January here in Vietnam brings not only the New Year festivals, but–just as in the United States–the annual rites of wedding planning. We stepped out of our hotel the first afternoon to find the corner lined with beautiful young ladies wearing bridal gowns. Our guide explained that our hotel, the Sofitel Metropole, is considered one of the most desirable locations for wedding portraits here in Hanoi. Every afternoon, the same ritual repeats itself. Carloads of photographers, hair dressers, giddy brides-to-be, and their grooms arrive outside the hotel. The sidewalk below our room looks like a combination of a dressing room at Davids Bridal and a hair salon. During the past four days, we noted similar scenes at other scenic locations including Hoam Kiem Lake near the hotel. We love watching these scenes, and the brides obviously love the attention. Enjoy!
A sidewalk hair salon just below our balcony. The bride-to-be poses for Charlie.
Brides and grooms line the sidewalk waiting for the photographers to set up.
Vietnamese weddings are a two-day affair. This means two dresses!
After all…..a guy can’t be expected to choose between his bride and his ride…so snap a picture of both!
We came upon this couple posing beside Hoam Keim Lake…another beautiful setting.
Enjoying the pictures and the blog. Keep it up. Love the bride and the ride. In China the traditional brides wore red gowns but some had white Americanized gowns. Our tour guide had worn both red and white during her wedding festivities.
Ha Long Bay —– come on, you are holding out on us.
Beautiful, love the Bride and Groom Photos, makes me sad to remember a knockdown dragout war we had with the parents and grandparents.