I love when all the components of a wedding come together just perfectly!

It maybe begins with an intimate seaside venue {the Long Beach Museum of Art}. It includes a darling first look, the kind with lots of smiles and perhaps a few tears. There is a ton of time for fun portraits. There might be pretty diffuse light, and definitely a warm & relaxed atmosphere. Overjoyed family and friends abound, laughter fills every corner of the venue. Maybe a fantastic sweets bar, filled with treats from Sweet and Saucy? :) And of course, a couple that shares a deeply-rooted love, the kind of people that are warm & sweet & beautiful on their own, but, even better together.

Before the crazy photo barrage ensues {there are something like 50 of them!}, I would like to give a special shoutout to Mai of Bunch Studio, who not only created the florals for this wedding, but designed this wedding in its entirety. She took Deena’s visions of bold pinks, black & white, damask, and added her own Bunch Studio flair (the peonies! the feathers! I die!) that is immensely creative, full of style, and always unmatched. If you don’t yet have a florist, you really do need to give this girl a ring :)

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Vassoula & Hany had a beautiful Greek wedding last month, filled with warmth, love, and tons of vibrant energy! A traditional ceremony was followed by the ultimate party of a reception, filled with stunning details (I was mesmerized by the unique centerpieces.. and Sprinkles cupcakes? YES PLEASE.), touching toasts, and tons & tons of dancing!

One of my absolute favorite parts of every wedding day is the getting-ready portion – I love capturing all the sweet details & the bustling pre-ceremony anticipation! Vassoula looked unbelievable and with the amazing light that filled her home, I was in shutter-happy heaven :)

The reception setup was gorgeous, a mix of round & long tables, tons of glowing candles & the prettiest shades of purples and blues…

Kelie and Kaare were married in Long Beach on a sunny May afternoon. I met with Kelie and her bridesmaids at the juicy-colored Hotel Maya, followed by a sweet first look right along the waters edge, and portraits around the hotel’s grounds. The unique & mod hotel was actually Kelie’s main reason for wanting to do a first look – she was smitten by the bright colorful architecture (as am I! smitten silly!) and knew that doing a first look was the only way to get portraits there since the ceremony took place at a different location.

Fastforwarding to today, I actually met with Kelie this afternoon and as we reminisced about her wedding day, she shared that she was really glad they made the decision to see each other beforehand, and that the portraits we did around the Maya was one of her favorite memories of the day. It made my heart so happy to hear this – I often mention the benefits of a first look to my couples, but to hear her share her experience through cheery smiles was a wonderful testament to her decision. As you’ll see below, we really got to take our time, relax, and explore the vivid space!

And as you’ll also see, this allowed time after the ceremony to focus on an awesome offering from Skylinks – the golf course gave them a cart to ride around in for the day! Their fabulous coordinator Jenn adorned it with a gajillion balloons and it was such a cheerful & fun photo op (and so wonderfully reminiscent of Up! :)

Thank you Kelie & Kaare for inviting us to photograph your amazing day, and to my dear friend Jenn Yamauchi {jennyamauchi@gmail.com} for flawlessly coordinating every minute of it! If you’re looking for an endlessly warm, super sweet, and meticulously organized person to have on hand for your day, Jenn’s your girl!

Loved how Kelie’s vibrant orange & purple color palette matched the hotel’s vibe so perfectly!

True story: Kelie’s sparkly Toms for the reception rocked my world. Another true story: I always take way WAY too many shoe shots at weddings!