Boston wedding photographer Shang Chen Photography » Engagements

Bena and Ruoshi, Engaged! | Harvard Engagement Photos

Shang — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 11:00:54 +0000

This engagement session is going up early/out of order because Bena and Ruoshi are getting married this weekend! I really look forward to shooting their wedding at the MIT Chapel – one gorgeous piece of architecture (and also where a September client of mine will be married as well – you know who you are!) Though Bena and Ruoshi both hail from Hong Kong, I wanted to make sure that they understood that I did not have the style of typical wedding photography studios based in Asia – which mainly do these elaborate, styled, day-long pre-wedding bridal shoots where the couple are very much posed and photoshopped, and do not actually take photos during the real wedding day. I’m totally not bashing that style at all, I think it’s something that’s really fun and glamorous, but isn’t me =) Bena and Ruoshi were all for what I had in mind, so we opted for the beautiful sun-drenched yards of Harvard University, the Charles River, and Harvard Square for some natural portraits that really captured who they were as a couple!

This one is probably my favorite!

Bena and Ruoshi have this respect for each other that I think runs deep. They are young, but they are very wise!

And they’re also playful at the same time!

When asked what made them work well as a couple, they emphasized simplicity, compatibility, and similar faiths and cultural backgrounds

We also had some portraits by the Charles river, which was where Ruoshi proposed

You guys are just so wonderful and laid-back, I’ll see you very soon!

Thank you Kendra for helping out!

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Lauren and Pranay, Engaged! | Boston engagement photographer

Shang — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 22:50:02 +0000

Lauren and Pranay’s wedding at Castle Hill at the Crane Estate is coming this weekend! We were able to grab some engagement photos on a very sunny day at the Larz Anderson park in Brookline – one of the most beautiful park spaces in metro Boston, if you ask me =)

Lauren simply radiates energy. During our shoot she was running around and climbing trees, up to many ideas! Lauren and I actually attended middle and high school together. She was an athlete then as well

Blue. Skies.

Lauren and Pranay met in college, and Pranay actually spent the bulk of their engagement working in London, England, so it was really great for him to be back here

I really like the way these trees divide. I wonder what kind of trees they are?

There was also a wonderful garden with colorful flowers

Lauren snuck a sneaky one in there

We also have a picture of Pranay piggy-backing Lauren. Lauren returned the gesture

I love this picnic table!

Thank you to Karman for assisting!

I’ll see you guys very soon!

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Laura and Scott, Engaged! | Boston engagement photographer

Shang — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 21:27:18 +0000

Cute, cute, and more cuteness. Laura and Scott traveled up from their current residence in Philadelphia to visit for the weekend and get a fun engagement shoot done prior to their wedding later this summer. We traveled up and down Commonwealth Avenue and also visited Fenway Park! Thank you to Nithya for helping out! Laura actually twisted her ankle a little bit the week prior to the session, so I’m really glad to see she recovered enough to tough out all the walking we had to do – you’re a rock, girl!

A lot of people ask me on wardrobe opinions prior to the shoot, I love helping other people style! Did you know that I have provided input on maybe 75% of the sessions I work on? So if you guys ever have questions on what to wear, just ask!

This photo just oozes pure happiness. Ah I get so happy looking at them two!

This was the sneak peek. I love how they snuggle in the next two photos!

Getting the ring to stay on this fern was a team effort – thanks Scott!

I had to add this goofy one in here – Scott is an electrical engineer and apparently, in most of his college photos he poses with thumbs up. And we both like PCs (am I the only wedding photographer who still uses a PC…?)

A quick outfit change and off to Fenway Park! Laura and Scott both are big baseball fans. In fact, right after their engagement they went to see a Red Sox game!

Scott clearly is rooting for the wrong team. That’s okay, I’ll let it slide for now

Thanks so much for all the laughter and “awww”s you got out of me! I’ll see you guys real soon (can’t wait to start on that guestbook of yours!)

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Kimberly and Bill, Engaged! | Boston engagement photographer

Shang — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 00:46:48 +0000

I know Kimberly has been dying to see these on the blog because she is possibly one of my biggest blog stalkers everrr!!! If you think you can beat her the only way is to beat the number of times she comments… hahaha! Seriously though, from the moment we first talked on the phone, to a dinner at Golden Temple, to this oh-so-deliciously-perfect-weather engagement shoot dripping with color and style, I’ve felt nothing but blessings and honor knowing these two. They’re incredibly adorable together, humble, down to earth, and absolute sweethearts. I cannot wait for their wedding!

To reflect their classic tastes, we began the shoot at Boston’s Beacon Hill

Hellooo shoes! Can you guess who chose these shoes?

Bill did! What a man! Just the right touch of yellow to go with the dress

The next two are some of my favorites from the session. I love how all the colors pop!

