Amazing New Orleans Wedding!

So I was down in New Orleans again this past weekend for Sam & Aliisa's wedding.

The event was awesome. It was Gatsby-themed, which at first I wasn't sure about...but once I saw all the details and work they had put into it...it was actually pretty awesome.

Their first look was THE CUTEST THING I HAVE EVER SEEN.

I was pretty proud of the way I got them to pull it off. If you want to see a mini-GIF of it, it's on my instagram (@denniskwanphoto) and it was retweeted by The Knot (@theknot) and actually made it to the front page of Instagram.

The bridesmaids all looked gorgeous in Monique Lhullier bridesmaid dresses.

There were so many groomsmen!

Loved taking pictures right in the French Quarter!

The ceremony was beautiful.

At one point, after Sam read his vows, which were sooo sweet, Aliisa instinctively leaned in to kiss him but then stopped herself just in time, realizing she wasn't allowed to just yet, and jumped back in the cutest way ever and the room erupted in hysterical laughter...

After their first kiss...

We did a second-line down Bourbon St. which was EPIC. The entire wedding followed a marching band and people screamed and cheered and threw beads from the sidewalks and balconies. It was so cool.

Since Sam and Aliisa both went to Brown, lots of my friends were on hand.

Charlie and Caroline were there...

Oh, and Allan, my newest BFF, came down to shoot the wedding with me as well.

(We were all INCREDIBLY lucky Allan was available. He normally charges like 12K for a wedding, but I was having drinks with him last Monday and he had never been to New Orleans before, and thought it'd be fun to come along and take some pics, so I convinced Sam & Aliisa to fly him down.)

I also promised him that I would have lots of friends there to introduce him to and that it would be SUPER fun. Which it was!

I love when my job involves hanging with my favorite people from around the world. Even Teebags came over from Thailand for it!

Farshid and Semmesey had a little bromance brewing...

As these little ones were cute as always...

Such fun!

New Year, New Raise

Today my rate jumps from $4,800 to $8,800. Eeeeeeeeek!!!!

A little bit scared I'm going to scare away a lot of brides... (friends, remember I'll still give you a friend discount. HUGE friend discount.)

But I mean...I already have 20 or so weddings for the year...so I guess now is as good a time as any to try this out.

Engage13 really inspired me.

The people there told me I needed to raise my rates if I wanted to move into the super high-end luxury wedding market.

So here goes nothing...

New Years 2014 in NOLA!

For New Years Eve I started the evening with Semmesey and Katie and all their lovely friends at home.

Stellababy looked totes adorbs.

And Semmsey had cooked up a delicious New Years pot roast.

And opened a very special giant bottle of wine.

Among those present were the adorable Chris Carrot and his soon to be bride Tara. I am shooting their wedding in Italy next summer and am SOYYYY EXCITED.

Last year we rang in the New Years 2013 with endless bottles of Dom Perignon. 

This year I decided we needed to step it up with Cristal. LOVE that packaging.

The pot roast was SOOOO good. (We ended up using the sauce for a couple extra days to make breakfast eggs and dinner pastas and oh my god i feel like an obeast.)

Dom, while expensive, tastes like poop. So I was a little skeptical of whether or not Cristal would be all that delicious.

But it was. It was the most delicious champagne I have ever tasted.

It literally tastes like a million dollars.

And this picture is so obnoxious.

Mmmm yay. Loves my Smershy and Simmons! I am so thankful to have so many wonderful friends that I know will be in my life forever and ever.

So...a couple of weeks ago, while in LA, I "bumped" into my acquaintance-friend Rusty and his friend David Alan. I say "bumped" because that's basically what happens these days when you're traveling and you see on the FB that someone else happens to be in your city and so you tell them to swing by while you're holding court at SoHo House and they do and you realize you are both Delta Diamonds and have the best jobs ever with the most flexible schedules ever so you just inevitable that you are to become BFFs...

Well Rusty lives in New Orleans and has probably the most fabulous job in New Orleans (he is also a fellow giant). And David Alan is equally fabulous (he's an agent at one the big talent agencies in LA) and they were in town for the New Year and had rezzies at a club on the waterfront.

So they picked me up and we giggled and sang and sipped champagnes all the way to the French Quarter. (LOVES that New Orleans has no open container rules.)

We got to the club and were greeted at our table by hors d'ouevre people carrying the most incredible spread of treats. Alligator sausage sliders, pulled pork sliders, meat pies, mini fried oyster po boys, and this: LOBSTER/CRAB ROLLS.

We had an entire reserved balcony table overlooking the entire club.

It was soyyyy fabulous...

Every once in a while we'd look out and wave to the Poors.

I forsee many more crazy adventures in the future with these two troublemakers...

Rusty's business partner Jeff is also a fellow Asian giant, and he and his wife live near Katie and Semmesey with a 3-year-old so I plan to hook them all up so they can all rule this town together.

Did I mention that these boys were trouble?

It was such a fun evening.

We also had a window and could look out on the street where people were lined up and gathered around Jackson Square in the pouring rain waiting for fireworks. Sorry about it.

I don't know why we needed this much alcohol... most of it remained unopened and we peaced out immediately after the countdown. What a waste.

For the countdown we went out back to the boardwalk along the waterfront where fireworks were being set off from a barge on the water.

It was mayhem out there.

We got a little separated...but thankfully being fellow giants, it's easy to find each other again.

People were pushing and shoving and near-stampeding because halfway through the fireworks show it started really pouring.

Them fireworks were purty though...

After the show we peaced out and headed to the pub to meet up with other fun gays. Loves my fabulous giants!

Adam was there too. Hiiiii adammmmm!

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!!

2013 Year-In-Review will be coming soon.