Their photographer = my photographer

So I admit, I took advantage of the bride and groom's photographer. You know those pictures that they take as they go around the tables toasting and what not. You never see those. Unless you got someone else from another table to snap a shot, you don't get those pictures. Soooo, I took my camera and ask the photographer if he would take a picture with it. I am sure the photographer was like WTF?!?! Now, I think he would have been less WTF if it was just any point and shoot camera. Those pics aren't going to be any good anywayz. But nope, I gave a him a pro camera, better than the one that his 2nd shooter was using. So I am sure he was like, "Crap, I am not going to make any money on this table." And I totally understand where he is coming from. It is how he makes a living. That is why I think he took the picture like crap. I looked at it after was like WTF. oh well. I tried.

What was funny was that people were taking pictures of the bride and groom cutting cake. It seriously was like paparazzi. I am thinking we should ban cameras from our wedding it was so bad. There were seriously like 40 people taking pictures. Not only do you got a lot of p&s and phone cameras, but there were a couple other pro bodies there too. The photographer is trying to take the picture and all these flashes are going off like crazy. You think it was Brangelina walking by. The 2nd photographer just laughed and started taking pictures of the people instead. It was a sight to be seen.

But in all seriousness, the reason I made the comment that we should ban cameras is because all these flashes are going off and the photographer is trying to take a picture. The photographer that you paid 1, 2, 3, 4gs for. All the flashes jack up his lighting. I took pictures when he wasn't taking pictures. That is just what you do. You respect the photog because in the end, you are just going to file those pictures away while the bride and groom are going to turn out to be ghostly white because of the 20 flashes that went off when he was taking the picture.

IT IS CHAOS OUT THERE!!!

That wedding's a Scorcher!

One of the worst things to happen to a wedding is to have mother nature f with it. Rain and snow are probably the worst thing to happen, but I put scorching hot heat right next to it. Today in LA, it was mighty hot, like mid 90s heat. I mean seriously, how can you go from June gloom to June light my butt on fire. Ok, it wasn't triple digits, but it was not nice 80 degrees. Luckily the wedding was at 5:30, so it did cool down a fair bit. What is funny though is that when you go to a Chinese/Taiwanese wedding, all the mid to old 1st gen people are all allergic to the sun. You know the type. The ones that drive with the big all green visor big enough to block out 20 suns and wear the white gloves in case there is ever the need to not leave any prints behind. (Yeah, a bit stereotypical, but I am Chinese so I can say those things) So when you have that type of guests, of course the seats in the sun are going to be empty. So there were like 20 rows maybe and 15 were in the sun. People were sitting three to every three chair like the sun was their kyptonite. The only brave souls to venture into the hot steamy rays of sunlight were the young kids. The young kids are proud that they are brown and not a pasty like organic yogurt.

What is also funny is that you can always see the groom and groomsmen hating the heat. They walk outside and start sweating instantly. They are standing up at the front in the direct battering of rays and sweating like Shaq at the free throw line. Esp the groom man. Not like he isn't under enough pressure, but now you got to compete with the sun also? Damn you helper of life! Of course you got the photogs running around with their a billion megapixel cameras that can capture all those beads of sweat for you album. If you a lucky they will get that one that just drips off chin and splatters ont eh rose pedals below.

On a side not, a day like this is good when you don't have a suit. Yes that is me. I came down south and thought 100 trillion % that my suit was in LA, but in the morning when I tried to search for it was no where to be found. Crapperrific. Low and behold my suit is up north hanging on a rack. Good thing it is hot. Why u ask? Cuz I can get away with just pants. I am wearing a shirt too you pervs. Who wears a jacket when it is a billion and two degrees. Only if I want to turn my clothes into the next rain forest.

So yeah, heat sucks, wind sucks, rain sucks more, snow sucks just as much, but not having to buy a full suit rules. O yeah the wedding was bombastic too, great backdrop at Friendly Hills Country Club.

Wedding Planner actually earns you money?!?!?

This is what I am thinking. All the hours you sit, looking at websites, magazines, trying to figure out flowers, trying to make invitations, etc.., etc.., is it actually saving you money? It is true that you probably aren't working while you are doing this, so it is technically time that you aren't making money, but lets try to work this out with an example.

Making your own invitations:
Research & Design: 10 hrs
Creation: 24 hrs
= 34hrs
Now lets say you make $10/hr at Starbucks = $340 in labor. Now that doesn't include the materials. So materials may cost you upwards of 3-4 bucks depending on how elaborate you get.
So say it is for 100 invites, then that = $350 which is a total cost of $690.

Now wouldn't it be easier to buy them? You save time, you spend a little more money out of pocket, but you could also be vacationing in Hawaii while the stuff is done for you.

Something to ponder....

Engagement Shoot Done, Finished, Can we do it again?

So we chose the excellent Michael Norwood to do our engagement shoot. We would have taken him for the whole sha-bang if it wasn't for this pesky thing known as a budget. We decided that since we are saving on our main wedding photographer, that we might as well spend a little more for our engagement session. So in comes M Norwood. The dude is funny and fun to talk to. He is a foodie. He has chopsticks at a sushi joint just for him. Seriously, that is bad ass. But he is just comedy. Esp dig the model face poses to get the girl the way he wants them to be. But overall, he is just a cool guy to get you to put on your sexy pose.

Oh yeah, so where did we go. We went to Laguna Beach. No we didn't see LC, although I was on the lookout. But it was fun. It was actually a good day too. I mean you come from Pasadena area and it is all gloom and doom and then head out to the coast and it is scattered clouds so it made for some good times.

