Photographer (me) was a surprise gift to the wedding couple. The bride and groom planned a thrifty wedding. They started out by borrowing a relative’s house in Simi Valley. But the parents provided them with the wedding vendors as surprise gifts.

I’ve been talking to the groom’s mother and brother for a few months about this wedding. I was told to show up at the wedding right before the wedding ceremony started (for a surprise effect). I had to insist that I would arrive at the wedding site way before the wedding ceremony so I would take pictures of the bride getting ready.

Everyone wore beach attire for the wedding. It was very hot in Simi Valley today.  Only the wedding officiant and I were wearing suit and tie.  I wear a suit during the ceremony only, so I am OK with a little bit of heat for a short time.  I prefer to look formal for my customers.

I thought I knew the wedding DJ from somewhere.  We kept picking our brains to figure out where we met.  Later I realized he was Mike Breul.  We’ve been talking online for several years.  But we’ve never met in person.  DJ was good.  There were a lot of dancing.  I should email him before I forget.

This wedding was one of those “flawless” weddings.  I didn’t see any accidents or dramas.  Maybe it’s because the wedding couple expected a thrifty wedding at the beginning (?) I don’t know.

Also, there were a lot of dancing.  You can usually tell how successful the wedding was by amount of dancing going on at the wedding reception.  At some weddings I see not much people dancing at the expensive wedding site.  But at this wedding at Simi Valley? there was a lot of dancing.  This backyard wedding was a success.

Wedgewood Banquet Center’s been good to me.  They have wonderful in-house DJ’s like Robin and Scott.  They also have a Spanish DJ 

Wedgewood is a friendly place for wedding vendors.  They take care of wedding vendors.  I always fee comfortable with them.  Bartenders, waiters, DJ, and rest of the staff members are quite likable.  I have a lot of fun memories here.  And I took a lot of fun pictures here at Wedgewood Banquet Center.

One of the memorable pictures I have taken at Wedgewood Golf Club is this group picture 4 years ago (below, 2005).  Apparently, my current customer saw those pictures as well.  The bride asked me to take same group pictures for them as well.

It was just when the wedding ceremony was over.  The bride and groom just kissed and walked down the isle.  As soon as they walked down the isle, the bride asked me about that group picture.  “I saw group pictures you took here on your website, can we take that picture?”  So I told the wedding coordinator “If they want that group pictures, we must announce right now before they start walking way”  “It has to be right now~!!”  (It was not the time to be polite – I was yelling ).

The wedding coordinator called the DJ on her radio, and the DJ made an announcement for group pictures.  Everything worked out perfect.

Wedgewood Wedding – Group Picture
Wedding Picture from September 2005
Photographed with a Film Camera – Negative Scan (low resolution)
Notice the shorter trees

Back to Wedgewood Banquet Center
March 2009. Look at the trees, they are taller now.

Look at that picture… that’s a cute group shot.  I also photographed them waving at me as well, just like the one from 2005 wedding.

One thing I like about Wedgewood Banquet Center is that you have this elevated view point so you can take a large group pictures.

Sun was setting so fast, I had to direct people like a plane was going down.  We managed to photograph all the needed shots.  The wedding guests worked with me (and for me) without any delay.  I felt thankful for making everything so smooth for me.

Reception was fun.  Later, the bride told me “It was everything I wanted a wedding to be”.  A lot of people danced (a lot of dancing means the wedding was a success)

Good time.

Below are the pictures from August 30 photo-shoot at River-Ridge Golf Club at Oxnard.  This was my favorite spot on the golf club.  Then the golf club staff came to me and said how dangerous it was to be in that area.  But I had to take the chance and get this done fast.  Actually, I didn’t really see people swinging clubs to my direction.  I think they were being overly cautious.  Anyway, nobody got hurt.

* On this wedding – I walked 6.2 miles and burned 2381 calories 

“Photography Fitness” (personal project)

“My Coffee Cup” (personal project)

One word.  HOT~!!

