Category: Weddings

This is the best Star Wars wedding of all time. If you’d like to see more images from this epic, crazy, and quirky gay wedding, see my Star Wars Wedding Album. Continue reading Best Star Wars Wedding Ever

I’m was honored to be selected to photograph the celebrity wedding of Sean Hayes and Scotty Icenogle. They’re super nice guys and they hosted a lovely, private event.

Sean Hayes is noted actor, hilarious comedian, and talented producer who is perhaps best known for his role as Jack McFarland on the NBC sitcom Will & Grace.

Scott Icenogle is a music producer and composer who has lent his talents to help create the theme songs for “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” and “Sean Saves the World.” Some of Scott’s most famous projects include Christina Aguilera’s remix “Ain’t No Other Man” and Katy Perry’s remix of “California Girls.”

Today I found out that my photographs were featured in the Spring / Summer 2012 issue of The Knot Southern California magazine. And I didn’t solicit anyone for inclusion in the magazine!

If I had more time, I’d love to submit my work to more wedding magazines. Unfortunately, my work as a wedding photographer is never done and I just can’t carve out enough free time to meet the requirements of magazine submission.

Anyway, if you happen to read this particular magazine, you can open it up this month, point out my wedding photography to your significant other, and say, “Hey, I know that guy!”

Just as a FYI, this was a photo from a recent (relatively speaking) Palm Springs wedding I photographed at Korakia Pensione. Continue reading Knot Southern California Magazine Feature

Lan & Dean’s wedding was at Korakia Pensione bed and breakfast in Palm Springs, California.

As a Houston wedding photographer, I’m not always presented with lovely locations like the ones found around these restored historic Moroccan and Mediterranean-style villas.

This wedding was a small affair with fewer than 12 guests, but that didn’t stop Lan from pulling out all the stops to make a day to remember! Here are a few of my favorite photos from their wedding event. Continue reading Korakia Pensione Wedding: Palm Springs

Tuere and Danny were referred to me by one of my past wedding couples, Genevieve and Jose.

Tuere and Danny’s wedding day started off at the InterContinental hotel and ended at The Mark for Events.

Tuere is a physician and Danny is a Sheriff. As their wedding photographer, I was thrilled to find out they met on the job and it was love at first sight. Well, it wasn’t really love at first sight but lots of people think that makes for a cool story when you write about it in a wedding-related blog post.

Here’s a small sampling of photos from their wedding. Continue reading InterContinental Hotel & Mark for Events Wedding

Elona and Paul were married at the La Quinta Resort & Club (near Palm Springs) on the cusp of summer. I say it was the cusp of summer because it was only Africa hot instead of unbearably hot! But even with the heat, a good time was had by all.

The wedding party was a great group of folks and I really enjoyed spending a few hours with all of them. Elona was a gracious bride and Paul was ready to get married! Here are a few select images from their wedding. Continue reading La Quinta Resort & Club Wedding: Palm Springs

Fritz and Sebastian chose July 3rd as the date for their lifetime commitment ceremony.

Other folks might call this a gay wedding, a same sex union, or a celebration. I call it two people in love who are determined to spend their lives to together and who want to share their joy with friends and family.

The ceremony was held at Hotel Maya (within sight of the Queen Mary). Continue reading Hotel Maya Same-sex Wedding

Jaime and Amy were married at Robinson Ranch Golf Club in Canyon Country in early June. This was the first gay wedding I’ve photographed and I had an absolute blast. Jaime and Amy were so easy to work with on the day of the wedding.

Some photographers struggle with how to best photograph same sex weddings, but I’ve determined that my job as the wedding photographer is simply to photograph two people in love. And I’ve determined that my style of coverage is the same, regardless of the gender of my subjects.

Anyway, here are a few of my favorite photos from the event! Continue reading Golf Club: Same Sex Wedding Photographer

Jenn and Minh had their wedding and reception at the City Club on an absolutely perfect Saturday in June. It was absolutely my privilege and honor to work as their photographer.

For some of the candid wedding portraits, we left the City Club and went over to the Disney Concert Hall (which is only a few blocks away). Continue reading Downtown City Club Wedding

Jialing and Lenny were married on Memorial Day weekend at Verandas in Manhattan Beach, California. Some of my favorite weddings that I’ve photographed over the years have been at Verandas and last Saturday was no exception–including weddings in Houston, Texas.

We started the day with the girls getting ready at Jialing and Lenny’s home in Manhattan Beach. The boys got ready at the Hilton Garden Inn in El Segundo. We had them meet up for the first time at the Manhattan Beach Pier for their first look. And the rest is history. Continue reading Manhattan Beach Wedding: Verandas

Trish and Tarik’s wedding was at St. Andrews Catholic Church.