But man, people are interested when they see you getting pictures taken. I think we must have gotten hit by 10 people shouting out of the car "awww how cute" or "kiss herrrrr" or something to that effect. Or if we are doing something and a car drives by, then stop and say "Do it again." What is so intriguing? Stop wasting our time!!!! I only look this good once a year mang.

Oh yeah, so since we chose our wedding photographer, here is my super duper photographer spreadsheet. I know that it isn't all up to date and the the prices are probably all stale and moldy, but hey it is a starting point right. You can basically make the assumption that everyone raised their prices the same %. Plus these prices are only starting points for some serious negotiations.

Los Angeles Photographers

Big Ups

So I realize that my last post was all about the food food food at the Bridal shower that I was exiled from, but popped in to eat everything. I must extend my big ups to the rest of the bridal party that helped make my fiancee soooo happy. Big ups to the early riser who hit the flower mart at the butt crack of dawn to get some greenery. Big ups to the jeopardy maker for coming up with excellent questions (no big ups for calling the dog Chanel). Big ups to the maker of the take home snack packs of white chedder crackers and gummi bears. Big ups to the impossible word search creator who must have had way too much free time to make it that hard. Big ups to the hosts, thanks for letting them crash your house and take all the delish food home.

Just a big ups to all.

Never underestimate a good MOH

When you are looking to pick you MOH, what qualities do you look for? Good friend? Keeps secrets? Always there for you? Fun to hang out with? No, No, No, No and No. Ok, well maybe to some of them. What you should be looking for it party planner extraordinaire and chef. Well that is what my fiancee got. My fiancee's bridal shower was the 3rd one hosted at the MOH's house in 2 months. Fantastic. Means she got this stuff down pat right? Hell Yes.

Not only does she have it down pat, she is like pastry queen. Seriously. She knows how to rock everything sweet since that is her day job at an undisclosed 5 star hotel. What more could you ask for? More you say? How about more food than you can imagine. All homemade. All made during the week. All made for more than 20 people with enough to feed thirty. OH yes. Y-E-S! So much food that when I came back from exile, I was able to stuff my face to the nth degree.

A couple cream puffs, few cucumber sandwiches, about half a dozen smoke salmon sandwiches, some cheese and crackers, followed by a mini red velvet cupcake. Yeah, I ate all that and if u saw me, you would be asking where da heck did it all go. Yeah I am a twig, chopstick to be ethnically correct.

The sick thing was, I wasn't even hungry. Yet I made myself sick. Guess I deserved that. Here are some pictures I manage to snap AFTER the party was over and sort of before the scavengers starting planning their meals for the week.
p.s. the girl trying to eat my cream puff is not my fiancee, if you were wondering

It is a small world

So today I am talking to one of my fiancee's friends and found that it is truly a small world. One of the reader's of this blog is actually the fiancee or best friend or something to that effect of my fiancee's friend who getting married in a couple weeks. So that is really whacked. Like 2 degrees of separation. What is really whacked is first of all, there aren't that many readers of this mess. 2nd of all, what are the chances that 1 of those readers is going to be friends of a friend. Like 1 in a bajillionmillionzillion. Yeah crazyness. I should go buy a lotto ticket, win, and pay for this wedding.

Guess I will see you in a couple weeks at the their wedding. We can do the intros, chit chat, and shoot da shiznit. Oh yeah, I might be a little loud.

Where da heck the Tip Jar come from?

You ever go to a wedding and you see tip jars out? I went to one before with tons of tip jars. The band had a tip jar. It was a large plastic one, which I believe in its previous life was a container for martini olives. Tacky. The bar had a tip cup. Although it wasn't on top of the bar, it was slightly behind it where it catches you eye as you wait. You could see the carefully folded dollar bills hanging over the lip of the cup as to say "Tip me and I will make your drink stronger!!!!" Even the ushers had tip jars, which got you incentive to not be placed behind Aunt Joan with the hat that half the birds of the rain forest help make. The priest probably had one in his bible (tip him and the ceremony time gets cut in half!).

But seriously. The guests are invited to come spend a day with you, get free drinks and a free meal. They are technically paying for these things though if they buy you a gift or spend money in gas. But they are suppose to come and enjoy themselves, not worry if they bathroom doorman deserves a dollar b/c if you don't he won't give you soap.

If we have a tip jar at our wedding, it is going to be a clear bottle with a slit in the lid and on the bottle it was say "Please help pay off the credit cards that we used to fund your night."

Seriously MIA

So I have been seriously MIA from blogging. Do I have time? Yes. Why don't I blog? I don't know. Since we are on the cusp of the 3 month mark, I decided to blog. I think we are making progress but we aren't crazy ahead in terms of things we have left to do. Let see some things that we have finished:

Order tux
Booked Photographer
Booked engagement photographer
Went to more cake tastings that failed, so think we are sticking with original
Launched website

Things that are in motion:
Blocking off hotel rooms for out of towners
Getting quote for full bar (oh yes!)
Reviewing quote for flowers (might be orchid overkill)
Started buying stuff for invitations
Fiancee's hair trial was a total bust
Still working on website (looks like I broke it for IE, damn u microsoft!)

Still there is tons of crap to do. Finalize the rentals, find out where we are staying for the wedding, still got to book honeymoon flight (where are the deals!!!), videographer, rehersal lunch, etc..... etc.... etc.... This thing never ends. Why would anyone want to get into wedding planning business. It never ends!