Chinese Wedding Homage Photoshoot

I finally got in contact with the awesome Jessi Field from Jessi Field Photography and she agreed to do a couple's shoot! She specializes in natural light, outdoor photography. After an amazing shootout last night with 15 other talented photographers, models, and designers, I got inspired to pick a theme that means a lot to me. I started thinking that I don't really acknowledge my heritage as much as I should. Of course, I make Asian jokes about myself, but that doesn't really go far.

I told Jessi that I regretted not having a professional photographer at my Chinese wedding when there was so much awesome food and colors there. Well, we did, but he didn't know my family very well and the pictures showed. I love my parents' wedding pictures so friggin much!

The next photoshoot will be a homage to my Chinese wedding, modernized and outdoors. Think Anthropologie in China.

Props to consider bringing:
- Chinese dragon wooden circle decoration from China Doll
- Red lanterns
- Fans
- red wedding ribbons
- red balloons? Is that too trendy? Screw it. why not!
- (2) wooden red chairs from home
- satin red flower bouquet
- stylized umbrella

Style:
- Red heels

- huge, custom red satin peony hair piece with veil

- 1920s glamour, or at least 1980s traditional: use parents' wedding photos as inspiration

- short, big wave curls
- red lipstick

- french manicure

- mom's hand-painted silk scarf

- tea set

Poses:
- chair, bride sit, groom stand
- grass pose, aerial shot
- lake, dock
- pouring tea
- both drinking tea, looking straight

# 83 Free Docs: Reception & Ceremony

Wow, googling "ceremony outline" sent me to a site called docstoc.com which has all these neat word docs on planning the ceremony and reception. Sweet.

Reception: Music


Serving the Tea:
"On the wedding day, the bride serves tea (holding the teacup with both hands) to her parents at home before the groom arrives. She does this out of respect and to thank her parents for raising her. The tea at this time does not need to have the lotus seeds or dates, and the bride does not need the assistance of a “lucky woman.” She pours and serves the tea by herself without the groom.
Traditionally, after the wedding ceremony, the newlyweds serve tea (holding the teacups with both hands), inviting the groom’s elders to drink tea by addressing them by formal title, e.g. first uncle or third aunt."

# 58 Cantonese songs and Chinese traditions

"Wedding Day Ceremony

On the day of the wedding, two families performs "hair dressing" ritual and "capping" ritual for the bride and groom respectively. Then the groom sets out to the bride's home, and he will inevitably be blocked at her door by her friends, and the bridesmaids will play door game with the groom and his attendants.  The bride and groom will then leave her home and proceed to meet the groom's parents for Tea Ceremony.  The wedding date ceremony ends with a feast which features elaborate Chinese wedding food."

5 things you should know about chinese wedding traditions/customs:

http://www.chinese-wedding-guide.com/index.html

Help for the white girl Wedding Bee post

Cantonese pop singer of the 60s and 70s: Samuel Hui