It is an amazing thing to witness the dynamic between a couple. And an even more amazing thing to observe this on one of the most important days they will ever share together. From the moment I entered the room where Trish was getting ready, she was smiling, radiant, blissful. She offered us the sweetest hello, she laughed with her bridesmaids, she beamed as her veil was placed atop her head. But none of it compared to the happiness she exudes when she is around Sammy - the kind that surfaced when she saw him for the first time that day, from him just being around, the smiles that came from standing by his side.

And Sammy is the most amazingly nice guy, always watching out for everyone, completely easygoing and warm-hearted. But the kindness he shows Trish is of another kind - the insurmountable kind, the kind where he spent their wedding day giving her the sweetest looks, making sure she was always happy and warm, and bringing out her most radiant smiles.

And these types of relationships are what we get the photograph.

Trish and Sammy were married at the Long Beach Renaissance Hotel on a sunny deck, surrounded by their closest family and friends. I am completely in love with downtown Long Beach and Trish & Sammy allowed some time before the ceremony for us to photograph them & their bridal party in the area around the hotel. We had such a wonderful time documenting their day!

I love Trish’s turquoise robe… donning something pretty or colorful for the getting-ready photos makes a world of difference!

       

When I took my first steps into wedding photography, I had some goals in mind. They were basic, fluffy, whimsical goals - little dreams I dared not shape too concretely in fear that I might never attain them. I wanted to meet fabulous, warm, so-in-love people. I wanted to help create tangible memories of their most important days. I wanted to make friends out of the people who inspired me, the photographers I admired. And above all, I wanted to give back. Because at the start, I was barely more than a walking ball of questions. I felt like a silly empty glass that a million kind people were filling with knowledge and support and opportunity and all I could give in return were my insignificant but abundant “thank you”s.

And although my cup of knowledge is still far from being runneth over, I am finally at a place where I feel I can give and not just take. The opportunities to share my experiences are suddenly popping up left and right, and although I have so much more to learn myself, I am beyond thrilled to share whatever bits of information and experience I can.

One such opportunity has come from The Wedding Clique, a resourceful website created to help brides and grooms in planning their day. I am so honored to be included in such an amazing group of vendors, and to be able to contribute towards a couple’s wedding planning process - a process that for many is at once exciting, overwhelming, intimidating, and wonderful!

A couple weekends ago The Wedding Clique put on it’s first Mock Wedding Workshop at The Renaissance Hotel in Downtown Long Beach. It was created as an opportunity for couples to experience a “pretend wedding” in preparation for their actual day. The workshop progressed similarly to how many wedding days do - from getting ready, to the ceremony, to the reception - and was filled with beautiful details and wonderful input from the participating vendors. My deepest thanks to my friend Henry Chen for inviting me to be a part of such an amazing event and project!

Meet the team - the boys: Andrew of Iobon Cinema, Henry Chen, Raul of R&R Entertainment; the girls: Solana of Beauty by Solana, Trini of Nozza Studio, Sarah Yates, Deanne of Bella Fiore

Henry and Trini start off the day with a warm welcome:

Solana put on an awesome make-up trial run, with lots of tips for brides:

Deanne explains when and where you can expect to get your flowers on the day of (I know I’d be SO excited the first time I got to hold my bouquet!):

We then headed upstairs for a mock first look - love these expressions!

The ceremony site:

Gorgeous floral details:

And onto the mock ceremony!

Henry was a great impromptu officiant:

Sarah in action:

There is nothing pretend about this kiss! (I’ve never seen such an excited officiant either ;)

Then it was back inside for the reception! The dinner tables were adorned with such rich and beautiful details:

Raul gives the lowdown on choosing and working with a DJ:

And of course.. the cake!

Be sure to stay tuned on The Wedding Clique website for the next workshop, and for regular updates geared towards helping plan your wedding day!