Saigon, Vietnam: Ming + Han
Of all places in the world, Ming & Han got married 10 minutes from where my parents got married. So happy these two found each other in this small world (and found me on the big internet!)
On New Year’s Eve, family gathered at the house Han grew up in in Ho Chi Minh City (or Saigon as we still call it) for the traditional tea ceremony. Taking photos in the narrow alleys of her neighborhood were filled with peekaboo special guests including motorbikes, chickens, and bà già.
The next day we kicked off the new year with an intimate American-style ceremony for 50 friends who flew in from all over the world, followed by a classic 10 course Vietnamese meal for nearly 250 more guests.
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Tell us about yourselves!
We met through Coffee Meets Bagel on a very cold day in the dead of winter in Boston, but had a lovely date and decided that we wanted to see each other again. And then the rest is sorta history with me moving to NYC for work shortly after we started dating and doing long distance for almost a year between here and Boston, and Han making a major decision to pursue her PhD at Columbia, which reunited the two of us in New York! Two years feels like a short time, but we've experienced some pretty big changes together and decided we'd love to continue this wonderful journey together for the rest of our lives!
I think our wedding is a bit special since we're having a banquet at Hotel Continental Saigon in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam for Han's side of the family, and at the Royal Queen in Flushing, NY for my side of the family. We're thinking of doing the engagement photoshoot in the fall somewhere in New England.
Ming + Han in Manchester, Vermont.
What are you looking for in a photographer?
We're looking for someone who can capture the special moments especially for our engagement photos. We looked through your portfolio and loved the mood and color and your ability to capture those moments and exude emotions!
Are there any moments that stand out to you from the wedding?
For us, to have friends and family who flew half way across the world to share that important day with us, dancing their hearts out, laughing, celebrating, and just being themselves in all their wonderfulness and silliness. If we have to choose a moment that perfectly encompasses all of this, it would have to be the dance party towards the end of our reception.
During the whole weekend, we never felt like we had to act or stand or pose in a way that was uncomfortable or unnatural. Having someone who could capture a myriad of important moments in such a natural way really helped take the stress off of us. The tender moments that we shared with our friends and family mattered more than the picture-perfect ones. Having those moments now in photograph is something that we will forever cherish.
Do you have a favorite photo from the weekend, and why?
We had a really hard time picking one so we tried our best and narrowed it down to the two photos below:
The day before the official wedding, Han’s family hosted a traditional tea ceremony. This was taken in the back alleyways of their home.
Looking at this photo ten months later brought back so many memories and reminded us of how beautiful the day was, how happy everyone was, and how much it meant to us. For us, the ability of a photo to bring back all the emotions and memories we had and re-experience them again is the reason why this is one of our many favorite photos from the weekend. Quyn's skill to capture the "off-camera" moments on camera is something that is exceptional and rare. We cannot recommend her enough to anyone for not only her amazing photography skills but also her ability to make people comfortable and be themselves in front of the camera.
We took a 5 minute break from the reception to walk across the street to the Saigon Opera House. Han had already changed into her dancing flip flops.
If you look at this photo, you probably can't tell the that I'm (the bride) wearing flip flops. It's amazing to me that Quyn is able to capture such a tender and unplanned moment (at night nonetheless). This is actually taken in front of a historically significant opera house in Saigon on a very busy square bustling with mopeds and cars. Quyn was standing among the busyness and was still able to capture such a perfect moment with just the two of us.
Any advice for someone planning a destination wedding?
I think we really got lucky here with our destination wedding as Han's family lives in Vietnam. Working out the logistics such as scouting venues, menu tasting, decorations, etc. would have taken a herculean effort and likely would have required multiple international trips. Instead, we were blessed with the help from Han's parents.
The biggest advice, if any, would be to pick a destination that you are familiar with and having close friends and family who are locals (especially for a large-scale wedding with lots of moving parts). This makes planning and logistics significantly easier. A close second would be having a well-thought-out contingency plan. Unexpected things can come up last minute so budgeting enough time and money is a must to help iron those out.
Note from Quyn: Ming & Han ended up not booking me for their second wedding reception in Flushing, but they did invite me to join as a guest where I got to reunite with their friends & family who I had so much fun with in Vietnam. I caught the bouquet.
