Tuesday

Michelle and Hai at San Gabriel Hilton

We met Michelle and Hai through Michelle's twin sister, Marlene. It turned out that I knew Hai from high school, and a couple of his groomsmen are also my friends from Fountain Valley High. They also went to UCLA (as you'll see below) like I did. It's such a small world!

Michelle and Hai had their ceremony in Pasadena and then the reception at the San Gabriel Hilton. I liked the style and design of both the church and the hotel. The weather was perfect considering it was a November wedding here in Southern California.


The stained glass at the church was a beautiful backdrop for this ring shot.



The available natural light worked so well I had to get this shot from a few different angles.



Notice the UCLA Bruin colors on the bouquet.



The upstairs of the church was also a Sunday school for little children, so they had these cute little chairs sitting around. We grouped a few blue and yellow ones to get this UCLA-themed bouquet shot.



The father of the bride walking his daughter down the aisle.



The bride and groom standing in this beautiful church.






This will take a while for Hai to live down, and I'm sure Michelle will always remember this. Hai dropped the ring as the pastor was handing it to him and drew a huge laugh from Michelle.



The girls in beautiful UCLA colors.









The guys had a great time throughout the whole thing. Between shots they were goofing around like old college buddies.


















The Pasadena City Hall was empty so we got a chance to capture them sharing a little alone time.



It was getting late and there was just enough light to squeeze in a couple of shots that I love.






The building was tall and beautifully designed.



The groomsmen had a special treat for all the Bruins in attendance. They ran through the ballroom waving UCLA flags while the song "Sons of Westwood" played through the loudspeakers. They then dropped the flags and did the "eight-clap." To hear what this sounds like, click here.



There were a lot more great moments from the wedding but I can't fit it all in here, so I'll leave you with the bride and groom in their first dance.


Florist
Pure Elegance
Carlos/Brittni

Coordinator
Eliza Tsui of San Gabriel Hilton

Coordinator
Jan Clark of Pasadena Trinity Lutheran Church

Click here to view Michelle and Hai's engagement session

Monday

Tina's Family in Irvine

With Tina and Steve's kids involved in many sports activities on the weekends, we really only had one date to try to do the shoot even though we scheduled it way in advance. As luck would have it, the weather in Irvine was perfect and their kids were great for this family portrait session.

Our goal was to capture everyone in a more natural fashion rather than just the traditional formal posed portraits. We tried to blend the two styles so we can be sure to capture their natural, individual expressions while also getting the group shots suitable for large prints and possible inclusion in Steve's professional website.


You can tell right from the start that Lily was a lively and energetic girl. The camera is definitely drawn to her smile.


We need to get some tips from Tina and Steve on how to raise kids, because the boys were all so polite and easy to work with.


Handsome kids.


A cute father and son moment.


Tina did such a great job with the wardrobe. She and Lily matched quite well.


Lily often wandered off and found her own activities.




I love these candid smiling moments.




Just the guys.




This is one of my favorites from the shoot. I told them all to get their faces close together and Lily comes over and plants a kiss on her brother's cheek. This is right afterwards when she looks up with her big adorable eyes.


Tina was looking for someone who would capture her family in a new way, in a more natural and relaxed outdoor atmosphere. I'm so glad she chose me to do the shoot because it was a lot of fun and I really love how the images turned out.

 
Jimmy Cheng Photography: Specializing in wedding photojournalism and lifestyle portraits. We understand that your wedding day is one of the most special days of your life. Our modern photography style captures unposed moments unobtrusively as well as timeless portraits, allowing you and your guests to enjoy your wedding day without interruption. Based in Orange County and Los Angeles in Southern California. Available worldwide for your destination wedding.
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