To be completely honest.
Finding a photographer (actually it's more like choosing) for our wedding was simple. I already had a photographer in mind for the longest time - I was just waiting for that moment - if you know what I mean.
I discussed my choice with the fiancé and luckily, it didn't take much to convince him. We agreed they were definitely one of a kind and that we would love to have them photograph our special day.
The process was easy. I reached out to them and we exchanged emails back and forth. We even facetime and met with each other. The reason being, they were located in Houston, Texas. They were very up-beat and you can feel the passion and love that they had for what they love to do.
So a little background of why I chose Tee Tran Photography.
When I was a very young little girl, my dad would buy VHS tapes and DVDs of Paris By Night. Paris by Night encompasses a lot of different Vietnamese songs and singers. I grew up watching and listening to it and pretty much fell in love with a singer. Ok, not totally in love but more like I loved her songs, I loved her singing, I loved her performance and energy. Each time my dad buys a PBN, I ask, is she in there? I would learn her songs and sing-a-long quite a lot.
Fast forward to my high school and college years, I found that she was no longer going to perform due to some medical complications. I then stopped watching PBN. Lucky for me and her fans, she was active on social media and soon enough, married Tee Tran.
Never had I thought I would work with Bao Han. The person that I idolized when I was young. For me, this definitely meant a lot which is why I think my fiancé went with the flow.
But that's besides the point, she's very fashionable and creates outfits that are super pretty out of affordable pieces that she finds. Her husband, Tee Tran's photography skills are quite different than your average. The angle, the skills, the directing that they both encompass are quite phenomenal...not to mention, they're quite goofy.
My fiancé and I are both looking forward to this experience and are totally psyched for them to capture the moments we have.
Monday, October 17, 2016
Friday, October 14, 2016
Wedding: Venue Hunting
Venue hunting is, hands down, one of the hardest things to decide on.
I started doing my research in June. A lot of it was browsing online and seeing what appealed most. At this point, the fiancé and I didn't even brainstorm what we want. I know a lot of people would jot down location, venue space, and things they look for in a wedding venue. We did none of that. I literally just clicked around through google, The Knot, Wedding Wire and random websites. If it looked nice and was fairly close, I emailed the venue asking for a general quote. In the email, I would include, general date of wedding and amount of people. Some places got back really quick and gave a very detailed breakdown along with a brochure. But we just weren't feeling it at that moment to continue looking and lock down a place. A lot of it had to do with not setting a date yet.
Finally, after a couple of months of back and forth, we settled on a date and decided it was time to really find a venue and started planning. We knew that if we locked down on a wedding venue, we would have to move forward with everything. No longer can we procrastinate.
Since June's research, we sort of knew what to expect and are more clear of what we are looking for. We broke it down to either the Long Island location - Glen Cove Mansion or New Jersey location - Liberty House Restaurant. For some reason, we weren't exactly satisfy with these locations. So, for one last time, I researched again.
I realized that it was definitely the price that played a big role in venue deciding. We switched from a September wedding to a November wedding because November is an off season month, which should cost less, right? Not by much though. After much browsing and googling, I saw Sunset Terrace at Chelsea Piers. I knew I reached out to them before but at that moment in June, they didn't appeal much. The second time around, after a lot of back and forth email along with endless googling of "weddings at Sunset Terrace," we were sold. Not to mention, the price per head was also very attractive.
We went in for a tour and it was no doubt that we would want our wedding here. It wasn't the grandest place but it was perfect for us. It was unique and has a great view of the Hudson River. You can see the Statue of Liberty and New Jersey (where we do reside now). Plus, it just felt right. Without hesitation, we asked our venue coordinator to draft up the contract right away. We left feeling relieved and accomplished. My fiancé and I were so glad we got this out of the way, we were also extremely happy that it was the first and only place we visited and liked. I definitely didn't want to be like my coworker that searched and toured over 20 places.
Some advice.
There is none that I want to give at all. Go into it blindly, cause honestly, that's the best part. Not knowing anything. Because it makes you look at places that you never thought you would. I told my fiancé that never in my dreams would I have thought to have our wedding in New York City, Manhattan of New York City. Don't give up and just keep looking, never settle for anything less.
I started doing my research in June. A lot of it was browsing online and seeing what appealed most. At this point, the fiancé and I didn't even brainstorm what we want. I know a lot of people would jot down location, venue space, and things they look for in a wedding venue. We did none of that. I literally just clicked around through google, The Knot, Wedding Wire and random websites. If it looked nice and was fairly close, I emailed the venue asking for a general quote. In the email, I would include, general date of wedding and amount of people. Some places got back really quick and gave a very detailed breakdown along with a brochure. But we just weren't feeling it at that moment to continue looking and lock down a place. A lot of it had to do with not setting a date yet.
Finally, after a couple of months of back and forth, we settled on a date and decided it was time to really find a venue and started planning. We knew that if we locked down on a wedding venue, we would have to move forward with everything. No longer can we procrastinate.
Since June's research, we sort of knew what to expect and are more clear of what we are looking for. We broke it down to either the Long Island location - Glen Cove Mansion or New Jersey location - Liberty House Restaurant. For some reason, we weren't exactly satisfy with these locations. So, for one last time, I researched again.