It was the hottest wedding day thus far.  I was worried that bride and groom will sweat too much.  I don’t know how they managed to keep clean and pretty.  Also, I had somewhat challenging lighting situation during the formal photography session.  I think wedding pictures came out just fine (look at below image). 

Ventura Beach, Across the street from Ventura Fair Ground

In the beginning.  Booked 2 weddings with 1 sales pitch:
There is a fun story on how I met this wedding customers.

I had a wedding last year (2007) at Wedgewood Banquet Center.  I had a meeting with the bride and groom for that wedding at Starbucks Coffee in Ventura.  As I was getting ready to make a sales pitch, a couple walked in and recognized my wedding prospects.  They turned out to be close friends and neighbors.  They were planning to get married next year (2008).  I invited them to join us for my presentation on wedding photography.  They set down along with my customers.  I made a sales pitch to two couples.  And I booked two weddings.  So far, this is the only incident where I scored two weddings with one presentation. 

Never too Hot for wedding:
One requirement of being a Wedding photographer is a good physical condition.  Today was the perfect example of how you should keep in shape.  It was a very hot day.  As soon as I got out of my car I started to sweat.  The whole city was baking.  From that point, my job went on for 8 more hours.  I wore Sunscreen lotion.  I had my supply of cold water.  I was also wearing a heart rate monitor that I wear when I workout.  I thought it would be fun to monitor my heart rate & calories burnt.

It was a Catholic wedding at “Our Lady of the Assumption” in Ventura.  The priest was very nice.  I was allowed to use flash all I wanted.  You see, flash photography is usually not allowed in Catholic weddings.  Some catholic priests would forbid any kind of photography during the wedding ceremony.  The wedding was very impressive with about 200 guests and the Mariachi band playing loud.  By the way, I know this Mariachi band.  We worked together at number of weddings.  This was a Spanish wedding ceremony.

After the wedding ceremony & the usual hugging session, we headed out to Ventura Fair Ground.  We all parked at Ventura Fairground parking lot and walked across the street to the beach.  The Sun was so intense that taking photographs under the full Sunlight was not ideal.  Everyone would squint.  Also, people would sweat bullets under this weather.  With this kind of weather, some people become hard to manage (especially the young ones).  So, I located tiny patches of shades under the palm trees.  I setup the remote flash system there.  Setting up lighting system was a little tricky.  It’s somewhat technical to explain..  all that matters is that I know customers will like the results.

The bride had some specific posed shots in her list.  We took care of all her list first than I took charge.  Then we moved onto some couple shots.  I did all I can do to keep the bride and groom in the shade.  Despite the temperature the bride and groom looked very fresh.  Soon, we were ready for grand entrance.

During the reception, I begged the bride and groom for “One last pose for 1 minute”.  And I photographed that Fish Truck shot.

Ventura Fair Ground:
Ventura Fairground has a lot of halls to rent. Today’s bride and groom rented Santa Rosa Hall, but there are more wedding halls at Ventura Fairground. Ventura Fairground is located right by the beach. Also, you get an ample parking space. Wedding guests can park their cars at the parking lot and walk across the street for formal wedding photography session on the beach. The beach has a sandy area as well as grassy area with a lot of palm trees.

Burned 5100 Calories?:
My heart rate monitor measured that I burned 5100 calories in 8 hours.  Considering most people burn 2500 calories in 24 hours, you can see how active I was.  It was indeed a very physical day.  Most people just don’t realize how much work it is.

On the second thought.  I think 5100 calories is too much.  I cannot trust this heart rate monitor.  I shall purchase a better heart rate monitor for future wedding photography use. 

Our Lady of the Assumption
3175 Telegraph Rd., Ventura 93003

Ventura Fair Ground
10 W. Harbor Blvd, Ventura, CA 93001

It was a real shotgun wedding.  The groom was a real cowboy.  They got married in the ranch at Moorpark. Wedding guests came all dressed up in Country Western attires.  With this wedding, I had to pay extra attention to capture their “Country Western” feeling.

