This past weekend I had the honor of photographing the wedding of Meghan Stough and Vince Sanossian at the Ritz Carlton in Laguna Niguel. It happened to be the most amazing day! For weeks now living in Orange County the weather has been less than desirable, pretty much cloudy and cold, not at all summer, or early fall for beach weather, but for sure, for this wedding at the Ritz, this couple chose the perfect day….it was perfect in everyway….I love this post, and I loved every single part of photographing for this amazing pair! I want to say a very special thank you to Marc Weisberg for graciously shooting with me, if you are not familiar with his work you should be, He plays a huge roll in inspiring me to be a better photographer and thank him not only for helping me today but all his mentoring in my beginnings! XXOO……and Christina Beatificato, a past bride (how fun is that!) who was an amazing assistant throughout the entire day!

Meghan and Vince are so gorgeous! When I first met them, I swear, I totally knew that any photographer would totally love to shoot their wedding day. So I was thrilled…THRILLED to be the one they chose! In fact Vince’s brother is an awesome photographer and I have to admit that it made me a little self conscience to know this! He’s amazing and such a super nice guy! He also shoots weddings, and it was great to meet him! Check his work out here: John Sanossian. This was my very first time meeting their parents as well and they are the greatest group ever! I mean, how amazing that both these families are so close, and welcomed each side with open arms! It was cool to witness.

There are a lot of great vendors that I was so thankful to work with. Every one of you made my day super easy! I mean, it’s hard to take a bad picture with not only beautiful people, but a beautiful venue, flowers, paper, lighting and music…..it did make my job easier. Thank you Jill Watson, with The Pampered Bride, for a seamless event. I had the greatest time, and I can’t wait for Meghan and Vince and rest of the family to see all their photos! XXOO

Venue: The Ritz Carlton Laguna Niguel
Wedding Planner: Jill Watson, The Pampered Bride
Makeup: Ashley Birkeland, Makeup by Ashley
Brides Shoes: Stuart Weitzman
Bridal Part Shoes: Michael Kors
Wedding Dress: Mon Amie Bridal
Brides Maid Dress: Mariposa Bridal
Dj: Tasos Tsirtis
Lighting: Tasos Tsirtis, LSM Entertainment
(Additional Vendors to be added)

Meghan gave Vince an amazing gift! A GORGEOUS Pearl Cover Boudoir Book! WOW, it was such a fun session and her photos are amazing, and if you wanna see them, I guess you have to be Vince!

Couple spent so much time on the details of their day, it’s such a shame that they rarely get to see the beauty of their reception room BEFORE all their guests are seated! It looks amazing throughout the night, but check out the expression on Meghan! I think it was like a dream come true for her! Thank you Jill Watson for making this happen! I love it!

Getting Married in Orange County? Have that Perfect Newport Beach wedding planned? How about your dress? How about your accessories? Think about it! How do you accent that perfect dress? Well of course silly girl….with the perfect accessories no doubt! But, I know grandma wants you to wear her pearls, old and even borrowed….but what about the new stuff? Where is the something unique, and different? Where is the something, classic but fresh? I have a place in mind that you can find it, right here is good old Orange County! BLUSH BRIDAL COUTURE!

Having been open just a few days, they are simply proving themselves on not only finding the perfect dream dress for Orange County’s most sophisticated and discerning brides, but also unique accessories that are totally hard to find! Stay tuned for a later blog post on Anna and Amy, owners of Blush and a little on the dresses….this post is for sure all about the accessory!

Lets talk earrings. Diamonds are a girls best friend, of course, but also so are DANGLERS! Ha ha that came out a little funny but chandelier earrings are also a girls best friend…do you know why? I do…it’s why I wear BIG hoop earrings all the time! When you wear earrings that are at least 1 inch or longer, they take POUNDS off your look…YEP! Take it from a photographer! It creates a longer face, and is very very flattering for everyone! Plus, they are so fun, and checking out all the earrings at Blush today for sure made me want to wear plenty of these sparklers on non-wedding occasions, oh yes you can do that too!

