It was a sweltering day for an Orange County wedding. Strangely, we started our photography day at the beginning of the ceremony. We normally start hours before the ceremony with the getting ready photos and all the detail photography but the schedule did not permit that on this particular day. We started our wedding day at the beautiful, modern, well-lit, Christ our Savior Parish in Santa Ana. The church’s interior has tons of natural light. It’s stunning, especially for photography. They had a beautiful band playing. A soulful man was singing with a guitar with a chorus beside him. His voice was angelic. Mari looked stunning in her off-the-shoulder gown with appliques cascading down in arches on her dress. She looked like a princess and Ramon looked so handsome in his slate gray suit. Mari’s hair was kept down and beautifully curled cascading down her chest.
Mari was drowning in tears during the ceremony. It was a lengthy ceremony, as many catholic traditional Latin ceremonies are. It was only scheduled to be an hour but went 30 mins over so we were in a bit of a time crunch for family photos afterward but I always make it work. After the ceremony, we went back to where the girls were getting dressed and ready for the wedding day. We went to the avenue of the art hotel in Costa Mesa which is one of my absolute favorite hotels to photograph a wedding at. The day was blistering and poor Marina was starting to lose her makeup. It was quite a warm day but Ramon had no problems with the heat. We started in the beautiful lobby of the Wyndham arts hotel and photographed the bridesmaids and groomsmen. After the lobby, we went out to the back where the man-made lake is and photographed some creative bridal portraits outside. There was another wedding happening outside so they share the same anniversary, it was so funny. We did our last photos with the entire bridal party and I had them run around for some fun and silly photos. They always love this part and get to do whatever they want and express themselves.
Once we took out the last bridal party photos it was time for just the couple to get some creative wedding photography. We went all around the lake area at the Avenue of the Arts Hotel and back into the area near the famous Trumpet restaurant. Inside they have a beautiful staircase and grand piano that I love to pose my couples around. The staff is always so nice and accommodating and I’m so grateful because some hotels are very picky about letting photographers shoot around their halls and lobby, but the people at Avenue of the Arts Hotel are just great. It really is my favorite hotel to shoot at and I always recommend it to couples who are getting married in the area. It has everything from a lake, a creek that runs through the hotel, chandeliers, beautiful Avante-garde purple golds, and zebra interiors. It’s seriously regal.
The Wyndham Avenue of the Arts in Costa Mesa, California is a luxurious hotel that offers a stunning backdrop for photography. With its modern design, elegant decor, and prime location in the heart of Orange County’s arts district, this hotel is a must-visit destination for photographers of all skill levels. One of the most unique features of the Wyndham Avenue of the Arts is its collection of contemporary art pieces that are displayed throughout the hotel. The art pieces are varied and include everything from large-scale sculptures to abstract paintings, making for a visually stunning environment that is perfect for capturing unique and creative photographs.
The hotel’s sleek and modern design also offers a wealth of photographic opportunities. The lobby area features high ceilings, clean lines, and floor-to-ceiling windows that allow for an abundance of natural light to flood the space, creating a bright and airy atmosphere that is perfect for portraits and fashion photography. One of the most stunning areas of the hotel for photography is the music room with the beautiful grand piano that you can spot in the photos. I always spend a lot of time in this area with my couples because of the floor to ceiling mirrors, large regal staircase, and gorgeous grand piano.
The hotel’s prime location in the heart of Costa Mesa’s arts district also offers a wealth of photographic opportunities. The nearby Segerstrom Center for the Arts and South Coast Plaza are popular destinations for photographers, with their striking architecture and impressive art collections. This hotel is the perfect location for capturing unique and creative photographs and a great hotel for couples to choose for their wedding day.
Finally, we ended the creative formal photography bridal images we headed to the reception after the creative formals. The reception was being held at the Los Caballeros tennis club in fountain valley.
