Olivia & Alex | Harborview San Francisco Wedding

I first got to photograph Olivia and Alex’s engagement session last year, before they were wed in the fall North Carolina. This spring, they returned to the Bay Area for their West Coast wedding reception, a Chinese banquet at Harborview on the Embarcadero. Olivia’s mother Keilani was so kind to have coordinated everything with me from the very beginning, including a surprise lion dance for the couple! It was a true delight to get to know this family and to capture the celebrations of the day.

Harborview is a wonderful choice for a Chinese wedding reception! It’s conveniently located right on the Embarcadero, across from San Francisco’s iconic Ferry Building. And of course the food is delicious.

We hopped outside for some quick portraits, taking advance of peak cherry blossom season!

Olivia’s mother prepared an incredibly sweet slideshow.

Alex’s family led the group in several raucous rounds of ‘two truths and a lie.’ But the main takeaway was that Alex is such a multitalented and likeable human that it was utterly believable that he did any and all of the myriad incredible things that they listed, from starting bowling clubs and to leading church choirs and publishing children’s books as a child (I think he really did do all of those things, but now I can’t remember).

Two doctors attempt to cut a cake together.

Then it was time for the surprise! As the cymbals and the drums began clanging from inside…

A lovely way to top off a celebratory meal with their family and friends.

 

 

Congratulations, Olivia & Alex!

Anna Wu is a wedding and portrait photographer based in San Francisco, California. She combines a “fine art” aesthetic, with a photojournalistic approach to beautifully capture the moments of a wedding day. Follow her daily adventures on instagram and view more of her work at annawu.com.