Padre Serra Parish is an exclusive Catholic wedding venue in Camarillo.  I have done 2-3 weddings at Padre Serra Parish in the past.  Catholic couples cannot resist its high class construction and decorations.  They have somewhat strict guideline on using this holy Parish.  The church is exclusive and high class sitting high on the Mission Oaks hill of Camarillo.

I believe this was the first time they allowed outdoor reception at Padre Serra Parish

The groom is a studio musician.  He plays a bass guitar in a Funk/Jazz band.  He also sings.  So, naturally, most of his friends and family were hip musicians.  Their music style was somewhat similar to Tonight Show band (Kevin Eubanks) with more funk to it. 

Power outage:
The reception started and everyone was having good time.  The DJ was playing music, some of the friends and family members took turn playing live music.  When they started the Dollar dance the DJ lost electricity.  They were having a tough time getting the power back.  They were keep blowing one fuse after another.

That’s when the “Magic Moment” happened.

A gentleman walked up to the band stand and started to play drums (slowly).  Then another gentleman came up and started to play acoustic guitar.   He started to sing Eagles medley.  His wife (I assumed) came and sang harmony with him.  To me, that was the highlight of the reception.  It was unforgettable.

Finally the juice was back on.  And the band proceeded to funk.  My favorite song was their funky version of Mustang Sally.

Groom on the bass while sax was on solo

Padre Serra Parish – Camarillo
www.padreserra.org
5205 Upland Rd
Camarillo, CA 93012
(805) 482-6417

Today’s wedding photography marks the first wedding of the year 2008.
Today is Thursday, you see.  Yes, a Thursday wedding.
I had to take a day off from my day job for this wedding.
The bride and groom came up with an odd wedding schedule.. check this out.

- – - – - Wedding Schedule – - – - –

Thursday, February 21, 2008

• Both Bride and Groom getting ready at their house in Santa Barbara.
• Limo to pickup bride and groom.
• Wedding ceremony: Mission Rose Garden – Santa Barbara
• Photography after wedding ceremony: Shoreline Park/Leadbetter Beach Park – Santa Barbara
• Additional formal photography at Santa Barbara Beach
• Lunch at Cava Restaurant – Santa Barbara

Saturday, February, 23, 2008

• Wedding Reception: Arnoldi’s Cafe, Santa Barbara

- – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - -  – -

The wedding schedule was made, hoping it would not rain.
But it rained – so we had to go with the flow and compromise

Because of the rain, wedding ceremony at the Rose Garden was out of question.  The bride and groom rented Santa Barbara Courthouse (The Mural Room) for one hour.  The Mural Room is a historic room that County of Santa Barbara is keeping as a tourist attraction.  As we were getting ready there were steady flow of tourists with cameras walking in to take pictures.

Wedding Ceremony was officiated by their close friend.  The officiant was cool and calm at first.  He told some of the tourists to “sit back and watch the wedding”.  Ceremony soon began.  There were only about a dozen people attending wedding ceremony.  The bride and groom were relaxed.  They were smiling and enjoying the moment.  But the officiant was sweating bullets.  After the wedding ceremony, they all made fun on the officiant about how nervous he was while he was officiating wedding ceremony.

Because of the rain, we had to get creative about the formal photography session.  We were originally scheduled to go to the park and the beach around Santa Barbara area for photographs.  But, outdoor photography was not going to happen.  We had heavy wind along with rain.  Rain was falling in side way.

We took most of the formal photographs inside the Mural Room.  The room was very dark.  It was the darkest setting I ever had.  I used my wireless lighting system. 

We had to cancel our plan on the beach photography as well.  Instead, I suggested that we’d all go up to the tower.  At the tower, we would still get natural light and we still have a roof over our heads.  It was windy and cold.  Everyone was shaking.  I had to wear my gloves because my hands were too cold.  The wedding guests were saying “Wow, John’s wearing gloves”

Because of the wet & cold weather photography session on top of the tower ended rather quick. 

All in all, everything worked out pretty nice.

This completed today’s schedule.  They all went to Cava Restaurant for a lunch.  By this time it was raining really hard.  I will come back in 2 days for a reception.

