(the tree in question is the one on the right)

Joanna and Ryan met at Children’s Hospital. It’s always really great to be able to capture couples in places that are very significant for them

This book is too cute

Seeing these roots make me dream of sipping strawberry lemonade on a lazy summer afternoon while barefoot

The garden truly is a hidden treasure of gorgeous flowers (on the left)

Joanna’s mother kindly drove us to the Brighton / Brookline area where Ryan used to live and Joanna and Ryan had gone on some dates

I have to make a declaration here that I am head . over . heels . in love with her amazing orange shoes

This couple does not take a bad picture!

This last photo is of a green line D train running in the back. Sometimes they would sit on the train together on the way home and Ryan would often get off first, which would make Joanna sad – this is before they started datingThank you guys for being so inspiring, from the story of how you met and began dating, to where you are today! I’m bummed I’ll be missing out on your wedding, but I know it will be absolutely awesome!

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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’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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The following bridal shoot was a collaboration between me and the following listed vendors, all of whom have donated their valuable time and resources to make this shoot a beautiful experience. Thank you also to our models Kendra and Tina (who are both real brides! Kendra will be married next year and Tina was recently married), and to my assistants Maria and Christina, for making it happen.

Makeup: Makeovers by Ligia – check out my interview with her at the end of this post!
Hair: Updos by Ann (updosbyann[at]verizon.net)
Florals: Bumble Bee Landing – a Shang Chen Photography preferred vendor
Venue: The Charles Hotel

Ligia applying makeup. Her work is meticulous

This is Kendra’s ring. It is custom-made in Boston’s jeweler’s building

Ann and Ligia placing finishing touches on Kendra

Loving the gorgeous light as Tina stretches out her veil – her dress was custom-made by a Parsons dressmaker

Bumble Bee Landing’s Dana’s work never ceases to wow everyone. She created two different bouquets that matched the brides’ style – modern glam for Tina and vintage for Kendra

The shoes are getting some love too. I was especially drawn to the fun ruffles on Tina’s shoes

Gorgeous!

Some up-close detail of Kendra

Kendra got her veil at an antique fair for $20! It was a perfect match to her Monique Lhuiller dress

Interview with Ligia, a Boston wedding makeup artist:

Q: How did you start getting into wedding makeup?
A: I started doing bridal makeup by working for a hair and makeup company, and after gaining substantial experience, I decided to go solo.

Q: What type of makeup do you prefer and what brands do you like to use?
A: I usually opt for brands that do the job efficiently and are long-lasting, and by efficiently I mean brands that do not give you that “cakey” feeling and that photograph well.  It’s very important to me that women are made up, they look good in person and in pictures as well.  Among my favorite lines are MAC and Bobbi Brown.

Q: How would you describe your makeup style? What is your philosophy when it comes to wedding makeup?
A: My makeup style is simple, yet non-traditional.  When it comes to a bride, she should look like herself, flawless and more polished.  This look can be achieved not only with neutral but with bold colors as well.  In spite of the traditional bridal trends, colors such as reds can be used, as long as there is a balance between the eyes and the lips.

Q: How far in advance should brides look to book their makeup artist, and would you recommend a trial?
A: I recommend that brides book their makeup artist three to four months in advance if their wedding is during the wedding peak season (May through August).  Booking a trial is essential, because it is during this session that the artist gets a sense of the bride’s personal style, and tailors for her a look that is duplicated on the day of the wedding.

Q: Do you ever do more than one wedding a day?
A: Occasionally, I do two weddings in one day, depending on the times of the events and the distance between the venues.

Q: Tell me what you love about working on makeup especially for brides, and why did you choose to specialize in weddings?
A: What I love mostly about doing makeup is the boost of confidence I give ordinary women, particularly the ones who wear very little or no makeup.   Sometimes a simple look can make someone not only look beautiful, but also feel beautiful.

A big thank you again to everyone who has made this possible. Go team!

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I’m scared to show this photo, no, I’m terrified, because there are so many technical deficiencies I could point out about this wedding photo, but everyone had to start somewhere! I still really like this photo because it was a special moment during their first dance at their wedding at Boston Harvard Club. I especially love the stance and laugh that Jason – the best man standing on the left – has

What is amazing about Kristin and Yi-An is how socially conscious they are. They’re doing amazingly good things right now (Kristin is in med school and Yi-An is serving the public sector). At their wedding, their gift registry was not for themselves – guests’ gifts went on to provide “3 sheep, 2 cows, and 1 pig” to people in developing countries, through donations to Oxfam and World Vision. It was truly their own personal touch.

