Ashley and Becky ~ Pala Mesa Resort wedding

I'm so happy that we met Ashley and Becky at the Bridal Bazaar last year. These ladies are a beautiful couple with really cool taste - in fact, their engagement photos at the Salk Institute are some of my favorites.

The two were already technically married in a civil ceremony, but they wanted to have a 'traditional' wedding too.  So they selected the beautiful Pala Mesa Resort and celebrated (in a big way) with their family and friends.  Dad and I had a fantastic time capturing this event. Their theme was "Business on the Outside, Party on the Inside). The idea was for the wedding to look classic, and even traditional, on the outside. But then to subtly add a rainbow theme by having the bridal parties wearing rainbows under their elegant formal wear, and having rainbow layers inside their simple, white cake.  The result was perfect, and made for some really fun photos.

Here's a glimpse of Ashley's more traditional bridal gown and not-quite-traditional (but comfy) shoes

The bridal parties included a mix of men and women, made up of siblings and great friends, on both sides.

Ashley's talented sister painted a gorgeous 'sign in tree'.  Later you'll see the beautiful end-result.

The sweet flower girls LOVED their fun dresses!

Keeping it simple, the ladies held bright, silk bouquets. 

I don't know that this lady could ever be considered 'traditional' - she was showing off those rainbows every chance she got.  ;-)

And here is our other beautiful bride, Becky as her dad is just about to walk her down the aisle. 

 

Dad took most of the formal photos but I couldn't resist zooming in to capture some of those "rainbows underneath". These ladies are so great!

The end result with the sign-in.  I think the guests did a beautiful job of color placement. :-)

And once again, the idea of having favors for the guests is a very traditional one.  Beer coozies on the other hand... not so traditional!  These are great by the way - I'm still using mine.

A delicious and beautifully simple cake by Elegance on Display.  Again, they say the wedding was traditional, but I don't know that I could call this 'eat me' topper traditional exactly.

The beautiful brides kicked off the party with dramatic their first dance, complete with effects compliments of the one and only Guy of DJ Guy.

The ladies enjoy a break from the dancing to watch a video montage.

Ashley and Becky - thank you again for asking us to help you capture this fantastic event.  We had such a great day with all of you and it was so touching to see how much your loved ones support you two and your marriage.  And why wouldn't they - it is so clear that you are completely in love and so great for each other!

If anything, I'm a bit sorry it's over - it was great working with you!  I think I heard a rumor that day that you two are planning on having a family? You'll have to let us know when it's time for maternity photos! :-D

Kristina and Chris - beautiful Sheraton San Diego wedding

The week of the wedding arrived when we received word that Chris was still deployed and would not be able to make it back in time for the big day!  Can you imagine the stress they must have been under?  But fortunately, the awesome people at the Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina worked with them to schedule the wedding less that two weeks later, on a date when we were also still available. To see how the day turned out (perfectly) no one would have suspected there had ever been a last minute change.

Theirs turned out to be a beautifully elegant and opulent ceremony and reception at the Sheraton San Diego. As Kristina's aunt was on her way to decorate the reception room I asked her "what are Kristina's colors again?" and the answer was "bling".  Love it!

First stop: the Mac counter at Macy's in Horton Plaza

Next, we returned to the hotel to finish getting ready

Kristina takes a short break (okay, she actually just stopped to pose for me)

Kristina and Chris opted not to see each other before the ceremony, but they did allow us to take a few photos of them in the same frame. Here they're reading letters they wrote to each other.

The Sheraton tower was another fun place to get photos of the couple without their seeing each other!

Here comes the (beautiful) bride...

While Dad was taking some formal photos after the ceremony, I was able to sneak a few of the kids.  These two were so darn cute!

What a gorgeous bridal party!

We have a small imposter in this photo!

While the grown-ups were getting their photos taken, I "entertained" the kids by taking more of the two of them. As a result, we have so many photos of these two!

I love how in love they are.

At the end of the evening, guests were treated to adorable containers of candy. Don't mind if I do! :-)

Kristina and Chris - thank you so much for asking us to help you capture this beautiful celebration! You two were fantastic to work with, and we're so so happy that we were able to accommodate the updated date! We're also super happy to hear that Chris will be deployed in San Diego, which means that you can still call on us when you're ready for future photos!  :-)

And of course, I have to give a shout-out to Kristina's awesome mom, Andrea. It truly has been a pleasure working with you and your family!