We started the day at the beautiful Westin Hotel in Anaheim which was ideally situated right across the street from Disneyland. The couple’s balconies overlooked California Adventure and the iconic Incredicoaster, which is amazing during the day but really shines at night. My crew and I walked into the bridal suite packed with girls, champagne, and a catered breakfast. The party was kicking and the bride was finishing getting her hair and makeup done. She looked nervous and excited for the day to begin and told me she could feel her adrenaline pumping. I took pictures of Angie’s dress, shoes, rings, flowers, and other details while her bridesmaids got in their matching pajama sets. Once everyone was ready we took such cute photos and even had a pillow fight hahaha. The fun was settled down once it was time for the bride to put her wedding dress on and her mom, sister, and maid of honor joined her to help. Her mom was so emotional and full of love and it was hard for me to hold back tears. After her mom helped her and they had their moment the bride had decided she wanted a first look with her dad and her brothers. It got even more emotional and we were trying to make sure Angie didn’t cry all of her makeup off.
Time was ticking and we headed over to the boy’s room to take pictures of the groom, his family, and his groomsmen. Alex’s room was also packed with people and the party started early. We were with them for a bit until the limousine arrived to take them over to the church for the ceremony.
The ceremony took place at Christ Cathedral, also commonly called the Crystal Cathedral due to its gigantic crystal bell tower. It’s absolutely beautiful inside, as well as outside, and the light that shines through the church is ethereal. All of the guests trickled in and the ceremony began with the cutest flower girls and the loudest organ I’ve ever heard. It was a traditional Catholic ceremony and the couple’s parents blessed them once they reached the altar. They did all the traditional parts of a catholic ceremony including the ropes, the blessings, the wine, and the pastor officiating their marriage. Once it was over, they were officially married!!! The church was kind enough to allow us to empty the church to get a gorgeous picture of the couple with the interior of Christ Cathedral. Then it was time for photos with the bridal party!
We took so many fun, beautiful pictures all around Christ Cathedral. After family portraits, we got to explore the area with the bridal party. We took photos of the bridesmaids and the bride, the groomsmen with the groom, and then the whole bridal party altogether. The bridal party was dying to make it to the cocktail hour back at the hotel so once we were done shooting them they were free to get the party started. The bride and groom let me do so many creative, fun, sexy poses and they’re just the best type of clients to have. Not to mention that their friend brought the couple’s adorable puppy Lady to join the photos! She was so happy to see her mom and dad and she even had a drink named after her at the reception.
The reception was back at the gorgeous Westin Hotel and it was dripping in white flowers, pink roses, and lush greenery. It seriously looked like a magical fairy forest all thanks to Events by Milan. Their place cards were tiny little logs which was such a cute idea and they had their dog painted for their signature drink at the bar. They also had their names projected behind the mariachi onto an image of the Disneyland castle! Once the cocktail hour was over, the mariachi moved inside the reception hall, and the guests began to move with them. Once the guests found their seats the bridal party made their grand entrance and the bride and groom went straight into their first dance. The fog settled on the dance floor and it was magical as they twirled along the dance floor. After the first dance, they each danced with their parents and it was so sweet. You could feel the love all around the room.
After the dancing, dinner was served, and they went into speeches from Alex’s brother and Angie’s sister. Their speeches were long and heartfelt, and Angie’s sister barely made it through without breaking down crying. After the speeches, it was time to dance! Their guests were full of life and so happy to finally get their turn on the dance floor. DJ Bebo tore it up and the guests got down and boogied. After a bit, it was time for a dancing break as the bride and groom did the bouquet and garter toss. The person who caught the bouquet was so stoked! Once this was done, dancing resumed and the couple got to enjoy their wedding cake. After allll of this, it was time for the money dance. Their guests lined up for a chance to pay for a dance and it was such a good time. They kept dancing and you could see how excited Alex’s friends were to toss him into the air.
We decided to head up to a balcony that the hotel provided the bride and groom for the best view of the Disneyland fireworks. We waited for a few minutes and were worried they wouldn’t come as it seemed they were running late and sometimes Disney cancels their fireworks shows, but at 9:45 p.m. they were on! The couple got to spend an intimate moment together watching the fireworks and expressed that a wedding takes a lot out of you. After the fireworks, it was time for us to leave so we thanked the bride and groom, packed up, said our goodbyes, and we were on our way home. It was such an amazing wedding, full of love, and full of beauty.
I want to conclude this blog by stating that the people in the back that are putting all of this together from the florals to the linen to the cake. All of these people make these events possible. And I want to send out a huge thank you and shout out to all of the vendors that made this day possible….
Events by Milan @eventsbymilan turned their reception hall into a fairytale and they always do such an extraordinary job. DJ Bebo was on it all night, as always, and was such a pleasure to work with @djbebo @photoboothbomber. Here’s To Them Events was in charge of coordinating, Patrick is the main videographer that I work with @patrickstaehlmedia , and the Mariachi Raymundo was astounding.
Make up was done by Alondra Hernandez and hair was done by Andrea Macias @_gorgeoushairbydre
Reception and catering was done by the Westin Hotel in Anaheim
Mariachi 714-269-6646
Coordinators: @Here’s to Them Events 626-379-0848
Photography by me @squareeyephoto
Plus I want to thank Angie and Alex. I have been looking forward to shooting their wedding since I first met them and their engagement session was such a blast. This couple is so flexible, free spirited- and full of love for each other. They seriously glow even in the hardest of circumstances and can find the happiness and gratitude in everything. They hold God close to their heart and are both sacred human souls that came together in this lifetime to spend their lives together. And I was so glad that I was here to watch the love that surrounds them warm their hearts on this beautiful day… And watch them finally become one soul.