Santa Barbara Courthouse
1100 Anacapa Street
Santa Barbara (California) , 93101
(805) 568-2220

Cava Restaurant
1212 Coast Village Rd
Montecito, CA 93108
(805) 969-8500

I had such a busy 2007 that I rarely had solid 7 hours of sleep.  I have raised price on my wedding package yet again, but there is no slowing down on wedding inquiries.  I am looking at even busier 2008.  I am very happy that I can scream, but I can use some rest. 

Today is 3 days before Christmas.  They had a wedding ceremony at a church in Thousand Oaks, with all the Christmas trimmings.  The groom doesn’t have to struggle to remember his anniversary date.  Lucky guy

Above picture was a test shot (the very first shot to test shutter speed & flash).  We had some wet days earlier.  We were lucky to have a blue sky.   My good luck with rain continues.  But we had a classic “sinking heels” problem.  We tried to see if we can work around and take pictures here on the grass.  But the ground was way too soft, we had to move to the concrete ground. 

After the ladies, all the guys took pictures at this very spot on the grass.  Guys didn’t have high heels, you see.

One thing about the winter wedding is that we lose Sunlight fast.  We took most of the wedding party photographs before the wedding.  After the ceremony, we took formal photographs inside the church (flash photography) because outside was pitch black and cold.

Reception was a class act at Palm Garden Hotel in Thousand Oaks.  There were a lot of dancing.  People were doing all kinds of stupid dances.  Stupid is good when you are having fun.  Stupid is beautiful, it’s a bless. 

Table 14, where all the young ladies were at

Check out the table setting.  This is a classy setup.  Good decoration, and it complements the Christmas mood. 

Merry Christmas~~!!
Thank you everyone.  I’m going to enjoy my holidays off. 

I had a wedding customer from Japan. She got married at Malibu, Stauffer Chapel in Pepperdine University. I photographed both their engagement and wedding only in 1 week apart. A signing board had to be made in 5 days. Wedding album was completed and delivered in 5 days. The bride and groom stayed in the US for less than 2 weeks.

I helped the bride and groom with locating makeup artist and florist. Below is my journal on Aki & Noji’s wedding.

• October 15: I received an email from Japan. She said she’s coming to Malibu, from Japan, to get married. She also stated that he’s already decided to send me a deposit. I was very skeptical about this email. I sent her my generic reply. I was hoping she will not reply my email.
• October 16: The prospect from Japan replied my email the next day. We exchanged 8 emails that day. The bride and groom are Japanese. They live in Japan. But they have American friends in Malibu area. They already booked Stauffer Chapel in Malibu (Pepperdine University). Well, that’s what she wrote. I am still very skeptical.
• October 16: I asked the bride if she needs any help organizing her wedding. She said she’s looking for a makeup artist and a florist. I happened to know a Japanese makeup artist in LA. I introduced the makeup artist to the bride.
• October 17: The makeup artist sent me a “Thank You” email. The makeup artist stated that she’s booked for her wedding. I replied “Don’t get excited until you see the money”.
• October 21: The bride asked more questions. She asked about engagement photography, easel, etc.. The bride, as a Japanese, had a very good English skill.
• October 22: Received deposit from the bride via PayPal.
• October 23: Received detailed wedding information from the bride.
• November 8: Florist is booked.
• November 24: Bride and Groom arrived in the US
• November 25: Engagement photography session at Griffith Observatory. Since wedding was only a week away, everything had to be done in rush. Web album was made in 1 day. Bride and Groom picked their favorite shot the same day. The signing board was ready by Friday
  
• December 2: Wedding at Malibu. At beautiful Stauffer chapel in Pepperdine University.
  
• December 2: Dinner at Geoffrey’s Malibu. I was treated as a wedding guest. 12 of us set at one table. Geoffrey’s Malibu is a top notch restaurant where rich people come. The parking lot looked like a European Dealership.
  
• December 7: Album was completed and delivered to the Bride and Groom. We met at Starbucks in Woodland Hills. They loved the pictures.
  
• December 8: Bride and Groom flew back to Japan, bringing a lot of memory, leaving a lot of new friends behind.