Though their anniversary is not for another couple of months, we were very happy to meet up again for a lifestyle session. It was freezing cold and the sky was unbelievably overcast. Nevertheless, their spirits were strong as we explored the Riverway area

In case you guys don’t know. They’re extremely intelligent and driven people. And tender towards one another.

Yi-An specifically requested a couple of jumping photos. They did jumping photos for their wedding too!

We then went around the Northeastern area for some more colorful backgrounds (did you notice the frozen river in the previous photos???)

Lo and behold! We found green grass!!! Hahaha, kidding, it’s actually AstroTurf, does that make this photo fake? I’ll take what I can get in this weather!

I agonized over showing this photo in color or black & white (I know what you must be thinking – “Geez if only the problems I had in my life were about whether I’d display a photo in high-def color or monochromatic tones”), I’m crazy like that :P I chose this B&W version in the end because I like how it focuses more on their expressions

We did spend time picking out outfits! However, we saved the non-jacket photos until the very end so that they wouldn’t be too cold in the meantime. We had even made a pit stop in the middle at the Museum of Fine Arts – which by the way is free first weekend of every month courtesy of Bank of America’s Museums on Us program

Thank you two so much for your friendship over the years, it’s been great catching up!

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I’ve driven past this storefront several times and always wanted to photograph it

I thought it would be cool to wrap this garden hose around his neck. Until we realized it was frozen. It was really cold that day!

And THEN… I found this most amazing random assortment of a castaway couch and trash cans. Awesome!

Using a very urban background to complement his outfit

Look at that great smile!

And a special, I have to have a series of Kunle dancing. Click on the photo for a large version!

Annnd… a couple of extras. Here’s Ivy helping us out by watching over our stuff! What a trooper!

This is too cute!!! It happened really quickly, but I really like the spontaneity of the shot

For those of you who haven’t seen the previous posts on what an in(SCP)iration session is or if you want to know more, simply click here for more info

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What is it? An in(SCP)iration session is a fashion-focused lifestyle photoshoot! What inspires you? Be it a certain detail, object, color, location, vibe, in(SCP)iration clients get extra attention upfront with Shang Chen Photography to visualize, plan, and execute a photo session that truly expresses their creativity and personality at heart. Planning includes location scouting and wardrobe review. An in(SCP)iration session is not a fashion shoot in the sense that there will be tons of lighting setups or sets, it is not meant to be overwhelming or for models. Rather, Shang Chen applies her personal and energetic approach to lifestyle photography to the client’s vision. Men and women who would like to tell a story or encapsulate the definition of their style should consider an in(SCP)iration session. Think of it as a time capsule of your style and personality right now.

You can scroll down past the photos to see more detail. With that being said Judith and I had been planning her in(SCP)iration session for over a month now to launch the line. With this shoot, I was really looking to feature a couple sides of Judith – an extremely fashionable side, a comfortable / cute side, and mix in a little noir / darkness. We had makeup help from the very awesome Ligia of Makeovers by Ligia. And lots of thanks to my assistants Nithya and Emily for helping out! Look out – in the summer we will be reinterpreting Judith’s in(SCP)iration with a summer glow!

I love this damask cube in Judith’s apartment

I don’t know how Judith managed, but she was really fierce in the heels she chose for the outdoor segment

Loving how her hair catches the light here

One last one, with funky edit

Want one of your own? All in(SCP)iration sessions include consultations (in-person, via email, and over the phone) to determine the style of the shoot, up to 2 hours of unlimited photographs at the photoshoot, and a proofing gallery of up to 6 months afterwards. A la carte products include an on-site makeup artist, a disc of photos, individual photo purchases, prints and canvases. Clients are responsible for providing wardrobe and certain props. 2010 Pricing: Sitting fee is $225. Prints, discs, travel, make-up artist, and other considerations are priced separately.

Can’t wait to show you more! I have 3 more in(SCP)iration shoots already planned for this year!