The catering team at Los Caballeros is top-notch, offering a variety of menu options that can be customized to fit the couple’s unique tastes and preferences. From elegant plated dinners to mouth-watering buffets, the team can create a menu that will leave your guests satisfied and impressed. In addition to the exceptional service and amenities, Los Caballeros also offers wedding packages that include a variety of extras, such as a complimentary bridal suite, custom wedding cake, and even a golf cart for the bride and groom to take stunning wedding photos on the course. Overall, Los Caballeros Country Club is an outstanding wedding venue that offers everything a couple could want for their special day. With its picturesque location, outstanding service, and exceptional amenities, Los Caballeros is the perfect place to celebrate your love and create memories that will last a lifetime.
I have photographed many weddings at Los Caballeros in fountain valley and it’s a great venue for fun weddings. Although there is no photography space around the venue we always manage to go somewhere else to photograph all of the creative formals. The events always take place in their event hall on the top floor and you get the whole floor for your event. The venue comes with a bar, a dance hall, and two suites for each bride and groom. The groom’s suite even has a huge billiards table which my assistant was excited to use on our lunch break. We immediately jumped into the reception and the crowd was definitely in party mode. When we walked in we saw their beautiful engagement photos, taken by the best photographer in Orange county aka me. Next to them was a vinyl record with a cute pun that guests could sign as a guest book. There were also a bunch of treats for guests on an appetizer table including watermelon, canteloupe, and pineapple.
When it was time, we went from the grand entrance directly to the first dance. For the grand entrance, the bridal party had clearly rehearsed it because they all had prepared dances and poses. Most of the boys twerked and danced on the girls which was funny. Mari and Mon’s first dance was super heartfelt and the love could be felt in the air. After that, they went into speeches and parent dances. The daddy-daughter dance was very serious and full of tears which was followed by a fun and upbeat mother-son dance. Right after dinner, which was delicious carnitas chicken beans rice, and tortillas, we cut the cake which was beautiful and looked very tasty. It was chocolate and vanilla with a chocolate cream frosting in between the layers. After the cake cutting, we went into the money dance. And I can not understate this, it was long. It seems like every guest got in on the money dance it literally took over a half hour which is a testament to how much love people feel for this couple. Everyone was so supportive and so happy and it was such a party mood it really lifted the night. Finally, after the money dance, we did 20 minutes of dancing where everyone got on the dance floor and just went nuts.
Braulio was of course cutting it up because he’s one of the best DJs in Orange County and Los Angeles. He really makes everyone get up off their chairs and dance the night away. He knows what songs make people want to dance and I love photographing a wedding where he is djing. Finally, after 20 minutes of dancing we did the bouquet and garter toss we’re again everyone was so spirited and having so much fun. It was just one of those nights that you really long for where everyone’s in a great mood and everyone wants to party and everyone just adores the bride and groom. You can tell a lot about a couple by how much people Hooten holler on their wedding day. There was much love in the room and I really had a great time finally it was the end of the day for us at 10:00 p.m. and we packed our bags and hugged and kissed the bride and groom and told them how much we love them and headed home after an amazing night. I want to, first of all, say thank you to everyone who was a part of this wedding. It takes a village to put a wedding together and all of the following vendors did an amazing job. I got to work with some of my favorite people for this wedding including Jaime, one of my lifelong friends, who provided the flowers and rentals from Events by Milan. Jaime always does stellar work and the flower arrangements always come out amazingly. A big shoutout to him and Braulio!!! My favorite Dj and personal friend who dedicates himself to making your events the most uplifting, fun, and coordinated they can be. I highly recommend them and everyone who worked at this wedding, they all did a really great job. Everyone at this wedding was nice, helpful, and kept the day running smoothly.
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South Whittier, CA.
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Pico Rivera, CA.
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Santa Fe Springs, CA.
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Hacienda Heights, CA.
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La Mirada, CA.
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East La Mirada, CA.
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Avocado Heights, CA.
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Montebello, CA.
- Buena Park, CA.
