Welcome to my blog and please take a look at my galleries above! I love capturing memories with my camera and I drag my camera almost everywhere with me. I love getting to know people and showcasing their personalities in amazing photos!
I am a portrait and wedding photographer who resides in Las Vegas. Every once in a while, I'll documenting my travels and my life on the blog.
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(photo by Binita Patel Photography)
This is part two of Sandy’s wedding day. Click here to see part one of her wedding day.
Here’s a few images I took of Sandy getting ready in her suite at the Hilton Costa Mesa.
I love LOVE Sandy’s dress! It was so flattering on her figure and made her look stunning on her wedding day. I can’t wait for her to visit me in Las Vegas for a trash the dress session!!
Oh yes, we finally found her robe towards the end of getting her makeup done!
Hair and makeup: Elaine Chou
Dress: Maggie Sottero
Yay I’m so excited to share these pictures with you because Sandy and Scott are very near and dear to my heart. A few weeks ago I drove down to Orange County to photograph my bestie’s wedding. I was her maid of honor so I could only photograph the morning festivities, and the fabulous Erich of Erich Chen Photography covered the rest of her day. You may remember their beautiful engagement pictures that we took in the cute oceanside town of Rockport, Massachusetts.
Sandy getting ready before the Chinese tea ceremony. Doesn’t she look gorgeous in her Chinese dress?
Traditionally in Chinese culture, the groom and his family goes to the bride’s house bearing lots of gifts. But in order to enter the house, the groom and groomsmen have to pass a series of “tests” in order for the groom to see his bride. Scott has to “bribe” his way in and is trying to negotiate with the bridesmaids. These games are all done in good nature and is such a fun way to start the day!
Scott had to prove his love for Sandy by dancing to “Baby Got Back” that is playing on the laptop. Sort of a modern twist on the Chinese wedding door games. 
Then a brief Buddhist ceremony honoring the ancestors.
We had a full house for the tea ceremony! It was very touching to see so many of their family members fly from far away to celebrate this occasion with them. The living room was quite packed with all the relatives that Sandy and Scott had to serve tea to. But on the plus side, they received lots of lucky red envelopes and gold jewelry.
Showing off all the bling! Congrats Sandy and Scott!
Congrats to Kerry and Matt, who just got married last weekend! You may recall their baseball themed engagement session last fall. I am so giddy about seeing their picture that I took in in the New York Times! The Times is one of my favorite newspapers, and every so often I will read the featured celebration in the Weddings section because I love to read about how they met and how they overcame the bumps they experienced in their relationship. Sometimes when there’s a lot of depressing news being reported, it’s nice to flip to the Weddings section and read a happy ending.
Brides, if you are planning to submit a wedding announcement in any newspaper, read their guidelines carefully before your engagement session so you know exactly what they want. You don’t want to risk rejection just because your picture does not fit their standards. The New York Times has a set format and very specific guidelines. For example, the eyebrows of the couple are supposed to be on the same level (I kid you not! It actually says that!). So it’s difficult if one person is taller than the other! I had them sitting down, which helped some, and it took a few tries to get it right but we did it!
What makes it extra special is that their wedding announcement is featured prominently with their photo and not lumped into the “More weddings and celebrations” section that you see below in the bottom left (there were more but I cut it off in the screenshot). It is quite an honor to get featured, especially in June which is one of the busiest months for weddings! Here is the link to the original article.
Last month, Colleen and Paul flew in from New York to get married here in Las Vegas. I didn’t meet them until 2 days before the wedding, and we only talked on the phone until then. But Colleen was really sweet over the phone, and they sounded like a very laid back couple. When I met them in person, I got to know them a little more, and they were so calm when I met them. There were no jitters that I could see, but maybe because they have been dating for over a decade!
Forty of their closest friends and family flew out to celebrate their wedding day with them. It was a beautiful, intimate wedding held at Caesar’s Palace.
I loved Colleen’s flower girl! She was so precious and had on the cutest flower girl dress! The wedding gazebo is out by the pool so that’s why we are passing by the towel station.
The gardens at Caesar’s Palace is gorgeous! They recently changed the rules and no longer allow brides to bring outside photographers, so this may be my first and last time photographing here! So sad!
I found out Paul absolutely hates taking pictures, so I tried to do the bride and groom portraits as fast and painless as possible. I am not sure if Paul would agree, but he looks happy that I’m taking his picture here!
While waiting for the limo, I was able to sneak in a few more portraits by the front gardens of Caesar’s. Such an adorable couple!
