I checked into to my nice suite at the newer smoke-free Signature tower at the MGM and then headed over to Amy’s amazing Skyloft Suite. So after some fun getting ready pictures, we headed downstairs to wait for the 30 passenger party-limo-bus that had been ordered. Only problem was it wasn’t there. So after about 45 minutes, it shows up and the driver was nervously trying to figure out how to operate the controls of the bus while driving and talking on her cell. Just as we approach the highway, the limo shuts down and we find ourselves stranded on the side of the highway. Amy rolled with the situation better than any bride could have. Sure there was disappointment, but her friends are way to fun to let it ruin her night. So party on the side of the road until Caffeinated Dan showed up with the relief party bus.

We arrived at Graceland Chapel and I was bummed that I wasn’t allowed to take any photos during the service. But it was really cool to just hang and be a guest and experience Elvis serenading Amy as he walked her down the aisle. It was over before we knew it and back on the bus headed to the MGM party suite. A good time had by all.

Check out the Video below:

Denise and Fred had their destination wedding at Turtle Beach in Sarasota Florida. A beautiful white sand beach and popular vacation spot. It was one of the hottest days I’ve ever experienced shooting. I think my black camera body seared my lip like a piece of Ahi Tuna at one point, but hey anything for these guys!

I first met Denise on the set of a David la Chappelle photoshoot in the Bahamas and he just so happened to be a guest at her wedding. And it was nice for me to see him again after all these years. I used to work with David and her brother Fred for several years and I attribute that time as my greatest learning experience. So I was honored to get the call to photograph Denise’s wedding.

Denise looked gorgeous and despite the sweltering heat, we made the best of it and got some really fun photos that day.  They held their reception at Ophelias on the bay and it was a beautiful backdrop for their reception. The next day we hit Siesta Key Beach  for their Trash the Dress photoshoot for their world famous white sand and aqua blue water..and dragonflies! It was crazy. Hundreds of dragonflies seemed to come out of nowhere as soon as we started taking pictures. Very surreal. We gave a show to the tourists who couldn’t believe Densie would run into the ocean in her dress. Some were shocked while others cheered us on. It was awesome and I always love TTD photoshoots.  It was a fast trip and I look forward to going back to explore the area and enjoy the beach a little more next time.

Click Play below for Album Slideshow

Here is a design we laid out for their wedding album.

Christina looked beautiful and D.J. Alfred was looking pretty sharp himself. Alfred had given his groomsmen these awesome backpacks as groomsmen gifts and James and I were jealous. We staged a lovely reveal moment and had Christina walk down the grand staircase to meet Alfred below. It was very sweet.  We were happy to work with Kerry,  wedding coordinator extraordinaire, from De Luxe Weddings & Events. She kept the day flowing smoothly and was a pleasure to work with.

For anyone checking out Temecula Wineries, definitely check these guys out first!

Wilson Creek Winery 35960 Rancho California Rd. Temecula CA 92591

To view other Temecula Weddings, email us.

info@chrisschmittphotography.com

Monette and Erick are very sweet together. In fact the whole bridal party were just really nice and we enjoyed photographing them. After the ceremony we headed downtown to the Disney Concert Hall in hopes of grabbing some pictures if we got a break in the rain. We waited for a mere drizzle and began taking pictures fast before the next set of clouds.

Monette and Erick had a great crew of vendors working the wedding. For starters, one of my favorite Videographers, Daniel Boswell, owner of  Imagique. He brings videography to a whole new level. It’s truly wedding cinematography.  He does “same day edits ” where he shows edited footage with music from the actual wedding day to the guests while dinner is being served. It’s truly incredible. And each time I see him play these slideshows, the brides are in tears! A big thanks to the coordinators from A Classic Celebration who were wonderful helping us throughout the day. And last but certainly not least was the infamous DJ ZAN from Awesome Entertainment. He too is just one of my favorites and guarantees to rock the house!

Here is a preview of the album we have laid out for them.

Speaking of gorgeous… we had yet another beautiful bride Megan, who despite a mostly rainy day, kept a positive attitude and married her marine Ryan. I really enjoyed photographing these guys engagement session in Santa Monica. I knew from that day that Megan could and would “work it” for the camera. And they were great. We ran outside for 10 minutes while we had a break in the rain to get some fun shots..jumped in the wet golf carts and made the best of a rainy mess. But as you can see from the pics, they were in great spirits.

I was really touched by Ryan’s toast to Megan. I don’t want to sound judgmental, but it just wasn’t the kind of toast you’d expect to hear from a United States Marine. It was so heartfelt, sensitive and real. Hey, I’m man enough to admit that I still get choked up at most every wedding and Ryan, all I can say is ” I love you man!”

The beautiful flowers were provided by Jackie Combs , wedding coordination by Briana Folkes and Videography by one of my favorite guys in the biz, “the Feev” at imemory films.

Sherwood Country Club

320 W Stafford Rd
Westlake Village, CA 91361
(805) 373-6884

Contact Chris Schmitt Photography – 805.222.6064

The beautiful album we have put together is here:

A special thanks to Gail from GG Events , coordinator extraordinaire, who is a true professional and was a pleasure to work with.We had myself, Andrea and James there to cover this event from three perspectives and we didn’t miss a moment. This wedding party was just hilarious and they were a tight group of friends who had  some rather unique traditions…like “mooning” the camera whenever they are together! Let’s just say it made for some great photos..but I’m not posting them here.

Our elegant gorgeous bride Alexandra

I love this shot.

What a group of characters. I love black converse and of course the Bruce Lee posing

I love this moment of dad “handing his daughter away”. The firm handshake says it all!

