The growth system comes at the age of 30

Chapter 289 Wedding Photos, and a Vacation Along the Way (4.6K)

After finishing their meal, before preparing to leave, Chen Jingle and Li Beixing quickly distributed the small gifts and red envelopes they had prepared for everyone.

Men, women, young and old, everyone has it.

These were all carefully planned and selected beforehand by the two of them; they knew exactly who to give them to and what to give them, and they couldn't just send them randomly.

Although it wasn't an expensive gift, everyone was very happy, and now everyone was completely satisfied.

"Thank you so much, sister-in-law!"

"It's kind of you to think of things so thoroughly."

"Good girl, Grandpa will give you one too, please keep it."

"..."

As the event ended, the two exchanged a smile, both noticing a hint of fatigue on each other's faces, but mostly a sense of satisfaction and happiness.

This is just a meeting and dinner between the parents and relatives of both sides; there are still many procedures to go through.

Now I understand why many Gen Zers choose not to have a wedding or banquet and just get their marriage certificate directly.

To save money and time.

However, since you've chosen to get married and have a wedding, you might as well do it well. You probably only get to do it once in your life, so it's just a matter of spending a little more money.

Money can't solve all problems, but having money can at least solve most of them.

Next comes choosing wedding attire, taking wedding photos, confirming the best man and maid of honor, videography and photography on the wedding day, finalizing the guest list and number of banquet tables, sending out invitations, purchasing wedding items, decorating the bridal chamber, and so on.

very many.

This was the result of their discussion and efforts to streamline unnecessary steps, but there were still many steps that required assistance.

It's clear that getting married is a very complicated matter.

If Chan King-lok weren't the groom, he could do many things, but as the groom, he'd be busy enough just going through the motions and entertaining guests on the day, leaving no time for anything else.

Therefore, hiring someone is definitely necessary.

Not only should we hire people, but we should hire a lot of people to avoid being caught off guard later.

……

Regarding clothing choices.

The two did not have any disagreements, as they respected Li Beixing's wishes more.

"I can choose from Hanfu, Xiuhe, Qipao, and wedding dress, but I want to wear them only for photos and keep them for my own enjoyment later. The wedding day is mainly for entertaining relatives and friends, so I'll keep it simple and just wear a little dress."

Li Beixing frowned slightly: "Well, many people say they'll regret not taking wedding photos, but once they do, they just gather dust. I think the root of the problem is that the photos don't turn out well. Most people's photos look stiff and unnatural, lacking any sense of relaxation. It feels like they're doing a task, so it's no wonder they don't look good. They're even worse than the photos taken by Haima Studio."

Chen Jingle smiled and said, "That's right. The works of those top photography studios are basically wedding photos taken as couple art photos, so the assembly line effect is not so obvious. First of all, the model itself must be of high quality, then it relies heavily on outdoor locations, and then the photography, makeup and post-production. But the price is basically starting at more than 10,000 yuan to get that kind of effect, and you have to find a reliable one."

Aren't wedding photos just portraits?

The three elements of a portrait are self-evident.

"So if we're going to take photos, let's keep it casual and natural. Apart from the clothes that are more wedding-themed, we can treat the rest as ordinary couple photos. As long as we don't look too bad, it's fine. After the photos are taken, we can share them in a family album instead of framing them."

Teacher Li said with a smile that her previous online research had paid off.

She had a very open-minded view on the wedding itself, and didn't want it to be too grand at all; she was even a little averse to showing off her wealth.

This is also the character of most people from Lingnan.

Wealth is not revealed in vain.

Many colleagues and classmates will be attending the wedding.

She respects the practice of others having million-dollar or even tens of millions of dollars in weddings, but she doesn't need to, or rather, she has moved beyond the stage of needing wealth to demonstrate her strength.

All the rituals and procedures are no match for a stamped certificate.

In this respect alone, she is actually a very rational person.

“Okay!” Chen Jingle had no objections.

He had already made several qipaos and cocktail dresses for Li Beixing when he had time, while Hanfu and Xiuhe wedding dresses could be rented at the time.

If he had more time, he could have even made the phoenix coronet and embroidered robe.

This is not a difficult task for a master tailor.

Unfortunately, time was too tight and there were too many things to do.

The two are now mainly focused on how to take better photos.

For Chen Jingle, who knows photography, this was a piece of cake. He planned to first take good photos of Li Beixing's cheongsam and cocktail dress, and then find a professional team to take photos of her wedding dress and phoenix coronet and embroidered robe.

In terms of technical skill alone, he surpasses most professional photographers and can also handle post-production retouching.

It's an absolute all-rounder!
We need to hire a professional photography team, but we can't put all our hopes on others.

Even if you're only filming a portion of it yourself, you have more options.

Most wedding photography teams in China now operate on an assembly line model. They have a lot of orders, so even the most skilled and reputable teams can't be expected to have high professional standards or proactively do exceptionally well for you.

God knows what they'll end up shooting for you.

Many even outsource post-production retouching to interns, who then gloss over problems and only help resolve them when they can no longer shirk responsibility.

