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!

It is an amazing thing to witness the dynamic between a couple. And an even more amazing thing to observe this on one of the most important days they will ever share together. From the moment I entered the room where Trish was getting ready, she was smiling, radiant, blissful. She offered us the sweetest hello, she laughed with her bridesmaids, she beamed as her veil was placed atop her head. But none of it compared to the happiness she exudes when she is around Sammy – the kind that surfaced when she saw him for the first time that day, from him just being around, the smiles that came from standing by his side.

And Sammy is the most amazingly nice guy, always watching out for everyone, completely easygoing and warm-hearted. But the kindness he shows Trish is of another kind – the insurmountable kind, the kind where he spent their wedding day giving her the sweetest looks, making sure she was always happy and warm, and bringing out her most radiant smiles.

And these types of relationships are what we get the photograph.

Trish and Sammy were married at the Long Beach Renaissance Hotel on a sunny deck, surrounded by their closest family and friends. I am completely in love with downtown Long Beach and Trish & Sammy allowed some time before the ceremony for us to photograph them & their bridal party in the area around the hotel. We had such a wonderful time documenting their day!

I love Trish’s turquoise robe… donning something pretty or colorful for the getting-ready photos makes a world of difference!