beautiful. thats the word to describe brian and rita's wedding. start with the beautiful couple - inside and out. add the beautiful church - our lady of mt. carmel. throw in the reliably beautiful santa barbara weather. and, you have the recipe for a beautiful day. brian and rita were so cool to be around, i never felt like i was working. and i don't think rita has ever taken a bad picture. plus, brian and rita scheduled a generous amount of time for photos of the two of them - which i love. i couldn't have imagined the day going any better. the reception was at events by stella mares, and they also provided the delicious meal. larry from music by bonnie did a great job of playing some sweet tunes. and also a big thanks to my buddy geordie speake for shooting the wedding with me.
rita has beautiful eyes...
...speaking of beautiful eyes, i couldn't resist including this little guys photo as well.
chris and jessica are two of the reasons i love my job so much. they make it pure fun! not a job. chris is a set designer for the tv show NUMB3RS, jessica is a costume designer, and boy do they know how to have fun. the whole evening was filled with nonstop laughter. as i went through their photos on the computer, their joy was so infectious that i couldn't help but smile through the entire edit. you've got to check out the series of photos on the whale tail. after the session in downtown santa barbara, we hit el paseo for their famous chips and guacamole and some refreshing margaritas! the evening couldn't have been any better. i'm so jazzed for their wedding next june in cayucos where they have found the perfect "set" for themselves to design.
chris and traci's wedding was the best way to return from italy! in life it is such a warm experience to be around people that you can tell truly want you around them. and that's exactly how i felt all day with chris and traci. traci was living in texas planning her destination wedding in santa barbara where she and chris met during college. when traci and i first talked, she let me know how important photography was to her. in fact, she didn't even have a wedding date or venue picked out yet, and over the next few weeks we were able to chat about some of my favorite venues and locations. then, as she neared her decision - she would check with me to make sure that i was available before she booked the venue for that particular date. i've never felt so honored as a photographer! the engagement session was a blast, and the wedding day was a non stop celebration with the ceremony on the sand and the reception at the gorgeous rincon beach club!
i suppose i don't even need to write about how amazing this wedding was. how could it not be: beautiful couple inside and out, the amalfi coast, amazing food, capri, awesome guests.
but, it was so incredible - i just have to tell you about it.
first off, i love destination weddings! the travel, the intimacy, the extra time i get to spend with the happy couple and those closest to them - and this one was no exception. but, its not every day that i get to shoot a wedding in italy - so, jenny and i decided to take a couple of extra days to enjoy where we were. we stayed 3 nights in the quaint town of amalfi before heading 15 min. along the coast to where the wedding was in positano. the weather was 85˚ and sunny the entire time we were in italy...except for one day (more on that later).
we met up with regina, cory, and their family and friends the day before the wedding, and we went to an amazing restaurant called la tagliata. there were no menus, and eveything was served family style. as soon as we sat down food was served. i loaded up my plate with excitement, only to realize later that there were many more courses to come, and i should have been more conservative with my portions. however, i still managed to try a little bit of everything. if you're ever in positano, la tagliata is a must!
so apparently, if it rains on your wedding day in italy, its considered extremely good luck...regina and cory are very lucky people. it rained all morning, and to be honest, despite how lucky this was, we were really hoping it would let up for the outdoor ceremony. and it did! no rain for the entire ceremony! then by the time we returned to the hotel for the reception, it began to pour, and didn't let up until the next day.
which leads me the next part of this post - the day after/trash the dress session was crazy fun! we walked through the streets of positano, stopping to take a few picturs along the way. then, we caught the ferry over to the island of capri where we trashed the dress! we had such a great time on capri as they stopped for ice cream and even helped make some shoes. regina and cory said they felt like celebrities the whole day as everyone stopped and cheered, while i acted as their paparazzi.
i still can't get over how fortunate i am to have a job that takes me all around the world! thanks to regina and cory for the privilege, and thanks to their family and friends for making jenny and i feel so welcome!
be sure to check out the slideshow of the wedding, as well as the slideshow of the trash the dress session!
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