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STOP!!!

Don’t go any further unless you’ve already checked out Part I of Robert and Joana’s San Diego wedding in Mission Bay! 

OK … now that we’ve got that out of the way … on to part II of Robert + Joana’s fantastic wedding!

After the ceremony, Joana and Robert’s families met them back in the chapel of Corpus Christi Catholic Church in Bonita, California.  We then took them and their entire bridal party behind the church, where there’s a small garden area, but it photographs beautifully.  I had the opportunity to photograph a wedding here before, and although it doesn’t look like much, there’s really a lot of beautiful little nooks around the church that make great images.  Once we wrapped up with the bridal party, we still had nearly an hour before the cocktail hour was starting.  We took that opportunity to head back to the Mission Bay Hyatt to make some images with just Robert and Joana.  We met them in the lobby, and started on one of the cool couches.

Joana had told me at the beginning of the day that she hadn’t been able to sleep at all the night before their wedding, so when I asked her to lay down on the couch, I don’t think she could have been happier.  I was almost afraid she might take a nap right there!  Eder and I left Robert and Joana after making a few more images around the grounds of the Hyatt, and went over to Marina Village where they were holding their reception.  As the guests started to arrive, a mariachi band played and took requests until Robert and Joana got there.

The rest of the night was filled with emotion with toasts given by Joana’s sister and father and Robert’s brother, as well as Robert and of course … dancing.

Click on the large  image above, or any of the smaller thumbnails below to see photos from the second half of Joana and Roberts wedding in San Diego!

Friends and family members can register at Pictage to view all the images from their day by clicking here. 

Vendors:

Photographers: Evan Bishop Photography

Wedding Coordinator: Weddings by Lindsy

Church: Corpus Christi Catholic Church

Reception: Marina Village

Preparations and Accomodations: Hyatt Mission Bay

Florist: Flowers by Erin

DJ: Mike Farmer

Cake: Flour Power

Makeup and Hair: Making Faces

 I have been so looking forward to Robert and Joana’s wedding since we met up for drinks before their engagement shoot in Balboa Park.  We met initially through their wedding planner Lindsy Hines who did an amazing job helping them to organize their entire day.  When I arrived at the Mission Bay Hyatt, Joana was getting the final touches to her make-up done, while club music played on her iPad, and her ring bearer and flower girl watched cartoons.  Just like the Saturday mornings I remember as a kid!  While I was photographing with the girls, Eder who was second shooting with me, was with Robert and his guys getting ready. After everyone was dressed, we spent some time at the Hyatt taking pictures around the grounds.  There’s some great tropical landscaping at the Hyatt and we took advantage of that backdrop both before their ceremony as well as before their reception which happened right next door at the Marina Village.

After getting ready, and portraits at the Hyatt, we all drove over to Bonita to Corpus Christi Catholic Church for Robert and Joana’s wedding.  Arriving early before guests, Joana and her girls as well as Robert’s mother were able to spend some time in the bridal suite at the church for last minute touch ups, and for Joana, mostly just to sit quietly and relax while everyone whirred around her.  After the mothers had been walked down the aisle, and the bridesmaids and flower girls, Joana and her father stood in the hall just off of the sanctuary awaiting their cue.  It was a quiet moment where Joana and as they walked down the aisle together, and Robert stood smiling Joanna found it difficult not to shed a tear as her father gave her away.

This was such an amazing wedding to be a part of, and one that I had a very difficult time selecting images to share on the blog since there were so many to choose from.  To see a sample of some images from the first part of the day, click on the large image above, or any of the smaller thumbnails below.  I will be posting part 2 of Robert and Joana’s wedding tomorrow, so check back to see their portraits and photos from their reception.

Friends and family members can register at Pictage to view all the images from their day by clicking here. 

Vendors:

Photographers: Evan Bishop Photography

Wedding Coordinator: Weddings by Lindsy

Church: Corpus Christi Catholic Church

Reception: Marina Village

Preparations and Accomodations: Hyatt Mission Bay

Florist: Flowers by Erin

DJ: Mike Farmer

Cake: Flour Power

Makeup and Hair: Making Faces

I am so excited to be photographing Joana + Roberts upcoming wedding in October.  I met with Joana and Robert to talk about their wedding plans after their wedding planner Lindsy Hines recommended me.  The first time I met with them, Robert did most of the talking and Joana was quiet and shy.  Before we had our engagement session they wanted to meet up again to talk about what to expect.  It seems they had lots of questions about what the engagement session would be like.  We met at Sogno Di Vino which is an annex of their favorite restaurant in Little Italy Bon Appetito for a glass of wine and to talk about the upcoming engagement photos.  A glass of wine turned into a bottle, and we talked for over an hour about their wedding plans, wine, work, how they met, and a little bit about the photo session.  We decided on shooting in Balboa Park which is very close to where Robert works, and he often runs through the park during the days.

