Heather and I started our day at the Hilton Checkers where Lindsay and Sean were getting ready with their wedding party. The lovely bride was first…

After a while I snuck downstairs to see what the boys were up to.

Sean’s mom stopped in to help her son with the finishing touches. She became emotional when she pinned on his boutonniere. Such a sweet moment between mother and son.

Finally it was time for their first look.

We got lots of time for portraits before the ceremony, which is always fun.

I think this next shot is my favorite from the day…

Exchanging vows in the garden outside of Cafe Pinot…

After the ceremony I stole away to the cocktail hour while Heather took care of family portraits. Cafe Pinot is a Patina Group restaurant so the passed hors d’oeurves were obviously amazing. I do love a good cocktail hour.

We snuck Sean and Lindsay away for a bit for a few more portraits.

Some details…

It was such a beautiful night for a wedding and the view from Cafe Pinot is just amazing…

Congratulations, Lindsay and Sean!

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Their wedding was a simple and elegant affair and it was such an honor to witness the celebration. Their friends and family were so happy for them and it was clear that the couple is madly in love. That’s the stuff memorable weddings are made of. Sherry and Aaron, thank you so much for letting me be a part of your day. I know your life together is going to be wonderful and full of so much love!

The other vendors:
DJ: Raul of Elegant Event Entertainment
Caterer: Red’s Barbecue
Cake: Westlake Village Viktor Benes Bakery
Second Shooter: Jenny Smith

Sherry wasn’t interested in having photos of her getting ready, but the room she got dressed in was so beautiful, it would have been a shame not to photograph it.

I asked Sherry if she wanted to get a head start on Aaron and warm up to the camera first with some portraits and she decided that was a good idea. She looked absolutely stunning, don’t you agree?

During the ceremony, I was so moved by the way these two stared into each other’s eyes. Their love for each other is very obvious.

Married!

This photo cracks me up. These kids were mesmerized by the disassembling of the cake. They stood there like that the entire time. Hilarious!

Sherry and Aaron got the dance party started and their friends and family quickly followed suit. It was so fun to watch them all cut a rug, and they were all dancing away even when it was time for me to go home. Such a great party!

Congratulations, Sherry and Aaron!

Contact Heidi Ryder | Heidi Ryder Photography Portfolio | Heidi Ryder Photography Blog | Southern California Wedding Photography

The gratifying nature of this experience is only amplified when I have beautiful things to photograph. Last week I was able to spend time with Tess and Nicole, two lovely models. It was a spur of the moment shoot that involved little to no planning, but I am so glad it worked out the way it did. I’ll shut up now and let the images tell you about our day…

Amanda and Oliver, thank you so much for letting me document your very touching ceremony. I wish you a lifetime of happiness together!

Venue: Rec Center Studio in Echo Park, CA.
Coordinator: Tiffany The Coordinator
Catering: Large Marge Sustainables

Loved the little touches that could be found throughout the venue. Bonus points to anyone who can guess which figurine on the tables was my favorite!

Mmmm…exposed brick walls and a cool fireplace…

Two other things I love: bow ties and succulent boutonnieres.

Love the look on Amanda’s face here when she popped out from behind the curtain to walk down the aisle with her dad. She looks so excited! Also, check out her adorable dress and awesome blue shoes. Love it.

Amanda and Oliver had several guests read aloud lines from their favorite love songs. It brought a very fun and personal element to the ceremony and got everyone involved.

It was interesting experience (to say the least), documenting this intimate moment amongst people we had only met five minutes prior. The chapel has its own house photographers, so we were not there as the main photographers. It was important to everyone (including us) that we stay out of the way.  This made me feel like a real fly on the wall, and so I really did have a blast.

Here are the shots from the two ceremonies we were present for. First up, Amber and JW, who flew to Vegas from Mississippi to get married:

And then, not a half hour later, Tracey and Craig showed up to renew their vows. They came all the way from the UK!

The lovely couple were married at a close friend’s home in Beverly Hills and the whole affair was beautiful and fun, just like Trisha and Jeff! The bride was so excited to be marrying her groom that her grins were from ear to ear all night long. And Jeff…well, it seemed as if Jeff could do nothing else all night but stare lovingly at his beautiful bride.

I had a fantastic time capturing this wedding because everyone in attendance was having a really, really fun time. It’s really difficult to have a bad time when you’re taking photos of people who are laughing hysterically and dancing like crazy. Mazel Tov, Trisha and Jeff…here’s to a very long and happy life together!

I just loved the detail of Trisha’s dress. She looked stunning in it. I used the amazing “Blog It Board” Actions from MCP Actions for several of these. They’re perfect for times when I want several images to be paired together to help better tell the story.

Their “first look” before the ceremony…

Their ketubah signing was a very moving event and their ketubah itself was gorgeous

Husband and wife! Look how excited Trisha is! Love it.

I’m not exactly sure what’s going on in this next one, but I like it! See what I mean when I say these people were fun?!

There are plenty more images where these ones came from, but you gotta play the slideshow below to check them out!

From the get-go the day felt incredibly special. Ashley was a gorgeous bride and I was surprised by how calm and serene she seemed to be. The wedding her and Brandon planned was colorful and bright and planned down to every last detail. As you will see, I was a little obsessed with their flowers!

I had a blast at this wedding and I sincerely wish Ashley and Brandon a lifetime of happiness together.

Ashley and Brandon decided to do a First Look before the ceremony in order to have ample time for portraits while the light was still good. Love it when that happens!

We took full advantage of the nearby train station, naturally!

Some details…

I was in LOVE with their flowers!

These crazy kids not only had a wedding cake, they also had personal cakes! No, they’re not cupcakes because these things were as big as my face!

Probably my favorites from the day are these dancing shots. They feel so cinematic–almost as if I screen grabbed them from a film. Love it.

Here’s a slide show of these and the rest of my favorite images from this day. Enjoy!

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:

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!