A Vietnamese American Wedding
Holly & Sam
Dallas, Texas
Certain couples are a match made in heaven - for each other, but also for us!
When Holly and Sam contacted us to document their wedding, we knew it would be an exceptional experience. A multicultural Vietnamese-American wedding at the Dallas Museum of Art? Yes please!
Holly and Sam both grew up in the USA, but they wanted to honor her heritage and love for art at their wedding. Holly and I had our first consultation meeting at the DMA and instantly became friends. Our friendship kept growing over the next year, making it all the more special to capture her tying the knot with Sam.
Getting Ready
Holly and Sam stayed at the Fairmount hotel nearby their wedding venue to get ready with their bridal party and family.
The two suites had very different but fun vibes. The ladies had music videos playing on the TV, providing a sound track of pop hits that everyone sang along and danced to while getting their hair and makeup done. Meanwhile, the fellas had a sports game on the screen and shared brotherly love until the had to get ready. The amount of connection between everyone in the rooms was super special to witness. So was the evolution of Holly getting into her stunning bridal look!
Bridal party portraits
Once everyone was ready, we took them outside to take some bridal party photos. Since Holly and Sam were not seeing each other until the DMA, we shot the girls and the guys separately meanwhile. The guys stayed behind at the hotel while the girls walked their way to the museum across the street. The backdrop of downtown Dallas and the entrance of the DMA allowed for a great variety of shots.
Bridals & First Look
We got to the museum just in time, as the weather took a turn and started to downpour!
Holly hid in a suite at the museum while Sam and the boys made their way over trying their best to avoid the rain. We took this opportunity to shoot her bridals. Her white crown was a unique detail that nicely complemented the framed porcelain plates in the room. Meanwhile, Sam was getting settled in the room next room, anxiously anticipating their first look.
Their first look was absolutely precious as they were visibly thrilled so see each other. They followed with their private vows, all very special and intimate moments.
Portraits
Since we had an art museum to play in, we went on a little walk to get some unique backdrops for their portraits. The rain put a delay on the schedule and we needed to get some shots of the full bridal party together before the ceremony started, so we kept it short and sweet.
Ceremony
Although the ceremony was originally meant to be outdoors, the DMA had a solid backup plan inside the museum. The beautiful glass work of Chihuly welcomed guests to the new ceremony site.
Sam walked down the aisle with his parents, followed by the bridal party and finally the gorgeous bride with her parents.
A pastor officiated their union, and the happy newlyweds were married!
Family Portraits / Cocktail Hour
The clouds parted after the ceremony, so we were able to step outside for their family portraits. The unique and colorful mural that is iconic to the DMA served as the perfect background.
Meanwhile, the guests enjoyed a cocktail hour inside, with a special feature - instead of a standard photo booth, Sam and Holly hired watercolor artists to create custom paintings of all their guests!
Reception
The curtains were lifted and the ceremony site transformed into the reception. Guests found their way to their seats, awaiting Holly and Sam’s grand entrance. They walked down the stairs after appearing from the balcony, and walked right into their first dance.
They followed with cutting their cake, hearing speeches from their best man and maid of honor, and the Vietnamese tradition of greeting each table of guests to cheers with them. They then came back to dance (Holly with her father, Sam with his mother), before opening the dance floor to party for the rest of the night.
Dance Floor
There are certain weddings where the dance floor is extra “lit”, and Holly and Sam’s was beyond that. It lasted nearly 3 hours, and the energy never slowed down. Everyone had so much fun dancing the night away, even Sam’s sweet grandmother! It was so special to see all generations gathered to celebrate and party together.
To wrap up the night, Holly and Sam had a send off with LED fiber optics wands. It was a magical end to a magical day.
Wedding Vendors
An incredible event like this would not have been possible without the talented souls who brought this vision to life.
Holly and Sam curated the best possible vendors to make this day a reality:
Venue: Dallas Museum of Art
Event Manager: Sodexo Live
Florist: Lilies Floral Design
DJ: Marquise Pro
Watercolor Artists: Rendered Moments
Photo & Video: Travel Weddings (our little team featured below)
Wedding Film
To conclude, here are the films of their epic day.
Being a classy affair at an art museum, we thought jazzy tunes would be a perfect soundtrack to replaying the memories of their wedding day. Hope you enjoy!
Shooting multicultural weddings filled with art and love are what we do best.
We’d love to hear about your special plans for your big day and how we can help capture the magic.