Villa Wedding & The Pix of Life Approach to Capturing a Couple’s Special Day
Drab, rainy weather was predicted for Aileen & Jo’s wedding day but luckily, the gray clouds stayed looming over the nearby San Gabriel mountains instead of dampening the couples beautiful outdoor wedding. The venue, Villa Del Sol D’oro, is a breathtaking scene inside and out and was perfectly accented with Aileen’s thoughtful decor & color scheme of bright, vibrant pinks and deep chocolate. The wedding also featured plenty of treats for the guests, including a candy buffet and a photo booth!
Our Approach to Wedding Photography:
Since Aileen & Jo’s wedding day schedule went so smoothly, we thought it would be a great example to explain our photography approach to our current and prospective clients. We feel it’s important to assist our clients in coordinating the wedding photography schedule. Often, couples do not realize how much time it takes to capture certain aspects of the wedding day like bride and groom and family photos and in some cases, it can be the difference in having as much as an hour for the bride/groom & bridal party photos versus 15mins! In addition, there is the value of having 2 lead photographers. Mike & I photograph every wedding together and as such, we know what images we can count on each other to capture which not only offers security that we will get the needed shots, but also compliments our creative styles & shooting variety to deliver a complete package for our clients.
So check out the photos & captions below for an ideal wedding photography schedule and see what we’ll be looking to capture on your wedding day! And then watch the final story unfold in Aileen & Jo’s WEDDING SLIDESHOW.
The day is usually started by meeting the bride at her ‘getting ready’ location to capture some bridal preparation & details. Often this is a hotel nearby the venue. These images make a great start telling the story of the day in the Wedding Book.
After the bridal prep is completed, we have a mini-bridal shoot with the bride before leaving for the ceremony site.
One benefit of a two-photographer team is that both Mike & I usually start photographing with the brides prep, but then Mike can head off to capture the groom & his groomsmen while I stay with the bride.
Many couples opt to see each other before the ceremony in a ‘reveal’. This has often resulted in some wonderful photographs of the couple’s first look at each other and allows the couple a chance to share a few supportive and emotional moments together. Another huge advantage of this is that it usually allows them to have more time for their ‘bride & groom photo session’ (seen in the following photos) and because it is done before their ceremony, they get to enjoy more time with their guests at the reception.
A few moments of relaxation before the bride starts her walk down the aisle.
We photograph the wedding in a photo journalistic style. As you’ll see in the photos below, we’re not only focusing on capturing images of the bride & groom throughout the ceremony, but also the other key members of the day such as their parents and the bridal party.
With 2 photographers and our variety of lenses, we’re able to capture different views and angles of the ceremony and of the same moments.
Immediately after the ceremony is the best time to capture the family formals. If the couple preferred not to do a ‘reveal’, we also use this time for their ‘bride & groom’ & bridal party session. 
Just before the reception, we capture the details because couples spend so much time planning them but often don’t get to see them on the busy wedding day. Plus these images make great accents for the reception section of the Wedding Book. 
The rest of the night is spent capturing all the wonderful, formal & candid moments of the evening…the grand entrance, the first dance, the toasts and cake cutting and of course all the smiles, laughter (and sometimes tears) that go along with it!
The Wedding Book wouldn’t be complete without a ‘happily ever after’ shot from the day.
Lastly, an example of how Mike & I capture different looks from the same moment. A special thank you to our friend Alma, she captured a photo of us taking these, and we now finally have a pic of us “in action”.
