Maravilla Gardens Wedding | Jecel and Benedict

 Maravilla Gardens provided the most perfect backdrop for Jecel and Benedict to celebrate their wedding with their closest friends and family. The whole day was absolutely beautiful and we couldn't have scripted it to be any better. 

Jecel and Benedict's unique story began in the Philippines and they were acquaintances at school, Benedict always had an eye for her. However it wasn't until they were in the US that they were reconnected and Benedict started to pursue Jecel. 

After starting their careers and getting established in Los Angeles, Benedict couldn't resist proposing to her and we are so excited Benedict didn't give up.  They make life seem so easy with their carefree attitudes. 

When they told us they were holding their wedding at Maravilla we were so excited as it fit their personalities to the tee. From their bridal and groom preparations at local Airbnb's to their first look in front of Maravilla Garden's barn, to their intimate outdoor ceremony filled with their closest friends and family, they closed out their wedding celebrating with an open air reception filled with music and dancing. 

We wish Jecel and Benedict only the best! 

Be sure to enjoy these images! 

If you or someone you know is planning on getting married at Maravilla Gardens, please let us know how we can help photograph your wedding!

Jecel and Benedict opted to see each other before their ceremony and as you can see they could barely hold in their excitement! The rustic garden area in front of the barn provided the best location for them to sneak a few private moments to themselves! :)

Jecel and Benedict put so much effort and energy into their wedding details. The rustic look definitely added a personal touch to their wedding.

Casi Cielo Events and Flowers made the reception tables stand out with a hint of yellow to accent the centerpieces, cake and head table. 

Frost It Cakery did not disappoint with their beautiful cake topped with Jecel and Benedict's theme "Best Day Ever"!

After their first dance, we took them out to the fields behind Maravilla to catch the beautiful sunset and cap their wedding day with some intimate, couple portraits!

We hope you enjoy these as much as we did photographing them! If you're looking to get married soon, I encourage you to contact us to see how we can serve you on your wedding day!

We look forward to hearing from you. :)

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FEATURED WEDDING VENDORS:

Wedding Venue: Maravilla Gardens

Wedding Florals: Casi Cielo Events and Flowers

Photography: Chris Holt Photography

Videography: Brett Munoz Photography and Video

DJ: Elegant Event Entertainment

Wedding Cake: Frost it Cakery

Photobooth: Bouquet Sound

Beverly Hills Civil Ceremony | Priscilla + Alfonso

Priscilla contacted us about a week before their wedding at the Beverly Hills Courthouse and let me know that the photographer she initially hired had not followed up with her and she frantically asked if we could photograph their upcoming wedding. 

With the intimate weddings we have photographed over the years, we understood where she was coming from and I told her since we were available that we would be able to take care of her and her wedding. I asked her what these images meant to her and she expressed to me that they would mean the world to her. 

She also told me her children would be a part of their wedding and I made sure to incorporate them as much as I could into their wedding images. They also created Priscilla's beautiful bouquet, her daughter's flower crown and her son's boutonniere by hand. The extra personal touches definitely made their wedding that much more special. 

After their ceremony, we took Priscilla and Alfonso around the courthouse and the Beverly Hills City Hall area for their family and bridal portraits. They definitely rocked it out and we couldn't have asked to have more fun with them!

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El Matador State Beach Surprise Proposal | Katelyn and Andrew

It's always a surprise when we get an inquiry for a proposal and we absolutely love doing them. We don't always promote them, but we love them for the authentic emotions each one brings. 

When Andrew called us and let his know his plan, we couldn't happier for him and his soon-to-be fiance, Katelyn. They were actually visiting from the New York area and since they were out in Malibu Andrew wanted to pop the question in one of the most beautiful places in Southern California. We couldn't blame him and we absolutely loved his ideas. 

As a photographer, it's always hard to know when the question will be asked. We know how nervous the guy usually is and we're so anxious to see their reaction so we're patiently hiding and to be honest it feels a bit "stalker-ish". I mean we're running around, hiding behind rocks, bushes, etc trying not to blow our cover, yet be ready for "that moment". 

