When I agreed to photograph Tung and Nelly's wedding, I knew I'd be threading a needle. Tung, who is also a photographer, preferred a grittier, more raw approach to their wedding photos inspired by the street photographers he admires. Nelly, on the other hand, favored a cleaner, modern approach that seemed to represent the exact opposite end of the spectrum. Performing a balancing act between two approaches while navigating my first Vietnamese Tea Ceremony was both exciting and challenging. The resulting gallery flows between honest and unscripted moments and a refined feel, landing somewhere in between.
Balancing Photojournalism and Tradition at a Vietnamese Wedding
Between the haze of the post Tea Ceremony lunch and the coming roar of the evening's Western reception at Kirin Court in Richardson, I had the wedding party meet for a quick set of photos at nearby Cottonwood Park. Thank goodness for November in North Texas, its tempered weather ushered in a refreshing air that energized this group after a drizzly morning. Dappled sunlight supplied a mosaic of shadows that gave us a playground to organically frame and move within. And this wedding party didn't settle for simply checking off photo obligations, their electric energy elevated the moment into a string of laughs, jokes, and camaraderie. It naturally became what I had hoped it would be: loose, fluid, and fun.
The Energetic Reception and Dim Sum Service at Kirin Court
The reception at Kirin Court in Richardson carried in a tone shift that traded heritage and tradition for boisterous cheers, drinks, and flurries of motion across the dance floor. Kirin Court transformed one of their dining rooms into a space draped with care and elegance that set the stage for Tung and Nelly's entrance to greet their guests. The energy inside those walls exploded when the two started making their way between the tables, with shouts and cheers echoing off the ceiling as Nelly was twirled by the hand and dipped low on the dance floor. Champagne pops and a giggly cutting of cake marked the start of a family style dim sum dinner service. The two made their way table to table once plates were scraped clean, being met with drinks and gifts from each stop throughout the room. This Vietnamese wedding custom, being new to me, blew me away with how far it stretched between warm, touching moments and chaos fueled by games and shots. Definitely some of the most fun I've had photographing in a while!