My favorite moment of a wedding. Couples take a deep breath and for the first time can actually relax and enjoy the moment. All the planning and stress leads to this moment.

Beautiful picture that James caught

Contact Me: 866.803.9585

Ritz Carlton Laguna Beach

One Ritz-Carlton Drive
Dana Point, California 92629
Phone: (949) 240-2000

]]> http://chrisschmittblog.com/2010/01/ritz-carlton-wedding-laguna-beach/feed/ 0 http://chrisschmittblog.com/2009/10/bacara-wedding-photography/ http://chrisschmittblog.com/2009/10/bacara-wedding-photography/#comments Thu, 22 Oct 2009 05:04:51 +0000 admin bacara bacararesort tiffany tiffany barbara ryan alex ready http://chrisschmittblog.com/?p=793 We had the pleasure of photographing Ryan and Tiffany’s wedding at the beautiful Bacara Resort in Santa Barbara. The Bacara is the epitome of luxury and a photographers (and brides) dream wedding location. The first thing I noticed as we pulled into the large circular driveway was the beautiful fountain. I knew I wanted a picture of these guys in front of it at night. We met Alex, the event coordinator, who was awesome to work with and she graciously gave us a quick tour of the property before we began shooting.

As I was walking around Bacara I just kept getting inspired for picture ideas and I was looking for the right place to stage the “Reveal”. The Reveal , or First Look, has really become a popular addition to the wedding day and we love it when a couple decides to add this moment. It allows us to have more time with our clients for creative picture taking and we are able to photograph the majority of family pictures before the ceremony. This is great for both the couple and their families who wish to enjoy some of their cocktail hour with their guests.

I began taking pictures of Tiffany and her bridesmaids who were getting ready in the suite. They were such a fun group and it’s always funny to see the difference in 8 girls rushing to get ready vs. 8 guys getting ready. I sent Andrea over to take pictures of the guys and she found Ryan enjoying his gift of a fine bottle of Johnny Walker Green Label 15 year old scotch with his boys.

Next came the moment of them seeing one another for the first time that day and it was staged perfectly. That set the tone for the day as we enjoyed the ceremony on the bluff overlooking the ocean and the beautifully decorated reception that followed. Great tunes by DJ Matt Gudis kept the crowd dancing in a separate candlelit lounge room after dinner. This area was so cool with a dance floor, sofas to lounge in, and even an outdoor fire pit. I loved that setup.

Thanks Ryan and Tiffany. We had a blast!

Slideshow Below Click Play to begin.

Below are some of our favorite wedding pictures from the day

The gorgeous bride

The Cool Groomsmen

The Hot Bridemaids

Fun Wedding Party!

Bacara wedding ceremony location

Contact Me

BACARA RESORT & SPA
8301 Hollister Avenue

Santa Barbara, California 93117

weddings@bacararesort.com877.422.4245

]]> http://chrisschmittblog.com/2009/10/bacara-wedding-photography/feed/ 0 http://chrisschmittblog.com/2009/09/mountaingate-country-club-wedding-brad-jacquie/ http://chrisschmittblog.com/2009/09/mountaingate-country-club-wedding-brad-jacquie/#comments Fri, 18 Sep 2009 20:13:47 +0000 admin mountaingate jacquie brad club table tickets country mountain http://chrisschmittblog.com/?p=762 Brad and Jacquie got married at Mountaingate Country Club which is one of our favorite locations to photograph weddings. Most weddings at Mountaingate CC take place on the back lawn overlooking the fairway below. It’s a gorgeous view and we’ve often seen deer running around at twilight which you don’t expect to see so close to the 405 FWY!

Brad and Jacquie are so cute together. They surprised all their guests with an unbelievable dance-off as part of their grand entrance and first dance together. Then there was a dance-off that the guests had to participate in as well. The sexiest man from each table was chosen to show his moves in front of the crowd. It was a close competition and the cool part was they really were giving it their all!  Another really cool moment followed when all the guys at the weding surronded Jacquie as she sat in a chair and proceeded to snap their fingers and serenade her acapella to ‘My Girl’.

The reception courtyard at Mountaingate looks amazing at night with all the white lights hanging above the dance floor. The guest placeholders were made to look like airline tickets which told them which table to sit at. Each table represented a destination where the two have traveled together.

My 2 tickets just said “Paradise” … Get it? … Ok I’ll just stick to taking pictures.

Other Mountain Gate Weddings we’ve recently photographed

1. Monica + Hugh

2. Deta + Elliot

3. Alan + Erica

Contact me

Written by Andrea:

Few couples are as cute as these two. Their chemistry and sense of humor is awesome! They got married at the lovely  Westlake Village Inn in Thousand Oaks CA. James and Angelica, our two amazing studio photographers, caught so many incredible moments and helped me capture the entire day. The Westlake Village Inn provides so many unique locations to shoot at and it’s definitely one of our favorite places to work at.

Erin and Eric had a wedding party of 18 ! We say the more the merrier! Eric and Erin surrounded themselves with truly sweet people – the laughs and love were non-stop. After a touching and traditional ceremony, the party was on! Our bride and groom, should become choreographers for other wedding couples! Their dance was so well choreographed and fun, the entire room was on their feet! Another highlight was the mother son dance, which was sung by his sister with a solo guitarist in tow. Not a dry eye, including us.  And not long after, they both were up in chairs with the traditional Hora dance. The room was jumping old and young alike.  I’m sure these two will continue to love and laugh well into their golden years!

A big thank you to Dana Bresin from DB Creativity who coordinated the wedding. She rocks!

Contact Me

Westlake Village Inn

31943 Agoura Road

Westlake Village, CA 91361

(818) 889-0230