It's the same principle as home renovation.

Otherwise, where would the profits come from?

So many people have fallen into these traps that the industry's reputation has become quite tarnished.

Compared to them, Chen Jingle clearly had more faith in himself.

Furthermore, when choosing a wedding photography team, it's important to carefully select one that is open to discussion and communication, so that you can largely follow your own ideas.

Li Beixing had already decided on the location for the wedding photos: Sanya.

She booked a flight to Sanya for the May Day holiday, plus a five-day stay in a private pool villa at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, where she would take photos.

Wedding photography tour teams need to be booked in advance. We booked one of the best-rated online companies, which offered the most expensive package to save time and money.

Looking at the sample photos is fine, but Chen Jingle knows that looking at the sample photos alone is not enough.

We'll see how things go then.

If the filming is not good, he will definitely replace the actor.

Trying to fool a professional photographer is no easy task.

As for why a hotel was chosen.

“The Mandarin Oriental’s ocean view is really photogenic; you can even take a vacation afterward,” Li Beixing said, leaning against Chen Jingle.

Come to think of it, she hasn't gone on a trip or vacation with Chen Jingle yet.

It was a good opportunity to go out and relax, but unfortunately the time was a bit short, and at least half of the time was spent taking photos.

but it does not matter!
Teacher Li has already submitted her application for marriage leave in advance.

The 24th and 25th of next month are Saturday and Sunday. In addition to three days of wedding leave and two days of personal leave, there will be another three-day Dragon Boat Festival holiday starting on the 31st. In this way, she will have nine days of vacation!

It's a perfect time to go on my honeymoon with Chen Jingle.

Woohoo~ Happy!
As for this time, let's just have a simple trial first.

Chen Jingle's thoughts drifted: "Mandarin Oriental? I've heard of it, but I've never been there. It's supposedly one of the three top luxury hotels?"

Li Beixing thought for a moment and replied, "That's true. In terms of service, the Mandarin Oriental is stronger. After the Park Hyatt changed teams, the quality dropped significantly. More importantly, this time we mainly wanted to take photos, so I chose the Mandarin Oriental because it's better for producing pictures."

Chen Jingle pinched her cheek: "I promise I'll take a really beautiful picture of you!"

Li Beixing immediately gave him a kiss: "It wasn't me, it was us!"

"Yes, yes, it's us!"

Chen Jingle smiled broadly.

He had just noticed that the sea-view villa that Li Beixing had booked cost 12,000 yuan a night.

hiss~
In the past, he wouldn't have dared to even think about it, let alone spend money on it.

He had been to Qiongzhou, but he always went to places like Dadonghai, which were suitable for ordinary people, and he couldn't even bear to stay in Yalong Bay.

Now the conditions are finally right.

I wasn't worried about the money; after all, money is meant to be spent.

Moreover, there is a difference between tourism and vacation.

Tourism is more about going out and having fun, eating and drinking, and focusing on different experiences. Vacation, on the other hand, is more about rest. For modern people, when they finally get a break, they don't want to travel around or squeeze into crowded tourist attractions.

In this situation, if the budget allows, the best option is actually to fly directly to Sanya, find a high-end beachfront hotel with a private beach, and spend a few days eating, drinking, sleeping, and playing within the hotel's boundaries. Once the time is up, pack your things and head home.

That's how Li Beixing arranged it.

Chen Jingle had no objections; he was determined to live off this rich woman. He would follow Teacher Li around and experience the life of high society.

However, he needs to prepare some things before the May Day holiday arrives, so that he won't be too busy later.

……

Chen Jingle used to think that no one, except the bride, would be interested in wedding decorations.

People are more concerned about whether the food tastes good.

However, when he himself began preparing for his own wedding, he had different insights. Some of his previous beliefs had unconsciously changed.

First of all, it can be confirmed that these two are not in opposition.

The food is delicious without compromising the grandeur of the wedding, offering guests a unique experience.

However, many people cannot afford this expense, so the wedding banquet food is often not tasty, and the wedding ceremony is awkward and boring, wasting everyone's time.

Chen Jingle wouldn't mind attending several of those traditional Chinese weddings that cost hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars and leave guests in awe.

Teacher Li's opinion was that we shouldn't be extravagant or too high-profile. The compromise was to make sure the food was satisfactory for everyone and that the wedding process was relaxed and simple.

A simple wedding ceremony doesn't mean casual attire.

How to create a suitable and effective atmosphere without being ostentatious or extravagant is a question.

Chen Jingle needs to go back and think it over slowly, and come up with something new.

Regarding the choice of wedding car fleet, Li Qiguang said that he could use his Maybach S680 as the main car.

Although it's a 2018 model and the design is a bit outdated, it still exudes the aura of a top-tier luxury sedan.

Incidentally, through his connections, he got in touch with a Maybach racing team.

This is where the advantage of choosing a non-significant day becomes apparent.

If you choose the National Day holiday or the end of the year, even if you book six months in advance, you may not be able to get a reservation. It is much easier to book during other times of the year.

