Destination Wedding in Maui, Hawaii

On Saturday I had the privilege to photograph a destination wedding in Hawaii at the Four Seasons Resorts Maui Wailea. I'm stil working on the images but here's a sneak peek...

Beautiful Orange County Garden Wedding

All I could say is amazing! I told Dave & Gwen that I could shoot at their beautiful Villa Park Home for a month straight without sleep! After get a quick tour of the house, my friend Prasad of Prasad Photography and I began our attempt to capture Dave & Gwen in as many nooks and crannies of their beautiful home.

As you will see Dave is a wine connoisseur. When designing his home he incorporated his love for wine into the beautiful tuscan design of their home. Underneath the house lay a 1500 sq foot wine cellar. complete with it's own tasting area, wine making area, and separate rooms for different kinds of wines. It also had a small kitchen & restroom for the cellars use.

Dave & Gwen had their intimate wedding ceremony on the lower southeast side of the property over looking the canyon. Soon after the ceremony was over the guests proceeded to the east side of the property where the massive doors of the wine cellar opened out to enjoy some of the wine bottled by Dave. After the family formals the guest were moved over to the north side of the property to enjoy the amazing setting and delicious dinner prepared by the awesome chef George Marinos of TGIS or Thank Goodness It's Sofia Catering Services. I want to thank Prasad of Prasad Photography and Dave and Gwen for having me. I had a blast!

Sorry for so many images The day was just too beautiful not to share them all.

Bridesmaides need attention too!

     If you've picked out your beautiful wedding dress, or even if you're not quite done shopping, you've probably already picked out the color for your bridesmaid dresses. But there are always more decisions to be made when planning a beautiful wedding. Later on we'll have some local resources to assist you in finding beautiful bridesmaid dresses for your beautiful wedding. But first, there are some basic questions to ask: What style will look right on every girl? It's possible that you won't be able to suit every girl's preference for a bridesmaid dress. Some girls will hate they way they look in green, and others will hate the way a princess waist makes their torso look. 

     When trying to find a style to suit everyone, go with your gut, and keep it simple. If you're going with a strapless look, make sure all of your wedding party feels comfortable with bare arms—otherwise you could suggest that they wear a matching wrap in a pretty fabric on the wedding day. Also, for weddings, temperature is a concern. If you're having an outdoor wedding in the summer heat, why not choose a lighter shade of dress that won't attract so much sun for your girls, or a knee-length skirt rather than a floor-length with several poofy layers underneath. It'll help your bridemaids stay cool and enjoy the day even more. (Keep temperature and wedding location in mind while shopping for your dress, too.) Will there be a uniform dress, or will every girl standing up with you be able to choose her own style in a certain color? 

     If you have bridesmaids in several different dress sizes and with different proportions, it's possible to let your ladies customize their look and find something they will feel comfortable and beautiful in on your wedding day. Most of the customization will happen in the upper region with variations in the strap choice and bustline. Waistline is also a consideration. For girls with a thicker waist, a dress with a princess waist can look very nice, while ladies with wider hips may look stunning in an A-line dress. Your local bridal shops will be able to give you a better idea of what's available if you stop in or ask for a catalog. 

     Will your bridesmaids wear different colors, or even go with a more casual look, like a summer sundress? Summery sundresses are becoming more and more popular for a beach wedding. 

     It pays to shop around department stores to save your wedding party some cash and get a unique look that will make everyone happy. No matter what, the golden rule of choose bridesmaids dresses is that you can't please everyone. Really, if you try to make everyone happy, you may end up sacrificing what you really envision for your wedding day. If you don't care so much about this aspect of the planning, feel free to turn it over to your bridal party, who will most likely be very happy to choose what their group will look like. But if you have something specific in mind, make sure your state that up front with your bridal party.

Robert + Michelle = Happy

With the temperature rising on this beautiful spring day, being indoors for this wedding at the Coyote Hills Country Club, in Fullerton, Ca. was probably one of the best places to be. Considering it was the beautiful location where Robert & Michelle were to be wed.

