pursuing the picture perfect wedding
There’s an article in the Sunday Los Angeles Times about winter wedding bouquets. Dubbed “Love In Bloom,” it features Yifat Oren and Krislyn Komarov, two of my favorite people to work with. The article also includes a photograph I took of one of Krislyn’s permanent bouquets, which is decidedly and happily not “in bloom,” as it’s fashioned from balsa wood “flowers,” coral, and Swarovski crystals.
Some weddings are so marvelously right. Julia & Eli’s was one of them. The equation might have read: happy couple + beautiful yard + perfect day + perfect night + joyous guests + “fireflies” = magical. We’ve featured bits of their wedding all summer, partly because I think this blogging real weddings thing rushes me much too much—as I prefer to turn over my photographic fascinations slowly—but mostly because we loved their wedding. Even the intangible things, like Eli saying his {vows}. Above, one of several Polaroid 55s I took.
We loved the whimsical florals and decor by Krislyn. The groom’s boutonniere was fashioned from a single (tiny) perfect echeveria ‘afterglow’. I grow them in my garden, and in just the right light, the pinkish rims really do glow. Below: celebrity stylists Nina and Clare Hallworth help Julia into her gown. Sweetest up-do ever by Chris McMillan. Chris did Julia’s hair three or four times that morning before he came up with the final look, which made me realize how essential it is to allow all the vendors at a wedding time to give a top-notch performance. (More on that later.) I never would have guessed tulips would have been “just the thing,” but they were, and Chris’s hairdo inspired lots and lots of my photographs of Julia.
I spoke with Nina and Clare for a few moments before the reception, and asked if they had any advice for my blog readers. They said it was so important to take time (by which they meant quiet time) to get dressed. The way they spoke of dressing, it seemed like dressing oneself and composing oneself were the same act.
Some details from the ceremony. The huppah was one of a kind, with peonies, branches, and a quilt the groom’s mother made by hand. Yifat Oren & her gifted crew, led by Amy Cain, masterminded the design and production of the whole affair. Great job, Amy!
Nina and Clare reused Julia’s veil as a wrap during cocktails and dinner. It was not only a very inventive instantly “upcycled” accessory, but offered Julia a second glorious look for the evening. Bride’s gown, Carolina Herrera. Groom’s three-piece suit (♥!), Tom Ford.
Above: a few images from Julia and Eli’s hora. I love getting guests out on the dance floor (and before sundown if possible). It’s one of the few chances we ever have in a wedding day for truly energetic and totally camera unaware photographs of everyone who came out to celebrate your tying-the-knot.
Because it was so sunny and because so much was going on in both the front yard and back yard all day, we couldn’t do any outdoor portraits. So Julia and Eli agreed to sneak away for a quick walk after their first dances. So worth it!
Julia felt differently about the sunshiny day. She was thrilled to wake at six that morning and see the sun was out. Those of you who live in Southern California will know “June Gloom,” and Julia & Eli’s wedding day was the first day after our (particularly long) June Gloom ended this year. I laughed when she told me this: when I awoke on my own wedding day, I, too, jumped out of bed to see what the light was like, but was practically gleeful to discover a bright overcast morning!
Julia’s advice? She says to take a couple days to do relaxing things before the wedding. On the day of the wedding, she had no stress for the first time in the planning process!
The End.
photographs: Gia Canali
These are the dog days (and nights!) of summer and I find myself wanting to paint everything in the hottest colors I can imagine. I want even my blues to be hot. Tammy and Mickey’s wedding has been on my mind lots these past days and mostly because of their hot, hot colors. The pairing of pinks, purples, oranges, yellows, and electric blues with their venues and the very sensuous mood of their wedding worked especially well for them. And although we use lots of these images elsewhere in our blog and site, I thought it would be good to get an idea of how everything worked together to create what was really a breathtaking event. As in any good color design, the color should work with the color scheme and season and general mood of your location, rather than against it. Throughout the images, you might notice bits of blue and turquoise. I think … little accents of cool color bring out the heat in all the other colors. I also got the distinct impression that their wedding became warmer and hotter as day became night.
