Heather Essian Portrait Arts | blog » weddings

josh & penny {wedding}

{heather} — Tue, 25 May 2010 22:32:48 +0000

josh and penny met in the second grade, and from what i hear, have loved one another ever since…what great story! josh is a very talented musician who also sang a song he wrote during the reception to penny about their love and how “she’s had his heart since the second grade.” awwwwwwe…it was a beautiful wedding! in case you missed penny’s redonkulously gorgeous bridals, you can see them here. thank you to jenna palomino for second shooting with me!

wedding venue: Piazza in the Village

i actually built an action inspired by penny’s wedding appropriately titled “penny.”

yes, that is snow! and they were freezing.

gorgeous details!!

penny and josh, it’s been so much fun working with you two and your families! thank you for having us be a part of your special day!

cindy and peter {tea ceremony}

{heather} — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 15:06:32 +0000

this is cindy and peter’s traditional tea ceremony…the colors are just gorgeous! i really enjoyed documenting this ceremony. traditionally the grooms family comes bearing gifts and food including a roasted pig for the bride to show that they can provide for the bride. (hope i got this right cindy )

Receiving Bride at Her House

On the day of the wedding, the procession of the groom’s family is led in specific order. The first person would be the representative of the groom’s house followed by the groom’s father, the groom, then the rest of his family and close friends

In the procession, the groom, his family and friends bear elaborately decorated lacquer boxes, covered in red cloth. Inside these boxes are gifts representing the wealth that the groom’s family will bring to the bride’s family. Gifts are betel, fruit, cakes, a roast pig, fabric, and an abundance of jewelry for the bride. Usually, the number of gift boxes varies between 6 or 8, but never 7 or 9 since it is seen as bad luck. However, it depends on personal view and might be reduced to 2-3 boxes.

Upon arriving at the bride’s home, the procession lights fireworks to alert the bride’s family, who then lights its own round of firecrackers to welcome the groom’s procession. Members of the procession are introduced to the bride’s family, and the bride’s family introduces its members to the procession. The groom presents his gifts to the bride’s family, and he is given permission to greet the bride, who is finally brought out.

The permission ceremony begins in front of the bride’s ancestor altar. The bride and groom burn incense sticks, asking for permission from the ancestors to bless them. The couple turns and bows to their parents, gives thanks for raising and protecting them. The bride and groom then bow to each other.

A formal tea, candle ceremony and speeches follow. While tea has always been an essential part of Vietnamese life, Vietnamese tea culture is not as complex or ritually rigid as its counterparts in China, Japan or Korea. Nevertheless, a traditional wedding is about the only time in a Vietnamese person’s life that a formal tea ceremony is essential.

The bride and groom, in front of all their guests, will serve tea (or wine) to their parents. Each parent will then give advice about marriage and family to the couple. A candle ceremony will follow, symbolizing the joining of the bride and groom and the joining of the two families. The groom’s gift boxes filled with jewelry will be opened by the groom’s mother, who will then put each piece on the bride for good fortune.

peter & cindy {houston wedding}

{heather} — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 00:18:37 +0000

meet cindy and peter. two incredibly kind people who share such a sweet love for each other. i had the opportunity to photograph cindy and peter’s engagement session over a year ago (before i was to be their wedding photographer) and had such a blast getting to hang with them and get to know them during that session. so when cindy contacted us asking if we would shoot her wedding, i was ecstatic! cindy’s style is like none other. there are so many gorgeous images, i wish i could share them all! a big thank you to the wonderful kari crowe for sacrificing a few days and coming with me to houston to shoot the wedding with me! she photographed the guys getting dressed below…

Event planner (they did everything from flowers to lighting): Tom Stringer from Darryl and Co,
Videographer: 31 Films,
Hotel: The Houstonian
Cake: Susie’s Cakes,
Planner: Summer Hutchens from Summer for your Memories,

Dress: Vera Wang / Shoes: Christian Louboutin

such an emotional first sight…{above}

congratulations cindy and peter! i’ve loved every minute working with you two!

****stay tuned for cindy and peter’s traditional tea ceremony photos.*****

penny {bridals}

{heather} — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 17:10:38 +0000

penny and josh got married just a couple of weeks ago on that random snowy day…poor penny has a knack for picking cold days for portraits because i also photographed her bridals on a day that an arctic cold front came through. all in all miss penny knows how to work it even in freezing cold weather! .