We met up by the Prado, and walked over to Alcazar Garden to start their photos.  I love Alcazar Gardens because it seems to be off the radar for a lot of visitors to Balboa Park and is very beautiful.  It’s a small area, but includes some of the great architecture that Balboa Park offers and is a quiet place to start portraits without all the people that you’ll find throughout the rest of the park.

From the quiet of Alcazar Garden and the front of the Museum of Man, Joana and Robert got changed and we attended a rally at the Spreckels Organ Pavillion … this was the exact opposite of the garden, I mean, there were literally hundreds of people around the pipe organ with someone screaming into a microphone to the point of being distorted past comprehension.  Robert and Joana did great even though they couldn’t hear me, at this time, they were totally comfortable in front of the camera and gave me great looks for the photos.  

The arboretum is another great location in Balboa Park and a spot Robert was excited to photograph around.

As the light faded in the park we were sad that the cafe lights that line El Prado, but we still took advantage of the fading light and got some great twilight shots on the main boulevard that travels through Balboa Park. I’m so looking forward to Joana + Robert’s wedding after their engagement photos in Balboa Park, and it’s coming up fast!

Family and friends can go to Pictage to register to view the images from their engagement shoot as well as their wedding photos as soon as their available by clicking here.

Yesterday, I posted the first half of Paul and Lorena’s wedding at the historic Mission in San Diego.  After their ceremony and formal portraits with family and their bridal party, Paul and Lorena’s guests were welcomed to the reception at Candelas Restaurant on Coronado Island.  During cocktail hour a full mariachi band played for guests on the outside deck.  The mariachi then lead Paul and Lorena into the restaurant for their first dance.  I love to see the emotional moments of the day for newly wed couples, and for Lorena, it was when she entered the restaurant to the sounds of the mariachi with all her guests cheering and applauding.  After toasts and dinner, another emotional dance with her father followed and finally, dancing dancing dancing!!!  The restaurant was barely large enough for all of Paul and lorena’s guests, but tables were pushed out of the way, and everyone crammed the dance floor.  It was by all accounts a fantastic, emotional and fun night!

Click on the large image above, or any of the thumbnails below to view the images from Lorena and Paul’s reception, and to see the first half of the day, click here to jump to yesterday’s post!

Family and friends click here to view all the images from their wedding day.

I met up with Lorena and her girls at the beautiful Porto Vista Hotel in the Little Italy area of San Diego where they were getting ready.  Two floors up and on the opposite side of the hotel, Paul and his guys were finishing up their preparations for the day.  Lorena grew up in San Diego, but now lives in San Jose, so when Paul and Lorena were planning their wedding, they did most of their planning by surfing the internet.  They found my photographs of Jennifer and Doug’s wedding which was actually the first wedding the Porto Vista Hotel ever hosted.  After that we spoke on the phone, and then I flew to San Francisco to photograph their engagement photos at the incredible Palace of Fine Arts on what simply had to be the windiest day of the year! It was a great opportunity to meet them though and get to know them a bit in person before their wedding.  When I arrived and started to photograph Lorena and her girls getting ready, one of the things I always do is look for details.  Details at a wedding are so important because so much time and thought goes into the feel of the day, and what impression the couple wants their guests to have … whether elegant,sophisticated, rustic, or any other feel, the details are what sets the tone for the day, so when I saw Lorena’s beautiful flowers, Blue Manolo Blahnik shoes, and Vera Wang gown, I knew this was going to be a beautiful and elegant affair.

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While I was busy photographing Lorena and her girls preparations for the day, my good friend and fellow photographer Kevin was upstairs with Paul and his guys as they finished getting ready, and shot a few portraits around the hotel before heading out to the Mission.  After the girls were ready, and in the limo, Kristy and I headed out to the Mission to meet up with Kevin, and Paul.  As the guests arrived, we planned our strategy for photographing their ceremony.  With only one main aisle and limited access to the altar having three of us at the ceremony was almost critical.  Kristy took the snipers nest … umm … I mean the choir loft, while Kevin took the side of the altar and I roamed as much as I could around the rest of the Mission during the ceremony.  After their vows, we took some time with their bridal party around the grounds of the Mission, and then spent some time alone with just Paul and Lorena before heading to Coronado for their reception.   The first half of their day was amazing, and was just the prelude to the fun we had at their reception.  Tune in tomorrow for lots of dancing and emotion on the blog when I post part 2 of Lorena and Paul’s wedding!

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Click on any of the images above to view a handful of images from Lorena and Paul’s getting ready at the Porto Vista Hotel, and ceremony at the historic San Diego Mission.

Family and friends and visit Pictage to see all the images from their wedding by clicking here. 

Vendors:

Hotel: Porto Vista Hotel

Ceremony: The historic Mission in San Diego

Reception: Candelas Restaurant on Coronado Island

Flowers: Flora Glamor