Heidi Ryder Photography: The Blog » Southern California and Destination Wedding Photography

Neda asked me to document her fabulous 30th birthday party that was held a couple of weeks ago at her beautiful home. Please believe me when I say that I do not use the word “fabulous” lightly when talking about this party. Neda planned a lavish affair complete with a full catering and service staff (including a hunky topless hors d’oeuvres server, natch), an elaborate menu, full bar DJ, bongo player–and me, the photographer, of course! She literally pulled out all the stops and this party was the place to be on this particular night.

About 100 of Neda’s family and friends were in attendance and it was great to see them all dote on the birthday girl. Neda was the center of attention all night and you could tell she was having a fantastic birthday. Most of the fete was held outdoors late at night with very minimal ambient lighting so getting good shots was a challenge, but I kind of like the red-light district feel of the details using nothing but ambient light to create the images.

Before the party really got started, I got to hang out with Neda’s three lovely daughters: two six-year-old twins and one two year old beauty. The youngest one wasn’t a fan of the camera, but the twins were ALL ABOUT IT. I spent a full hour with them as they jumped from the furniture–literally–and instructed me in the types of shots I should take of them. These girls were not camera shy at all and they were oh-so adorable.

Once the party got started there was lots of mingling, munching and sipping to be had. Neda and her husband made their rounds but soon made their way onto the dance floor. There was something extremely romantic about the two of them dancing alone while everyone in attendance was oblivious to booty-shaking that was going on a mere hundred feet away.

Of course it wasn’t long before the dance floor filled up and the majority of those in attendance got their groove on. Oh, and how! Neda and just about everyone she knows proved to be amazing dancers. I was having so much fun bobbing and weaving through the dance floor capturing their moves! My friends and I typically look like fish out of water when we dance, but not this bunch. They had all the right moves.

They danced for hours and seemed to never tire. I was truly amazed. But, every good thing must come to an end and the end of this night was signaled by a cake that Neda’s husband surprised her with. Check out the abs on that cake. Hubba hubba!

Thanks, Neda, for asking me to document this milestone birthday party for you. I had a blast observing and capturing the fun–I hope you had a blast, too!

The night before my sister-in-law Megan’s wedding I gave her a big hug and proclaimed, “Megan! It’s time for your mawwiage!” She chuckled and then we proceeded to talk about her upcoming “mawwiage” well into the next day.

To me, the pictures of a bride getting ready to walk down the aisle are some of the most special from that very important day. When Megan told me that she didn’t plan on having her photographer present for these moments, I forced her to let me be there to document the process for her. Well, I didn’t actually have to force her–I just asked if she wanted me to snap some pre-wedding shots and she happily accepted the offer. And so, Megan and I were able to spend the morning of her wedding together. For much of the day it was just her and I and whomever happened to be grooming her at the time. It was incredibly special for me and I was glad when Megan later told me that my presence kept her calm. I just hope I have that same affect on other brides!

Megan and Kyle were married at the Garden of the Gods Club in Colorado Springs, CO. The club overlooks the Garden of the Gods, which is a gorgeous landmark with glorious rock formations–a Colorado staple. When I first saw the ceremony site I was blown away. Now, there is not a single thing that I would change about my own wedding but I did immediately ask if Chris and I could have a “do-over” because I’ve never seen a wedding site so beautiful in all my life.

After I picked my jaw up from the ground, I found Megan in the salon getting her hair all prettified.

Megan’s mom made her this head piece to wear. It was so stunning everyone asked her where she bought it!

Soon it was off to makeup. I could tell Megan was enjoying her afternoon of primping.

After she was all done up, Megan and I headed to her hotel room where Kyle’s mom delivered a gift from the groom.

A perfectly gorgeous necklace, which as an aside, happened to perfectly match the earrings Megan planned to wear that day–they were her something borrowed, so Kyle had no idea. It was meant to be!

After ooh-ing and ahh-ing at the pretty jewelery for a while, I got to scope out Megan’s amazing dress and super cute flip flops (which were a brilliant idea because I later lamented my choice of heels as I sunk into the grass all night)

Soon after, Megan’s bridesmaids showed up with cherry lime-aides and fries from Sonic in hand (score!), and were ready to celebrate.

My two beautiful SILs:

Then, it was time to get dressed!

They did it!

Hooray!

Chris and his cousins were ushers at the wedding, but they also had the important role of singing the new bride and groom out for their recessional. My husband is the cool guy on the left with the sunglasses. Hubba, hubba.

Kyle and Megan’s dog, Tucker, was the Best Dog. He was a very good boy during the ceremony, but I think he was more interested in the group of people who were sitting there staring at him.