When Andrew texted me that they arrived, we waited for them to come down to the beach and since Katelyn had no idea who we were we still wanted to keep a safe distance so we didn't blow Andrew's plans. 

After about what felt like 20 minutes of running around the beach, quietly following them from a reasonable distance, we say Andrew get down on one knee and Katelyn's emotions broke through. She was so ecstatic and we couldn't be more happier for them! 

Andrew definitely knew how much his girl loves the beach and he picked the perfect spot to propose. We were so glad to be a part of their story so far and here are a few images to show how it went down. Simple, yet perfect. 

Have a wonderful day and enjoy their surprise proposal!

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California Country Club Wedding | Beverly and Sergio

Beverly and Sergio are pretty special to us as they love to enjoy every moment and take things in stride. For example, on their engagement session we ventured all over Downtown LA and they were absolute troopers to venture into some of the most unique areas in the city. Soon after they saw their engagement images, Beverly told us that the engagement session actually made them feel closer than ever! We weren't sure how to take that, but it made us feel good that not only did we have fun on their engagement session, but we had a significant impact on their relationship up to that point. 

On their wedding day, they were super excited and so comfortable with each other in front of our cameras. Their intimacy and emotions were so natural it made for a wonderful day. 

Although it rained a bit during their ceremony, California Country Club lent itself to a beautiful backdrop for their ceremony as well as romantics around the private and exclusive country club. We felt like we had the whole course to ourself and Beverly and Sergio absolutely rocked out their wedding from beginning to end. 

We can't thank them enough for giving us the honor and privilege of photographing their wedding. We hope you enjoy these highlights and please make sure to give them love in the comments!

While Beverly was getting ready at her venue, Sergio was getting ready with his dad at his nearby home.

Beverly and Sergio opted for a first look before their ceremony to spend a few intimate minutes together in the courtyard. 

Beverly and Sergio hired Plaza String Quartet to play during their ceremony. It was such a beautiful touch to begin their day. If you're looking to add live music to your ceremony, I highly recommend them!

After the ceremony, we headed out around the property for romantics and although you can't see their faces, I took this quick candid of Beverly and Sergio in the rain with her veil flowing and her parasol up. I don't know why, but it's one of my favorites from their wedding.

First dances are pretty special to us as part of the reception as it allows for some intimate and wonderful images between our couples while everyone is looking on. We also get to feature the ballroom and the details that our couples chose to have for their wedding.

We love highlighting our couple's relationships with their parents, in this case during the father-daughter and mother-son dances. The closeness our couples have with their mothers and fathers are super special and to be able to highlight this on their wedding day is absolutely priceless.

The live music Beverly and Sergio had throughout there wedding day was remarkable and definitely added a vibrant feel. Each musician played their hearts out to everyone dancing on the dance floor. They literally rocked it out all night!

Wedding Resources

Wedding Venue: California Country Club

Wedding Officiant: Rev. Rosie

Live Music: Plaza String Quartet

Live Music: Chris Murray Combo

Photography: Chris Holt Photography

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Descanso Gardens Engagement Session | Emilie and Dave

Emilie and Dave are people after our own heart!

Dave called us one day and quickly let us know he read the info on our website and he asked where our favorite ramen place was. It caught me off guard because our clients typically begin asking about photography, our style and so forth, but he really wanted to know our recommendations! I knew we were going to hit it off really well when we had a discussion on the Lakers, Japanese culture among other things and we spoke on photography for about 5 minutes out of a 2 hour conversation. 

He told us about their wedding plans and as we photographed at Storrier-Stearns Japanese Gardens he wanted us to photograph their upcoming wedding there. They happen to love Japanese culture as much as we do and they wanted to include that influence in their engagement and wedding images. 

So they opted to have their engagement session at Descanso Gardens in La Canada (right outside of Los Angeles) and we had so much fun in the different garden areas. 

We can totally see why Emilie and Dave are meant for each other. They're totally smitten with each other and if Descanso Gardens didn't close, we could have photographed them all day!

We hope you enjoy these images and look out for their wedding highlights. If their engagement session was any indication, their wedding is going to be one for the books!

Congratulations you guys and we can't wait to rock out with you guys!