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.

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.

The ceremony was originally booked for Nha Trang Cathedral but unfortunately it was realised near to their big day that it fell on Maundy Thursday and they were going to be in full preparation for Easter. However The Sheraton’s new Sky Lounge made the perfect venue and Father Tien from the cathedral even came down and conducted the ceremony. Just before sunset we made our way to The Cathedral for a quick photoshoot before heading back to The Sheraton for cocktails by the pool and a lavish reception overlooking the city.

Rob and Hoami are a genuinely lovely couple and I thank you who for making me feel so welcome. A special mention for Hoami’s Mum; all those beautiful bridesmaids dresses and indeed Hoami’s wedding gown too, well, she made them from scratch! Finally a big thanks to Nick, the GM at The Sheraton Nha Trang, who as well as running a tight ship let me use his family apartment for a much needed shower between the ceremony and the reception!

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…

With Julian is Canada and Aidan on assignment in Nepal, a big thanks to Hanoi based photographer Dominic Blewett for helping  us out with this colourful wedding!

Dominic: “The Ly Club s a great venue and they threw a fine party for their awesome and eclectic group of friends. Thankyou to all of them for making me very much a part of the celebrations rather than just an observer, chup su khoe! I wish Marion and Camilla and all their friends a happy and fun-filled future together.”

Aidan: Van and Cody chartered the beautiful Bhaya Junk for their wedding cruise around Halong Bay. The weather threatened a few times during preparations but it stayed dry so we could have the ceremony on the top deck just before sunset.

But the real treat was to come in the evening. We were transported by tender to one of the limestone Karsts where dinner was being served inside a cave! This is simply something you can not do in the West, come to SE Asia for your weddings!

The party went on into the early hours back on the boat with Tiger Bia and Jack Daniels a plenty. TIGER TIME…..YO!!

Aidan: “Can you ride a jetski?” I asked.

“Is it a sit down or stand up? If it’s a stand up I can ride it backwards!”

Meet one cool Californian couple; Cody, the rock n roll sushi chef and his beautiful wife Van whom I had the pleasure of seeing 5 days running in Hanoi, Halong Bay, Nha Trang (Hon Tam Island) and Ho Chi Minh City. We spent the day at Hon Tam Eco Green Resort off Nha Trang for a post wedding shoot, with beautiful weather, banana rice wine and a lot of laughs!

Van’s family come from Hanoi and HCMC so they decided to spend the whole week with their family and close friends travelling through Vietnam with their wedding in Halong Bay. Thank you to everyone for making me feel so welcome and a special mention to Haivenu Travel company for organising the trip so well.

Wedding images from Halong Bay coming soon!

10 seconds after taking this long exposure, the storm hit. Cody and Van had to scramble back along the rocks as the rain came down but they were duly rewarded after a long day with a 3 hour session in Hon Tam’s Spa!

Thank you to Demetrius Philips for covering the event, we hope to see his images soon, in the meantime here are some snaps from the evening.

HANOI

The 10th October 2010 is a great date to have your wedding ceremony, however Hanoi decided to have its 1000 year anniversary on the same day. Whilst this didn’t cause us any problems, it meant we had to set the alarms for 0330hr to beat the traffic and head out of the city.

And it was really worth it! Nom Pagoda, a little over an hour from Hanoi, is a beautiful spot in a peaceful village. We had the opportunity for a morning photo shoot before the ceremony which was conducted by the monks who lived there, a very special ceremony and the first they had carried out there. Thanks to WedinStyle Wedding Planners for organising the day.

HALONG BAY

The next morning we headed off to Halong Bay, the weather was perfect and “Descending Dragon Bay” was glowing! A leisurely cruise around the bay on The Emotion was followed by a small ceremony and a big reception on the top deck of the boat.

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!