I know we are a little delayed in getting this blog post up, but we are SO excited to finally be sharing Mikael & Michelle’s wedding day with you!!! This was a full day of love, honor, and fun for this bride and groom and all of their guests & family! If you haven’t ever attended a Vietnamese wedding before, we hope that you get to one day for it is truly the most amazing experience! Michelle chose not to partake in all of the traditions usually custom at a Vietnamese wedding, but they still honored several of the traditions and it was SO COOL TO SEE!

The day started with a beautiful first look & vow exchange in Michelle’s family’s backyard. Mikael’s parents then lead a procession to Michelle’s family home and his family asked for her hand in marriage. Gifts were then carried by family members that were stored in red tin baskets and covered with a traditional red cloth. After receiving approval, Mikael & his family were invited inside to exchange gifts and then proceeded with their wedding ceremony. After a few formal introductions were made, Michelle was escorted by her aunt down the stairs and their intimate in-home ceremony began. After the ceremony & exchanging of gifts, they had an in home lunch with their families! It was so neat to be apart of and capture!

Their second ceremony was was held at St. Rose of Lima church in Portland, OR. We love capturing this Catholic wedding mass! And as you can see, the church was beautiful! It was such an honor for us to photograph such an important time for Mikael & Michelle! After their ceremony & formal family portraits, we went off to capture their bridal party & bride/groom formal portraits! Our original plan was to head to The Grotto, however, once we arrived we heard piano music playing “Here Comes the Bride” and realized that another wedding was taking place right at that time! Thankfully Sean is quick on his feet, and immediately came up with the idea of heading up the hill to capture their portraits at Rocky Butte. We are so thankful that Sean thought about that location… because it truly could not have been a more perfect place for their pictures- as you will soon see! 🙂 That is also the very spot that Sean himself asked me to be his girlfriend 🙂

Around five in the afternoon, we moved on to their next event: their reception! Mikael & Michelle’s dinner reception was held at Ocean City Seafood Restaurant. They arrived early so that they could greet and take a picture with all of their guests- how special, right?! They then proceeded with an important Vietnamese tradition known as table visits! As a sign of respect to their guests, Mikael & Michelle made their way to each and every table to personally greet everyone. A toast at each table was given acknowledging the most important person at each table! Their guests then gave Mikael & Michelle a special envelope at this time as well! After they made their rounds, the party official began! Dancing, more toasts, cake cutting, fun games, photo booth, and more… it was truly a party!

All in all, this wedding was amazing from start to finish, however, what stood out to us the most was Michelle & Mikael’s love and respect for their parents & extended families. We both value family so much, and this was such a beautiful thing to see! We LOVED the formal table visits and honestly wish this was an American wedding tradition!!!

Mikael & Michelle: Thank you so much for choosing us & trusting us to capture your wedding day! It was our honor to serve you guys on your day, and truly a blessing from the Lord to get to know you both more throughout the process. We are SO excited for you both as you begin this beautiful journey of marriage, and are praying for you guys! Thank you again for everything, and we truly hope you can cherish these photos for a lifetime! Much love to you both! <3

A little behind the scenes from their day….

Vivi Videography Team doing their thing and Benjamin Lam DJing it up! 

Mikael & Michelle were so tired… we thought this photo was hilarious as they took a breath for a few minutes!