The ceremony site was lined with the beautiful floral designs of My good Friend Jenny B Floral Designs. Although the day was a scorcher Robert was the coolest one around. I thought for sure he was going to be nervous but he was as calm as can be. Michelle looked so giddy coming down the aisle and seeing her prince charming for the first time for the day.

For the reception Mike Carroll of Invisible Touch Event production, lighting & entertainment kept the music bumping and rocked the house.

Here are several of my favorites I hope you enjoy. Don't forget to leave some love!

Gotta love Grandma sporting the cool red Nikon!

"Rock the Reception" New TLC Show

We were contacted by casting producer for a new wedding show on TLC.

      "I'm contacting you in the hope that you'll pass this on to your engaged clients. Here's the information about the show. Please pass it on to any engaged couples getting married anytime from now until the first week of September".
     Thank you so much for your time and please feel free to contact us with any questions!

     TLC is looking for lucky couples to team up with our TOP NOTCH CHOREOGRAPHERS
who will turn their first dance into an unforgettable production number!

     If you want to surprise your guests with an awesome performance that will make your
wedding truly memorable, contact us ASAP to set up an interview.

Send an email to firstdancecasting@gmail.com

Chandra Wicke
Casting Associate
"Rock the Reception" TLC
Brand New Entertainment
O: 310.828.2479 (ask for Susan)
firstdancecasting@gmail.com

Los Angeles River Center and Gardens

Venue ~ Los Angeles River Center and Gardens
Ceremony Music ~ Ken Belcher & Paul Dateh
On Saturday I had the pleasure of shooting Gil And Gaby's wedding. We started out the Amarano Hotel In Burbank. From there we went over to the LA River Center and gardens.  All I could say is Wow! What a gorgeous Facility! With Showers in the forecast we were lucky enough to only get light sprinkles during the ceremony. Here are several images from the day from my second shooter point of view. Congratulations Gaby and Gil Collins!!!!!!!

Here's Gil bustin' out his Karate Moves!

When Things Go Wrong...

On a forum photographers frequent, I recently read about an awful
situation, and it definitely struck home.

The short version is that said Photographer booked a destination
wedding in Kona, Hawaii for $2000, including travel. He booked his
airline tickets for himself and his wife, also in the business,
through ATA Airlines. Well, as many have heard lately, ATA declared
bankruptcy and stopped flying the next day. Since so many passengers
have been stranded and also due to the last minute nature, a new
ticket to Hawaii will cost him $1400 -- so a total of $2800 for the
two of them.

Is this an unforeseen wrinkle? Absolutely! But a professional
photographer should always be prepared for the worst to happen. There
are so many ways for a destination photographer to cover themselves
more thoroughly than this person has.

Things I do when I book a wedding out of town:
1. Book airfare with my AMEX card. When I applied for my AMEX Open
card, the representative asked if I was interested in their travel
insurance program, and I said I was. They add a charge of $30 to
every flight I book on that card, and it covers me on any airline and
will get me to my new location in a reasonable amount of time, and it
also covers lost baggage at a much higher rate than the airline
would. In addition to that protection, this credit card does not have
a credit limit -- so even if I had to buy two new tickets myself, I
wouldn't have to worry about a maxxed out credit card.

2. Have contact information for the clients not only at home, but
also their contact info for when they are at the new destination.
It's absolutely important to be able to contact them if something
goes awry!

Things I could also do:
1. Book a second, refundable ticket on a different airline. When I
don't use it because the original plan goes well, I get a refund.
(Bonus: JetBlue just started offering refundable airfare!)

2. Sign up for additional travel insurance through a travel agent.

Unfortunately, not only did this photographer fail to utilize any of
these options when planning travel for this wedding, he also
seriously undercharged and failed to have a backup plan. He also
didn't have a credit card available to rebook the tickets. And to top
it off, he couldn't get a hold of the groom or bride 3 days before
the wedding, when ATA made their announcement. And to add insult to
injury, he didn't have a clause in his contract regarding the
additional travel involved with a destination wedding.

As a client, I would have run. As a photographer, I cringe.

And since I despise a post without photos, here are a few images from
destination weddings I've shot in the past: