Elise and Dave are rockstars! Seriously! And I don’t mean, they were rockstars posing it up in front of the camera. I mean, Elise and David met when David was auditioning for the band that Elise sings in.  Like “ROCK AND ROLL!!!!!!” (I”m doing my best Rob Halford here)  So it should be no surprise that music would play a huge part in their wedding day, from the names of their tables, the decorations around the reception, the string quartet that played prior to the ceremony to the musical interlude generously provided by the ice cream truck traveling through Herrington Harbor Marina in the middle of their ceremony their day was filled with music from beginning to end.

When Elise and Dave planned their wedding for a Friday afternoon, they had no idea how fortuitous their decision would be.  By Saturday afternoon most weddings up and down the Atlantic coast had been cancelled, as  hurricane Irene made landfall, and traveled up the Chesapeake Bay area.  I was on one of the last flights out of BWI on my way back to San Diego, passing through the clouds that preceded the coming storm.  But on Friday, the weather was perfect and Elise and Dave celebrated with friends and family under light clouds that barely hinted at the coming storm. [continued below]

Elise and her girls got ready at the Chesapeake Beach Resort and Spa and we had time to shoot some portraits there out at the docks before heading to the ceremony site at Herrington Harbor.   They held their ceremony on the bridal lawn overlooking the Chesapeake Bay, with high white puffy clouds and cerulean skies.  Elise’s father walked her down the aisle as Dave and his groomsmen waited.  The ceremony was fantastic with readings by friends, and of course the music of the ice cream truck.  After the vows, the ring exchange and the kiss, Elise and Dave recessed down the aisle past their guests, and as they reached the end of the aisle Dave let out a huge breath that it seems he must have been holding for the entire ceremony.

Click on the large image or any of the thumbnails above to see a few of the images from the first half of Elise and Dave’s wedding. Stay tuned! More images from the second half of Elise and Dave’s fantastic day coming tomorrow!

Friends and family can go to Pictage to register to see all the images from Elise and Dave’s wedding as soon as they’re released by clicking here.

Jessica and Chris held their wedding at the Herrington Harbor Marina about thirty miles south of Annapoils, Maryland and just north of Chesapeake Beach.  Located right on the Chesapeake Bay it’s a beautiful location with several lawns for weddings and I’ve had the pleasure photographing weddings here several times.  Since Jessica and Chris were planning their wedding from North Carolina, Jessica’s mother and father took leading roles in many of the plans and details for their Maryland which for Jessica and Chris as well as Chris’ family ended up being a destination wedding not just for me, coming from San Diego, but for them as well.  While I was in Maryland last year, I had the opportunity to meet Jessica’s parents in person, but hadn’t yet met Jessica or Chris. After arriving at Herrington Harbor  I dropped off some equipment at the Yacht Club and walked the short distance to the room where Jessica was getting ready.  I hadn’t been to Herrington on the Bay in a while, and they have totally redone the hotel portion of their property, and it not only looks great, it photographs so much better![blog post continued below]

While Jessica was finishing up getting ready, I went back to the yacht club where the guys were hanging out prior to the ceremony. It was a hot and humid August day, so everyone was taking shelter and getting a drink before heading to the bridal lawn for the ceremony. After the ceremony guests went to the yacht club for cocktail hour while we stayed behind taking portraits at the docks and on the beach.  After Jessica and Chris joined their guests for the end of cocktail hour they were invited upstairs to dinner, and to a welcome from Jessica’s father, as well as toasts by Chris’ best man, and Jessica’s maid of honor.  Not to be out done by a blessing from Jessica’s niece.  After dinner, Jessica and Chris went back downstairs for their first dance accompanied by a few guests, while others stayed upstairs to watch the dancing below.  One of the unique features of the yacht club is the open ceiling on the first floor which gives a great view of the dance floor as well as the second level.  After their dances and cake cutting, guests started moving to the dance floor, and before the end of the night, Chris and Jessica joined in and danced until the last song.

Click on the large image, or any of the thumbnails above to view a few images from Jessica and Chris’ wedding day!

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

Just over the hill behind my house in Point Loma lies the beautiful Pacific Ocean and Sunset Cliffs.  In November, Elayna and Bryan celebrated their wedding on the cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean.  Since their families were traveling from across the country for their wedding, Elayna and Bryan chose to have their reception at a private residence in Sunset Cliffs that could not only serve as the reception location, but could also help house many of their guests while they were in San Diego.  With the wedding location less than a quarter mile from the house Elayna and her brother walked the short distance to the cliffs where Bryan along with friends and family waited.  With the waves lapping on the beach below them, their friend officiated their wedding.  After the ceremony everyone walked back to the house for the reception.

To see a few of the images from the day click on the image above or any of the thumbnails below.  Family and friends can see all their images at Pictage.

The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado is a beautiful landmark, not only as a historic hotel, but for its noted hauntings, and the inspiration it provided to Stephen King for his novel ‘The Shining’.  For Emily though, it meant more.  Emily’s aunt lives in Estes Park, and this town was the backdrop of many family vacations.  Knowing that they were planning a destination wedding, Emily and Brian chose Estes Park and ultimately the Stanley Hotel as the location for their wedding.