They started their day getting ready for the wedding at The Langham Hotel and that’s also where they finished their evening with a wonderful reception. Continue reading St. Andrews Catholic Church Wedding & Langham Reception

Judi and Andy’s beach wedding and reception were at the Annenberg Community Beach House on Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) in Santa Monica, California. As a Houston wedding photographer today, Galveston beaches are a more common setting.

Although I’ve photographed many wedding couples on the beach, this was one of my few beach weddings. And man it was [insert cool adjective here]. Continue reading Annenberg Community Beach House Wedding

Genevieve  and Jose’s wedding and reception were held at the LoftSEVEN Penthouse in the Haas Building on Seventh Street. Adding excitement to the day was the May Day Immigration Rally which took over that part of downtown earlier in the day. That being said, since Genevieve is an immigration attorney, we certainly wove that event into our photography. Continue reading Downtown: Penthouse Wedding

Katie and Evan had a small, intimate wedding for friends and family on a bluff overlooking Paradise Cove in Malibu, California.

They are local area natives but now live in Chicago so this was a great location to celebrate their marriage. Friends and family stayed at the Malibu Country Inn  and that’s where the bride and groom got ready as well. Continue reading Malibu Country Inn & Paradise Cove Wedding

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of photographing Katy & Tony’s wedding at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels downtown.

The day started with Katy and Tony getting ready at the Downtown Marriott Hotel. Then we all went over to Union Station for some pre-ceremony wedding photography.

After that, it was off to the Cathedral for the wedding and then back to Olvera Street and a short walk to Union Station for the reception. Continue reading Union Station & Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels Wedding

A few Saturdays ago I met up with Susan and Charles who were getting ready for their wedding at the Pacific Palms Resort.

After everyone got madhotsexy, we met downstairs so I could do my wedding photographer thing. Although we were tight on time, I had an advantage–I already knew most of the bridal party as many of them were also in Max & Hannah’s wedding that I photographed last year (and that’s how Susan and Charles found me).

After a few photos at the resort, everyone loaded up for a short drive over to St. Christopher Catholic Church. After a beautiful and touching ceremony (many tears were shed), we headed over to Royal Vista Country Club. Continue reading Pacific Palms Resort, St. Christopher, & Royal Vista Country Club Wedding

I have to start this post by admitting that this was the first surprise wedding. Amanda and Jeff decided that they didn’t want to make a big deal of their wedding so they had a New Year’s Eve party at their home, invited their closest friends and family, and then in the middle of the party announced that they were getting married–right then and there.

Except for those few folks who knew about it, everyone was blown away when it happened. After the wedding and then celebrating the new year at midnight at their home, everyone took a limo ride to Orange Grove Blvd. in Pasadena to view the floats lining up for the Rose Parade.

You’ll note that we started the day at the Rialto Theatre and then moved downtown for some more photographs. Continue reading New Year’s Eve Surprise Wedding

Susan and Roberto contacted me many months ago inquiring about their then upcoming wedding at the Mission Inn Hotel.

They are from Canada so at the time they were busy planning their own destination wedding. I was super stoked that they selected me as their wedding photographer from my website portfolio alone!

Anyway, this wedding was a private affair with only Roberto’s mom and dad, Susan’s mom, sister, brother-in-law and nephew in attendance–and me of course. The ceremony was in the St. Francis of Assisi Chapel which boasts treasures including Tiffany stained glass panels and an 18-karat-gold leafed altar that dates back to the mid-eighteenth century.

After the ceremony, we spent about 30 minutes taking a few photos around the hotel and then I finished up the day photographing everyone at their special dinner. Continue reading Mission Inn Wedding

Vicky and Mike’s wedding day was kind of hot (as in temperature) for a fall wedding, but that didn’t stop anyone from having a great time. They both got ready at the Westin; Vicky had a huge suite for the girls (the Rose Suite) while Mike got ready with the groomsmen down the hall.

After everyone was ready, they met at City Hall for their creative session. And that was just super as it’s one of my favorite photo locations in all of the area.

After we finished making a few cool photos, we went across the street to the Pacific Asia Museum for Vicky and Mike’s wedding ceremony and reception. Continue reading Pacific Asia Museum Wedding

After Pam and Larry’s fabulous engagement session, I was certain that their wedding day would be amazing. And I was right! We started the day at Pam’s childhood home. Continue reading First United Methodist Church & Altadena Country Club Reception

I love photographing weddings and the one I photographed yesterday was no exception. Denise and Steve were married in the afternoon at Denise’s grandparent’s home in their backyard. Continue reading Backyard Wedding Photographer

I was super excited that Courtney and Scott selected me as their wedding photographer! And predicted, their wedding day turned out to be really beautiful. It was also particularly nice since it was the first “mild” day of the season.

Both their ceremony and reception were held at the Westlake Village Inn. Continue reading Westlake Village Inn Wedding Photographer

Barbie and Ken recently selected me as their wedding photographer so I was thrilled to get the chance to photograph them this weekend.

Although I’m usually really great at working with my wedding clients, I did have quite a bit of trouble getting different expressions out of them–they always had a plastic look on their faces. And don’t even get me started about how stiff they were (and impossible to pose).

But I did my best and I think they’ll be really happy with these wedding photographs. I know that some of them will make my wedding photographer portfolio! Continue reading Barbie & Ken: Wedding Portraits

I recently announced a contest where the prize was a free wedding portrait session. To enter, I asked folks to explain why they felt they deserved to win. Kiara and Clay’s response was truly touching.

They’re unable to have a professional photographer on their wedding day, so I’m hopeful that these photos will serve to help preserve their memories of this special time in their lives.

As you can see, we met at the Walt Disney Concert Hall. I think we tore up the place. What do you think? Continue reading Walt Disney Concert Hall Wedding Portraits: Kiara & Clay

Ileana and John asked for a brief wedding portrait session to celebrate their elopement. I suggested that we meet at the Walt Disney Concert Hall and Ileana agreed.

As their “wedding photographer” it was really easy to make them look great. Right before we started their session, Ileana told me that she had asked her Mattel Magic 8-Ball if I’d provide them with great photos. The Magic 8-Ball replied, “Very doubtful.” WTF? Continue reading Walt Disney Concert Hall Wedding Portraits: Ileana & John

I’ve really been looking forward to Pam and Larry’s wedding day. After their engagement session, I was convinced that their wedding and reception would be one in a million. And I was right!

I began the day (last Saturday) at Pam’s parent’s home . Vanessa, my second photographer, met Larry and the guys at the Courtyard.

As you can see from these photos, Pam’s dress was super amazing; it was designed by students at the Fashion Institute! As wedding photographers, it made our photography easy–the dress details really popped! The first photo below shows the hanging dress and Pam’s grandfather’s paintings in the background–two for one! Continue reading Tournament House, First United Methodist, & Country Club Wedding

Angela and Howard were married last Saturday at Verandas. But before that event came to pass, I met the happy couple in their suite at the Marriott for a traditional Chinese tea ceremony (with the bride’s parents). After the tea ceremony, we spent just a couple of minutes in the lobby of the Marriott for a few creative photos and then we were off to Verandas. Continue reading Verandas Wedding – Angela & Howard

Leslie and Jason were married in a beautiful ceremony at St. Charles Borromeo Catholic church. This impressive house of worship is Leslie’s family church so she was really thrilled to be married there last Saturday. After the wedding, everyone drove over to the reception venue at a golf club.

Leslie’s grandfather was a member of the club so it was a natural location to celebrate their wedding reception. This wedding day was all about family so when I wasn’t photographing candid moments, I spent much of my time on family portraits.

Many folks from Jason’s side of the family came out from Ohio so it was really great to get everyone together. And just in case you were wondering, Leslie’s getting ready photos were from her parent’s house. Also, you noticed that I included two shots featuring one of her brother’s tattoos–but can you blame me? Continue reading St. Charles Borromeo Wedding & Golf Club Reception

Anna and Michael were married last Sunday at the River Center and Gardens. It was an awesome ceremony! Everybody was really thankful that it didn’t rain as originally expected. And as you can see from one of the photos below, nobody had problems hearing Michael agree to marry Anna. Continue reading River Center Garden Wedding

Hannah and Max were married on a beautiful Saturday just a few weeks ago. The day started with them both getting ready at the Marriott Hotel.

As you can see from the photos below, Hannah and Max both enjoy jumping on the bed (among other things). For some reasons the bridesmaids weren’t as active as the guys but the maid of honor was game (with no encouragement from me).

