Christine Chang Photography

This past Saturday Jennifer and Richard married and it was a lovely and intimate DIY affair.  As I walked into the house looking for Jennifer, family and friends were just finishing with the preparation of dinner and hors d’oeurves.  Everyone seemed to have a hand in putting this wedding together, and to me it just demonstrates love.  There was love in the flowers, love in the food, and love in the advice that Jennifer’s gaggle of friends and family gave to her as she prepared for the wedding.  There was love in the details, including an heirloom cake topper that was on Jennifer’s grandmother’s wedding cake when she got married, circa World War II era.  These college sweethearts really knew how to throw a celebration.  Here are some pics!

Last Sunday I drove over to San Clemente to photograph Imogene and Nemo’s wedding.  They were high school sweethearts who tied the knot this past Sunday after eight years.  It was an intimate affair.  The ceremony was held at Leslie Park and it was a perfect day to enjoy the warm weather with a cooling ocean breeze.  The flowers and baskets were crafted by a relative (blame it on living in LA, but I jump over the moon when I see anything handmade) and had much personality and a Victorian feel.  The reception was held at the Garden Cottage Inn, a bed and breakfast where everyone seemed to linger, enjoying the food as well as the company of others.  The great thing about having a small wedding is the personal time the bride and groom gets with each and every guest, and Imogene and Nemo did just that with drink in one hand and the hand of their new spouse in the other. 

This past weekend I had the honor of photographing Cristy and Neil’s wedding at Tivoli Too!  Their wedding reminded me much of my own wedding, as it was also simple, elegant and intimate.  The great thing about having around fifty guests was that Cristy and Neil had plenty of time to spend with the people that they love the most.

This wedding also had hints of another era.  Maybe this was due to Cristy’s gown, which took on its own personality when it fluttered with the wind—that made her look ethereal.  Or maybe it was her vintage-inspired veil, or the cream suit that Neil’s dad wore.  But whatever it was, it’s now in the history books and Cristy and Neil are probably both chilling in Maui right now on the beach with a drink in hand and, as Cristy pronounced after the reception, “No more heels!” 

It’s sandals all the way in Maui.  Hope you two are having lots of fun!

Christine.

Whan that Aprille with his shoures swote
The droghte of Marche hath perced to the rote….

(Translation:  When April with his sweet showers has struck to the roots the dryness of March…)

Geoffrey Chaucer (c. 1340-1400)

This week I was reminded of Chaucer’s Canterbury tales.  I was required to memorize it in high school, and reading the intro was a nice blast from the past, though from first recall I could only remember up to the third line (and bathed every vein in switch liqueur…)

So when did plain ol’ writing, or direct communication, come to an end?  Was Chaucer’s era the last of personal communication?  Or maybe it ended with my era. Does anyone still write letters on paper?  Email letters are good too, but how often do we take the time to write to someone from the heart?  I remember as a kid I had two shoe boxes stuffed with letters.  I loved writing letters and now I still send off a postcard to my out-of-state friends from time to time.  What’s to blame?  Is it the Internet, or, mores specifically, Facebook?  Is it Twitter, with its short-term phraseology feature glorified into a semi-art level?  Or is it our fault as human beings for not prioritizing personal communication?  

I’m not so sure, but what I do know is that personal communication, such as notes from my brides, are very valuable to me– especially now that our society seems to be moving towards an impersonal nature.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m quite the lover of technology (and electrics!  Such as my dishwasher…) but sometimes slow and thoughtful are nice things too.

To finish off a post that is already getting long, here are some kind words from my brides and grooms:

(from an email)

Christine!  These pictures are great!  Thanks for making us famous on the web, as Maria says.  We’re really impressed with the half-dozen pictures you put up already.  Maria especially likes the third picture you posted of the under-skirt  adjustment.  You were always there to take the shot but you were never in the way.  You have real talent and skill and I will be watching your website to see what you are doing next.  We’re so lucky to have found you and been able to arrange for your skills and talents in documenting our wedding.

Talk to you later,

Andrew & Maria 

(from a recommendation that was forwarded to me)

“Christine is very natural and captured the ambience of the event.  She’s very chill and relaxed.  She will do whatever you want, from more planned, to more natural.  She is extremely organized and prompt.  Your photos will be online, and the album will be sent to you shortly after the wedding.  I had an untraditional wedding, but she got all parts of the ceremony, the cake cutting, dancing, toasts, bridesmaids, family shots, groomsmen, etc.  She got both my husband and me getting ready with friends and family.  She was with us from the rehearsal dinner the night before and all day of the wedding until midnight when it ended.  She took pictures nonstop.

Good luck, I love Christine because I find her to be very natural and she blends in well with your setting.  I wanted a photographer to be non-obtrusive so my husband and I and our guests would have as much fun as possible.  She captured all of the fun, and my friends have not stopped talking about how beautiful the photos turned out.  I feel that they are unique, and not as cookie-cutter or cheesy as most wedding pictures.”

-Erin

(from an online review)

“Christine did a great job taking pictures for our wedding. In addition to the shots we requested, she also took ones that I wouldn’t have thought to ask for, such before the wedding, and it was fun to look at them and recall the fun going on. Also, it was so nice to receive the pictures in digital form so that we could send them to family electronically!   Thanks, Christine!”

-pinar & eric