Wedding of the Year!

Not too long ago, we received a wedding invite from no less than our good friends Divina and Ricky. Ever since I got married (not too long ago either), I've never looked at wedding invitations the same way I do now. Unknown to most people who've never gone through a wedding preparation, the effort that goes into the seemingly mundane task of choosing an invite, is so much that it can take days and even months for some to pick out the perfect wedding invite. Some even go to the extreme of making their own home-made invite. It is almost rude not to read or even just take a peek at this work of art. Yes I was guilty of the same sin of putting them away and would even call the couple on the day itself asking for directions to the church!

So when we opened Divina and Ricky's invitation, Angel and I took our time and sat down to scrutinize and admire how it was put together. The turquoise color really matches the couple's bubbly and outgoing personalities. It also is very apt as the wedding will be held in the beautiful island of Boracay. It doesn't have a whole lot of inserts making it easy to find the information you need. I also like simplicity of the logo's fonts. Well done, Divina and Ricky! As you're both in the homestretch of your wedding prep, take it easy and have fun!

Elmer

Alicia + Carlos Wedding

She thought nothing of his plans to spend the weekend at the beautiful Ritz Carlton in Dana Point. It was her birthday after all. "Surely he is just being his sweet self making big plans for my birthday", she thought. They started out with a romantic dinner and some wine. They proceeded to stroll around the hotel grounds enjoying the spectacular view of the pacific. As they headed back to the hotel, they chanced upon a piano in the hotel's lobby. Carlos sat down and started playing to the tune of "Growing Old with You". Though smitten by this romantic gesture, she thought to herself: "he should just play this when he proposes to me..". They then went back to their room but as she opened the door, she saw scattered petals leading up to the table with a small box on top. He opened the box and knelt down. Before he could even say a word, tears started running down her face. Almost a year ago, on Alicia's birthday, Carlos professed his love for Alicia and asked her to marry him. The response of course, was a resounding YES!!!

This is our first wedding shoot at the Wayfarer's Chapel. We were thrilled when we found out the venue of the ceremony. We've always wanted to shoot a wedding here. Designed by Lloyd Wright, son of the prominent architect Frank Lloyd Wright, the Chapel's unique design has also made it a must-see in Southern California.

Like I mentioned in the sneak preview, these two have got to be the goofiest couple we've shot so far - making for some cool and relaxed photos. Thank you both for allowing us to be a part of your wedding. Your families have also been more than accommodating. The best of luck to you both.

Below are some favorites. Link to the slideshow is at the bottom of this post. Feel free to leave us a comment.

Not even fully made-up yet, you could see the glow in Alicia

















The beautiful Wayfarer's Glass Chapel





Carlos holding back his tears upon seeing the beautiful Alicia walking towards him



















Click on Alicia and Carlos Slideshow to view the highlights.

Alicia + Carlos Sneak Peek

Our apologies for not having blogged in quite a while. Just like that we're already in the middle of September and so much has happened since our last post not least of which was Alicia and Carlos' wedding last weekend at the beautiful Wayfarer's Chapel in Palos Verdes. It should be worth noting that these two are the goofiest we've shot so far which of course made for an easier photo shoot. Please check back in the coming days for the slideshow. For now, here's a sneak preview:

Maria + Sam Slideshow

One of the greatest rewards of wedding photography is being able to build relationships with your clients. Maria and Sam's wedding was no exception. Being there for practically the entire event, we actually became friends with them and their families and some guests by the time the reception ended. This for me makes wedding photography such a fun experience.

It deserves to be mentioned again how beautiful and radiant Maria was in her white wedding dress and long veil. She looked simple yet elegant and classic. It was no surprise to see the joy in Sam's face when she walked down the aisle. Of course, Sam looked real fine himself in his stylish tux. The ceremony was one of the most solemn ones I have ever seen. Though St. John Neumann is known to have one of the stricter photography and videography guidelines, we managed to capture some nice photos of not the couple's backs =).

We had a grand time shooting the reception as well at The Hacienda in Santa Ana. The place had limitless details - a joy to any photographer. Seriously, the facade looks like the well-known Santuario de Chimayo in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

A special thanks to Clare and Shekkhar for being such gracious hosts!

Click on the Play button below to view their slideshow. Please give it a few seconds to load. Do leave us a comment as we'd love to hear from you.

Maria + Sam Preview

Last weekend, we had the pleasure of shooting Maria and Sam's wedding at the St. John Neumann Church in Irvine. The ceremony, attended by Maria and Sam's close family and friends, was nice and solemn. Maria was radiant in her long veil and elegant wedding dress. Sam looked dashing in his 2-button black tux. The beautiful Calla Lily Bouquets and boutonnieres were provided by Floral Etiquette.

Reception was held at the The Hacienda Tivoli Terrace in Santa Ana. DJ and Music was provided by Your Special Night Entertainment.

Here's one of my favorites. The rustic door reminds me of photos of Santa Fe in New Mexico.

Cherrie + Nicco Slideshow

Cherrie and Nicco's is the first destination wedding for BlueLights so we were naturally very excited. We flew in Friday night and did their engagement session early Saturday morning. Lighting was perfect and of course the resort was just gorgeous - postcard gorgeous. It was hard not to feel the love that this couple have for one another.

Sunday was the BIG day. The intricate details alone were already a joy to shoot. Cherrie was stunning and glowing while Nicco was dapper himself in a barong tagalog. The nice purple motif really stood out in the photos. It was easy to take lovely photos of this lovely couple.

To Cherrie and Nicco, a million thanks to you both and your respective families. It was a blast shooting your wedding and we're honored that we did. Below is the slideshow we created of the highlights of your wedding day. Feel free to leave us any comments about your experience with BlueLights, good or bad.

Please click on the Play button and give it a few seconds to load:

Meredith and Wayne Flashback

Just worked on this slideshow a couple of days ago. This is one of the first few weddings that we did. We didn't have an online slideshow software back then and when we did, we never got around to making one for them. This is one of the favorite weddings that we covered for several reasons. First, the venue, Tivoli Terrace had great lighting even at noontime. The place also has a rustic feel to it paired with the beautiful color motif. Lastly, the couple Meredith and Wayne were such great sports that despite a long day at the wedding, they still mustered enough energy to pose for some really cool photos at the beach after the reception. All of these made for really nice photos. Today, they have an adorable boy Noah who's the tallest 18 month old baby I know.

To Meredith and Wayne, thanks for trusting us to shoot your wedding even when you knew we were just starting out. Below is a short slideshow of the highlights. Please give it a few seconds to load.