Genius florals by Michael Mantalos, {Louloudi Design}.
Tammy’s accessories included a barrette she made by hand at work (she’s a fashion designer!) …
Mickey getting ready, and showing off his Canali suit. Love it!
A few photographs from their sweet ceremony. When you wed at a church as ornate as this one, no adornment is necessary.
And here’s where it goes from warm to hot—the warmth of candles, the heat of red dahlias and yellow orchids, and the opulence of a gilded cake combine perfectly. Cake by Margaret Braun.
A belly dancer entertained the guests during dinner.
I am a fan of any excuse to get everybody very happily dancing. It is one of the best opportunities to photograph bride and groom with their wedding guests. After the first dances, Greek dancing began.
The evening ended with some of our favorite nighttime portraits. (Yep, I posted some of these earlier this week. That’s what put Tammy and Mickey’s wedding fresh in my mind).
Revisiting their wedding these many months later, I am wondering how so few of these images made it through to our portfolio. Of course, I’m always a little discouraged by how little of our work we can really show—but that’s a major reason we started this blog. I think Tammy and Mickey’s wedding is a fantastic example of a wedding that was opulent without being extravagant. There were little handmade touches. We love that. Hope it inspires.
photos: Gia Canali
R & A did a wonderful job conceiving their wedding. It involved lots of peculiarly-LA logistical challenges—a ceremony at the church the groom’s family attends in Downey, a reception on a chilly early-spring evening at a private home in Agoura Hills, getting guests to drive the hour-and-ten-minutes between locations—to name a few. But it came together beautifully under the direction of Heidi Mayne from Red25 (whose new site will launch very soon, so be sure to check back).
This wedding initiated me to {Krislyn} whose delicious designs have me swooning … Krislyn made the bride’s balsa wood and Swarovski bouquet (below and previously featured), the wishing tree, and the A + R vase (also below) that sat beside the tree at the reception. Lucky for me, Krislyn did florals at another wedding I photographed recently so I get to indulge (and share!) my newfound obsession.
I have to confess, though, my aesthetic obsessions at Rosalinda and Aris’s wedding were varied. Many are indicative of current and coming trends:
A sweet little ceremony getaway in the groom’s brother-in-law’s Rolls Royce.
Some of the sweet reception details … I loved the variety (as I always love variety) in the centerpieces. Manzanita or beechwood branches strewn with orchids, or wooden boxes full of them decorated each table. Presenting old family photographs as they did, in a frame, with strings and clothespins, was quite charming.
The light changed quickly as day turned to night, so we snuck portraits here and there, as we could, amongst dancing and toasting.
A little nighttime love … As I mentioned earlier, R & A spent most of the night close together. If you want wonderful photographs of you and your beloved late into the night, do this!
This couple did an amazing job of designing a gorgeous wedding without it feeling like they were over-producing it. (I think that’s a weird diagnosis of some weddings, but probably true, now that I think about it.) They prioritized having a great party … and it paid off. They danced with each other and their guests into the wee hours of the night. For my own part, I was very happy that they made time, even as the sun set, for me to get out the clunky old 4×5 camera (see top image). I’m looking forward to seeing how these images become themselves, later on …
photo credit: Gia Canali floral centerpieces: Malibu Market & Design lighting: Images By Lighting
I was just getting ready to post about why color is so important in wedding design. For one thing, it gives the finished wedding album a certain otherwise-unattainable pizazz. (I would like to suggest that it logically also gives the real live wedding that same bit of glamour.) But I got side-tracked thinking about Sonya and Kevin’s wedding. Their wedding was black-and-white (and therefore sort of non-colored) but had both important benchmarks of good “color” design: the scheme was unified (black-and-white with apple green accents) and was carried out across all design elements (florals, fashion, linens, furniture, stationery, etc.).
Rebecca Feeney of Custom Event Group set her careful eye to the details of this wedding. The floral design was one of my favorite of those details. The arrangements were formal, but still very dreamy. Below are Sonya’s bouquet, centerpieces from the reception, floating floral balls from the reception, and shade tents from near the ceremony area. Florals by Michael Holmes Design, Napa.