• PS: Oh, The bride and Groom brought a gift from Japan. They read my blog and learned that I drink coffee when I take pictures. They brought some exotic imported coffee. Thank you.
  

- end - 

Today’s Wedding Schedule
Bride getting ready at Homewood Suites by Hilton, Agoura Hills
Tailgate to Calamigos Ranch in Malibu - 4:30pm
All activities take place at Calamigos Ranch until 11pm.

Homewood Suites Hilton, Agoura Hills.
** Notice two guys at the lobby looking at me.  I get that all the time

Wedding flower decoration at Calamigos Ranch.  Supplied by the Bride and Groom 

Above Picture: They had two of those flower structures.  Later they moved them up to the reception area .   I didn’t know at first, but these structures are carefully balanced by the heavy bouquets.  At night, as the guests left, one of the guests took one of these bouquets.  Soon the whole structure fell to the heavy side, damaging all rest of the bouquets.  By that time ceremony was almost over.  And, luckily, Bride thought it was funny. 

Calamigos Ranch, before wedding.  Sun’s already setting

Above Picture: Calamigos Ranch has 130 acres of land.  It can hold many number of weddings at the same time.  They can accommodate 500 people or more.  Each wedding area is so secluded that you will never now that there are other events being held in the same ranch.  From this picture, you can see the wedding ceremony area at the ground level (right side).  After ceremony, wedding guests will come up to the upper deck area for reception, dining, and dancing.  As you can see, Calamigos Ranch is a very impressive wedding site.  This is only a section of Calamigos Ranch.  There are other wedding sites other than this location.

Calamigos Ranch, Malibu (Conference Center), at night.

Homewood Suites by Hilton, Agoura Hills 
28901 Canwood Street, Agoura Hills, California, United States 91301
Tel: 1-818-865-1000   Fax: 1-818-865-1091

Calamigos Ranch, Malibu, California
Malibu Conference Center at Calamigos Ranch

327 S. Latigo Canyon Road, Malibu, CA 90265
(800) 821-2097 or (818) 889-6280
(Please Note: This is a mailing address only)

From Los Angeles:
Ventura Freeway (101) West to the City of Agoura.
 Left on Kanan road, South 6 miles, through 2 tunnels.
Right on Mulholland Highway, go 1/4 of a mile.
Left on Calamigos Road, follow signs to parking area.

From Pacific Coast Highway:
Pacific Coast Highway West past Paradise Cove.
Right on Kanan-Dume Road, go North 6 miles.
Left on Mulholland Highway, go 1/4 of a mile.
Left on Calamigos Road, follow signs to parking area.

DJ – Music To Go

Westlake Village Inn is a classy “Do it all” wedding spot in Westlake Village. It’s signature structure is the gazebo.  The gazebo is located in the water, kind of like a river-boat.

Everything went smooth.  The bride and groom requested a “Super Rush” process – and the deadline was met. 

Entrance to parking lot of Westlake Village Inn

Two of the most photographed structures at Westlake Village -
Gazebo on the lake and the walkway down to the Cellar room

Indoor reception areas, Westlake Village Inn

Lakeside Cellar Room, Westlake Village Inn

Westlake Village Inn
31943 Agoura Rd Westlake Village, CA 91361
(818) 889-1662
Website www.westlakevillageinn.com 

I have been in Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden (Long Beach) a few times before.  I was here last month as well.  But I have never came to the Japanese Garden for a night wedding reception. It was a perfect day for outdoor wedding.  The entire garden was lit up.

I parked my car and looked all around me.
There was absolutely no sign of civilization, except for the golf club and people getting ready for the wedding.  My cellular phone couldn’t pickup signal from this edge of Simi Valley. 

Lost Canyon Golf Club can hold about 400 wedding guests.
The club house is designed for wedding and large events in “Ranch” style.
Bride and groom can get ready at the locker room.  Women’s locker room even had a room custom designed for the bride.

