On Sunday, October 31, 2010 (Halloween), we photographed what was a very special wedding for us because it was the wedding of long time friends Cherina Hardiman and Joseph Emery.
Cher and Joe have been together FOREVER. In fact, the day after their wedding, November 1st, was going to be their 10th anniversary since becoming a couple! So, everyone kidded them that it was about time that they made things official.
Joe had proposed to Cher at Tom’s Farms in Corona earlier this year during a Mother’s Day Festival. Although they had already casually discussed getting married, and even had a conflict-free yellow diamond on order, you know, “just in case”, Joe, after many beers, got up the nerve to approach the stage where band The Onesies Twosies was performing. He asked if he could borrow the microphone to ask his girlfriend to marry him, and the band happily obliged. So, Joe got up there, pointed Cher out, and asked her to be his wife. With “awws” and applause from the crowd, Cherina quickly accepted with, “Yes, Thank You.” – a response that will forever serve their memory with laughs and giggles — and then ran back to her seat! From there, they set the date, picked out a ring for her diamond, reached out to us for their photography, and then found the perfect venues to host their ceremony and reception. After that, everything else fell perfectly into place!
Cherina got ready in a suite on the 14th floor of the Embassy Suites Glendale, where she had a really cool view of the city and this unique little window nook with a floor to ceiling view that was the perfect setting for some of her bridal portraits. Cher was such a radiant bride!
From there, we met up with Joe, looking quite handsome in his tux, just before the ceremony started at Casa Adobe de San Raphael & Park, also in Glendale. About 85 of their closest friends and family witnessed the sunlit ceremony. Afterwards, we took advantage of the beautiful garden surroundings and captured some family portraits and fun bridal party photos.
Finally, it was time for the reception! Cher and Joe had told us what a cool, chic looking venue Palladio of Glendale was, but we honestly had no idea that it looked like this! Uh, can you say, “GORGEOUS!”? And the staff was awesome! Cher and Joe had opted for a “family-style” dinner, meaning there was going to be FOOD, FOOD, and more FOOD all night long! And the servers were on top of things, super friendly and always smiling! The tables were constantly stocked with food, and drinks never went empty. I’d say “family-style” was a hit! And after dinner, things really got going! The DJ, Scott, another friend of Joe’s, kept the party going late into the evening! As evidenced by these pictures, a fun time was had by all!
Cherina and Joe’s Video Testimonial
Saturday, November 27th
I had previously posted a blog entry with photos and info on the engagement portrait session that I shot for Joe Emery and Cherina Hardiman on August 29th (HERE). Well… during that session, on the spur of the moment, we decided to also film some video snippets and see what we’d get.
I didn’t have my good off-camera mic with me, so I ended up just using the mic built into my Canon 5D Mark II DSLR. Except for an occassional bit of noise from the wind on this day, it came out rather well. And, in the end, I was able to put together a pretty cute little piece for them.
At one point in the middle of the video, Joe tells the story of how he proposed, with Cherina offering color commentary. This video definitely shows off their personalities and how much they are meant for each other.
I look forward to photographing their wedding this Sunday (October 31st). Enjoy!
On Sunday, August 29th we had the pleasure of photographing engagement portraits for Cherina Hardiman and Joe Emery in the Chinatown area of Los Angeles.
Joe and Cherina are such a fun and lively couple. They are truly a perfect match, as evidenced by their many years of coupledom! We can’t wait for the wedding on October 31st (Halloween)!