I put my camera away right after the ceremony so that I could enjoy being a guest instead of getting caught up taking photos. The wedding was fantastic and I am so happy for Megan and Kyle. Here’s a slide show of some more images from the day:

Last weekend Chris and I headed to Colorado for his sister Megan’s wedding. Maybe you remember the engagement session with Megan and Kyle from last year? Kyle proposed to Megan at the summit of Pike’s Peak, which is one of the tallest mountains in Colorado (or maybe the tallest–I can’t remember what our tour guide said). So, to commemorate the proposal a small group of us took the train up to Pike’s Peak the morning before the wedding.

It was of course cold and slightly snowy and I of course did not pack any warm shoes. It was still very hot in California and I had a hard time wrapping my brain around the fact that there would be snow anywhere in the US so early in the year! I kid you not, I was wearing ballet slippers with no socks. I am an idiot. But! The gift shop at the summit came through like a champ and I was able to procure myself some stylish Pike’s Peak socks. Look who’s laughing now!

I wasn’t Megan and Kyle’s wedding photographer (I prefer to, you know, not work when I’m at the weddings of people I know and love), but I was able to take Megan’s ‘getting ready’ photos the afternoon of the wedding. It was very special because most of the time it was just Megan and I and I got to feel like I was a part of her day. It was lovely and I will post some of those later. But, for now, here’s a slideshow of my favorites from our Pike’s Peak adventure.

The lovely song playing in the background (that was a little too long for the slideshow, sorry) is Chris’ cousin Ian and his wife Beth’s band, Dialectics. They are awesome and I find this particular song quite heavenly. Check them out here and buy their album on iTunes!

I first met Sera and Julius in person the night before their wedding at a bonfire they hosted for family and friends at their home in Oakland. I had just flown into SFO a few hours prior, but I wanted to make sure I could talk with them face-to-face before being present to photograph one of the most special days of their lives. Call me crazy, but that’s just how I roll.

Sera and Julius welcomed me into their home with open arms and treated me as if I were an old friend. Their friends and family were just as welcoming and I had a great night chit-chatting by the fire until well past my bedtime. I was so glad I went to the bonfire because it made me so excited for the wedding the following afternoon. Nothing makes me happier than shooting photos of people I genuinely like.

The wedding took place at the South End Rowing Club in the Ghirardelli Square area of San Francisco. The small and intimate ceremony was held at the end of the club’s pier, which had a beautiful bay view–perfect for a beautifully sunny afternoon. Sera and Julius planned the entire wedding themselves and loyal friends pitched in to oversee various tasks throughout the day. It was a classically simple wedding with a DIY feel, which I loved.

I looove bagpipers, so I was really excited to see this guy!

Julius really laid one on his bride at the end of the ceremony–what a kiss!

The Mr. and Mrs. and I hung out immediately following the ceremony for some formal portraits. There wasn’t a bridal party, so it was just the three of us, which was so much fun! This is probably one of my faves from the day.

Here are some more from the day…

A friend dutifully handed out programs before the ceremony

These decadent chocolate cupcakes with lime-flavored cream cheese frosting were provided by Jennifer of Oye Cookie! Not only did they look good, but they tasted absolutely divine!

No matter the wedding, there is always at least one pretty girl in a party dress stealing the show. This time, there were two!

The youngest ladies weren’t the only ones hamming it up, though. I loved how fancy Sera’s mother and grandmother looked.

An extremely cool dancing shot

Sera and Julius were so happy and in their element during the toasts from family and friends

The official song of the wedding was Will His Love Be Like His Rum? by Harry Belafonte. While the song was played, shots of rum were handed out to all in attendance. They all sang along merrily and Sera made sure the rum continued to flow.

And, of course, where there’s rum, there’s a bride and groom getting their groove on.

Sera and Julius, I had such a blast at your wedding. Thanks for inviting me to document it. Hope you’re enjoying Wine Country!

You may remember Danielle from the portrait session I did with her a couple of months ago. After that shoot Danielle decided she wanted a session of her with her little sister, Sherilyn. It was only recently that our schedules worked, so we set out early last Saturday morning to have some fun.

Having known Danielle for a while now, I knew to expect some silliness and laughing, but little did I know I was in for that times two because Sherilyn is exactly like her sister. They cracked each other up all morning–more than half of the shots I got were of them doubled over in laughter. It was a lot of fun. I had trouble narrowing down my favorites because, well, it’s just hard to pick out the best of the best when you’ve got two pretty subjects! But, here are a few of my faves, in no particular order:

The shoot started off sweet and innocent enough

But it wasn’t long before their diva sides came out

Oh and by the way, I was able to witness a full-blown dance routine to Danity Kane, which was blaring from their car stereo for inspiration. They even lip-synched. Score!

Heidi, what are you doing?
I’m taking a picture of you, duh.
Um, it looks like you’re taking a picture of a mushroom.
Oh.

Thanks, ladies, for hanging out with me! You two are super adorable and super fun. Let’s do it again sometime!