Erika & Trevor {Huntington Beach Wedding}

This is one of those weddings that I was so excited when it arrived, but also sad knowing it would soon be over. Erika and Trevor have been SUCH a pleasure to work with and honestly, if I could shoot their wedding every weekend, I so would!!!

It may sound cliche, but I really don't think their day could have gone any smoother. Everything was timely, every location ideal to shoot in. Everything perfect. Well maybe except the dog that crashed their reception, but we'll get to that later ;)

Big thanks to my awesome second shooter, Daniel, for helping out! :)
I was considering talking some more...but I guess I'll let the images tell the story instead....

The bridesmaids were beaming as Erika got into her dress! :)

I left Erika's hotel room to go hang out with Trevor who was awaiting Erika's arrival for their first look.

And let me tell you...their first look was so sweet! The love between these two is unmatched by anything else. Check out the adorable-ness as Erika sneaks up to see her groom for the first time on their wedding day....

After they had their moment alone, we started with their first mini portrait session of the day. I was amazed with how many awesome images we got in such a short time at one location!

Erika, look at you!!! Perfection!

We then headed to Corona Del Mar for some bridal party shots...talk about AMAZING location. *Drool*

Helloooo ladies!

And then we headed to Newland Barn for their gorgeous ceremony!!

This melted my heart. The look Erika's dad had on his face before he was about to give his baby girl away was full of pride and love....

Their first kiss could not possibly have been any more picture perfect. Diffused lighting from the overcast skies and a gorgeous gazebo for a backdrop? YES PLEASE.

As the bride and groom danced their first dance to Keith Urban's "Only You Can Love Me This Way", I couldn't stop thinking about how much Erika REALLY looked like a princess!!

Erika's sister and mom watched tearfully as Erika danced with her father...

And Trevor's dance with his mother was another very special moment of the night...

I couldn't resist the opportunity of an awesome night shot before leaving the reception :) Speaking of reception...I almost forgot to tell you about the party crashing dog! During dinner time, a chocolate lab that had somehow gotten astray from it's owner who was walking it past the venue, ran into the reception and went straight for the taco bar! Luckily the security was able to shoo it out and get it back to it's owner before any damage was caused! Unfortunately it all happened so fast before anyone could get their camera's ready, but I'm sure it's something that will never be forgotten by those who witnessed it! :P

xoxo

Ryan & Maria: Wedding.

A couple of weekends ago, I had the opportunity to tag along with my awesome friend, Desiree Shuey, and help her shoot one of the cutest weddings ever!!!

Okay, Brides....if any of you were to ask me "How can I make my wedding look different from all the others I see and make it match my personality?"
I would have a one word answer.....DETAIL.

Or if you were to say "I'm paying an arm and a leg for my photographer, how can I get the most out of them on the wedding day?"
My answer would be quite simple....Give them a lot of time to shoot you!!

Maria and Ryan completely nailed both of these. It was pretty ridiculous, Desiree and I were in heaven! We just about passed out when we walked into the reception site and saw LOADS and LOADS of gorgeous detail. Maria really went all out with her theme...and she did it on her own! This girl's got creativity. No need for a designer, Maria simply brought out their personalities with handmade elements and some super cute Etsy finds. I was in love with it all!


As for the timeline... they started off by getting ready super early...about 4 hours before they had to be at the church for the ceremony(which was only 10 minutes away). This eased a lot of stress for them because they didn't have to rush and for us, because we got a full hour just to do bridal party shots!! Which was so awesome!!! Since they had a morning wedding, Ryan and Maria optimized their time for bride and groom portraits with us, by doing them AFTER the reception. Pretty uncommon, but worked out great since we had unlimited time with them and got to go to a couple of different locations!! So much fun.

I am so thankful that Desiree invited me along for this amazing wedding! Ryan and Maria were such a pleasure to work with and too cute to be true!! Be sure to stop by Desiree's blog to see all of the shots she got! :)

And now, on to the cuteness...



Oh hello favorite shoe shot ever....



Being the second photographer is always an adventure. You go into the day ready to roll with the punches and be where the main photog needs you. Sometimes it means being right along side them for the whole day...other times it means going off and documenting the guys while the main photog sticks with the bride. That was the case for this day. And it gave me such a new perspective! When I'm the main photographer..I rarely spend a lot of time shooting the groom and groomsmen getting ready. I either send my second shooter over, while I'm glued to the bride...or just stop in to grab a few shots then go. This day was different because I not only documented their preparations, but also was given a whole hour to get some fun shots of them, while Desiree's was off shooting the Bride and her girls.





With a whole hour to do nothing but shoot groom/groomsmen photos, we got some pretty fun shots!!











I loved the guy's polka-dot bow ties and felt boutonnieres!



And now for some of that detail I was telling you about...













Maria's face lit up when she spotted Ryan as she made her way down the aisle...



And Ryan was beaming when he heard the words, "You may now kiss your bride"...





Maria's bouquet was UNREAL. Just the right mix of real flowers for tradition, jewel-embellished felt flowers to pull in their theme, and ostrich feathers for some added glamour...it was enough to make me swoon.





And the bridesmaid's bouquets also fit the "adorable" standard for the day...



Twilight, anyone?? ;)



For their portraits, we headed off to Victoria Gardens and Claremont Colleges...







Maria has quite the stunning smile!



Best not even get me started on that gorgeous hair piece....ohhhh man....







I just had to grab a shot of Desiree chillin on the ground, grabbing some shoe shots, in the middle of Victoria Gardens(an outdoor shopping mall)...we definitely got some stares! lol









xoxo