Helena + Yun :: Rise & Shine (Edmonton, AB) Part I of III

At 4.30am the sun had barely woken, but Helena had.  Hair and make up required an early start, even for the prettiest girl in the class (her bridesmaids made this remark during their reception speech).

Helena’s parents’ house was abuzz with activity.  In the kitchen her parents were cooking up a feast of chinese food for the guests that would be arriving.  The first to arrive, at 6:30am, were Helena’s bridesmaids; Jen, Joni and Jess.  The four of them have been friends since kindergarden.

Yun and his groomsmen, Alfred, Kristian and Jeff, enjoyed a buffet of dim sum and Chinese pastries at his parents home while goofing off.  No 4.30am start for Yun, it took him 15 minutes to get ready, including helping his groomsmen with their ties.

We had a tip that the door games would be memorable when we shot Helena + Yun’s engagement shoot back in October.

Kudos to the bridesmaids on a fantastic delivery – the door games were a blast!  Q & A on his bride-to-be, and every wrong answer had a price to pay.  Kristian got a peck on the cheek when Yun didn’t know Helena’s first car was a Corolla. All of the guys took part in the can can, Macarena and lunges when other questions were answered wrong.  The girls caught everything on film so Helena could relive Yun’s trials.

After the tea ceremony, under 200 guests witnessed the happy couple exchange their vows.  Helena’s parents were so touched by the occasion; her dad took Yun’s hand in a gesture of fatherly approval before giving him Helena’s hand in marriage, her mum wiped away tears.

The couple’s beautiful smiles were enchanting. Helena + Yun, we knew when we met you that we’d met a truly special couple.  From personal experience we too know the beauty of commuting from Calgary to Edmonton to do laundry at our parents’ over the weekend 😉

Much love,

~Anton + Rina