Colleen ended up hiring a limo to take them to the reception at Maggiano’s. Originally she wanted to walk since it’s only a block, but it is one very looong block, especially when it is hot outside and you are in a wedding dress!
Paul used to compete professionally in motocross, and so Colleen surprised him with a motocross cake! I love the originality of the cake and how the tires make up the layers of the cake, and was really well designed.
Colleen had pink uplighting, which was a great touch to the dance floor! And yes, that is the flower doing “the sprinkler”! Love it!
You can view more pictures on my Facebook fan page or portfolio site!
This is my last New England wedding left to blog! Emotionally it’s been very hard to blog this wedding, because this really signifies the end of my time in New England. Literally right after I shot this wedding, my husband and I packed up the car with our belongings and drove across the country to Nevada, where we now live. I really enjoyed living in Boston despite the long winter, meeting amazing couples, and photographing at equally amazing locations and venues. Jeanette and Steven are no exception! They had a beautiful wedding in picturesque New Hampshire, where the leaves were changing to stunning reds and oranges, then a reception at the Marriott.
Jeanette and Steven were planning their wedding from DC, so they booked me over the phone. I like meeting my couples before the wedding so I can really get to know them, but it’s not always possible, especially if they live in another state. But luckily I was in DC for a weekend for a friend’s wedding and was able to meet with both of them despite both of us having really crazy schedules! We had talked a bit over the phone already, so by the time we met in person, it was almost like meeting old friends for coffee. I found out that they met while both conducting research at the National Institutes for Health…then one thing led to another! Now Steven doing his residency anesthesiology while Jeanette pursues a MD/PhD. Talk about one smart couple!
This wedding touched my heart in so many ways. I thought that after photographing a certain number of weddings, they wouldn’t affect me as much, but I still get that warm fuzzy feeling during ceremonies. And this wedding was no different. I could really see and feel the love that Jeanette and Steven have for each other and for God. And I don’t Steven took his eyes off Jeanette the whole day! I have so many pictures that I want to share, so here goes!
My second shooter Karman Lee and I got up bright and early and started shooting at 8 AM since their wedding ceremony was in the morning. I started by taking getting ready pictures of the bride getting her hair and makeup done by her mother, who did a phenomenal job on her hair.
Meanwhile, Karman took pictures of the boys getting ready.
Jeanette and Steven decided to do a first look before heading off to the church, which I love! The fall leaves in the background were the perfect backdrop.
Jeanette looking and feeling so happy as we walk to the church!
I was hanging out with the bride before the wedding, while Karman went around to get some other shots, like of the cute flower girls and ring bearer. Aren’t they so cute! Everyone was really relaxed and having fun right before the ceremony.
I love getting a photo of the back of the dress as the bride walks down the aisle, but this can only happen with a second shooter!
Karman’s view of the first kiss
It was really windy and Jeanette’s veil was flying everywhere, but it can be really cool, like in this image.
Jeanette changed into a purple sash for the reception, which I thought was a great idea!
Speeches from the best man, maid of honor, and father of the bride.
Jeanette changed into her qipao (Chinese dress) for the first dance. Her qipao was made by her very talented aunt! I really like the color of her qipao too.
Having fun on the dance floor with the ring bearer!
Congratulations again Jeanette and Steven, and I can’t wait for your new little addition to your family!
This is going to a 3 part series on Clara and Angelo’s wedding, so get ready for lots of pictures! Last weekend I traveled to DC to attend their wedding..but also to take some pictures. Clara is one of my very good friends, and she asked me to fill in some coverage gaps when their other photographer was not shooting. I was really excited to hang out with her all morning and photograph her getting ready. We started off the morning at her house, and the super talented Yaya Hsu did everyone’s hair. Then I went with Clara and her mom to Red Door Spa to get their makeup done. I was surprised that there was no overhead or natural light, but instead they had flood lights pointed directly at the client. But they did a good job considering they had terrible lighting to work with. And Clara came out looking like a queen!
I love how Yaya incorporated some braiding into her hair!
Now to Red Door spa.
I love this pic!
The wedding season has only just begun, and I’m already back at the Public Garden. It is a very popular place for brides and grooms to get married because it’s such a great park and it’s fantastic for small, simple weddings. I had the pleasure of second shooting for Lloyd Mandrell Photography. I love second shooting because I can hang in the back with my zoom lens and take candids.
I saw some a couple of swans nesting at the park.
They found a great spot under a willow tree, and it was really nice to be partially in the shade because it was really sunny that day!
This is me attempting to be incognito.
Exchanging rings.
The wedding guests. The flower girls are adorable!
Yay and they’re married! Look how happy they are. 
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