Wedding: Lina & James - Manhattan, New York City

These two lovebirds were hitched in a civil ceremony and the day after, they had their reception at their favorite spot in China Town - NYC! Although before the festivities, the couple and their families got ready together at the bride’s apartment in Manhattan's Lower East Side.

Lina's mom, Nui, and sister, Mei, had their hair and make-up done and took turns applying the finishing touches to the table settings for the reception. Lina's father, Gary, made tea for everyone in the kitchen just before Nui propped up her ironing board between the sink and stove. The gifts for the wedding guests were packed up. After Mei had borrowed a few pieces of jewelry from her mom, we were ready to hop in the car and head to Chinatown. We arrived at the Golden Unicorn; a special venue for Lina because her parents brought her and Mei there often when they were children. As soon as we arrived, Lina's cousin, Kara started to help set everything up. Guests slowly trickled in and said hello to the happy couple.

Before the Dim Sum dinner was served, the Wan Chi Ming Hung Gar Institute presented a Dragon Dance. The gong rang and the dragons entered the room! They danced for Lina and James, who in turn "fed the dragons" cabbage as glitter was tossed onto the floor in celebration. A red circle was presented and placed around the couple thus, tying Lina and James' hearts together. From there, the couple took their first dance and enjoyed the meal!

Speeches by the Best Man and Maid of Honor were made and afterward, the DJ started up the dance party! Lina and Mei slipped away for a moment, and the bride returned in her red Chinese Wedding Dress. Towards the end of the night, Lina had one final "outfit change" and put on her mother's Chinese Wedding Dress, a gorgeous shade of orange that boasted a hand beaded Phoenix Bird.

Engagement: Lina & James - Manhattan, New York City

Three years ago this month, I had the pleasure of shooting an Engagement Session for a young lady, Lina, and her fiancé, James, in the Lower Manhattan. What made this a special photo shoot was that I've known Lina most of my life. Naturally, there's a long story to our connection. Her cousin, Alex and I, grew up together; side by side. From time to time, Alex's cousins would drive down to Arlington, VA from Chinatown in NYC for a visit; Miss Lina being one of his cousins.

It was always exciting when Alex's cousins would come down from New York City; their trips always resulted in a backyard BBQ by Alex's mom, Aunt Sylven, in South Arlington. Alex and I were a little bit older than Lina and I can remember hearing about the different stages of Lina's life from Aunt Syl. One of the most memorable was Lina's acceptance to George Washington University in D.C. Aunt Syl was particularly proud because that's where she taught.

When I learned Lina was engaged to James, I was very happy for her. When I heard they wanted me to take their engagement and wedding photos, I was very flattered - to say the least. I travelled up to NYC from D.C., and we shot the engagement photos on the same day as their amazing wedding reception, which was held at the Golden Unicorn in Chinatown. Their third anniversary is just around the corner... stay tuned for a few of their wedding photos!