Connie & Tony’s Wedding | Temple City & Alhambra, California

You might not see the silly side of them right away, poised as they are as the lawyer and the police officer. But give it just a little bit of time and the right conditions, and their playfulness comes right through. They’ll laugh together and be goofy together, but they’ll also cry together and they will support each other, through and through.

Time and time again on the wedding day, their friends and family chimed in on this refrain: these two are incredibly selfless, always willing to serve others. But this day– with the perfect weather and the gorgeous setting– was their day.

Love the red shoes!

The pearls on the right were a gift from Connie’s mother. They were given to her mother from her father’s mom when she and her father were engaged.

Connie and Tony opted to do a “First Look,” seeing each other for the first time before the ceremony. It’s a really great way to have a moment to yourselves before the momentum of the day takes over, and we got some really wonderful portraits too.

And I love that you can see their silliness. It’s so them.

It’s always great when the guy holds the bouquet. Just a candid moment as we move from one space to the next.

St. Luke’s made a perfect backdrop for these portraits. The fountain on the left was captured by my second shooter Christina Chou. And on the right, a very sweet & elegant moment.

And then we embraced a bit of childhood regression as we took advantage of the playground in the church.

Love.

And I love this angle too, captured by Christina.

And then it was time to get married.

I love that this captures her emotion, as Tony’s arm reaches for her.

A hug for her father.

After the ceremony, we stopped by the gorgeous San Gabriel Mission for some photographs with the wedding party. I bet you can’t even tell, but three of the five bridesmaids were pregnant!

And then it was off to Lunasia for the reception, a full ten-course Chinese banquet.

Perfect for the couple that can’t decide between cupcakes or cake, the best of both worlds– cupcakes, topped with a cake! This whole setup was personally put together by the owner of Dots Cupcakes, an amazing shop in Pasadena. I can tell you personally, they are delicious!

Tony’s brother, the best man, ragging on him a bit as they laugh in the background.

And of course, Connie and Tony cut the cake, but eat the cupcakes.

Finally, my surprise same-day-slideshow, which had a tough act to follow, since they put together one of the best personal slideshows I’ve seen. But I heard so many lovely things about both their guestbook and my slideshow from the guests afterwards. I was definitely feeling the love!

Vendors:

Florals: Shirley Liu/Flower Mart, Temple City, California
Ceremony Venue: St. Luke the Evangelist Church, Temple City, California
Reception Venue: Lunasia Chinese Cuisine, Alhambra, California
Wedding Day-of Coordinator: Mika Walton, friend of bride
Emcee/DJ: Rick Lee, cousin of groom
Cupcakes & Cake: Dot’s Cupcakes, Pasadena, California
Photography: Anna Wu Photography, assisted by Christina Chou

And now for some behind the scenes photos (more are on my Facebook page, if you’re ever curious). Many thanks to my second shooter Christina Chou for capturing these! Now I know how ridiculous I look when I’m shooting with two camera bodies.

My brand new HTC smartphone came in handy twice during the reception. One, to light this ring shot (while I wear my fashionable new lens hood bracelet), and two, when I used my free Grooveshark trial to pull up Connie & Tony’s malfunctioning first dance song, which we used for the same-day-slideshow instead. And miraculously, the slides were perfectly timed to finish exactly as the song came to a close. I was rather surprised and impressed, but I’m sure no one else knew it was just serendipity. Way to go, Droid.

And at the end of the night with the newlyweds! Congratulations! I’m so glad to have gotten to know you both. You’ve been amazing to work with.