Santa Barbara Wedding Photographer

Missing Attachment

Today’s schedule
8:30AM Arrive at Santa Barbara, Hotel Mar Monte
9:30AM Wedding Ceremony, Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church
11:00AM Formal photography - at wedding location
12:00PM Formal Photography - at Santa Barbara Courthouse
5:00PM Pre-reception Cabrillo Pavilion Arts Center
6:00PM Grand entrance Cabrillo Pavilion Arts Center
7:00PM Mariachi Stops playing
7:30PM DJ to lead activities
11:00PM end

Back to Hotel Mar Monte
I was at Hotel Mar Monte 
I love Santa Barbara. I feel very comfortable being here.

Every time I visit Hotel Mar Monte, I get a different view of Cabrillo Pavilion Arts Center.
Today, I arrived at Santa Barbara early in the morning.
The bride stayed in the East side of Hotel Mar Monte.
From the East wing, I got this shot of Cabrillo Pavilion Arts Center. (below).

Cabrillo Pavilion Arts Center, looking out from window at Hotel Mar Monte

I have seen a lot of happy brides in my line of work.  But today’s bride was perhaps the happiest bride I have ever seen.  The bride was keep dancing as everyone was getting ready. She was singing and striking poses as her mother video taped her.

It was my first time being in “Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church” in Santa Barbara.  It was a real nice Spanish catholic church.  They had a semi-traditional catholic ceremony.  I say semi-traditional because they allowed me to take all the flash photographs I want.  This is rare in Catholic weddings as some churches would completely forbid you from taking any pictures (with or without flash).

The ceremony was over around 11am and we went to Santa Barbara Court-House. The bride and groom are familar with Santa Barbara, but they never knew about the Court House.  They were happy with the location.  They wanted some panoramic view of the building in the back.  They brought umbrellas which worked out pretty cute.

My favorite image from this wedding
It was an extremely tight space, very dark, and awkward place to take photograph

Things worked out fine.  Bride and groom were never stressed out.  It was all fun and blessing.

Speaking Spanish
I had multiple opportunities where I showcased my Spanish skill.  I communicated with many people in Spanish today, I wrote a separate blog about speaking Spanish.

Wedding service providers at today’s wedding 
Hotel Mar Monte - 1111 E. Cabrillo Blvd, Santa Barbara, CA 93103
Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church - 1300 E Valley Road, Santa Barbara, CA 93108
Cabrillo Pavilion Arts Center - 1118 E. Cabrillo Blvd, Santa Barbara, CA 93103

Related Topics
Hotel Mar Monte
Cabrillo Pavilion Arts Center

Missing Attachment

I couldn't speak a word of Spanish a few years ago. Now I can carry on a basic conversation and able to make network with Spanish speaking wedding vendors.  For example, I am invited to a Mexican party this Sunday by a Mariachi band.  This will be fun.

Today's Santa Barbara wedding was a Spanish (Mexican) Wedding.

Today I had 3-4 occasions where had to speak Spanish.

First, I chatted with a charming old lady during my break time.
We were sitting somewhat close, so I had to break the ice.
I said "hello" to her, and she replied "No hablo Ingles."
We chatted for about 5 minutes in Spanish.
She told me about her son and the daughter in law.
I showed her some wedding pictures.

Later, at the reception, I engaged a conversation to a decorator.
He's English was pretty basic, and I didn't want to take any chances.
So, we spoke in Spanish and made a network.
I took down his phone number. 
He asked for my business cards.
I promised him that I will get back to him with some pictures of his wedding decorations.

Next, there was a mariachi band at the wedding.
They were starting to talk about me among themselves.
I had to let them know that I can understand Spanish (before things get awkward).
So, I talked to the mariachi in Spanish briefly.

Mariachi Viva Jalisco - from Oxnard California

Finally, at night, when everyone was dancing, I stepped outside for some cool air.
On the street, I saw a young couple slow-dancing to the music coming out from the reception hall.
I took a picture of them and handed him my business card. "I will email you the picture", I said.
The couple was not very comfortable with English.
So, we chatted about 3-4 minutes in Spanish.
I didn't get much information about them.
They were busy asking me questions about my personal life.
They seemed quite amused that I knew Spanish.

Young couple outside Pavilion Arts Center

I do good number of Spanish weddings.
I think people of all profession should speak Spanish if they don't want to miss out on 50% of sales leads.

Related Topics
Hotel Mar Monte
Cabrillo Pavilion Arts Center

Missing Attachment

Customer’s Testimonial is located  here

June 2, 2007 - Wedding Schedule:
Getting Ready Shots - Mar Monte Hotel, Santa Barbara
Ceremony - St. Joseph’s Church, Carpinteria
Formal Photography - Court House, Santa Barbara
Reception - Cabrillo Arts Center, Santa Barbara
Beach Photography - Cabrillo Beach, Santa Barbara

I had a full 12 hours of working day today. (left home 10am and came back home 10pm). I brewed my usual coffee and headed up to Santa Barbara.  At 10:00AM the traffic was very light.  During the weekend traffic from Ventura to Santa Barbara can be very heavy.  Sometimes it takes me 2 hours to get to Santa Barbara. 

I arrived at Mar Monte Hotel by Cabrillo Beach very early.  I’ve been in Mar Monte before. The day started out as a gloomy day at Cabrillo Beach,  but we started to see the Sun right when the wedding ceremony started. 

The bride’s makeup artist didn’t show up to the salon.  So the bride was having a drama.  But it all worked out.  At the hotel, one of bridesmaids was in desperate need for a safety pin.  You know, I always carry a bunch of safety pins.  So, I provided one for the bridesmaid.   The bridesmaid was very happy, I think she actually used the word “Hero” on me.  I’m not so sure.

All in all, these were all parts of fun memory.  Everything turned out to be nice and fun. Then we headed out to Carpinteria.  I followed the limo to the church. 

As usual, I asked the father about my photography.  He said “No photography during the ceremony, except for the ring exchange”.  So, I kept myself low.  I waited for noisy moments (people laughing, etc) and took some quick shots during the ceremony.  I hope God would forgive me.

After the ceremony, we went to Santa Barbara Courthouse for formal photography.  There were a lot of tourists at the Courthouse.  As we walked across the grassy area, I have noticed dozens of people taking pictures of us.  I can understand how it can be an interesting scene for them.  Wedding party was all dressed up for the occasion, and I was running around with three big cameras (no assistant here, I keep my price low).

There, we took all the standard formal shots and a few “cheesy” shots.  As I tried some creative shots, I told the bride and groom. “This may seem cheesy, but we must try and see how they come out”  The bride and groom were sitting in uncomfortable positions.  But I thought I could create the illusion.  I am extremely happy with the results.  I hope they like them also.

Reception started as we planned. Everything went smooth.  They had a real nice looking wedding cake.  When the Sun set, we went out to the beach and took some more pictures.

God bless them.

Update: The bride wrote me a good testimonial.  Thank you, thank you… They liked my “cheesy” shots. (I said “cheesy” because I was pushing the limit.  Personally, I liked them a lot.  I was worried that the bride and groom might not like my taste)  Customer’s Testimonial is located  here

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Wedding Vendors:
Hotel Mar Monte: 1100 Anacapa St., Santa Barbara, California 93101
St. Joseph’s Church: 5048 El Carro Lane, Carpinteria, CA 93013
Cabrillo Arts Center: 1118 E. Cabrillo Blvd, Santa Barbara, CA 93103

Related Topics
Hotel Mar Monte
Cabrillo Pavilion Arts Center