After they both finished getting ready, we drove over to the Richard Nixon Library & Birthplace for some creative portraits. I should also point out that this is where Hannah and Max saw each other for the first time on their wedding day. As is typical when photographs are taken before the ceremony, I arranged a special moment so that when they see each other, the emotional impact is pretty great. One of the photos from that moment is seen below. You might notice Max’s sister (one of the bridesmaids) bawling her eyes out in the near background. It was very sweet! We were running a little late on the creative session start time so we hurriedly took a few photos with the wedding party and later just Hannah and Max. Continue reading St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church & Nixon Library Wedding

If you follow my blog, you’ll know that I photographed Kimberly and Brian’s wedding just a few weeks ago. Then, a week or so after the wedding, Kimberly called and mentioned that she wanted to do a “Trash the Dress” session. You probably don’t know this, but I’m not a big fan of the “trash the dress” movement. Too often, I feel that photographers are putting a bride in water or “dirty” situations just because that’s what other photographers are doing. Since I’m very much a non-lemming kind of guy, I was committed to shooting this session in a fashion forward way that reflects my own style of photography. Continue reading Pier Wedding Portraits – Kimberly & Brian

Elizabeth and Leo were married a few weeks ago in Dabney Hall at Caltech (California Institute of Technology). And that of course seems only appropriate since Leo is a physicist who works for JPL! The reception followed at the Mission 261 restaurant. Continue reading Caltech Wedding & Mission 261 Restaurant Reception

Kimberly and Brian were married at a Country Club on a rainy Saturday two weeks ago. Since this event was a garden wedding, we were really worried about being able to go forward with the outdoor ceremony. But luck was with them and the weather cleared just in time to allow Kimberly and Brian to keep to the original plan for an outdoor ceremony (although it was sprinkling pretty hard during Kimberly’s walk down the aisle). Continue reading Country Club Wedding: Kimberly & Brian

Sal and Letty were married last Saturday at Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. They started their day getting ready at the Hilton Garden Inn, (almost “across the street” from the church).

After the ceremony, the wedding party moved to the nearby mission for creative portraits followed by Sal and Letty’s reception at the Sheraton Hotel. I had photographed this couple’s engagement session just a few weeks ago so they were no strangers to my camera (and they were really great fun to photograph). Continue reading Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Wedding

Sarah and Lorenzo were married last Saturday at their Presbyterian Church. Their reception followed at the Altadena Town & Country Club.

I don’t normally include “formal portraits” in my blog posts but I wanted you to see their huge wedding party–10 bridesmaids and 9 groomsmen! They were such a fun group! And I really have to say that Sarah was one of the nicest brides I’ve ever photographed; she also has a stunning smile!

And since Lorenzo is a former Marine, that made for some cool connections on our end since I too once carried the nickname of “Jarhead.” Anyway, here are just a few of my favorite photographs from their wedding day. Continue reading Altadena Town & Country Club Wedding

Erin and Tom were married at the Malibou Lake Club. They started their day getting ready at the Hyatt hotel. It was an especially wonderful day with moderate temperatures (which was a great change from some of the really hot weddings I’ve photographed this summer). Their ceremony was officiated by a Jewish Rabbi and Catholic Priest under the beautiful shade trees surrounding the club. Continue reading Hyatt Preparations & Malibou Lake Club Wedding

Alexis and Michael had their wedding and reception at the local horse racing track. It wasn’t a race day at the track, so Alexis and Michael held their ceremony in the stands.

Following the ceremony, everyone adjourned to the Chandelier Room for the reception where some really great Louisiana-style cuisine was enjoyed by everyone (Alexis and Michael are both Tulane graduates). Continue reading Race Track Wedding: Alexis & Michael

Joy and Scott were married yesterday at All Saints Episcopal Church. They had an evening ceremony followed by a reception at the church. I always enjoy photographing events at All Saints Church because of the church’s beautiful stained glass! Continue reading All Saints Episcopal Church Wedding

Laura and Eric’s wedding and reception were held on Saturday at El Dorado Park Golf Course.

I photographed Laura and the bridesmaids getting ready at the Long Beach Marriott while my associate photographer Vanessa met Eric and the groomsmen at Laura and Eric’s home.

The ceremony was fast and painless and the reception meal was fabulous! As for the reception itself, a great time was had by all. Continue reading El Dorado Golf Course Wedding

The wedding photographs you see here are from Clara and Steve’s wedding last Sunday at their Coptic Orthodox Church. The reception followed at the local Cultural Center.

I must say that I found the church absolutely amazing! And the guests for their event were some of the most polite and agreeable folks that I’ve ever had the pleasure to photograph. Here are a few of my favorite photographs. Continue reading Holy Virgin Mary Wedding & Cultural Center Reception

Michele and Matt were married last Saturday and I had the privilege of photographing their wedding.

