I was delighted to be asked to shoot Heather and Jordan's wedding at Seascape. Heather and her mom rolled up at the Seascape Resort wedding fair (more than a year ago), and hired me on the spot. We spoke at length that day, and they said after checking everyone else out, there was nobody that they'd rather have shoot their wedding, which was a huge compliment to me. Plus, we just clicked, as people and I think that's hugely important when you're hiring a wedding photographer. In fact, in all my wedding meetings, I tell people, even if you don't hire me, make sure whoever you do hire is someone you really get along with, because you're going to be spending your entire wedding day with them. And it was that way with Heather and I, it seemed we really 'got' each other from the first. (Also, just to note, any photo on this blog can be clicked on to be made bigger, if you see desire).
When we first met for their engagement shoot, I knew we would have a great experience together. Jordan is sweet and a little quiet (but with a pretty wicked sense of humor), and Heather is this amazingly beautiful girl who asked (before her wedding day!) if we could do a trash-the-dress session after the wedding. So I knew right away she was my kind of a girl! (If you want to check out their engagement session, you can do so by clicking here.
Of course, Heather is an absolutely gorgeous (and kind) woman, as you can see from the shot I took below, while she was getting ready.
Heather and Jordan's was the last wedding I shot of last season, and it was a glorious day; it was a bright day and everyone was so excited to be there. When I arrived Heather was surrounded with all her friends and was in turns excited, happy and emotional (and back again). I absolutely love shooting the getting ready process, because it's a ritual unto itself, and also because of the huge swirl of emotion usually going on; the bride and her dad seeing each other for the first time, the mom watching her baby getting ready for her wedding day. It's like getting to take part in the best of life, over and over. It's a joyful thing to be in the midst of that, and I was reminded of that anew when I was with Heather and her girlfriends and family. They were all so happy to be there celebrating their beloved friends and children. One of my favorite shots is after Heather's dad walks in, and they've seen each other, and then her dad made some comment (I don't even remember what it was now), but I remember it being a very typical father-daughter interchange (which of course, still happen no matter how old you are), and the shot I caught, of Heather reacting to her dad cracks me up every time I look at it. (See below). It's a look of 'oh brother dad!' which she no doubt perfected in her teenaged years, but likely hasn't used for quite awhile. And just catching that moment and that emotion is my favorite thing (plus, the photo is just funny!). Check it out (I recommend you click on this one, so you can really see the priceless expression on her face):
Obviously she's a beautiful, grown woman, but her dad can still push those buttons, and I just love the expressions on both. He's like, "What?" and she's like, "Dad! Augh!" Too funny. Catching those moments, as I've said a gazillion times on here, is my absolute favorite thing about photography, and wedding photography in particular. Speaking of moments, besides the ceremony being of course beautiful and gorgeous (how can it not be on Seascape Resort's bluff overlooking the ocean), the reception was a total hoot. Also, if you want to skip the rest of my rambling, and either go straight to the wedding day slideshow (click here to go to see the slideshow of Heather and Jordan's Seascape Resort wedding). And actually, I strongly encourage you to check out this slideshow, because it's one of my most favorite in a long time. Or, you can skip the rest of this post entirely, and scroll to the end, and click on, 'Continue reading...' to see the rest of my favorite shots from the big day. If you're interested in hearing the details, then read on...
Heather and Jordan's friends went for it at the reception too; they were dancing and laughing and having a great old time and it really comes through in their pictures. In fact, there are a couple dancing montages that totally crack me up (below, after the jump). Also, the reception room, at Seascape, was done so beautifully. Heather and her mom (of who I also think is incredibly gorgeous) did an amazing job with the room (you can tell they have great taste by the choices they made). Of course, t hey did hire my amazing Aunt Susi, of Susi's Flowers (if you want to see her site, you can do so by clicking here), to work with them on flowers and decor, and well they did, because it's one of the best looking rooms I"ve ever shot at Seascape; the flowers were incredible, and they had a wedding where EVERY detail was thought and cared about, and it showed. One of my favorites was the 'place cards' which were apples, with the 'leaves' as names (shots of those after the jump). It looked amazing and was such a fun touch. So the decor was amazing, and their friends were SUCH fun to shoot (busting some serious moves on the dance floor). So there were so many awesome things to shoot, but I think some of my favorite parts of Heather and Jordan's wedding was the time we got to spend together doing their portraits on the beach.