Preston & Jessica {wedding}

{heather} — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 02:32:33 +0000

jessica and preston got married in vegas! it was so cool to get to shoot a real vegas wedding. no elvis wasn’t the officiant and no, it wasn’t in a cheesy chapel . it was actually held at the gorgeous wynn hotel. we got to take them to the super rad Neon Museum where many of the vintage vegas signs now call home. i could have shot there all day, but we only had an hour and boy was i on visual overload! i was probably racing around that museum like a crazy lady thinking of all the places i could photograph them.

thank you preston, jessica and your wonderful families! we so enjoyed getting to be a part of your special day!

jessica is the owner of hot poppy couture here in fort worth. they’ve got some seriously cute clothing…and amazing decor complete with vintage mannequin heads and gold stripes- fabulous. go check them out!

this is blush, a swanky night club in the wynn hotel. how cool are these lamps that change color??

what’s vegas without a tough bouncer dude with a mohawk?

jessica’s gorgeous dress from bliss bridal salon in fort worth

i can never just do one shoe shot, and one ring shot…especially not if the shoes are these chanel pumps.

getting my stylin’ on i’m pretty sure preston was wishing i would hurry up at this point…poor guy had to deal with 3 days of having a camera in his face.

***i got to design a wedding announcement for jessica and preston that i can’t wait to share with you all, so stay tuned!***

kate + brian {wedding}

{heather} — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 23:33:03 +0000

kate and brian had an absolutely gorgeous wedding! kate is a very talented florist and worked for hours preparing her floral arrangements and details for her big day.

kate and brian, you both were such a joy to work with. your wedding day came with ease and your family and friends were a pleasure. enjoy your sneak peek and thank you for choosing me as your photographer!

{above} i love how the light bounces off of the walls and stairwell…

{above} i just had to shoot the rings on this program…does the pattern look familiar?

naomi + matt {wedding}

{heather} — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 14:06:02 +0000

i have been *dying* to show you guys this wedding! naomi has such wonderful style, and i think i could have easily cloned myself into her wedding as a bride and been completely happy. matt and naomi went through all the trouble to fly me to PA to shoot their fabulous wedding. Having never met the two i couldn’t have felt more blessed to be a part of their special day…their families and friends were the best and welcomed jim and me in as their own. *hi friends and family!!* i hope you all enjoy their wedding as much as i do .

such a gorgeous dress!!

my husband has some skills…he’s responsible for shooting the image above, AND this image below!

i could shoot at Greystone Hall nearly every weekend and not get tired of it. It is the most beautiful wedding venue!

thank you matt and naomi!!

arden+paul wedding {sneak peek}

{heather} — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 20:57:07 +0000

loved this beautiful outdoor wedding!

i really like the feeling of these two images of arden and paul- so classic and beautiful!

the beautiful and uber talented makeup artist hilaree hawkins doing her thang

blake & taylor {wedding}

{heather} — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 16:49:00 +0000

blake and taylor had a beautiful wedding! it was pouring rain all day long, but that didn’t keep them from having a joy-filled day. i’ve so enjoyed getting to know these two along with their special families.

i like the juxtaposition of the rings paired with the plates and silverwear very newly married-ish (if that makes any sense)

taylor is so blessed to have a wonderful stepdad in jerry, as well as a wonderful father..i enjoyed seeing the dynamics of this family. so sweet!

no rain can get us down…

gorgeous bride!

i’ve had the pleasure of photographing two of taylor’s bridesmaids weddings as well…so fun to see this group again!

handsome groom…

ceremony time!

taylor’s father walked her halfway down the aisle to meet her stepdad jerry…

the furniture in this hotel is to die for, love it!

all the guests had a blast with the photobooth, kari and i (my 2nd shooter for this wedding-thank you kari!) even had a go in it

arden & paul {wedding}

{heather} — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 21:01:53 +0000

you may remember arden and paul from this post…

they had a beautiful backyard wedding complete with a live band and an amazing cuban cuisine! i can’t wait to share more from their wedding day…

sweet pierson taking a peek at the crowd

the beautiful family!

blake and taylor’s wedding sneak peek coming next!