The small and intimate wedding was held in the Manor House, decorated with leaves and rocks in fitting with the gorgeous Rocky Mountains just outside the windows.  As Emily was walked down the long hall by her father into the ceremony room, Brian lit up, the family’s lit up and Emily lit up.  Filling the small dark wood room with light and love.  After the ceremony, Brian and Emily and I drove to the MacGregor Ranch for some portraits.  By the time we returned, the families were all in the music room of the main hotel awaiting Brian and Emily’s introductions.  Emily’s sister and Matron of Honor, Megan, provided the toast, talking about the years of dreaming Emily had spent one wedding plans.  Years, and a law degree, and service in the Navy as a JAG officer got in the way of those dreams for a little while, but ultimately, it was in the service that she met Brian and she began to start dreaming of those wedding plans again.  After Megan’s toast the floor was opened for family members to toast, and after a few well wishes, Brian took the floor to toast his new bride.  I don’t think I was the only one with a tear in my eye when Brian finished his toast, but he managed to hold it together quite well.

The rest of the night was filled with dancing, and pies, and trick or treating for the kids and the not so kid kids!

I love all my couples. I love that they let me into those special days, those momentous occasions, but Emily and Brian are different.  I have known Emily and her family since high school.  I was first friends with her sister Megan, then worked for her mother at her fund raising company as one of my first real jobs (I’m still known as Dr. Sugar in that family … long story!) and ironically when I moved across the country from Maryland to San Diego, she had just been stationed out here, so I had the great opportunity to meet and spend time with Brian whenever he was in town.  I truly feel a part of Emily’s family, her father still calls me son every time I see him and I know her mother considers me an unofficial family member as well.  I couldn’t have been more honored to have Emily ask me to photograph her wedding, and felt overwhelmed much of the day from getting ready to the ceremony to the last dance.

To see a few of my favorite images from the day, click on the large image above or any of the thumbnails below.  For family members that would like to see all the images from the day go to their images on Pictage.

Megan and Chris’ wedding at the Baltimore Basilica with their reception at the Gramercy Mansion was both elegant and full of East Coast fall charm.  Megan and Chris met me just over a year ago at the beautiful Ladew Gardens for engagement photos.  They were excited about being able to get engagement portraits in the fall as they were planning their wedding for almost exactly a year later.  The Basilica is a beautiful church, and Megan managed to get us access to the basement for some portraits with her and Chris after the ceremony.  On the way to the Gramercy, we stopped along the side of the road to make some portraits in the beautiful fields surrounding northern Baltimore.

Megan and her friends did all the decorations at the Gramercy and this was one fantastic DIY wedding! She incorporated the green seed pods that we had found during their engagement session at Ladew Gardens the year before as well as doing a beautiful job decorating the terrace where dinner was held. The held a family style dinner with long tables surrounding the outside of the terrace.  To see a few of the images from the wedding, click on the thumbnails below, or the large image above.

Friends and family can register to see all of the images at Pictage.

Emily and Phil’s wedding was held at the Chesapeake Beach Resort in Chesapeake Beach Maryland.  Phil’s best man, Greg, actually introduced us as I photographed portraits for he and his wife in Washington, DC several years ago.  I was thrilled to meet Emily and Phil on one of my trips back East last year.  They planned their wedding in gorgeous blues and reds, and of course incorporated some maroon and orange into the decorations of the day!  Like all good Virginia Tech Alumnus, they honored the Hokie  and managed to find a custom cake maker to make his and hers Hokie cakes.  And since there was no top layer one of the Hokies literally lost his head at the cake cutting!

The weather was fantastic for Emily and Phil’s wedding, and the day was incredible.  From the ceremony, to the toasts, the cake cutting and the dancing all night long on the dance floor.  Emily and Phil had a fantastic wedding and I couldn’t have been happier to be a part of it.  Click on the image above or any of the thumbnails below to view some images from their day!

I honestly don’t know how to talk about this wedding! If you remember Alix and Nate’s engagement session on the blog, you know that I’ve really been looking forward to their wedding.  It’s not that I don’t look forward to all my weddings, but this is one of those weddings where I felt like I was photographing a family member. Getting to know Alix over the past four years in her friend’s weddings I had the honor of photographing, then getting know Nate at the engagement shoot and hear their awesome story of how they met I knew this was going to be a fantastic day.

Since their wedding was on a Friday, I flew into Baltimore on Wednesday and apparently brought the San Diego weather with me.  Instead of hot, and rainy the weekend was outstanding in the upper 70s and passing clouds.  I met up with Alix and her girls at her mother’s house just a few miles from the Valley Country Club in Baltimore.  After getting ready, we went to Valley Country Club to photograph the girls alone before guests started arriving.  Alix and Nate held their ceremony on the steps to Valley Country Club with their cocktail hour on the front deck and main hall of the mansion. Then on to dinner and dancing in the ballroom.

Alix and Nate, thank you so much for including me in your wedding day plans! It was so great spending your day with you and seeing Jennifer and Sean, Ella and Mike, Heather and Chad, Alison, Ursula, and Tory again!

Friends and Family members, Alix and Nate’s wedding photos will be live soon, you can hop over to Pictage to see all the images from their wedding.  In the meantime, check out a few images below and of course a few more on the slideshow over at the podcast!