This post is a first for The Loveliest Day, but I think it is pretty cool and I hope you do too! The always wonderful Abi Quisenberry of Abi Q Photography sent over a festive park wedding she shot with her friend and fellow photographer Richelle Dante. She suggested featuring the wedding in two parts- her images, and then Richelle’s images. That way readers could see how two different photographers with two different perspectives see the same wedding. I loved the idea and also asked both ladies to share their philosophy and approach to shooting weddings with us, along with any advice they may have for all you brides and grooms out there! So to start, we have Abi’s photos and philosophy, and tomorrow I will have Richelle’s photos and philosophy to share with you! Here we go…
“When I first started shooting I was inspired by a much different feel then I am now. I love love loved sharpness and clean clean photos. Perfection was key. Then I hit a phase of details. I was obsessed and missed out on so many pure moments going around me because of my obsession with capturing the flowers at just the right angle. I am ashamed to admit it, but it’s true. Last year I was in love with colors again, softness, airiness in my photos. An emotion you could touch. This year I believe in the emotion and the moments more then ever, but I have come to realize the perfectness of an imperfect photo. Hair in the face. Tears on the cheeks. Kisses that took your breath away. The organic rawness of an image that is so full of emotion you get lost in it.”
“Anybody that’s married will tell you your wedding day goes by in a blur. They’re hard to remember. In the end your left with a ring on your finger, a dress in your closet and your love by your side. Which is awesome. Don’t get me wrong. I loved my dress, my ring catches the light just right and my husband man is the only one for me. But. But my wedding photos. They tell the story of the day we became husband and wife. They show how little my siblings were, the stupid cry face I made walking down the aisle, the happiness in our eyes when we were pronounced man and wife. They capture a moment and a time you’ll never have again. They are what you will pass on to your children and your childrens children. You can’t put a price on that. Which is why this year I am striving to capture the connections more then ever. I want to make beautiful art that my clients will cherish for the rest of their lives. In the end, it’s about the moments.”
A big, huge thanks to Abi for sharing with us today, and be sure to check back tomorrow for Richelle’s take on Piper + Tyler’s beautiful wedding!!!
Vendors:
Photography: Abi Q Photography + Richelle Dante Photography
Planning + Floral Design: In the Now Weddings
Venue: Santiago Oaks Park in Orange, CA
It’s Monday again! Does anyone else feel like this day always comes back around too quickly? Where does the time go??? But anyways, I digress- on this bright and sunny Monday I have a beautiful California coastal wedding for you, sent over by Jeremy Chou Photography!
A bit more about the day from the bride, Kerry…
“Los Angeles is where John and I fell in love. So when we began planning our wedding, we felt that even though most of our friends and family are on the east coast, we couldn’t imagine getting married anywhere else. We love all things outdoors, 1960’s era California and robots. Thus a slightly disconnected wedding theme was born.We both knew that we wanted a small, intimate celebration with our families and closest friends, with personal touches that displayed our love for good food, great friends and each other. Though we spent a couple months searching for a location for the ceremony, nothing felt quite right. Some places proved to be a logistical nightmare for out of town guests or didn’t fit our budget. Then we stumbled upon Wayfarers Chapel. The intimacy of the space, a magnificent glass and wooden structure designed by Frank Lloyd Wright Jr., under towering trees, combined with the grand views of the Pacific Ocean, make the chapel seem otherworldly. John and I knew the moment we stepped onto the grounds that our search was over. Next, we enlisted my mother’s help to search for a reception venue. She took to Yelp and sent us a list of places near the chapel that had rave reviews then John and I gladly taste-tested our way through the list. We quickly landed on Zazou Restaurant in Redondo Beach. The intimacy of their private room, the impeccably prepared food, and the outstanding service made Zazou the perfect place for our celebration. Our wedding cake was not as easy to find. We tasted a lot of mediocre cakes before we discovered Jin Patisserie in Venice. Somewhere between the tenth and fifteenth vanilla cake sample, John came up with a plan to incorporate our first date (in Tokyo) and suggested green tea. Annabel was the right chef for the job – our matcha cake was uniquely us, and simply delicious. The tea-flavored chocolates we selected from Jin as wedding favors were also a big hit.”