They both got ready at the Wilshire Grand. From there we moved over to the Walt Disney Concert Hall for a quick creative portrait session. After Michele & Matt spent some looking deeply into each other’s eyes, we drove over to their Presbyterian Church for the ceremony. This was Michele’s home church. They even have a tree in front of the bell tower that’s dedicated to her grandmother! After the ceremony we headed over to one of my favorite downtown reception sites–Marvimon. Continue reading Presbyterian Wedding & Marvimon Reception

Tiana and Michael were married last Saturday in the Chapel at Lake Avenue Church. After the ceremony, we moved to City Hall for some creative photographs.

When we reached the end of our available time, we moved from  City Hall to Castle Green. As their wedding photographer, my favorite part of the wedding day was Tiana and Michael’s surprise first change up in the middle of their first dance. Below you’ll find just a few of my many favorite photographs from their wedding day. Continue reading Lake Ave Church Wedding & Castle Green Reception

Christy and Michael were married at the Portofino Hotel & Yacht Club last Saturday. Their reception was located in the Ocean Room which had a nice view of the harbor. Christy and Michael opted for an intimate affair with only 25 close friends and family members in attendance. They did have a few more surprise guests however in the form of a few seals lounging on a nearby pier as they decided to pipe up from time to time. Here are a few of my favorite images from their day. Continue reading Portofino Hotel & Yacht Club Wedding

I’ve been looking forward to Rhona and Chris’ wedding for as long as I can remember. And as I expected, they were an awesome couple to work with on their wedding day. They both started their day with me by getting ready at First Church of the Nazarene.

After they finished with their last minute preparations, Chris and Rhona arranged for a private moment where they saw each other for the first time.

They arranged this time since they wanted to take their creative photographs prior to the ceremony so they could have more time for photography and not spend time away from their guests at the reception. Continue reading First Church of the Nazarene Wedding

I was thrilled to photograph this vintage wedding last Saturday. Lauren owns a company called Timeless Vixen that sells vintage clothing to customers around the globe. Several of her clients include famous celebrities. Todd gets in the act too! As you’ll see, they brought that experience to their wedding planning. If you look closely you’ll see Todd wearing a vintage tuxedo; it was his grandfather’s! Continue reading St. Rita Catholic Church & Castle Green Reception

Camille and Aaron’s wedding was held last weekend at Holy Angels Church followed by creative photography at the Arboretum. To close out the day, Camille and Aaron had their reception at the Sheraton Hotel. It was a beautiful wedding day with over 330 guests in attendance! As Camille’s wedding photographer, I’m certain I didn’t see her stop smiling at any time! Continue reading Holy Angels Church Wedding & Sheraton Universal Hotel Reception

I was thrilled to be the wedding photographer for Brittany and Jared’s wedding! They are such a great couple! Their ceremony was at Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witness and their reception was at South Hills Country Club. Continue reading Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witness Wedding

This was the first time that I’ve photographed a wedding at The Ebell Club. It’s a really beautiful venue that offers some extraordinary afternoon light in their main hall. Wendy and Mike are such a fun couple to photograph. And although Mike likes to pretend he’s a grumpy guy at times, Wendy knows he’s just a big teddy bear at heart! Continue reading The Ebell Club Wedding

We started the day at Descanso Gardens. As you can image, Descanso Gardens is an amazing location for romantic and creative portraits with the wedding party.

We left Descanso Gardens and traveled to St. Bede the Venerable for the ceremony. Finally, following the ceremony, we all moved to The Castaway for the reception.

I loved photographing Rachel and Roman. They’re super laid back and more importantly, really nice people (and I mean REALLY nice). I feel so lucky that they selected me as their wedding photographer! Here are a few of my favorite photographs from their wedding day. Continue reading Descanso Gardens & The Castaway Wedding

Kristen and Chris’ wedding was a beautiful affair! They both got ready at the Grand Vista Hotel and then we all drove over to the Secret Garden Restaurant for the ceremony and reception.

Here are just a few images from the wedding. My favorite photographs are a series featuring Kristen’s grandfather and grandmother dancing. One of the photographs from the series is seen as the last black and white photograph on this post. They’ve been married over 50 years! Continue reading Secret Garden Restaurant Wedding

Fanny and Benoit were married and had their reception at Verandas. The day was a fusion of American, French, and Chinese cultures with Fanny’s family coming over from China and Benoit’s arriving from France.

Although many members of both families didn’t speak English, smiles seemed to be the universal language. And can you believe the little details that Fanny put together for this event! I just love the table numbers!

The reception ended at 3:00 p.m. so we took a short drive down to the strand for a few beach photographs. Even though it’s the end of the summer, the beach was really packed! It was kind of hard to find an open spot for a few “all alone” photographs. Here are a few photos from their wedding day. Continue reading Verandas Wedding: Fanny & Benoit