I realized that it was definitely the price that played a big role in venue deciding. We switched from a September wedding to a November wedding because November is an off season month, which should cost less, right? Not by much though. After much browsing and googling, I saw Sunset Terrace at Chelsea Piers. I knew I reached out to them before but at that moment in June, they didn't appeal much. The second time around, after a lot of back and forth email along with endless googling of "weddings at Sunset Terrace," we were sold. Not to mention, the price per head was also very attractive.
We went in for a tour and it was no doubt that we would want our wedding here. It wasn't the grandest place but it was perfect for us. It was unique and has a great view of the Hudson River. You can see the Statue of Liberty and New Jersey (where we do reside now). Plus, it just felt right. Without hesitation, we asked our venue coordinator to draft up the contract right away. We left feeling relieved and accomplished. My fiancé and I were so glad we got this out of the way, we were also extremely happy that it was the first and only place we visited and liked. I definitely didn't want to be like my coworker that searched and toured over 20 places.
Some advice.
There is none that I want to give at all. Go into it blindly, cause honestly, that's the best part. Not knowing anything. Because it makes you look at places that you never thought you would. I told my fiancé that never in my dreams would I have thought to have our wedding in New York City, Manhattan of New York City. Don't give up and just keep looking, never settle for anything less.
Fast Forward
I am engaged!
Well, since May but yes I will be getting married next year!
Getting married is honestly just once in a lifetime event and I'm going to try my best to log about the entire process. It's interesting, exciting and nerve wracking but it's something that I want to be able to look back to and just laugh at myself.
Rewind back to May of 2016. My then-boyfriend and I decided to head to Hawaii. Well, he's been talking about it for the longest time and I've decided that we'll go. It was a last minute decision so everything seemed kind of rushed. He always told me how good the food was there and the weather is gorgeous, that it's a great place to retire in. And so to shut him up about the non-stop food talk, I told him, let's just go to Hawaii. So, that's exactly what we did.
We chose to stay in the North Shore for 3 days and 4 days in Oahu. The days in the North Shore were beautiful and peaceful. We only had 2 full mornings in the North Shore since the 3rd morning was when we had to check out, so watching the sunrise was limited. We stayed at a small cottage place with a backyard that opened up to the ocean.
The boyfriend told me that we should watch the sunrise one of those mornings and I reluctantly agreed. The morning of, I felt so sluggish and asked why can't we just watch it from bed since our bed literally faces the water. He didn't nag on me much, which then made me feel guilty. I gave up and agreed to head out onto the lawn chairs. Good thing I didn't pass out while staring off into the sky. It was quiet and all you hear is the ocean water and random birds flying around. Finally, the sun was peaking out. Sitting there, I thought to myself, it would be great if he propose to me right now, it would be so darn perfect. And then, BAM...the next thing I knew, he was on his knees next to me and whipped out the RING! In my head, I was like omg omg omg it's happeningggggg!!! He was telling me that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me and that we should take the next step in our journey and I'm there just nodding away and holding back tears! Oiy...
Needless to say, my mind was read. It was a perfectly simple proposal and I couldn't ask for anything better. I was just floating on cloud 9 that day. Hawaii was just perfect.
Well, since May but yes I will be getting married next year!
Getting married is honestly just once in a lifetime event and I'm going to try my best to log about the entire process. It's interesting, exciting and nerve wracking but it's something that I want to be able to look back to and just laugh at myself.
~~~
Rewind back to May of 2016. My then-boyfriend and I decided to head to Hawaii. Well, he's been talking about it for the longest time and I've decided that we'll go. It was a last minute decision so everything seemed kind of rushed. He always told me how good the food was there and the weather is gorgeous, that it's a great place to retire in. And so to shut him up about the non-stop food talk, I told him, let's just go to Hawaii. So, that's exactly what we did.
We chose to stay in the North Shore for 3 days and 4 days in Oahu. The days in the North Shore were beautiful and peaceful. We only had 2 full mornings in the North Shore since the 3rd morning was when we had to check out, so watching the sunrise was limited. We stayed at a small cottage place with a backyard that opened up to the ocean.
The boyfriend told me that we should watch the sunrise one of those mornings and I reluctantly agreed. The morning of, I felt so sluggish and asked why can't we just watch it from bed since our bed literally faces the water. He didn't nag on me much, which then made me feel guilty. I gave up and agreed to head out onto the lawn chairs. Good thing I didn't pass out while staring off into the sky. It was quiet and all you hear is the ocean water and random birds flying around. Finally, the sun was peaking out. Sitting there, I thought to myself, it would be great if he propose to me right now, it would be so darn perfect. And then, BAM...the next thing I knew, he was on his knees next to me and whipped out the RING! In my head, I was like omg omg omg it's happeningggggg!!! He was telling me that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me and that we should take the next step in our journey and I'm there just nodding away and holding back tears! Oiy...
Needless to say, my mind was read. It was a perfectly simple proposal and I couldn't ask for anything better. I was just floating on cloud 9 that day. Hawaii was just perfect.
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