The bride wore a dress by Rivini. It was perfectly suited for her—and was so perfectly, sweetly sexy. Below, note the bridesmaid’s dresses with a black-and-white floral pattern. Their bouquets reversed the color scheme.
Love their happy recessional …
Sonya and Kevin really wanted a wedding that was fun and truly memorable for their guests, and so prioritized good food, dancing, and the making of an amazing party.
Elaine Bell Catering created a food station buffet, complete with mini mac ‘n cheese, sliders, sushi, salads, and other yummy treats.
The venue was a private estate in Calistoga, CA, and provided a beautiful backdrop for the party that followed dinner. Their coaster-shaped save-the-dates by Milkfed Press displayed a favorite drink recipe!
Steal these ideas:
photo credit: Gia Canali
Now that I am home, I have been working hard on preparing Rosalinda & Aris’s wedding. I promise to share lots more images soon. In the meantime, though, please enjoy Rosalinda’s balsa wood and Swarovski crystal bouquet by Krislyn, as it clearly takes the keepsake bouquet to a whole new level of lovely. (And makes you want to forget about drying your roses upside down!)
photo credit: Gia Canali
Jessie and Matt’s sublimely adorable wedding is being featured on {Style Me Pretty} today! Click {here} to see the first post, and be sure to check back throughout the day for lots more images. Hurray! Style Me Pretty is one of my favorite blogs … and one of Jessie’s, too, so we are both ecstatic! {Jessie’s website} is well worth a visit, too, for lots more artistic inspiration.
Jessie just sent me her brand new website for her wedding coordination and design, Married :: by Jessie Abrams Baca. Love the style! {Click here} to visit.
I love the feel of this wedding— a little bit of outdoors, a little bit of bringing the outdoors in, elegant but rustic, earthy, romantic and a little funky. Justine and Robert were really fun to work with, so I thought I’d share some of their good taste and aesthetic choices for inspiration.
Justine’s gown was a Melissa Sweet, and in true Melissa Sweet style, was feminine and romantic with playful touches. The shape was super-sexy and I loved how it moved. Vinny, the couple’s dog, was their ring-bearer. The ceremony was really spiritual, sentimental, and involved the guests. Aesthetically, we liked how they lined the aisle with orange rose petals. There was a kind of arbor that served as a focal point for the ceremony.
Because their wedding was midday, they elected to do their organized photographs after the ceremony. We made time for group portraits and some intimate portraits just after the ceremony (including the above portraits), and a bit more time for intimate portraits during the reception. This worked out great because the couple was able to take advantage of a several unique settings over the two mini-portrait sessions. This kind of variety definitely helps add visual interest when we go to design their finished album.
The two photographs below I took on a long lens right after the ceremony when Justine and Robert shared a moment alone (but not so alone that we couldn’t photograph them from afar). I like when couples get to share a moment or two with just each other. These quiet moments are often the ones that stand out in memory later on.
Justine and Robert chose wonderful centerpieces that incorporated dahlias, orchids, pitcher plants, fresh in-season fruit, leaves, succulents, etc., in unique still-life style arrangements. Potted herbs adorned the outdoor cocktail tables and buffet created by Back to Earth Catering, which specializes in organic (and especially yummy) dishes from locally grown food.
I know I’m going a little overboard on the detail shots here … but I want to show the kind of variety I love, and how many natural elements were in their florals. Valley Flora from Napa did a wonderful job. These details were definitely “green” without being pretentious or showy.
Justine and Robert did a choreographed first dance (you can see them practicing it in one of the portraits above). The first dance is a tradition I hope never goes out of style … Look at that gown swirl! Here also you’ll find more portraits. I brought along a parasol I found at a flea market in Miami (supposedly antique and supposedly Italian-made!). I’d been saving it for years for the perfect couple and a wedding that matched.
Nestldown offers endless variety, so a short walk with Justine and Robert afforded a fantasy (hobbit) house, an orchard, a wooden bench with swan accents, and a very funky, prickly looking tree … all in about twenty minutes. The reception ended with Justine and Robert’s grand getaway in her father’s Alfa Romeo. I love the guests seeing them off …
photo credit: Gia Canali