We have originally planned for an outdoor wedding, but we were having a windy day.  The staff at Lost Canyon Golf Club setup two wedding sites for them, one for outdoor wedding and one for indoor wedding.  Since there was no sign of wind slowing down, we have decided for indoor ceremony.  It was too bad that we didn’t have an outdoor wedding.  At the same time, I have witnessed how staff at Lost Canyon Golf Club was trying to give us the best wedding day possible.

Lost Canyon Golf Club, Simi Valley
3301 Lost Canyon Dr, Simi Valley, CA 93063
www.lostcanyons.com  (805) 522-4653

DJ FX – Mobil DJ Service
www.DJFXENT.com  818-421-KRIS

The bride and groom are Pasadena locals.  So they have arranged all wedding activities in the city of Pasadena.  We had an engagement session in January also in Pasadena.   And I made a signing board to place at the wedding reception (picture below)

Saint Philip the Apostle Church  was an extremely busy wedding spot.  When I arrived at the church 30 minutes before the ceremony there was another wedding party taking formal photographs (ready to move out).  We moved in.

As soon as our ceremony was over I got the tap on my shoulder.  There was another wedding party waiting for us.  I had to hurry up and move out.

Bistro 45 is an exclusive (High End) restaurant.  They are well known for wine as well.  It’s  very hip and trendy.  They serve kind of food that you might see at “Hell’s Kitchen”.   The reception area was full with about 70 people.

Reception entrance at Bistro 45 (Pasadena), Signing board shown

No Rest in October
This month of October has 8 days of weekend, and I booked 8 photography jobs this month. Along with my full time job, I will not rest a single day.
I plan to take some days off from my day job.

—————- Wedding Vendors ———————-

The Westin Hotel Pasadena
191 N. Los Robles Avenue Pasadena, 91101
626-304-1442

Saint Philip the Apostle Church
151 S. Hill Avenue Pasadena, 91106 
626-793-0693

Bistro 45
45 S. Mentor Ave Pasadena, 91106 
626-795-2478

Wedding Planner – Lavish Celebrations

Bridal Makeup & Hair – Elizabeth Dahl

I was here once before.  I had a business lunch here, but it was at the other side of Spanish Hills Country Club.  It was my first time coming to this area for a wedding photography.  Spanish Hills Country club is custom designed for weddings and high end meetings.

They have sites for both indoor and outdoor wedding ceremonies.  It’s a great place for reception and dance.  They can lay down dance floor by the huge bay window. 

The view from Spanish Hills Country Club was amazing, you can look down at Camarillo, Oxnard, 101 freeway, houses, and farmlands over Ventura County.

Below picture shows a section of Spanish Hills Country Club.  I marked spots to show where I was and what took place.

Spanish Hills Country Club - Wedding Photography Plan

After wedding ceremony, we tailgated to the relative’s house, still in Camarillo.  This big house was a perfect setting for 60 wedding guests. 

Lunch was provided by DJ’s California catering, so you know the food was the best.  DJ’s Catering is local in Camarillo, but you see them all over the Southern California.  DJ’s California Catering is a big company with 30-40 employees.  They provide catering for high end events.  I have met them many times and ate their food many times.  The bride and groom were quite happy with the food.

At the reception, two people asked me for my business cards.  One particular couple was going to get married next year in Ventura area (perhaps on the beach).  I don’t usually expect people to keep in touch with me (because people are naturally flaky), but I am crossing my fingers for that couple to keep in touch.  I have a good feeling. 

Spanish Hills Country Club
www.spanishhillscc.com
999 Crestview Ave Camarillo, CA 93010 (805) 388-5000

DJ’s California Catering
www.djscatering.com
1221 Avenida Acaso, Suite C  Camarillo, CA 93012

My incredible luck with rain continued today (and this year).
It rained hard yesterday, but I managed to complete formal wedding photographs outdoor.

Today’s wedding was in Buena Park, Radisson Suites Hotel.
It rained even harder today than yesterday.
When I was driving through Los Angeles it was pouring in full force.
Traffic was jammed, visibility was bad, and road was dangerous.
Look at the picture below.
Yes, I was photographying and driving, don’t try this at home.

Puring rain in Los Angeles. Professional photographer, don’t try this.

