On Monday, September 6th, we were in Laguna Beach at the beautiful Pacific Edge Villa for the wedding of Natasha and Steve (last names withheld by request).
The villa had just been completely remodeled and looked amazing! And, by “villa”, I mean, this was really a gorgeous three-story house right there on the beach. The ceremony and reception dinner were held on the beach-facing deck and the dancing was inside the lower-level.
As with many modern-day wedding couples, Steve and Natasha elected to do a “reveal” or “first look” of each other prior to the ceremony, where we documented the first time they saw each other in their wedding attire. This allowed us to not have to rush after the ceremony to get all of the formal portraits that they wanted, since we were now free to get many of the shots of them together with the bridal party prior to the ceremony.
The day was overcast, but not gloomy. It was actually perfect for an outdoor wedding in that the thin layer of clouds acted as a giant soft-box in the sky to provide even soft lighting, rather than the harsh shadows and blown-out highlights you may see in photographs taken in bright sunshine.
Steve and Natasha had a dove release at the end of their ceremony. There were two doves in a cage of their own, one each for the couple to release, followed by about 20 other doves that were released from the rear of the seating area. Ironically, as the officiant was just starting to mention the doves and how they were a symbol of love, the two doves in the front cage began pecking at each other, causing the guests who saw this to chuckle somewhat at the timing.
Their cake was meticulously-designed with a nautical theme to match the beach setting — and it tasted delicious too! The beautiful floral arrangements for their wedding were crafted by Everyday Flowers of Tustin.