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If there’s one crazy event to experience in a lifetime of wedding planning, there’s nothing that can quite top Filene’s Basement’s semi-annual Running of the Brides, happening this year on February 19th, 2010 in Boston, MA. Check their website for the fall date as well as dates in other cities. (The Boston Running of the Brides is going to be at the Hynes Convention Center, official details are here)

For the uninitiated, Filene’s Basement basically gathers lots of extra inventory, sample sizes, of designer wedding dresses, and sells them at a heavy discount to the masses twice a year at an event called Running of the Brides. Dresses that used to be thousands of dollars can now be grabbed for $699 or less – all dresses are priced from $249 to $699. It’s truly a steal, allowing couples to use the money saved to invite more guests, add decor, have a nicer honeymoon, or just not go broke.

I went last year with my roommate Christina to help her find her dress. We did not do the running part in the morning. According to the website: “When the doors open, they run full speed towards the racks. In less than 60 seconds, the racks are stripped bare (store employees have to hold on to the fixtures so they don’t topple). The women grab whatever gowns they can, haul them off to a corner, strip down to their underwear and start trying on dresses. Minutes later the trading begins. Every dress, no matter what size, style or color, gets bartered for another, as each bride tries to find the gown of her dreams at a cut-rate price.” Yeah.. I’m 5’2″ and weigh less than 100 pounds, there’s no way I’d survive that kind of situation. We opted for midday instead.

Here are the lessons Christina and I would like to pass on:

- Go in at 10AM rather than door opening. By that point, many of the dresses have already gone back up on the racks and you will not be caught in what can only be described as a crazy, screaming, opening of the floodgates.

- Bring a mirror and 2 – 3 helpers. Dresses are heavy, sometimes the plastic wrapping is hard to take off, and you want to save time taking them off the racks and have more time trying them on

- Make your helpers easy to identify. Have fun and make team T-shirts, whistles, bring walkie-talkies, whatever will make communication easy for you.

- Wear a body-hugging underwear or swimsuit or even track gear, or wear the underwear that will closely resemble what you will wear on your wedding day. Most people change on the spot so you want to be comfortable walking around. Keep in mind that there will be a few brave men at this event.

- The majority of the dresses on the racks will be popular sample sizes – I saw mostly sizes 8 – 12 (wedding dress size, not street size). Buy a dress that’s larger, not smaller. Alterations will be able to size them down, but keep in mind that a difference of greater than 2 sizes may lead to a drastic change to the style of the dress.

- As great a discount they can be, sale prices still can lead to impulse buys. Therefore, make sure you think hard before you pay because all sales are final

The roommates back then – Lusi, the beautiful Christina, and me at Christina’s wedding! (photo taken with a Canon SD800)

Anyone else been to a Running of the Bride? Got any additional advice to pass along?

–

In other news, I received word today that I’ve won the Bride’s Choice Award 2010 from WeddingWire! This award recognizes the top 5 percent of local wedding professionals from the WeddingWire Network who demonstrate excellence in quality, service and professionalism. The Bride’s Choice Awards™ are determined exclusively by recent newlyweds (brides and grooms) through extensive surveys and reviews! A big big thank you to all my 2009 brides for making this possible for me!

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1) Planning a wedding is stressful - this is less a tip and more of a fact. It’s not that the bride and groom necessarily want all the attention on them when they talk about a wedding 24/7, but it is a difficult undertaking so it’s on the front of their minds. They are trying to organize an event for several hundred people all by themselves, and in most cases, with a limited budget. Please be a friend and be supportive. Also, Why is the Guest List so Stressful? The guest list and the final headcount basically determines a big chunk of the budget of a wedding. Receptions can and often do cost more than $100 per guest, and other vendors may charge more also based on headcount. For example, photographers have to plan on adding assistants. Coordinators and florists might need more hands on deck.

2) Don’t invite yourself to the wedding or assume you are in the wedding party – There are many factors and budget limitations where it’s simply not possible to invite everyone to a wedding. Don’t take it personally if you don’t get invited. When you find out that a couple has gotten engaged, offer them your congratulations, but refrain from asking what date their wedding is (you can ask month or season) or whether you’re invited or worse, inviting yourself! If you are invited or asked to be a groomsman or bridesmaid, you’ll know. Until then, respect their privacy. Also, when you are invited, don’t flaunt it in front of other people who weren’t but who are friends of the bride and groom, they might be sad they weren’t included. So if possible, be discreet.