They seriously bring sunshine into my life, they’re people you can really trust with what is on your mind

We then moved to the Esplanade to catch the golden sun. The bouquet of flowers are stargazer lilies – one of my favorite flowers. Future admirers please take note ;)

Kimberly works for the one and only Patriots. This totally was supposed to be a goofy picture. When Kimberly put it up as a preview on Facebook, I loved the comment her brother made: “it’s like Belichick is congratulating you.”

We’re debating between this and the walking photo above for the guestbook cover. What do you guys think?

More gorgeousness…

Bill proposed to Kimberly on a bench at the Esplanade. We couldn’t quite recall which one it was, but this one sure has a great backdrop

We then drove to East Boston to end the session with some dramatic sky lines

Did you guys like Kimberly’s look? Her makeup was done by a Shang Chen Photography preferred vendor, Danielle Ross! Thank you Danielle Ross for making my ladies even more breathtaking than they already are!

And thank you Nithya for helping out – I’m going to miss you so much!

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Vy and Than, Engaged! | Boston Engagement Photographer

Shang — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 18:30:45 +0000

Vy and Than’s engagement session is very unique even when it comes to engagement photos with me. You see, it is traditional in many Asian cultures to wear your bridal attire in your engagement photos – it’s like a bridal session, but for the couple! So for our engagement session, Vy and Than chose a casual white outfit for the beach, and then changed into their dress and suit for the Arnold Arboretum. It was such a fun session and I’m also happy to get to spend more time with them seeing them as they would on the wedding day!

Quincy’s Wollaston Beach is where Than proposed to Vy. It was unusually foggy that morning, so while I couldn’t get any blue sky shots, I was able to get very dramatic white backgrounds!

Vy’s family helped with her hair and makeup. It’s so perfectly flowing for the beach!

Than wanted to make sure he looked good in his photos. Than, even without my help, I think you did quite handsomely! This might be my favorite

Love this one too! Sea foam!

Then off to Arnold Arboretum! I don’t want to show too many of these photos because I don’t want to spoil the look too much for the guests day of =)

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Linda and Daniel, Engaged! | Boston Engagement Photographer

Shang — Mon, 31 May 2010 04:25:45 +0000

Linda and Daniel spend their summers camping in Cape Cod, so it is only fitting that Daniel would propose to Linda at sunset at one of their favorite spots near Provincetown. In a few weeks we will be returning to Provincetown for their wedding! I’m so excited! For now, here is their absolutely romantic engagement session in Boston’s North End. They made the long trek down from Canada to see me and do wedding planning, so I was so glad we were able to meet up!

I love these beautiful images of Linda. There’s just something about her smile that I could photograph every day!

It was an unusually warm May Sunday. We found a cool alley

The two rings on the outside are not wedding rings. Both Linda and Daniel were grad students in mining, metals, and materials engineering, and they receive these rings as part of a ceremony that’s something akin to a white coat ceremony for docctors

So cute!

They got some cannolis to share from Mike’s Pastries

And… I hope they don’t bring too much bad luck to the Boston Bruins with their Canadiens shirts :D

Can’t wait for your awesome wedding!

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Diana and Greg, Engaged! | Boston Engagement Photographer

Shang — Wed, 05 May 2010 15:29:34 +0000

What happens when you have thunderstorming clouds, hail, and crazy rain? You get Diana and Greg’s engagement session! This daring couple drove me out to this really cool rock climbing area out in Quincy (a former quarry) and just as we started getting set up the rain started. We ran back to the car to try to figure out our game plan when lo and behold, 10 minutes later, the rain cleared up and gave up really dramatic skies to complete the engagement photos. I guess the old adage about “if you don’t like the weather in New England, wait 5 minutes” is true!

Diana and Greg share a passion for rock climbing, so it would only be fitting that we chose this setting for their session. I thinking having clients be part of the creative brainstorming of any session is KEY – given that this session is for you, it’s important for me to incorporate your vision while providing my own professional guidance! Also, major major props to Diana for trooping it out in her flats on such soggy grounds while I was shootin’ in rainboots.

This is the sneak peek I showed on my Facebook page (do you Like it yet? It’ll be cool if you do!) This photo might look easy, but they had to climb up there!
Also, geeky note, I like how Diana’s shirt matches the patch of blue sky on the left and Greg’s shirt matches the tree on the right

Diana and Greg are both really smart (Diana is a Ph.D. student at MIT right now in Operations Research) and they brought two good books for the session to really personlize it

Tying the knot later this year and I’m going to be their wedding photographer! hahaha I crack myself up!

The graffiti on the rock walls were really, really cool

They climbed even higher for even more dramatic sky!

