θρησκευτικός γάμος or church wedding is exactly what happened last Sunday at St. Anthony’s Greek Orthodox Church, where all present witnessed the marriage of Theoni & Pete. I couldn’t help but be jealous of all the wonderful Greek traditions that accompanied this superb wedding day. Every moment was savored and treasured by all and I cried more than once watching Theoni & Pete celebrate their love with their closest family and friends.

This was my first time photographing a Greek Orthodox wedding ceremony and reception so Theoni thought it was only fitting that I start the day off with a shot of Ouzo…woo hoo…so tasty, if you like anise (black licorice), which I adore! I stopped at one shot, which I think was wise, because the videographer looked at me like I was about to get lost in an Ouzo haze and not resurface until the next day. His reaction actually made me a little nervous, but truthfully I never did feel any effect from it…phew – typically I don’t drink a drop on wedding days!! Soon after this, the dancing began…and they danced, and danced, and danced – it was fantastic. Take a look at the slideshow, this was an action packed day: drinks, details, dancing, clarino, ceremony traditions, photo booth, amazing florals & decor, a fantastic reception, lots of guests, lots of money throwing, tons of family, and more dancing!!

Thank you so much Theoni & Pete, I adore you both and hope your lives are as rich with tradition and love as your wedding day was. Thank you also to all the lovely people that made such an amazing day possible:

My team: Meredith and Camilla
Ceremony Site: St. Anthony’s Greek Orthodox Church
Reception Site: Langham Huntington Hotel and Spa
Coordination: Hellenic Designs – Georgia Covell
Florals: Design by Ashley
Invitation: KC Hopper
Hair: Daphne from Salon Sessions – Pasadena
Makeup: Monique Powers

Lynda reminded me last Saturday, during her getting-ready shots, that we had known each other for almost 10 years…I couldn’t believe it!  Had we really started our photography careers 10 years ago at Brooks, wow time flies?  Lynda is an incredibly talented fine art photographer in Los Angeles and has had an amazing post-graduation life, which includes a successful career, a beautiful baby girl, and now a wonderful and loving husband.

It was my first time meeting Jerry that day and I was absolutely blown away by the love between them, it is what I wish for all of my friends and family…a tender, caring, and passionate love.  The whole day was incredible, from the first detail to the last moment.   Thank you so much for including me in such a special day, I hope your trip is fantastic!

A couple of weeks ago I got to spend an afternoon with the Hart girls, it was fantastic!  Rachel is just about to graduate and her Mom thought it would be great to get some portraits done before she heads off to college.  During our shoot I couldn’t help but reflect back to when my sisters and I were still in high school and how much we had ahead of us.  Even though these girls were very mature, there was something really sweet and innocent about them and I missed being in my teen years for a couple of hours. I wouldn’t trade my life now to go back, I love my life now, but I remember my high school days fondly and feel lucky I had such a wonderful childhood.  Thanks for a wonderful shoot girls!

Thanks to Perlette & Jake’s wedding centerpieces, I went home April 25th with a pet fish for my son.  I always wondered what happened with those centerpieces at the end of the night!!  I was hesitant at first, because I have about all the responsibility I can handle right now with a business, a toddler, and trying to sell my house…but I was guilt tripped by one of the wedding guests about how much my son would love a fish.  As it turns out, he was right and we have had many a morning of precious memories together taking care of “Chelsea” fish.  Just thought I should introduce you guys to the newest member of the family!

I have had a great week and have had a lot of fun doing some secret Mother’s Day shoots of Dads and kids.  Way to go Dads…great thinking, the ladies in your life will love the planning and photos of the ones they love most!  Make sure you show the Moms in your life how much you appreciate all that they do next weekend and it doesn’t take a lot of money…remember that in these hard times!