3) RSVP, RSVP on time, RSVP without bringing uninvited guests – When reading the invitation, check the verbiage! Sometimes the invitation is only addressed to a particular person or might say “____ of 2 guests”. Weddings can be fun, but it is a personal event for the bride and groom and it’s not very good etiquette to bring someone unexpected. Usually, the +1 is designated for a serious boyfriend/girlfriend or a fiance or spouse. If you ever have a question as to if your +1 is invited, ask, don’t assume. If the wedding specified no kids, kindly be respectful to that, but if it is hard for you to leave your child, contact the bride/groom and see what can be arranged. Weddings are not like parties or dances, the +1 is not just anyone you can find. Finally, RSVP on time and properly – use the envelopes or the online link; a verbal or email RSVP can get lost in the shuffle. Many venues and vendors require a final headcount in advance of the wedding, so please give the bride something less to worry about!

4) Gift-giving – Did you know that brides and grooms get a 10 – 15% discount on all items that are not purchased on their registry? Sometimes an item is up there just for that purpose (like a couch). Registries are a guideline for what to get the bride and groom, but I’ve found that many, many people prefer cash in the end, it’s just that Western tradition has made asking for cash seem tacky (Asian cultures on the other hand, warmly accept it). It does not hurt to ask the bride and groom what they prefer, some do prefer one over the other. If you want to buy something similar to a registry item, try to match it in quantity / size / style / color. Also, you can team up with multiple guests to buy one single item. Whenever possible, don’t bring a large gift to the wedding – usually the only gifts that should be brought to a wedding are cards and envelopes w/checks. There’s a general sentiment that you have up to 1 year post-wedding to send them a gift, but I personally think it’s best to give it by the wedding or soon thereafter. The bride & groom often have to leave for their honeymoon right after the wedding and transporting large gifts home from the wedding is a logistical nightmare.

5) It’s their wedding – Whatever a couple decides to do and plan their wedding, it’s their day, they have their own vision that may be different from yours, and so please don’t hurt their feelings by saying some off-color remark about one detail or another. Plenty of people will be giving them advice left and right or offer help, but they will make the final decision in the end. If they do, don’t judge! They’ve put a lot of thought into it, just be happy for what they’ve done, and hey, if it’s your wedding, you’d probably want the same.

6) Don’t get in vendors’ way! They were hired to help =) I have been to numerous weddings – especially Asian ones – where every which way, someone else has also brought a fancy camera and is taking photos. I more than welcome that because I know you care about the bride and groom and hey, I started out doing photography like that myself, BUT, please please don’t step in the photographer’s line of sight, don’t go crazy with a flash, and in most cases, photographers (including myself) ask that you do not take photos during the group portraits because then it slows down the entire process and the wedding party will end up looking in multiple directions. If you ever have questions about taking photographs at a wedding, ask the professional photog, and they should (I hope!) be nice and tell you which angles you can capture and how to move about!

As winter approaches, good luck to all the people out there planning their proposals! Looking forward to working with some of you next year!

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Some details and getting read… I placed the rings against one of the colorful pillows in the lobby. Thanks to my friend Sam Lipoff for lending me a couple of his lenses and his D700 for this weekend (my second camera is coming in about a week). The rings were shot using a 60mm f/2.8 macro lens

Meanwhile, downstairs, the ceremony was getting set up.

One of the flower girls was a little shy before the ceremony!

The ringbearer was enjoying the bubbles

The gorgeous Ada walking down the grand staircase in the hotel towards the ceremony

Other shots I usually try to get during a ceremony is the groom watching his bride come down, and the father clasping their hands together

Cute flower girls!

Going in for the first kiss

We went to the hotel pool to take these formals. I’m LOOVING the color of the drapery!

Beautiful!

A typical Chinese wedding reception is not complete without…. games!

A very energetic first dance =)

Bouquet toss

Detail montage. The colors of wedding included yellow, green, and white

Congratulations Ada and Qizhi! It was incredibly fun to be a part of your beautiful wedding, and I have to say, you guys are such great sports throughout all the crazy games! See additional photos here

Vendors!

Reception + catering: Woburn Hilton
DJ: New England’s DJ