I’ve been meaning to blog this for the longest time and am so glad to be finally sharing with you the amazing wedding of Amanda and Ryan.

I’ve never shot a wedding in Arizona before, let alone Scottsdale, and was so excited when my good buddy (and amazing photographer) Phillip Glickman invited me to join him! Amanda and Ryan were married on the simply breath-taking grounds of the elite Desert Mountain estates. Over a three mile drive from the front gate alone, this venue was gorgeous with a view you definitely can not get in Orange County!

I’ll admit, watching Ryan’s reaction to his bride walking down the aisle was nothing short of incredible. It instantly took me back to Erin and my wedding as I watched the tears well up in Ryan’s eyes as he saw the love of his life. (*Yes, I was a puddle when I saw Erin walk down the aisle…)

Not only are Amanda and Ryan beyond gorgeous together, but them and their families are simply the nicest group of people you will ever meet. Being around them made me miss Erin so much, so I drove all night so I get home

So I think that it’s taken us this long to fully absorb and process the first workshop we’ve ever hosted which went down this past Sunday here in Irvine. The TalkShop was a success!

The reason we even began to entertain the thought of organizing a day like this was not because we’ve “mastered” the art of wedding photography, or because we’ve made it “big”….because we haven’t….and we definitely haven’t. We put this day together because we were asked to, by a group of people who enjoyed hearing what we had to say when we taught a group of photographers at the SoCal Photog Shootout a few months ago (insert profuse sweating and nervousness here). Our first thought was “HA! Us? We’re new…yeah right. Maybe in 5 years…MAYBE”

Well Erin and I owe all of you our thanks who encouraged us to step outside our comfort zone and bring this together! It was such an amazing day filled with learning (on both sides) and sharing between a group of people who love what they do! We are so humbled by the feedback that we’ve received from the day, and are so glad that everyone took away so much! We definitely were hoping it wouldn’t be a snooze-fest

This day was aimed at photographers who are new to the industry and looking to start things off right and equip themselves to grow in their business and turn their passion into a profession! With guest speakers, a Vera Wang wedding gown, two amazing models, a location that was beyond incredible, and everyone leaving beyond excited about what they learned, Erin and I could not have dreamed for this day to have gone any better. It was so much fun meeting, talking, and laughing with everyone; we truly felt in the presence of great friends!

Our most sincere thanks to the amazing vendors and venue who helped this day be absolutely amazing:

Chic Celebrations | Weddings and Events
Gianna SanFilippo, Event Coordinator
www.chic-celebrations.com

Location: Maison des Oliviers

Rentals: Classic Party Rentals

Floral Arrangements: Desdemonia Gilbert

Decor and Accessories: Chic Celebrations and Tuvalu Home

ML Artistry | Hair & Makeup
Maria Longhi, Makeup Artist
www.mlartistry.com

Paul Von Rieter | Photographer
Paul Von Rieter, Wedding Photographer
www.paulvonrieter.com

Wedding Gown by Vera Wang via One Night Affair

Tuxedo
Mission Tuxshop

www.missiontuxshop.com

Models
Drew Wade Taylor & Priscilla Lynch

Also, check out some of the attendee’s blogs to see more images!

Paul Von Reiter

Jeremy Chou

Steve Chua

Maria Longhi

Lindsay Chavez

Jaemi Suh

The beginnings of this shoot began when talking with my good friend Henry Chen who said “hey wouldn’t it be fun if…” And you know some of the best stuff comes from just having fun. This occasion and this shoot were no different! Henry and I thought it’d be fun to have a couple (who’d already been married) get into a wedding dress and tux and have fun maybe getting some photos that normal wedding days don’t have the time to include. And instead of just hitting the streets, we looked for new and upcoming hotels in the area that were amazing for weddings and who were looking to make themselves known in the wedding world. Thanks so some digging by Henry, we found the AVIA hotel in Long Beach. A new boutique hotel with a stylish and modern feel. We loved it! We approached them with the idea and the hotel loved it! Our focus for the shoot was to show a prospective bride what her wedding day might look like at the AVIA hotel. It was such a great time!

Henry found a past bride who was eager for an excuse to hop back into her dress (and who could blame her!), and we were all set!

Gaby’s make-up and hair were by Muse Make-up Artistry; and lastly, her bouquet and Scott’s boutonniere were designed by Bella Fiore (they did the flowers for our wedding too!). Many thanks to you both for lending your talent and creativity!

Erin and I love doing these types of shoots for couples; we call these “Any Excuse” shoots because we’ve found so many brides look for any reason under the sun to get back into their dress, get beautified, and get more amazing photos without the hustle and bustle of a wedding day

Gaby and Scott, thank you so much for taking the day to hang with Henry and I, you were fantastic! After this I’m really looking forward to shooting at the AVIA soon!