Wedding Photo Studio

Taiwan Where Can I Find...?
1

:help:

I am looking for a Taiwan wedding photo studio that has clothes in western male sizes. Also, hopefully one that specializes in cross cultural marriages. My fiance wants to dress up in the usual outfits spanning time and place for the photos. Also, does anyone have any recent experience in Taiwan weddings. I saw a few posts, but most of them deal with the legal aspects. I am more interested in the rituals, and what I should expect from dinghun to jiehun.

Thanks!
DFC

2

I wouldn’t expect much of the rituals. We planned on them, but my spouses’s family seemed to decide they were superfluous when marrying a foreigner. Your mileage may vary, but that’s what happened to me and apparently to several of my friends.

For photography, I suggest Beatties in Taichung - excellent photographers who are willing to do more than the usual studio work and get out and make some interesting pics. Be sure to get some individual photos for later resumes, etc. They do not specialize in cross-cultural marriages. Why should they? They are among the best and people knock on their door. They don’t need a gimmick.

Any studio will have some clothing in sizes that will fit you - not all Taiwanese men are short.

3

Seriously consider buying your own suit. It will look much better. You can also wear a couple fo theirs for a few photos for variety.

Do not wear a white suit, not matter how much they insist it looks good

Let your wife pick the shop. It’s important she’s staisifed. You can look at their photos to see if you like their style, but remember that’s only one aspect. Your fiancee is going to be more concerned with how good the clothes and make-up are. Main point here - don’t go cheap - make sure your fiance is completely happy with it.

Re: the ‘rituals’ and stuff, I suggest you start a new thread (probably in Culture and History Forum, or maybe Living in Taiwan), ask specific questions, and I will do my best to answer you from my experience 2 years ago.

Brian

4

I just went through the whole thing, so feel free to ask me anything. Good luck finding anything that’s either tasteful or in your size at a wedding studio. I ended up having a tuxedo made for me at a tailor shop - Gentle Handleman in the B! level of the Howard Plaza Hotel. With a wingtip shirt, it cost me $23,500, I think. Our wedding studio was Julia on Zhongshan North Road, across from the Dehui Street intersection. Our package for that was just under 60k. We used a lot of black and white photographs, and the effect was pretty good, I think. We negotiated with them to take their omnipresent logo off of our photo album, as well as our business-card sized photos - they didn’t like it, but they complied.

5

Ours was 35K at a shop on Aiguo W Rd. That’ll give you an idea of the range (they do go even cheaper and more expoensive). I think we got 30 photos, 5 bride’s outfits for photos (plus 4 on the day), makeup for photos and on the day, 1 big book, 2 half-sized books, 20 card-framed 4x6 prints and 3 boxes of namecard sized photos in that package. Oh, and the huge-sized framed photo, miscellaneous stuff for the signing-in table, decorations for the car.

But my wife became very dissatisfied with the place. She doesn’t liek the photos now (although I think they’re great) and she hated the make-up so much she got it done by another place on the day. If I were to do it again (heaven forbid) I would have spent as much money as possible to make sure she was 100% happy with it.

Brian

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I am not going to do wedding pictures. No way!!!

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[quote]I am not going to do wedding pictures. No way!!!
[/quote]

Why not? They do a real good job of the photos.

If you jsut want to get married, then skip it, but if you want a wedding it’s good to do it properly. (Just my opinion).

Brian

8

Maoman, my sister-in-law used that same studio 4 years ago. It was really pricey though. I think I remember it being something like 120,000.

Mesheel, we eloped and I regret not having photos of my wedding day. I don’t have many photos of myself to begin with, but I want photos like my sisters in law. We used to keep quite a few of their wedding photos around and guests would always ooh and ahh over them. I started to get so bothered by it I put them all away. :blush:

9

Yeah, Julia is one of about a half dozen or so “famous” places in Taipei for photos. It’s not just the photos you pay for - it’s also the make-up and hair stylists, who do their stuff on the day of the photos and also the day of the wedding itself. Vanessa was adamant that they not try to make her face chalky white, and they didn’t. Her make-up was understated and beautiful in both the pictures and on the day of the wedding, and showed her natural skin colour to full advantage. We were very happy with the photos. We declined to take advatage of their free frames, as they were a little too Rococo for our tastes!

