June 7, 2011
Marie and Taylor told me they had a special venue in mind for their wedding. They wanted a unique, memorable location…and they found it in The Granada Theater in Santa Barbara. A quick look on Google told me all I needed to know…this was going to be a challenge (in terms of lighting), but a super cool experience. The venue is a glorious old theater with incredible art deco accents in the heart of downtown Santa Barbara (for you San Luis Obispo readers…it’s a lot like the Fremont Theater but grander). Marie and Taylor were rewarded in their “risk” of choosing a non-traditional wedding venue…everyone had a fantastic time and the theater provided a beautiful background for the event. The mid-seating area was used for the wedding ceremony and the stage was used for the reception. The cocktail hour was held in the lobby, and family photos were done in the upstairs balcony area. There was plenty of room for everyone to move around, dance and visit. I’m always so happy to photograph weddings in new venues, and this one is definitely on my list of favorites now. Marie and Taylor…thanks again for inviting me into your day. I hope you had a wonderful time and have great memories of your wedding day! I certainly enjoyed getting to know you both.
June 6, 2011
A Monday wedding with seven people? Sign me up! That sounds like just the thing to brighten up a Monday. Plus, the wedding was held at a beautiful house overlooking the beach in Cambria on a perfectly sunny day, even saw a whale breaching just as I walked into the backyard overlooking the ocean. I could not have ordered up a better wedding day for Pegeen and Philip. Pegeen and Philip described their hopes for the day…small wedding, intimate family dinner, photos on the beach, and a relaxed pace. I had a several “signs” during the day that made me smile and know that things were gonna go smoothly. Philip was playing Paul Simon music during the pre-ceremony and reception (oh how I love Paul Simon!). Pegeen hired one of my favorite on-location hair and make-up artists (Rhonda Johnson). And Pegeen and Philip had Andre and Christine cater their family dinner afterwards. From the happy smiles, effortless conversations, and relaxed mood at dinner…I think everyone was pleased with how the day unfolded. I was grateful that I got to witness it, too.
May 16, 2011
Anika and Tyson are getting married soon at the Cypress Ridge Pavilion. I already know this is going to be a great wedding because…well, they love each other with such obvious ease. But, I also know that they are great friends with Megan and Keith & Kealoha and Brian, and both of those couples had AMAZINGLY fun weddings with fantastic guests and families. Which means I’ll get to hang out with a sweet group of people celebrating a wonderful friendship-turned-love in a beautiful venue. Win Win Win. Anika and Ty…I can’t wait to celebrate with you both!
March 9, 2011
Traci and Al started 2011 off with a huge celebration. That’s right, they got married on New Year’s Day. They worked with the fantastic Erin at Florals with Flair and Patrice from Wedding Ideas Now to transform the (already normally goregous) Cypress Ridge Pavillion into a warm, beautiful retreat for their wedding ceremony and reception. Mother nature cleaned the outside with a healthy dose of rain all day (boo!). No spirits were dampened however, and the party was wonderful. I hope Traci and Al are enjoying a little bit of rest and relaxation after a busy holiday and wedding planning season.
March 6, 2011
Mary and I have known each other for about 15 years. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen her have a “bad” day. She is usually smiling, loves a great joke, and is quick to say nice things about you. I like hanging out with those kind of people. No wonder she has a bizillion other friends too. So when David asked her to marry him, the really hard part part of having all those friends? Finding a venue that would fit both the NUMBER of friends and the FUN of the friends. Mary and David love to go. Go. GO. They go everywhere and do things like this (stolen from her facebook page)…
So there was talk about having the wedding out on the Colorado River at a favorite sand bar…but could everyone camp for the wedding? Or how about a jeep caravan? Eventually, Mary and David decided the Cayucos Vets Hall would be the perfect place. On the beach, very scenic, super casual fun, and plenty of nearby hotels to make it a comfortable destination wedding for the out-of-towners. Mary found out that her favorite taco place catered, her good family friend hand-made her wedding dress, and other good friends made all the cupcakes and arranged the flowers. Ahhh…good friends again. See the theme? She is one well-loved (for good reason) person.
March 5, 2011
Have you been to Tilden Park? Have you been to Orinda? If you haven’t, you need to take a visit. Jessica and Kyle got married at the Brazilian Room in Tilden Park. It was my first time in the area and I was impressed. It felt like I was driving to a camping site (except I wasn’t worried about bears or whether there would be hot water). Big trees, blue skies, and the smell of forest all around. I even got a big bug bite to prove my adventure was authentically outdoors. Truth be told though, I think I was the only one to get bit and I am traditionally a bug magnet. ☺
Jessica and Kyle don’t enjoy being the center of attention. I think that’s why I nearly chuckled out loud when during their ceremony (at a point where their officiant had just spoken about the fact they don’t like to be too showy), a little girl from the park ran up to them and stared. She smiled and yelled back at her mom “Look, they are getting married!” Giggles and she ran away.
At their wedding, they clearly made the day about hanging out with friends and enjoying the experience. Lots of dancing. Great conversation. And hopefully they didn’t mind being a little bit of the center of attention for just a day…because we all sure enjoyed it.