So, chandelier earrings are not for you huh? Maybe the dream dress (that you may have found here!) is more classic and calls for a more classic look. With earrings, think BIG, yep, again, photographer here thinking out loud, they look AMAZING, even if they do not dangle!

I also loved that Blush had TONS of great bird cage veils, as well as traditional veils to choose from. You can’t really call the bird cage veil a trend seeing it has been around for, well, decades! Probably more for the daring and fashion forward bride, but for sure some of the greatest feather and sparkler combo’s I have seen in a while, they can be found here. THIS can be blamed on the fact that owner Anna, also owns a high end and amazing hair salon, so she knows what looks good not only on display, but in the hair as well….huge…HUGE!

While most unique accessories may be hard to find, you need look no further than Blush Bridal Couture. Come and visit the showroom to see for yourself, this amazing boutique bridal salon. I can spend hours in here, just looking at how amazingly decorated it is, the attention to detail is unreal and this transfers to the clients of Blush receiving the same attention; undivided, exceptional, and first class…..and of course, have some champagne while your here, yeah…I said it was amazing! You wont be disappointed! XXOO Stay tuned for more on Blush Bridal Couture, a boutique experience!

Blush Bridal Couture
http://blushbridalcoutureoc.com
13011 Newport Ave, Suite 111 Tustin, CA, 92780
Phone:714-573-8000
Tues:10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Wed:10:00 am – 8:00 pm
Thurs – Fri:10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Sat:10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Sun:11:00 am – 4:00 pm

Weddings, Marriage….excitement, Fun and beauty. Memories, what you carry with you in your mind of your beautiful day. Images, what you share of your beautiful day, what you will have to share forever.

I know, a little bias here, but I happen to think that one of the most important aspects to your wedding is your wedding images. Yep, the photos. Not only because I am a wedding photographer, but I am also married and almost 10 years later, it’s still, my photos, that tell me story. My kids LOVE to look at my wedding fine art book. It’s kind of funny though when I see them turn the pages…..I love it. I also am so excited that I decided to have a wedding album instead of just a stack of photos, or images on a computer…don’t get me wrong, I have those too, but as time goes by, I am sure (I don’t plan on this) but I am sure, those will be lost, but my boys will have my wedding album. They will show their children, and their children and I expect long after I am gone my love story, will still be told, no words needed, since My day is told in photos.

You have this option, to choose the best for your day. Truly this is an opportunity to find the best fit, the person who knows you inside and out, the person who CARES, and is dying to photograph you, to tell your story. My advice, in this goes with other vendors as well, but with your photographer, is to find a match in a personal connection as well as professional. You have to find a photographer you trust, you love, and can have a working professional friendship. I put friendship in there, because for me, that’s what I create. I know my couples, I want to be at your day. I want to tell your story, to have tears in my eyes when you say “I -do”, shivers when he kisses you for the first time….not possible if we didn’t know each other. And in the end, the result, is well, your story, told by someone who celebrates you. I know of many vendors who do this, many other wonderful photographers, this is not anything new…but it is not the case in all situations….take the time to know who you are hiring. You will spend ALL day with the person behind the lens, and it is up to them to depict who you are for generations to come.

For DJ And Lighting Needs: www.djtasos.com

Who is your DJ? Do you have a lighting company for your wedding? I know of all the questions that you are getting asked….these are a few more if they haven’t been asked of you already. I have to say I have a favorite vendor. Of all of my vendors, I believe that I have seen this individual more than any other vendor out there. All I can say is from the day that I met DJ Tasos, we continue to run into each other, at weddings, from directly referring each other, OR even because we just happened to have the same client. The client that loves photography, a great DJ and lighting company, as well as vendor who takes a personal touch to his/her profession. Oh and BTW, we happen to be neighbors!!!

