Merry Christmas, friends.  I hope the holidays are dazzling and warm for you this year.

photo: Gia Canali

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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}.

{click any image to enlarge}

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).

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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

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{click any image to enlarge}

More blue hour, than golden hour …

Sepia-tone or color work equally well.

Kiss, kiss, kiss …

The weather was actually freezing cold at this wedding, day and night.  We did almost all the daytime formal portraits and their nighttime portraits under the ambient warmth of this twinkle-lit tree.  Though the setting was the same, the images vary considerably because of the light.

It was as hard for Julia and Bob to want to leave the dance floor, as it was for anyone else, but I’m so happy they made time to.  In fact, that’s always how I feel: that nighttime portraits might seem like kind of a hassle, but they are always incredibly worth it.  There’s a certain release once you’ve come to the end of the scheduled events.  You’re married.  You’ve cut cake. You’ve danced your first dance.  You’ve danced maybe twenty dances.  And for the first time, it’s just you and your love.  This happy realization reads quite well on camera.  So be spontaneous!  Be adventurous!  And leave yourself open to the idea of a tiny escape.

photos: Gia Canali

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