Chinese Wedding Timeline and Festive Traditions

Posted on February 5, 2021August 17, 2022 by info@patton-photography.ca

He has proposed and you are getting married!!! Are of Chinese descent or simply looking to incorporate Chinese wedding traditions into your wedding day? Then this article is for you. We have compiled a small sample of Chinese wedding traditions as well as an example timeline and menu…all ten courses!!

Chinese wedding days are incredible, with a host of traditions, dress changes, games, and banquet. One of the most common traditions is the Chinese Tea Ceremony.

Chinese Tea Ceremony

Often, both families will perform the hairdressing and capping rituals for the bride and groom. The groom will then travel to the bride’s house, where he will be blocked from entering by the bridesmaids. After a series of tasks, he is allowed to enter the home

Both families are formally introduced through the Tea Ceremony, and often the couple will receive ornate red envelopes (lai see) which may contain money or sometimes jewelry.

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Chinese Wedding Dress

It is Chinese tradition for the bride to wear a red dress, known as a qipao. In Chinese culture, red symbolizes happiness, prosperity, and good luck. In modern weddings, the bride will often change into a white wedding dress for the ceremony. As the banquet progresses, there will often be another dress change, and on some occasions, a fourth dress at the end of ceremonies to send off their guests.

Chinese Wedding Banquet

This is a very lavish and usually expensive affair. Once the dinner begins, the bride will change into a traditional red Chinese wedding dress. Many foods are considered symbolic in Chinese culture, such as the whole fish which symbolizes abundance.

Chinese Wedding Timeline

5:00 am	Makeup and Hairstylist Arrive Bridesmaids arrive to Bride’s house
8:40 am	Family Members arrive
9:00 am	Groom Arrives at Tea Ceremony Ceremony venue opens for set up Reception venue open for set up Tea Ceremony (until 11 am) Ceremony decor delivery/set-up Photography coverage begins (13-hour duration)
11:00 am	Tea Ceremony Ends Lunch delivery arrives
12:00 pm	Bridal party departure for the ceremony
12:45 pm	Bridal party arrival to Ceremony location
1:00 pm	All ceremony details set for guest arrival Bride gets dressed
1:30 pm	Earliest guest arrival Start instrumental background music Officiant arrives
1:55 pm	Line up the bridal party
2:00 pm	Ceremony begins
2:30 pm	Ceremony ends Group Photo & Family Photos
3:00 pm	Couple Photos
5:00 pm	Bridal party arrival at Reception All details set for cocktail hour/early guest arrival
5:30 pm	Cake Delivery Cocktail hour Cocktail hour music begins and then moves into dinner music
6:55 pm	Emcee asks guests to be seated
7:00 pm	Reception begins Welcome Speech and introduction of emcee Bridal Party Entrance
7:05 pm	Newlywed Entrance & First Dance
7:15 pm	First Course Served; BBQ Platter
7:25 pm	Toast by the Maid of Honor
7:30 pm	Second Course: Deep-fried stuffed Crab claws
7:35 pm	Toast by Bridesmaid
7:45 pm	Third Course: Bird’s Nest with Scallops
7:50 pm	Toast by the Best Man
8:00 pm	Fourth Course: Fish Maw Soup
8:15 pm	Fifth Course: Lobster with Cream sauce
8:20 pm	Games: 1
8:30 pm	Sixth Course: Crispy Chicken
8:35 pm	Games: 2
8:45 pm	Seventh Course: Braised Abalone Chinese Mushroom
8:50 pm	Games: 3
9:00 pm	Eighth Course: Steamed Tilapia Bride to go change to Chinese dress
9:10 pm	Thank you by the Newlyweds (Bride changed to Chinese dress)
9:15 pm	Bridal party will make their rounds Ninth Course: Yee Min
9:30 pm	Tenth Course: Fried Rice Bride to change to an evening gown
9:35 pm	Cake cutting (Bride in evening gown)
9:45 pm	Open dance floor
9:50 pm	Bouquet Toss/ Garter toss
10:00 pm	Photography Coverage Finishes
10:15 pm	Dinner service ends
12:55 am	Last Dance
1:00 am	Newlywed send-off Breakdown Begins

Patton Photography is a professional photography studio based out of Calgary, Alberta. Our signature style offers a clean and modern look to your photographs while maintaining a look that is romantic and whimsical. Contact us anytime to sit down over coffee for a stress-free conversation.

Dress at a Destination Wedding in Mexico

Destination Wedding Photographers

Posted on January 3, 2021August 17, 2022 by info@patton-photography.ca

Destination wedding photographers are becoming a much more common, and affordable, option for many engaged couples. With the snow falling and the colder temperatures arriving, our mind travels back to some of our destination weddings. Worrying about sand getting into your shoes is a wonderful problem…. With the sun setting over the ocean, our awesome wedding couple relaxed on some swings. Listening to the waves at the ocean side bar having a quiet moment to themselves.

