Del Mar Wedding Photography - Dawn and Michael

it was almost a year ago that we met over tea and talked about their story... talked about the change of pace from minnesota to southern california... talked about their fabulous wedding that, at the time, seemed so far away. and finally, after much planning... almost a year of planning...

...the air was thick with excitement, as a handful of youngsters greeted the guests as they arrived at the church. michael clustered up with his boys in the corner, bantering back & forth cheerfully, only moments before the big reveal; before he would meet his bride at the altar. and almost with a sweeping understanding, the guests took their seats, and the ceremony began.

every time, no matter how many weddings i shoot... that moment brings me back. i remember seeing my bride, escorted by her father, walking to meet me; to join me. so, as i paused, for just a moment, and watched michael step forward for a better view, glowing with excitement, a tear dropped from his eye, and i continued shooting.

for so many reasons, i love my job. but, if you saw the engagement photos, you might surmise that dawn and michael enjoy life. and not in just the so overly quoted from dead poets society carpe diem kind of way... no, they really enjoy life's pleasures. in other words, dawn & michael have class.

dawn had not one, but two INCREDIBLE wedding dresses: the first, a vera wang with custom shoes from spain to match, and the second, a classy evening gown with gold jimmy choo heels to boot.

and, their reception was held at the ever impressive l'auberge del mar, with florals by thomas at lotus flowers shop [p.s. thomas is incredibly creative... check out the fabulous piece coupled at the entry to the aisle, something commonly dismissed at inside weddings]. lastly, documenting the occasion on video were the husband & wife team, jared & danielle of side by side video.

though these pictures don't move, here is the story i captured, not even two weeks ago...





i told you thomas was incredible. and, for the record, this piece was a last-minute idea that sprung from his creativity when thomas visited the church a week before the ceremony.



no words.

okay... so dawn's dress ROCKS!! and i love how this shot shows off how much poof her first dress gave.



mr and mrs michael huffer.





rockin' the rolls royce from the church to the party.



while dawn changed into her evening gown, i hung out in the lobby, only to find this guy stealing the show. i just pray that he doesn't put me out of business.

dress #2 and a GQ groom.



90+ degrees in san diego... of course everyone's going to be at the beach.

dawn's favorite from the slideshow we put together at their reception.

thanks to the help of rachel from bliss events, many of the details were in order.

whilst one of wayne foster's cover bands entertained the audience, this colorful groomsmen decided to let loose... that is... of course... until he saw a 24mm staring him in the grill. all of a sudden, the pink feather boa didn't feel so cool.

how cool are dawn & michael? cool enough to don a couple of aprons and serve all their guests ice cream as they departed towards the end of the evening.

and just because... i love this one.

CLICK HERE to view my portfolio. CLICK HERE to contact me.