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Bride and groom embrace and smile outside venue

My secret to booking my first destination wedding? Instagram hashtags. Jacelyn and her fiancée Jimmy were vacationing in San Francisco from Singapore and found me using some of my local hashtags like #sanfranciscophotographer (which I’ve also made many buds this way too!). She reached out and we photographed her dreamy engagement photos at Land’s End & China Beach (With Jimmy on crutches too!)

Couple looks lovingly into each other's eyes at Sutro Baths
Couple walks hand in hand down towards Sutro Baths
Couple walks, holding hands on rocks of Sutro Baths

And while we were driving we talked about their lives in Singapore and the wedding they were planning and we joked about me photographing it.

And the joke was humor no more: it came true.

Couple holds hand, walks on beach
Couple holds hand, dancing in front of waves
Silhouette of couple standing in front of ocean

When the subsequent talks were happening, I tried to keep my cool but once it was officially booked, I actually squealed. I remember running to where Joseph was and just hugging and laughing and screaming and up and down jumping. It was Christmas morning. It was nailing the landing at the Olympics. It was finding out the Fab 5 are giving you a makeover. All the #isthisreallife vibes.

BTS realness: I planned my own travel. Even though they were paying my rate, I was covering my own travel expenses (goals in the destination weddings to come, they’ll cover it! But for this I chose experience over a huge financial profit) And that was x2 because I was bringing Joseph along for the ride, my security guard, and as my second shooter.

Offerings and sacred objects on dresser, against white wall
Detail shot of groom's traditional garb

Kayak alerts are the best and I found tickets for $490 each from San Francisco to Singapore and from Manilla back to San Francisco. We found this incredible Airbnb too!

Detail shot of hair updo
Detail shot of red and pastel colored bouqet
Groom walking through door in traditional garb and with bouquet
Bride and groom smile and hold beautiful bouquet
Detail shot of red and green bouquet
Bride smiling with bridesmaids
Detail shot of groom fixing his bow tie
Detail shot of groom's shoes and jacket
Bride and groom embrace and smile outside venue

What we’ve learned when shooting destination weddings is to 1) set aside enough time before your work date to adjust to the time change. It takes almost as many days as there are time zone differences 2) don’t overplan/overpack your schedule. Let it be! Adventure will find you 3) be flexible 4) Insure your gear (you should do this anyways as a business owner but even more so when traveling) 5) come with open eyes to experience new cultures & traditions 6) watch Asian videographers do same-day edits like nobody’s business!

Multiple flower bouquets against white background
Flowers, cake, and lights against white backdrop
Bride and groom pour champagne into glasses
Detail shot of cake being cut
Bride and groom stand in front of guests, holding microphone
Bride and groom dance against lights, watched by guests
Close-up shot of bride and groom dancing together

My secret to booking my first destination wedding? Instagram hashtags. Jacelyn and her fiancée Jimmy were vacationing in San Francisco from Singapore and found me using some of my local hashtags like #sanfranciscophotographer (which I’ve also made many buds this way too!). She reached out and we photographed her dreamy engagement photos at Land’s End & China Beach (With Jimmy on crutches too!)

Couple looks lovingly into each other's eyes at Sutro Baths
Couple walks hand in hand down towards Sutro Baths
Couple walks, holding hands on rocks of Sutro Baths

And while we were driving we talked about their lives in Singapore and the wedding they were planning and we joked about me photographing it.

And the joke was humor no more: it came true.

Couple holds hand, walks on beach
Couple holds hand, dancing in front of waves
Silhouette of couple standing in front of ocean

When the subsequent talks were happening, I tried to keep my cool but once it was officially booked, I actually squealed. I remember running to where Joseph was and just hugging and laughing and screaming and up and down jumping. It was Christmas morning. It was nailing the landing at the Olympics. It was finding out the Fab 5 are giving you a makeover. All the #isthisreallife vibes.

BTS realness: I planned my own travel. Even though they were paying my rate, I was covering my own travel expenses (goals in the destination weddings to come, they’ll cover it! But for this I chose experience over a huge financial profit) And that was x2 because I was bringing Joseph along for the ride, my security guard, and as my second shooter.

Offerings and sacred objects on dresser, against white wall
Detail shot of groom's traditional garb

Kayak alerts are the best and I found tickets for $490 each from San Francisco to Singapore and from Manilla back to San Francisco. We found this incredible Airbnb too!

Detail shot of hair updo
Detail shot of red and pastel colored bouqet
Groom walking through door in traditional garb and with bouquet
Bride and groom smile and hold beautiful bouquet
Detail shot of red and green bouquet
Bride smiling with bridesmaids
Detail shot of groom fixing his bow tie
Detail shot of groom's shoes and jacket
Bride and groom embrace and smile outside venue

What we’ve learned when shooting destination weddings is to 1) set aside enough time before your work date to adjust to the time change. It takes almost as many days as there are time zone differences 2) don’t overplan/overpack your schedule. Let it be! Adventure will find you 3) be flexible 4) Insure your gear (you should do this anyways as a business owner but even more so when traveling) 5) come with open eyes to experience new cultures & traditions 6) watch Asian videographers do same-day edits like nobody’s business!

Multiple flower bouquets against white background
Flowers, cake, and lights against white backdrop
Bride and groom pour champagne into glasses
Detail shot of cake being cut
Bride and groom stand in front of guests, holding microphone
Bride and groom dance against lights, watched by guests
Close-up shot of bride and groom dancing together

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