Reeds! When I saw these I told Diana that it’d been a goal of mine for a WHILE to get photos in tall reeds. I think they’re the most romantic things ever

Thank you guys SO MUCH for being such troopers, I hope it was worth it!
Also, I designed an engagement guestbook for these two and when it arrives I can’t wait to show it to you all!

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Agya and Salil, Engaged! | Boston Engagement Photographer

Shang — Mon, 03 May 2010 14:00:14 +0000

This whimsical, playful engagement photo session could not have been more fun! If I didn’t show the pictures with the umbrella you probably couldn’t even tell it was drizzling during most of the engagement session, this couple was just way too fun to be around! Agya spent a part of the relationship working abroad in The Netherlands (where I used to live for a bit of my childhood) and they love traveling. They also love color. After some brainstorming we decided to bring paper airplanes into the session. They were lightweight, fun, and could not match them better!

We began the shoot at the Boston Public Library. A great spot for photos, but also significant for them because they wanted to incorporate an European feel to their photos. This is them making airplanes in one of the really cool library rooms

The next two photos make me really giggle. Too cute!

And this is a sweet one

Salil cracks me up! He was channeling Mary Poppins

This clear umbrella is pretty cool

And we let the airplanes fly!!!

Agya is gorgeous! All my brides are when they smile =)

Did I say something funny? I hope I did

I am so excited for their wedding this summer at the Boston Marriott Long Wharf! It’s going to be an Indian wedding with a sangeet!

Thank you Maria for helping out! Check out a cool pic she took of the airplanes here

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Nancy and Andy, Engaged! | Boston Engagement Photographer

Shang — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 12:45:28 +0000

Through the years and distance, Nancy and Andy have finally made it to Boston together and will be getting married this summer down south. I’ve had the honor of getting to know Nancy over the months (we booked this session back in the winter in hopes for a beautiful spring day) and I have to tell you, this girl is too funny! Andy is attending Harvard Law School and Nancy is working in the area and spending her off-time being a super-tough roller derby girl. I wanted to bring out the playful and laid-back personalities they had. We had the exceptional luck of beautiful weather and abundant spring blooms for our engagement session! And perhaps shaking off the stereotype that I often pin on lawyers for being intense, Andy was every bit the romantic and gentleman the entire day. You rock!

Nancy’s beautiful features were enhanced by the expert work of Ligia from Makeovers by Ligia. I’m so happy at how natural it all looked!

I really like their natural smiles. I kept telling them how they were such an easy couple to photograph because they were not afraid of the camera!

These blossoms are super dreamy

Delicious light, check!

The architecture of this building on the Harvard Law School campus is amazing.
Funny little known fact about myself – there’s a parking lot next to this building. I once dented a parked car here while trying to pick up equipment for an undergrad retreat!

What did I tell ya about shoes? Most ladies who follow my blog know my obsession with awesome shoes

This seal manatee (clearly, I’m not a biologist) with the duck hat is actually something that Andy wanted to bring, and I think it perfectly describes them – cute and quirky!

We went by the Charles River Esplanade, the Boston side, to wrap up the shoot.

This is my favorite image of the session. These flowers don’t stay around long!

Nancy and Andy, best of luck this summer as you continue planning your wedding, and Andy, congratulations on finishing law school! Wishing you guys the best!

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Karina and Bryan, Engaged! | Boston engagement photographer

Shang — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 13:00:17 +0000

On the same beautiful day as Maiko and Dan’s photoshoot, Karina and Bryan traveled up all the way from New Jersey / New York for their engagement session! Karina and Bryan actually were on hand to help me out a couple years ago when I did an engagement session for our friends, Becca and Dean, which I consider one of the first sessions where I seriously thought that maybe I could make something out of this photography passion. (By the way, I know someone out there has been googling for their wedding photos, they’re not on my website, you need to ask them!). I’ve known both Karina and Bryan since college as well and I was so excited to find out they got engaged – the engagement story itself is also really sweet! Bryan proposed using a table scape laid out by the beach – it was a complicated big surprise in making that had twists and turns. It’s so great to see things come full circle!

We began the session at Kirkland / Eliot houses in Harvard – Karina and Bryan lived there in their undergrad years

Since when did hammocks get set up in the courtyard? so cool!

Bryan gives some of the best hugs in the world, and I really like how he’s able to bring about the sweetest smile from Karina

Did I mention these two have really beautiful hearts? I’ve seen them volunteer and help out at many events in my college years with them

Love playing with the sun in this one!

We made our way to the Boston Public Garden for some golden pictures towards the end of the day

Spring is in the air!

Thank you Nithya for helping out!

I can’t wait to photograph their wedding down in New Jersey! Not only do they have one of the most popular wedding dates of 2010, I’m also excited to be seeing many of my college friends again!

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