Bride and groom at a destination wedding holding hands on swing — Bride and groom relax on swing at a destination wedding

Many couples now bring destination wedding photographers with them to their destination wedding. This allows the couple to select the photographers whose style they most like and ensures a level of quality. This can not always be assured by simply using the random photographer working at the resort.

Ensuring Everything Is Perfect

While destination wedding photography sounds like an amazing opportunity, it involves a tremendous amount of work. Updating business insurance policies need to include the destination. Detailed equipment lists need to be generated to get all our equipment across international borders. Equipment needs to be checked and packed carefully to ensure a safe arrival. Arrival on site, a minimum 24 hours prior to the wedding so the best places to take photos can be found.

On-site Planning

We consider such things as: where will the tide be at the time of the photos, are there large shadows created by the sun at certain times, where are some locations we can go if a sudden rain shower happens. Considerable time is also spent calibrating cameras and lights. We always ensure everything is working properly after the flight. Needless to say, the first day is a busy one. An early night is generally in order to prepare for the wedding day.

The wedding day is always busy and destination weddings are no different. To respect the couple’s privacy we generally leave the following day or the day after that and return to Calgary. This allows our couple to relax by themselves and enjoy the remainder of their trip.

Prior to leaving, we back up all our photos to a remote system so no data is ever lost. All equipment is carefully cleaned, wrapped and repacked. Finally, we ensure all our paperwork is in order to bring our equipment across the border again. As you see, there is not much time left for relaxation.

Bride and Groom standing on rocks at a destination wedding

Be sure to find out the quality and style of the included vendors if considering a destination wedding. In the end, you may find that bringing some vendors with you may be a better overall option.

Mountain Top Destination Wedding Photographers

We also have experience with helicopter wedding photos…yes that is a real thing!! In fact, chartering a helicopter to fly into a romantic location has become much more common. A remote mountain summit, or backcountry mountain lake are only a few of the many options available. Typically, the helicopter will take four guests (bride, groom, photographer, and one other guest) to the location.

There are different packages available with the various helicopter companies. Typically the packages allow you time on site between 15 minutes and one hour. We always get beautiful photos on these trips and may be something to consider for the adventurous couple. Remember, being destination wedding photographers means more than just travelling to beach destinations. We will hike, fly and travel virtually anywhere you want to go.

helicopter trip to Mountain destination wedding — Bride and groom at a mountain top destination wedding

Likewise, there are many options for the couple that wants to add some adventure to their photos. A hike into the mountains is a great option for couples who want to add extra drama to their photos. From standing on a mountain ridge to along side a waterfall. Perhaps next to a 1000ft cliff. We can help bring the destination to you.

Let us know what you are thinking, give us some time to come up with some ideas. Remember, as photographers, we are often hiking with an extra 40 – 50 lbs of gear. In saying that, if you want it…we will make it happen.

Considering a destination wedding, whether it is an international location or a remote mountain peak? Contact us anytime to discuss how we can assist you.

Adventure Destination Photographers

Wedding Photography Magic

Posted on November 5, 2020August 17, 2022 by info@patton-photography.ca

On occasion, we have locations that may not photograph how we prefer, this is where our wedding photography magic comes in.

It’s been a little while since we last posted, unfortunately the downside of having a business is trying to get ready for tax season…as much work as wedding season but without the awesome caterers and DJs ). However we are starting a new social media push so be sure to watch here and our Instagram feed. Myself and Erin will be starting a regular viewing party for all of you showing the details and magic.

How we deal with ‘small rooms’ or ‘ugly rooms’, etc. when doing wedding photography is a common question. We have some great techniques, one of which we are going to show you here. Roni was getting ready in an awesome room downtown however the bathroom didn’t have quite the pop I wanted. The mirror was great with a super cool backlight, however it was BRIGHT white. The bright white light just didn’t fit my idea for the photo.

The Wedding Photography Magic

To get around this, I adjusted settings in the camera to really darken the room down. I then placed a flash pointed at our groom, with a tight focus to only light him up. To tone down the bright white light I actually placed a blue gel over the flash pointed at our groom. I took the picture of our white mirror light and now blue groom and brought it into our software. By simply adjusting the color temperature, our blue flash became white. The color shift brought our groom back to the proper color.

This shift also pushed our mirror light to a much nicer yellow / orange. The tightly focused beam also kept the room dark to keep our groom the center of attention. You can see the final photo followed by the ‘blue’ original with the white mirror light in the photo following.

Having an understanding of color shifting as well as off camera flash allows us to take an otherwise ordinary photo and give it a great edge.

Patton Photography

Calgary Wedding Photographers

Tag: Wedding Photography