Candace & Derek | San Francisco Chinatown Wedding
It has been quite the journey to get to this wedding celebration for Candace and Derek, but they have remained incredibly thoughtful and intentional with their choices every step of the way. Thanks to their considerate design and considerable patience, were all so lucky to be able to gather safely for both a casual, outdoor picnic, as well as a full Chinese banquet, one year after they were officially wed in their back yard in 2020. See highlights from this special day below!
First, a beautiful guest book with a design hand-carved by Candace and replicated on the cover! So cute.
We began the day with a casual lunch picnic out at Golden Gate Park. Below, Volume 2 of their wedding zine! Complete with interactive puzzles and games inside.
Lucky Mr. Chester A. Arfur got to join for both the picnic and the dinner!
What a joy to witness some joyous first-hugs-in-forever all around.
Such a lovely, casual part one to the festivities.
Later that evening, after some outfit and hair and makeup transformations, I met Derek and Candace for a stroll and some portraits around Chinatown, a place where Derek’s family has long ties that reach back a couple generations.
Back at their venue, China Live, another awesome DIY project from Candace: felt fortune cookie escort cards! So fun.
This was actually the first wedding hosted at China Live ever since the pandemic started. It was such a lovely feeling to see the venue come to life for these festivities.
Delicious food all around, of course.
And such a warm and loving crowd.
To top it all off, hopefully everyone saved some room after their Chinese banquet feast, because Candace made not one or two cakes for her own wedding, but six. Six different, impeccable wedding cakes.
Congratulations, Candace & Derek!
Wedding Vendors:
Photographer: Anna Wu Photography
Picnic Venue: Golden Gate Park
Picnic Catering: The Sunday Family
Reception Venue & Catering: China Live, San Francisco, California
Bride’s Hair: Hung Tran, Project XO Salon
Makeup: Janesa Simmons
Groom’s Hair: Jourdan Kan, JP Kempt
Dress: Ted Baker
DJ: DJ Christie, Heart of Gold DJs
Cakes: Candace
Anna Wu is a wedding and portrait photographer based in San Francisco, California. She is available for portraits and weddings in California and beyond. Follow her daily adventures on instagram and view more of her work at annawu.com.