But, somehow, I knew I will not get wet.  I believed.
I am on my incredible streak of luck with rain.
When I arrived at Buena Park, the rain stopped.
This is what I saw at Radisson Suites Hotel Buena Park (below).
I photographed below shot about 20 minutes after going through heavy rain in Los Angeles.
If you look at lower left corner, you can see the dark cloud in Los Angeles area.

Buena Park is a big city in the middle of other big cities. They don’t have much parks and golf clubs in Buena Park, so if you want outdoor wedding, you should count out Buena Park.  Buena Park has a very few small golf clubs.

It’s ironic.  They are named “Buena Park”, but they don’t have a lot of good parks.  Perhaps “Park” stands for a family name.  FYI: My last name is Park .

Anyway, I expected I would not be doing any wedding photography work in the woods. Indeed, all our photographs were taken inside the hotel. It was a big wedding, so the only place I can fit this big group was either parking lot or by the swimming pool.

I chose to photograph the group by the swimming pool.  I was standing a few inches away from the edge of the pool most of the time.  I had to be extra careful not to fall in the water.  All the reflections from concrete and glasses made my job difficult, they turn people’s skin look cold and gray.  I had to compensate for that. 

The bride and groom stayed at Radisson Suites as well, so bride was less tired and looked fresh. 

Soon, the party went on. And rest was a history. 
God bless everyone.

Radisson Suites Hotel Buena Park
7762 Beach Blvd. , Buena Park, Ca, 90620 , USA
Reservations: (888) 201-1718 US Toll Free
Telephone: +1-714-739-5600 Fax: +1-714-521-9650
www.radisson.com/buenaparkca

Messengers – The DJ Entertainment
JoJo Valenzuela
pvalenzuela3@yahoo.com
(858)652-8783

Wedding & Event Videography
www.MedalMediaProductions.com
714-623-2589

Wedding Ceremony took place on top of the clock tower at Santa Barbara County Courthouse.

Santa Barbara Courthouse is a popular tourist attraction.  But it’s also a functioning government building.  Santa Barbara Courthouse is always open to the public.  A lot of people come by to take pictures, some people read books on the lawn, and I even saw a young couple taking a nap  (on dry weather).

It rained yesterday at Santa Barbara Courthouse, the lawn was muddy.
It was Sunny this morning.  But the sky was getting darker.

After the ceremony we hurried down to the lawn and moved super fast to get the formal photography done. We couldn’t take photographs on the lawn because ladies’ heals were sinking to the wet lawn.
There were only few places we can stage for formal photographs.  Look at the picture below.  We took most formal photographs at the steps in the middle of the lawn. (see picture below).

Santa Barbara Courthouse, Lawn, red circle marks the -
spot where formal wedding photographs were taken

It started to rain as we started to wrap things up.  I did take some pictures in the rain.
Bride and groom got a little wet, it wasn’t bad.  It was a perfect timing.
We have managed to take care of all standard formal wedding photographs.

Before the wedding ceremony, Santa Barbara County Courthouse

After formal photo-shoot, Santa Barbara County Courthouse

It rained hard while we were driving to Ventura for Reception.

Santa Barbara County Courthouse
1100 Anacapa St, Santa Barbara, California (805) 962-6464

vfw veterans of foreign wars, ventura
Available as a wedding reception hall
3801 Market St. Ventura ca 93003

It was a morning wedding.  Ceremony was scheduled to start at 9am.
I was scheduled to come to the wedding site (Japanese Garden) by 8am.
So, I had to wake up 4 am and hit the freeway by 6.

Waking up 4am on Saturday was not easy.
I was worried about not making it to the wedding on time.
I hit the freeway at 6am, the Sun was not up yet.

I was super hungry.  I only had my ritualistic coffee.
Traffic to Long Beach was very good.
As I was driving, the Sun was coming up.  It was a clear day over Los Angeles area.
But, when I arrived at Long Beach, everything went dark… morning fog was very thick at Long Beach.

