Part 1 of Crystal and Hung’s wedding day can be found here.

After the ceremony, we headed to the lovely Zen Garden in Mill Creek, WA for the reception and, well, after party. ;)

We had the place virtually to ourselves that night, until midnight.

One of Crystal’s bridesmaids painted this beautiful tree, and Crystal and Hung encouraged family and friends to leave their mark, creating leaves by leaving a thumbprint and their name. It’s a beautiful and creative idea – I loved it. Do you see mine? They plan to hang it in their home.

Crystal’s ring is so tiny, it could fit inside of Hung’s band. It took about 20 tries to get it to stand upright. :)

Names with table assignments were hung on twine.

The boys testing the mike. 1 2 3 testing 1 2.

I am in LOVE with the wood ceilings at Zen Garden. All those lines make my heart go pitter pat.

Love capturing those moments no one notices. :)

I LOVE this one. The light on her head and his face illuminates them.

Crystal changed into her traditional dress for the next portion of the reception. The new couple went around to each table and guest, thanking them for their love and support and for sharing their special day. This is part of tradition in a Vietnamese wedding and I felt blessed that I was allowed to capture it.

I followed Crystal and Hung around to each table, squeezing in among guests and backing up against the windows. I was so glad to have my 20mm on me for that – my 70-200 was underneath my arm, too!  I must have bumped so many people – if I missed you and bumped into you, I’m sorry! :)

Once the heat faded to slightly bearable and the sun began to set, the kids ventured outside to explore the garden. I was so afraid I was going to have to jump in after this little girl if she leaned over any more!

Probably the largest group shot I’ve ever done!

We turned down the lights real low for their first dance – and the fun began.

Some photos scream to be made into black and white. This was one of them.

A long time ago, I stumbled upon one of my grandparents’ wedding photos. My grandfather had met my grandmother in Hawaii during World War II. And they had a very similar photo to the one above. I’m not sure if it’s the heavy black and the stark white dress with the flower in her hair – or the classic dip, but there’s a distinct Hawaiian flavor here. And a love you can almost feel.

Crystal and Hung, you will be so happy with each other. Your husband adores you – and you him.
I wish you so many years of happiness, and I hope your grandchild finds an old wedding photo 40 years from now and can see how in love her grandparents were – and still are.

Enjoy Cabo. :)

Crystal and Hung were one of the first couples to book me this year – they liked how new my business was and loved my portfolio. They took a chance on a newer wedding photographer – and for that, my friends, I am eternally grateful.

I am so blessed that they provided me the opportunity to share their magnificent day. The day started bright and early and was non-stop until almost midnight. It was a long day – but full of love, laughter, tears, and great, great times.

Crystal and Hung had a Catholic-Vietnamese wedding and incorporated traditional elements into their ceremony and reception.

This teaser’s a little larger than normal – but I don’t think they’ll mind. ;) This is part 1 of 2.

I loved the girls’ expressions when they saw Crystal for the first time – and all the cameras!

For Crystal and Hung’s first look, we moved to the Kirkland Marina, where Hung and his groomsmen were patiently waiting for the bride. It was 10am on one of the warmest days of the year – we were able to stop traffic, using the groomsmen as human traffic cones so the boats wouldn’t be right next to us as they had their moment. Kirkland – your boaters were very gracious!

We positioned Hung at the end of the launch, so we could see Crystal come up behind him. He was so nervous! Me telling him how beautiful she was (and how I had already cried seeing her!) didn’t help him. ;)

We hopped into the car to head over to Kirkland Heritage Park.

This girl is FIERCE.

After a quick lunch break, we made our way to St. Brenden’s Catholic Church in Bothell.

Check in tomorrow for Crystal & Hung’s fabulous reception and dancing party at Zen Garden!

Had a GREAT time shooting David and his family the other day at Alki Beach in West Seattle. The weather that morning was overcast with a slight drizzle. So we patiently waited.

We were rewarded with great light, ferries, and parents who clearly love their children – who love them back.

The last of the group of Freedom High 2011 seniors I shot this past weekend, Miss E.

If you’re a Freedom High 2011 senior and interested in senior portraits, Stephanie Haller Photography will be in Brentwood September 13-17 and October 21-Oct. 25. Email for booking information. Other local high schools welcome! :)

Girls – thank you for bringing your A game that day. You were MAGNIFICENT!