I know why I see him all the time. And knowing my clients, I also know why they book him. He’s not only an amazing DJ (we will talk about what that means in a minute) but he is also very personable with his clients. ALL of my couples adore him, and feel so lucky that he is in charge of their “party”!. He takes the time to get to know his clients to ensure that everyone gets that PERFECT day, he understands what you need, what you want and how to go above and beyond your expectations. I have seen him take those extra steps for clients, and they love him for that, I love him for that!

So what is a good DJ??? Isn’t it just someone who plays music? Well if it was that simple, then you can just plug in your iPod and be done with it. A great DJ, from what I have seen and experienced first hands at my clients’ weddings has class, dresses professional, addresses people professional, doesn’t get flustered FOR ANY REASON, Knows the NAMES of everyone and how to pronounce them, Knows the schedule of events and even makes sure important players (photographers) are aware of what is happening (yes and event planner does as well, but again the extra step), he LOVES you and WANTS to be there…he is NOT CHEESEY…AT ALL….his voice, well sounds amazing…and knows the party is not about him, he will honor and surpass all your requests, he will and I mean he WILL get your party going! I have seen the flip side, wrong music played, wrong names announced, skipping music, bad cheese, failed equipment, and really…it’s not fun…at all…

All of DJ Tasos’s weddings are so fun I can not even tell you! I have never seen so many people dancing and having a great time to his CUSTOM mixes….the man knows his stuff….really well. So when considering a DJ, or asking your neighbor who has a sounds system to DJ your event, please reconsider. Hire a professional, one with lots of experience who will work well with your other vendors, and who you love and trust to take care of event!

Now lets talk lighting. I am not one who likes to hire vendors for multiple jobs. Usually. However, when it comes to the music and ambiance of your event, your DJ has full control over how your guests will respond to your wedding or event. That is why, I trust and have seen that DJ Tasos, not only is am amazing DJ, but also outstanding with lighting! Lighting and music, lighting and music. You know how important the music is, the lighting as well…..think about the reception location. Will it look like a school gym? Or an amazing AMAZING room that depicts your flowers and details just as you have dreamed of. I have seen people have outstanding florals and center pieces, but guess what, in the evening they are lost without pin lighting! Please people, don’t you want your flowers and center pieces to show! Lets talk about up lighting…..hello???? If you don’t have up lighting, you might as well have your reception in the school gym……check out some of these images and remember to check out DJ Tasos for lighting and DJ inquiries…..simply the best!!!

Tasos Tsiris : www.djtasos.com

Were you waiting for part II of Lalantika and Chris’s full day wedding celebration in Laguna Beach at Seven Degrees? Well….here it is! Can you see why it was such a beautiful event to photograph? I have to admit that Seven Degrees is a favorite location for me to shoot at. The staff is amazing! They work incredible hard and everything runs amazingly smooth. It was an amazing event! Thank you again to Gustavo Fernandez, Heidi Morgan and Maggie Ford for all their help covering this event!

Chris and Lalantika! Your images are so fun for me! I think you guys are such a marvelous couple! Your day was so much fun! I can’t wait to see you and start your book design. You are going to have spectacular memories that are going to stay with your family forever! I can not thank you enough for allowing me to share your day with you! I am humbled, truly and it was for sure a great blessing! I can’t wait to hear all about Bora Bora and in the meantime, between now and then…..check out some of the fab images from your day, part II!!! XXOO

Venue: Seven Degrees Laguna Beach California www.seven-degrees.com
DJ: DJ Tasos www.djtasos.com
Flowers: Seven Degrees Laguna Beach California www.seven-degrees.com
Caterer: Seven Degrees Laguna Beach California www.seven-degrees.com
Makeup: Makeup by Berit www.makeupbyBerit.com
Wedding Cake: Filigree Cakes www.susielim.com/filigree
Groom’s Cake: Christopher Garren www.letthemeatcake.com