California State University Long Beach, 30 minutes before wedding ceremony

It took me less than 70 minutes to get to Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden.
In fact, I was too early.  I left CSU Long Beach and went to Krispi Kreme near by.
We don’t have Krispi Kreme in Ventura County anymore, so I enjoyed a couple doughnuts there.  I bought 3 bags of coffee as well.  They should last about a year.

Earl Burns Miller Japanese garden is not just known for the garden. it’s also well known for the Koi Fishes.  They sell fish food right by the pond for $0.25.  You need to bring your own container.  You can sit by the pond and feed the fish… and watch them fighting for food.

Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden, Long Beach

Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden, Long Beach

Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden
CSU Long Beach 1250 Bellflower Boulevard  Long Beach , CA 90840
http://www.csulb.edu/~jgarden/ 562-985-8889

Santa in Oxnard, rescued from Carpinteria
Photographer: John Park

Back to the wedding: 
The bride and groom got ready at Best Western Carpinteria Inn.  Everything went smooth, but the bride and grooms were a bit nervous like many newlyweds often do (you know how it is).  But it was all fun.

The bride checked into Carpinteria Inn.  Then she went to Rincon Beach Club to get ready.  Rincon Beach Club is on Santa Clause Lane, by Carpinteria beach.  We were right by the railroad and Carpinteria Beach, but we never went out to take photographs there.  The Sun was way too bright. 

Note: We see a lot of beautiful beach photographs.  Those kind of beach photography weathers don’t happen every day.  The weather and timing have to be absolutely right for good beach wedding pictures.  Also, photographers normally use 1-3 assistants to control the lighting situation.

Rincon Beach Club is a cosy and fancy place.  It has a small room in the back of the wedding site so the bride can get ready and come out for the ceremony.  It was a hot day, but Carpinteria’s beach breeze kept everyone cooler. As a wedding photographer, beach breeze was a heaven sent.

A few wedding pictures coming up.
Thank you.

Rincon Beach Club and Catering
www.rinconcatering.com
3805 Santa Claus Lane Carpinteria,  CA 93013  
805-566-9933

Best Western Carpinteria Inn
www.bestwesterncalifornia.com
4558 Carpinteria Avenue Carpinteria, CA 93013
(805) 684-0473

Carpinteria Photographer – VenturaPhoto.com

I have never met the bride and groom until today.  The mother of the bride knew me enough from prior weddings, so everything was arranged by the mother of the bride over email. You see, I did two of her brothers' weddings 1 and 2 years ago. Now I am a wedding photographer for the baby sister.

We went back to St. Anthony Catholic Church in Oxnard for a traditional Catholic Wedding. One of the bride's brothers had his wedding here, so I knew the lighting situation (dark, tripod absolutely needed).  I was rubber necking for the two brothers to come to the church.  They showed up with a few babies. Then I saw yet another couple from my past wedding!  So there were total 6 of my past wedding clients in one place. 

We had a standard "No flash photography" rule during the ceremony.  In general, "No flash photography" is expected during traditional catholic wedding ceremonies.  Some priests enforce "absolutely no photography during the wedding ceremony" rule.  But that's a rare case.  If you are that strict about photography, then you don't get booked as often. 

After wedding ceremony, we went to Heritage Square for formal photography and outdoor reception.  I did several weddings at Heritage Square before.  I directed everyone to my favorite spot.  I picked that location because it had the only solid shadow at that time.

The Heritage Square looked very classy.
As you can see from the picture, it was super fancy and super romantic.

During the reception I had a chance to talk to some of my past clients.  One of the couples will get re-married in 2 years to renew the vow.  I better come up with some kind of discount system for returning photography customers.

Having 6 of my past clients in the same reception was fun.  Not only that, I could recall a lot of guests from prior weddings.  It was fun, but, at the same time, it was a little strange to have all that familiar faces in the same reception. 

Back to Heritage Square, Oxnard

St. Anthony Catholic Church
* Popular Catholic wedding ceremony site for Hispanic people in Oxnard area
2511 S C St Oxnard, CA 93033    

Heritage Square Weddings and Events
715 S a St Oxnard, CA 93030
(805) 483-7960