My Big Fat Guangdong Wedding
Chapter 8. Clothes, Photos, Swords, and the World’s Most Unsubtle Spy.
Part 5. The White Bed and Something Darker.
Scene 6 of our wedding photo shoot was in a lovely white canopied bed. I was in a white Mao suit that barely gave me room to breathe. My daring was in a different white dress. At this point, we were all (me, her, photographer) getting a little tired, so I’m not sure how well those pics will come out. (As it turned out, many of these pics ended up being excellent.)
So tired, but still smiling
May I have this dance?
Shall we dance?
Shall we dance to the music?
Do we have enough money to pay for this?
The two of us relaxing in bed
My beautiful fiancee in bed
This was one of the best – other than that waterstain on the wall under the plant on the right side of the picture. 
Please Photoshop that water stain
Scene 7 of the wedding photo shoot was in a lovely, plush setting with a darker feel to it. This is the area behind the golden gates in Scene 4. It has velvet curtains and a huge gold padded chair – almost, but not quite a throne. Most people use that scene with a frilly dress for the girl and a uniform for the guy. I had something a little different in mind. At another studio, I saw a VERY cool looking 1920’s Shanghai gangster-style portrait done using a background not too different. Our studio was sadly lacking in pinstripe suits, so I put on my black Mao suit, had my hair slicked straight back and slipped on some black gloves (I had to bring my own – the studio doesn’t seem to carry things like gloves). My darling was in a very slinky qipao and I think they finally did her hair just right to match with the chosen outfit and scene. We made up for the short time spent on Scene 6 and kept going for quite some time in Scene 7.
Don Lunatic will see you now
Hey, she took my chair!
Even Mafia Dons Need Love
Taking a moment to reflect
I wasn’t quite sure what the photographer had in mind next. He had us step off to one side of the set and dropped a neutral gray background down. He then took some more photos with us in front of it. He also asked (via my darling’s translation) if I ever got angry before having us do some oddly ridiculous things. I have a lifetime of experience doing oddly ridiculous things, so this wasn’t a problem, at least until he started giving some of the commands (ever try jumping on command with your legs crossed?). Maybe it was just a little playful vengeance for me placing my artistic visions above his. 
Why yes, we can levitate
Going back home was fun. Our little darling had slipped out after lunch to collect a homework assignment from a friend. She ended up playing in People’s Park and was still there when we were done. This resulted in me getting to stroll down a major road in Dongguan while carrying a sword. We reached the back gate of the park and she still wasn’t there. I ended up standing there with a slightly annoyed look on my face while holding my sword as I stared at the back gate. For some reason, people who would normally brush past so closely that I’d have to check my wallet afterwards were giving me plenty of space (it was a little harder to maintain the annoyed look after I noticed this). To avoid any chance of scratching the scabbard, I held the sword with the handle resting on my shoulder in the back of the taxi going home. I kept getting curious stares from nearby cars whenever we got caught at a traffic light. I kept wondering why Chinese people don’t seem to have ever seen a guy carrying a sword before. 
On Wednesday evening, we get to go back and select which pics go to the portraits, the albums, etc.
The wedding photo shoot is over. It’s less than one month until our wedding day. No problem. Everything’s under control. What could possibly go wrong?
What, me worry?
<– Back to Chapter 8, Part 4. –> Chapter 9. The Photo Albums and Other Fun With The Wedding Studio –>