Alyson and Allan, Married! | A Plimoth Plantation Wedding

Bright and colorful, stylish, and multicultural, Alyson and Allan’s wedding was exactly what a Shang Chen Photography wedding should be about. They wed on one of the hottest days in July, when it was near 100 degrees and humid as heck – even the wedding cupcakes were sweatin’. In fact, the back story to all the outdoor portrait wedding images after the ceremony was that these were taken in sessions of around 10 – 15 minutes each in between thunderstorms! A severe but fast-moving thunderstorm narrowly missed the wedding ceremony and rumbled through cocktail hour. Thankfully no one got really drenched – the guests made it to the reception site in time.

And rain in my pictures? Betcha can’t tell! I dare you to guess which one of these photos was taken in the mist!

I adore Alyson and Allan’s personal style. Alyson wore a lace (love lace) Monique Lhuillier gown and adorned her hair with a pearl headband

hmm, this forgetting deodorant must be a recurring theme in my weddings this year!

Alyson’s adorable nephews were ringbearers

I really like these family portraits, especially the focus on Alyson’s grandmother, a beloved family member. In fact, Allan proposed to Alyson in front of this grandmother to make the moment extra special

Like Alyson, Allan dressed with impeccable taste. From the bowtie, to the pocket square, to carrying his father’s handkerchief, to the star trek cufflinks

Many of the guests were in equally colorful attire. I also saw many of Allan’s Filipino family members come in traditional special occasion attire

The flower girls – Allan’s nieces – wore purple and orange dresses

Allan broke down as Alyson walked down the aisle

His family followed suit

The Hornblower Garden at the historic Plimoth Plantation provided a gorgeous and shaded background for the ceremony.

I really like the moment right after the kiss, too

Guests welcomed the newlyweds with bubbles

The thunderstorm was approaching (thanks to the radar map on my smartphone for alerting me!… and the clouds and rumbling thunder too), so I moved the portraits around a little bit, focusing on the bride and groom first. With unpredictable weather in Boston, a little flexibility and buffer time built into your day is so key. In fact, Alyson and I worked together on her schedule and we added in extra time – and I am so thankful we did that.

Also, I LOVED Alyson’s bouquet – such beautiful colors and unusual flowers!

My favorite!

Great bridal parties who are completely supportive of the bride and groom – you guys rock

All of the men wore customized cufflinks

This awesome trolley ferried everyone back and forth between the ceremony and reception spaces

This barn was not only amazing for photos, it also sheltered us during the storm

All of the wedding’s details

Alyson and Allan had a cupcake display and a small cake for cutting. The paper cake topper has birds made out of sheet music because both Alyson and Allan are musicians and teaching music

Instead of one toss bouquet, Alyson used a fortune bouquet – it was actually six smaller bouquets, each with a fortune attached. When thrown, it would break up and land on six recipients. I thought this was very creative

Their reception ended with lots of dancing and some karaoke

Thank you for being such fun people to work with and for sharing your worlds with me! I’m very inspired by what you two do… and props for rocking it out with the weather – it’s one unforgettable wedding that’s for sure!

Also, a very official welcome to my summer intern Amy Bao who shot most of the reception details and the behind the scenes photo of me here below.  Look out – she is one talented girl and has been of tremendous help to me this summer managing a part of my workflow

Shang’s second shooter: Amy Bao Photography
Venue: Plimoth Plantation, Plymouth, MA
Cupcakes: Cakes Bakery and Cafe, Milton/Arlington/Watertown, MA
Dress: Monique Lhuillier, purchased at VOWS Bridal Outlet, Watertown, MA
Bridesmaid dresses: David’s Bridal
Rings: Toodie’s Fine Jewelry, Quincy MA (groom’s band and bride’s engagement ring), Long’s Jewelers (bride’s wedding band)
Suits: Men’s Wearhouse
Bow ties: Beau Ties Ltd. of Vermont
Paper: Wedding Paper Divas
Bridesmaids Jewelry: Nordstorm & Macy’s
Cake Topper: Yellow Bear Studios at Etsy
Cufflinks: Hot Star, Ghost Love Jewelry, Crimson King at Etsy
Florist: Flou(-e)r
DJ: Cape and the Islands Entertainment
Officiant: Rev. Ann G. Suzedell, friend of the bride and groom

August 19 – 22 – Jamaica
August 23 – 25 – NYC
August 31/Sept 1 – Return to Chicago
Sept 8 – 12 – Boston
Sept 23 – 25 – Boston
Oct 8 – 10 – San Francisco / Bay Area
Oct 22 – 28 – Barcelona, Spain

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