Yemeng + Chris tied the knot on May 17, 2014 at the Rigmor House in Chapel Hill. Since Yemeng and Chris planned not just one but TWO weddings while dating long-distance, I wanted to interview them about their experience and how they planned for the photography aspect of both events. Here are their responses:
1. You actually planned two celebrations: one in North Carolina and one in China. Tell me a little about the experience of planning for both weddings and how you used some of the NC photographs for your big day in China.
The two weddings could not be more different from each other! Chris and I planned every detail of the NC wedding from linens to flowers. Even though it was exhausting, we were able to get exactly what we wanted. But for the China wedding, it was obviously much more difficult to coordinate details. My mother was amazing at handling most things and we talked on Skype to make big decisions together, so everything turned out great!
A major part of the Chinese ceremony was a mini-movie that all the guests watch to get to know the couple, as most of them were my parent’s colleagues. Chris and I made a 15 minute clip filled with pictures from our childhood, traveling and time spent together. We ended up including a lot of the pictures from our engagement shoot with Courtney, and also used the set of wedding pictures that you were able to turn around quickly for us. The guests all really loved them!
2. You planned most of your wedding while living hundreds of miles away from each other. What tips or resources do you have for other long-distance couples planning a wedding?
It was certainly less fun to be apart during this exciting but stressful time, but we tried to go over all the big decision over the phone, and then divide and conquer the smaller tasks. One of us would work on website/invitations/etc. while the other did decorations/food/tables – and we managed to get through it without too much micromanagement! 😉
Chris also tried to come to NC often and tackle several meetings at a time during each visit (caterers, officiant, etc). We also had wonderful help from a lot of our friends, as well Chris’s family (who all live in NC), and especially from his Mom!
3. What did you enjoy most about your (North Carolina) wedding day?
Definitely the ceremony. It was the perfect North Carolina spring weather and we were surround by all of our favorite people. Reverend Heidi did an amazing job and all of our readers did as well. Seeing the joy and happy tears on everyone’s faces (including ours!) was a really special feeling.
4. After working with me and seeing the results, what in your mind made it the right choice for us to collaborate?
I always knew you had a spark from meeting you many years ago and seeing some of your artwork. I came into the collaboration already pretty excited and was still blown away with how great things turned out. We knew we wanted very candid pictures and documentation of the whole wedding day, while still getting good formal portraits. You did just that and more. Your pictures somehow captured the most beautiful and natural expressions of people’s faces and revealed so much emotion. In addition, you were incredibly professional, organized, and prepared but also very flexible.
5. What is the first thing you want to do with the images?
Send it to our parents/grandparents! They have been amazingly supportive and should see them first!
6. What is next for you as a couple?
We are both finishing graduate school this year and getting ready to move on to our next big adventure. Getting to finally settle in and live together after years of long distance has been the greatest.
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Yemeng and Chris, thank you for being such a fun, light-hearted couple to work with. Even though you may have been stressed out by all of the planning, at every step of the process you maintained your sense of humor. Your wedding was a true reflection of your jovial spirits, and I hope that these photos capture that! 🙂
To view all of the photos and purchase prints from Yemeng + Chris’s wedding, please visit my print service here.