10

Well, of course I want to have pictures of my wedding, but not these totally unreal looking wedding pictures Taiwanese people like to spend tons of money on.

11

Ah, the Asian wedding photo rituals :slight_smile:. We have a great resource acearle who might be able to do wedding photoshoots or suggest western style wedding photographers Mesheel.

I did them 6 months ago in Malaysia but the shop sent it back to Taiwan to be redone. It was a chain called France-Taipei. The digitals came out great but I haven’t seen them yet. Will this week. My friend also did them a few years ago in Taiwan and man, they just rock :bravo:

12

Congratulations!

Well, depending on how traditional your fiancee’s family is, the rituals can be quite involved and elaborate. However, being that it’s the 21st century, western style rituals are mixing in, and plus yours will be a mix marriage, the rituals may be more flexible and her family forego some of the requirements.

I would recommend you ask her family and they’ll tell to you want they expect (e.g dowry or no dowry). The other thing is, if you and she can decide beforehand what it is that you want, then you use that as a base-line to negotiate how the wedding planning will go.

In my recent experience (soon to be consummated end of this month), while technically me and my wife are both Chinese, her family was much more traditional and followed the Malaysian Chinese traditions whereas I’m from a pretty much Westernized Chinese tradition (whatever that might mean). There were quite a few cultural clashes in our wedding planning. But it’s all been worked out :slight_smile:

So, where in Taiwan are you located?

13

Walk down Zhongshan with your fiance and talk to a few places just to get an idea. See which one she likes and be prepared to say no to some. A lot of the places will give you a hard sell, so be firm.

Any particular reason why you want one that specializes in cross-cultural marriages? Most places will suggest some poses and you can suggest some also.

14

We are living in Taipei, and her family all live in Kaohsiung. So far this is what I have outlined for the dinghun (engagement):

  1. Bring six people with me to Kaohsiung
  2. Each of them need to have gifts ranging from candy to $2000 USD
  3. They present the gifts to her parents
  4. My fiance serves tea to everyone
  5. She collects the cups
  6. Her parents give each of my entourage a hongbao (red envelope) with $1000 NTD
  7. We exchange rings, but we make it difficult to put on by bending our fingers. (First one to get it on will wear the pants in the relationship)
  8. Family lights firecrackers
  9. Engagement cake distribution begins ($1000 USD worth of them)
  10. My fiance gives me six gifts (four of them are the ones I gave her)
  11. Dinner and drinking late into the night.

I would like feedback on what I am expecting. My fiance keeps saying that she thinks this is right every time I ask her a question about it. I guess she got it from her sister who was married 10 years ago, so the info might not be fresh in her mind. Does this sound about right?

Thanks!
DFC

15

I’m sure you want photos of your wedding :laughing: what I meant was I wish I had photos of myself on my wedding day looking knock out, drop dead gorgeous. :blush:

16

Also, I hear that in the long run, the bride will consider the photos more important than the wedding itself. Seems that the wedding is more for the older family members, but the photos are how she wants to remember it. Do you all think this is true? If so, then you are right about spending whatever it takes to do this part right, and reduce costs in other areas.

Thanks!
DFC

17

[quote]Well, of course I want to have pictures of my wedding, but not these totally unreal looking wedding pictures Taiwanese people like to spend tons of money on.
[/quote]

They’re not all awful! Find a place that does a good job, and will tkae the photos you want. Then you’ve only got yourself to blame if they look tacky and unreal.

Bongo,
Looks like you’re going whole hog on the dinghun. We simplified this by getting engaged and married ont eh same day, so to speak. Didn’t have to do any of that stuff, and most of the people who got cookies, could just pick them up on the day.

Brian

18

bongo, it sounds like there’s no game playing involved here(?). Sometimes, when you go over to the bride’s home to “collect her”, the bride’s entourage will force the groom’s entourage to play some games, give some gifts etc, before she “consents”. All in good fun :slight_smile:.

It’s right whatever the girls’ family says it’s right. Don’t sweat it, just take your cues from her. I would suggest that one of the guys in your entourage be familiar with local customs to help out.

I wish mine were as simple as yours.

GL,

19

Oh wow…if you have this complex an engagement party, the picking up the bride part is going to be tons of fun. Expect to be asked to tie a knot in a cherry stem with your tongue and other good stuff like that. Make sure your entourage is well-prepared =)