was radiant all day long, and it shows.

Thanks to both the bride and groom for having us document their very special day, and for being so warm, relaxed, and good humored throughout the festivities.

We have just photographed her wedding at the splendid Park Hyatt Hotel Saigon and hope to have the pictures up soon.