Whitney & JD {San Diego : Berkeley Ferry}

So my first wedding was a SUCCESS!!! It was a beautiful day in San Diego. Everything went perfect, except me thinking that I lost my purse and making the boys look for it all over the hotel and stressing out bc it had my money and ID in it then finding out later it was stuffed in the side of my camera bag the whole time. :))) I loved every moment of it and to have the pictures done with a happy bride and positive feedback makes me feel great!!!

So the morning started for me quite early considering I slept in the bride's hotel room bc i threw her a girls night in sleepover bridal shower the night before with her friends and family. We woke up early and started the BIG DAY!!! The pre-game was taking place at the beautiful Hilton Bayfront which was right on the water in downtown San Diego. The view from the room was breath taking and made for a  wonderful backdrop.

The ceremony and reception was being held on The Berkeley Ferry, that now stays docked, and was used back in the early 1900's and was particulary known for transporting people around after the 1906 San Francisco fire. It was amazingly beautiful and carried all types of artifacts. the lower level is a museum and gift shop while the upper level is commonly used for events. The style and naturally simple beauty of the ferry definitely mirrored that of Whitney. She has got to be one the easiest people to work with. Especially for a bride planning a wedding in just 6 months. I helped her out throughout the whole journey and it was so funny at times witnessing myself try to influence her with my own colorful vibrancy while she held her ground convincing me of the 30 different shades of white. HAHA. It was definately something we were and have been able to laugh about.

Staying with the ferry/travel type theme she decided to be creative and instead of place cards for the guests to find their tables she provided a little gift of having a message in a bottle. Each bottle had a rolled up picture of the bride and groom inside with a number directing the guest to which table they would be seated. Very unique and fun! Also instead of a typical guest book, they set out a cool breifcase filled with lots of "San Diego" postcards and pens allowing the guest to fill out a message of love for the couple. There was a nice vintage birdcage next to the suitcase where the guest would leave their cards/postcards and with, the help of a friend, the postcards will be mailed out to the couple over the course of a year until their first anniversary which makes for fun surprises. I loved it!

The ceremony took place on the deck where the sun was set perfect in the sky for great natural light. It was short and sweet and as the guests moved inside for cocktail hour, the nervous part began. This is the part where I have to POSE the couple and move them around and find some way to capture their natural love in pictures they can keep and frame and show to their grandchildren one day. ahhh such pressure. I'm sure the one part that makes everyone nervous. I spent months checking out wedding pictures, looking up ferry pictures to get ideas and of course the second this moment comes my mind goes blank!!! But then, the adrenaline kicks in and i just start out of nowhere coming up with different ideas, and the best part is they work and perfectly with our ferry backdrop. YES!

After our formal pictures, the party begins and I can start to take my job a little less seriously. I was of course a guest and it was time for me to relax a little and rely some more on my second photographer. Not fully of course but enough to eat and dance a little {maybe have a drink or two as well}. We all moved outside after dinner and got ready for group shot, toasts, and a lovely sunset first dance on the outside deck. It was PERFECT!!! We moved back inside and the real celebration took place. Father/Daughter dancing, and Mother/Son dancing. There was a cute moment during the Mother/Son dance where the groom started to shed a tear. If you know the groom, this is probably a rare occassion yet it was so romantic and beautiful. His boys jumped in, being that they all have a great relationship with his mom, and the dance turned into a big family hug. We all tried to get the bride in there but she being the sweet girl she is, she didnt want to take away a moment away from his mother. We encouraged her to jump in there and it was like a passing of the torch moment. JD started hugging Whitney and his mother passed her boy off to his new woman!!!

We all danced and were merry and before we knew it, the party was over. My first wedding was complete and it couldnt have been better with any other couple. I love you JD and Whitney. Ive known JD since high school and I met Whitney since they started dating before she was legal to drink and back then who would have ever known I would have been able to not only share this special moment with them but doccument it for them to LOVE ALWAYS!!! I feel special and appreciate this opportunity and little do you guys know, you have officially jumpstarted my dream! Thank you and of course I wish you nothing less then the best and a long happy future! :)))

Now for pictures:

i had more pictures i wanted to upload but it was taking too long!!! but be sure to keep up with my website www.lovealwaysphoto.com and my facebook page