Then there's the purchase of wedding items. Some traditional wedding items are left to my parents to buy. As for new and interesting things, including various wedding favors, they are purchased online.

Regarding the guest list, we first determined the relatives, then the classmates and friends, and finally the parents' friends.

The same applies to the woman's side.

Once the list is finalized, invitations will be sent out together.

With the development of the times, many people are now using electronic invitations, especially for those who live far away and cannot send invitations by mail. Electronic invitations are a great option.

In fact, it is understandable.

However, those people who haven't been in touch for decades, and suddenly say on WeChat, "Remember to come to my wedding next month," well...

Chen Jingle personally prefers a more traditional approach. Since he sincerely wants to invite others to his wedding, there's no harm in having a paper invitation.

Anyway, just print out the template and find two inexpensive college students majoring in calligraphy to help transcribe the guests' names.

First, invite the people you are sure you can invite.

Relatives are the easiest to ask, as they are always available. The next best option is classmates who work in Jiangbei, as they live nearby and can usually come.

It's hard to say about those who stay in the provincial capital; not everyone is willing to go through the trouble of making this trip, and time is often limited outside of major holidays.

In the adult world, if someone says they're unsure, it's basically a rejection.

Some close friends might be able to come, but some ordinary friends who live far away are unlikely to be able to come. Even so, Chen Jingle will notify them all at the time, and he won't say anything if they can't come.

It's understandable; at this age, everyone has their own difficulties.

It would be best if you could come. If you need to stay overnight, we can make sure you have a place to stay. We can't let people come and not have a place to stay.

As for the monetary gifts, it doesn't matter. In the Lingnan region, people don't expect to recoup their costs through monetary gifts when holding a wedding banquet.

……

Of all his classmates and friends, Chen Jingle notified Liang Cheng first.

I'll wait until Liang Cheng gets off work in the afternoon, then call him out, find a place to order two cups of milk tea, and tell him the news.

"I have something to tell you. I'm getting married on the 24th of next month," Chen Jingle said with a smile.

"what?!"

Liang Cheng was stunned at first, his eyes widening: "Dude, is this all so sudden?"

When Chen Jingle drove his Ferrari out for fun before, he guessed that she was probably in a relationship, but he wasn't quite sure.

It now seems most likely so.

Another one of my close high school friends is about to get married.

I just didn't expect it to be Chen Jingle, and so quickly.

It took him quite a while to accept this fact.

Chen Jingle chuckled: "Yes, a little, but she likes me a lot, and I like her too. So what's there to hesitate about? Besides, didn't you and Teacher Zhong only tell us when you got married?"

"That's true." Liang Cheng couldn't help but smile.

Ultimately, he felt that dating was a very private matter and rarely brought his partner to meet his classmates and friends.

Among all the classmates who got married, everyone silently followed this principle.

Also magical.

However, he still asked out of curiosity, "Where is the other person from? What do they do for a living?"

“A local from Jiangbei, a middle school teacher.” Chen Jingle grinned. “Didn’t expect that, did you? Just from No. 8 Middle School.”

"Teacher."

Liang Cheng touched his nose. It wasn't that he had any prejudice against the profession, after all, his family member was also a teacher. It was just that when they came home, he would feel a bit bossy, because he was used to giving orders at school.

He thought for a moment and said, "Okay, since you've made up your mind, there's nothing more to say. Your own happiness is the most important thing. The 24th, right? I promise I'll be there! By the way, who's your best man?"

"It's my cousin. I'm really sorry to trouble those classmates."

Most of the people who were close to him were already married, but according to Jiangbei custom, the best man could only be an unmarried man, so they recruited Chen Jinghao to be a conscript.

Liang Cheng smiled and said, "If you need my help, just let me know."

"If you put it that way, then I won't stand on ceremony. Don't worry, I'll definitely need your help." Chen Jingle raised an eyebrow.

"Hey, just pack a boxed lunch."

After saying that, the two of them burst into silly laughter, attracting the attention of onlookers.

"The invitations aren't ready yet, I'll send them to you later." Chen Jingle took a sip of milk tea and nodded slightly.

Liang Cheng asked, "By the way, where will the wedding be held?"

"Daming Prefecture, that's the location my father-in-law chose."

"Wow, this is pretty high-class." Liang Cheng exclaimed in surprise.

Chen Jingle nodded: "It's alright. We've discussed the wedding arrangements and omitted a lot of procedures to keep it as simple as possible, but we can't skimp on the banquet. We'll make sure everyone eats and drinks well."

"Can I bring my family?"

"Absolutely! Let's bring Teacher Zhong and Xiaomingyue along!"

"Hehe, then I'll have to eat my money's worth."

"..."

If nothing unexpected happens, after Chan King-lok gets married, the two will have even fewer opportunities to meet.

Men tend to focus more on their families once they reach middle age.

There's nothing we can do about it.

However, their friendship will not fade because of this.

……

There's a lot to do when planning a wedding, but once you break it down into several steps, it doesn't feel too complicated.

After completing the preliminary preparations, Chen Jingle packed his luggage and boarded a plane to Sanya with Li Beixing.

(End of this chapter)