This is one of my favorite pictures of the whole day; I love the clouds, the blue, the whole thing.
The day had been really nice during the ceremony (and everyone was stoked, because it had been reported that it would be seriously raining that day), so they dodged a bullet with that one. But then, when we went down to the beach (close to the middle of the reception), it had started drizzling, so Seascape kindly provided us with a few massive umbrellas (two for us photographers, and one for Heather and Jordan). And while I was bummed at first, thinking I wasn't going to be able to get that many shots because of the weather, it turned out to be incredibly, because while it was drizzling when we first got down there, we got some really amazing shots of them with this striped red and white umbrella, and because the beach was so foggy, it gave it this completely surreal feeling (especially because nobody else was out where we were). And then, as soon as the drizzle had started, it stopped, and we were able to get tons of shots sans umbrellas. And I absolutely love their portraits; not only were we able to take our time, and get the shots right, but the shots we got were some of my most favorite bridal portraits of the season. (And, I can't WAIT to shoot a trash-the-dress with Heather, because she really is so game for anything photo-related). So thank you Heather and Jordan, for asking me to record this momentous of your days. It was a delight, and I felt privileged to be there with you, truly. There are more of my favorite shots after the jump, just click on continue reading...
Ahh, the makeup. I don't know why but I love taking shots of all the makeup spewed all over the tabletops during the getting ready phase (and make no mistake, there is ALWAYS makeup spewed all over the table when the girls are getting ready).
I love this touch, that her best friend wrote (something blue!) on her shoes. It was such a sweet, personal thing and I loved that her friend had thought of it.
The day was overcast, as you can see, which made it absolutely ideal for photos.
The ring....
Oh man, every time I look at this picture I laugh. Jordan is such a (somewhat) low-key guy, but like I said, he has a really funny, biting sense of humor, and when he did this, out of the blue (with the face!) I was SO thrilled I'd caught it. How hilarious is this shot?
I love this bridal party shot...
Her ring, and her flowers (of course, hydrangea being my favorite, and used liberally throughout my wedding nine years ago made me love them all the more)...
I mean seriously, how pretty is Heather? Look at those eyes!
Another different kind of ring shot (the unobtrusive kind).
The glorious flowers, by my Auntie Sus...
Oh! I almost forgot, they were married by the same man who married Ross and I, Pastor Lee Purkey. Lee was Ross's youth pastor (over in San Jose) when he was growing up, and it was super-important that Lee marry us, so it was a total surprise when I saw him roll up at Heather and Jordan's wedding (and another funny coincidence). He's a great guy, and I LOVE this shot of him cracking up at the altar, as it's totally the kind of guy he is.
I love the look right here, of Heather and her dad walking down the aisle, and the depth of emotion in her face. I just love it.
Married!
Oh, another fun thing (didn't I tell you this wedding was great?), they gave away bottles of WINE as favors! I *think* it was a family friend (or maybe even family?) who owns a vineyard, and they labeled them with their last names, and gave them out as favors. Too cool. They even gave me a few bottles to bring home, and they were great.
One of the most awesome ways to do place cards I've ever seen.
First dance...
There is nothing I love more than wacky dancing shots, as you can see....
And more (my fave is the middle, where you see their friends reacting).
And THIS guy!
On our way out, in the midst of the drizzle to get some bridal portraits...
The drizzle turned out (in my opinion) to make for some really awesome shots, as I LOVE this pop of red in this shot.
I love the expression on Jordan's face in this shot...
Another of my faves. I love the empty (big) beach, the umbrella, and the added texture...I'd urge you to click on the below two shots, to make them bigger, to really get a sense of them (and how big and alone the beach was).
Back to the party, with Seascape Resort in the background...
