Our good friends Ngoc and Bernie were married in one of the most beautiful churches we’ve ever seen. St Joseph’s Catholic Church was built in the 1800′s and probably hasn’t changed much since it was built. The reception was held at Ngoc’s parent’s restaurant Ba Mien and their reception hall is a photographer’s dream to shoot in, white floor, walls and ceiling. In fact all we shot the whole reception with only available light and without any flash.
Bernard and I met in high school so I’ve known him most of my life. I think one of the reasons we’ve been able maintain our friendship for so long is because we share same strange sense of humor and can quote nearly every line in the movie That’s the Way I Like It. All kidding aside, he’s one of the most generous people I know.
I can always count on him to do something special for my birthday whether it’s a super cool gift, dinner at a fancy restaurant or tickets to the Mavericks vs Heat finals. (remember I said this buddy)
I knew Ngoc before they started dating but didn’t know they were together until our annual snowboarding trip in Colorado. When I saw a “Cecilia” on the email list I turned to my girlfriend Shirley and said “uh oh…Bernie got himself a white girl!!” Only to find out it was good ol’ Ngoc. She is the kind of girl that is always laughing, goofing off and having fun no matter where she goes. There’s never a dull moment around her.
I had the honor of being the best man so these photos are more vacation photos than our regular wedding shots. It was fun to be on the other side of the camera for once. All these photos were shot with just one camera, one lens, one memory card and lots of alcohol. We were trying to shoot what their official photographer Jason Huang from Table4 wasn’t shooting but in the process I probably messed up a bunch of his shots, sorry man. At the reception instead of a mother/son dance Bernard had a family dance that had all the girls and some guys crying. Then he tells me I’m not just a good friend but like a brother to him…only to find out later he said the same thing to everyone! I guess alcohol does that. It was surprising to see someone who never drinks go around downing shots of Hennesy and even made me drink warm backwash champagne. Later he spent his wedding night in our room puking instead of their empty suite because he forgot their room number. Ahh, good times! Congrats Ngoc and Bernie, thanks for sharing your special day with us. I can’t wait until our next adventure filled with fun, laughter and inside jokes…