Vendors:
Photographer: Jeremy Chou Photography
Floral Designer: Magical Blooms
Ceremony Location: Wayfarer’s Chapel
Bakery: Jin Patisserie
Restaurant: Zazou Restaurant
In yesterday’s post where I updated ya’ll on what’s been going on with me I promised you some pretty, pretty wedding inspiration…and today I am delivering! This bright + cheerful Portuguese civil ceremony was sent over by Instante Fotografiaand is perfect for this sunny summer day! Manuela + Tiago shared an intimate civil ceremony with their closest family several days before a larger religious ceremony. They kept it simple, but still brought a ton of love and energy to the day through their infectious smiles and pops of orange, coral, turquoise + lime.
Vendors:
Photography: Instante Fotografia
Bride’s Dress: Kookai
Groom Personalized Shirt: Vicri
Bouquet, Birdcage Veil + Accessories: Ana Jordão by Pinga Amor
Bijuteria: Bijou Brigitte
Bride’s Shoes: Dysfunctional Shoes
Bride’s Clutch: Parfois
This gem of a wedding was sent over by the talented + wonderful Abi Q Photography, and I am utterly smitten with it! Andrew + Nicole make such a gorgeous couple and are clearly crazy in love with one another. While I do love me some good details and styling, what I love even more is a wedding that radiates love and joy. Abi hit the nail on the head with this wedding, truly capturing the emotions of the day. Absolutely beautiful!!!
Vendors:
Photographer: Abi Q Photography
Venue: Casa Real Livermore
Bride’s Dress: Lazaro
Bride’s Veil: Tessa Kim
Bridesmaid’s Dresses: Suzi Chin
Groom’s Suit: Ted Baker
Florist: Kathy Gress
Cake: Primrose Bakery
Hair + Makeup: Sherrie Long
Hello, gorgeous ceremony altar! Hillary and Cody were married amongst the trees in Albemarle, North Carolina, and Hillary’s younger sister and her fiance hand crafted the altar used in the ceremony as a gift. What an awesome gift!!! I love when couples do something special to bring a little extra oomph to the ceremony space. It doesn’t take much to make a big impact. Thanks to Connection Photography for sending this lovely wedding over!
Vendors:
Photographer: Connection Photography
Reception Venue: Il Bella Gardens
I love, love, love the classic Southern wedding that I have to share with you today! Caroline and Ross were married at a gorgeous plantation in Georgia, and if you read this blog regularly, you know how I feel about plantations- I’m obsessed! I can’t get enough of the vivid coral pink bridesmaids dresses and the dogwood. Oh, the dogwood…sigh. Their day was captured beautifully by Red Fly Studios who sent this Southern gem of a wedding over to me. Check it out!
Vendors:
Photographer: Red Fly Studio
Caterer: Covington’s Dining and Catering
Floral Designer: Singletary’s Flowers
Dress Store: Etain Bridal
DJ: After Hours Productions
Bakery: Yes! It’s Cake!
Event Venue: Alcyone Plantation
Genise + Troy, hello gorgeous! This couple is seriously stunning, just like their wedding at the Los Angeles Arboretum. Everything was simple and classic, yet still manages to have a major wow factor. I love Genise’s whole look, from the bold rep lip to the sparkly heels and birdcage veil. If she isn’t a model already, she should seriously consider it! This incredible day was captured beautifully by Zoom Theory Photography. Now, on to the pictures…
Vendors:
Photographer: Zoom Theory Photography
Event Planner: Liz Coopersmith, Silver Charm Events
Floral Designer: Butterfly Floral & Design
Invitation Designer: Benjamin Samuels
Cinema and Video: Avery J. Weddings
Dress Designer: Edgardo Bonilla
Photo Booth Equipment: Allstarphotobooth
Bakery: Pastries by Nancy
Event Venue: Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanical Gardens