We’re at our first stop – Los Angeles. Yesterday we toured Venice beach and enjoyed being tourists! I played street ball on the famous basketball courts and am proud to say I dunked on a guy. Then we found a man was wearing a fox on his head that looked like it could be True’s cousin. So True had to take a closer look :)
Today, I will be photographing a rehearsal dinner at The Tavern Restaurant in LA, which is famous for its beignets (a Louisiana-style pastry). Check back for more updates soon!
We have been photographing for many years and always go through the wedding timeline about one month before the big day :) The rehearsal's intention is to ensure that the bridal party, couple and family know when and where they are to walk down the aisle. As photographers, we will be in position and will be ready to capture the event as in unfolds. As for photo opportunities, we suggest saving the ceremony pictures for the actual wedding day.
Many couple's will have a rehearsal dinner afterwards, which we are more than happy to photograph. It is a nice opportunity to capture really fun images, as well as a great way to get to know the entire family better before the wedding day. The rehearsal dinner rate is counted as regular booking time, and there is a two hour minimum. If you are wanting coverage of the rehearsal dinner, we suggest you add the number of hours needed for the dinner to the total wedding day hours when booking us online at this link.
When you book us for a rehearsal dinner shoot, we guarantee that it will be photographed by one of our True photographers on our team. Also, whenever possible, we try to have your wedding day photographer be your rehearsal dinner photographer, depending on availability.
In order to photograph Jessica and Dan’s November wedding, we headed out to the beautiful islands of Turks and Caicos in the Caribbean. It was important to this lovable couple to make sure that their guests felt connected and comfortable in the tropical surroundings. So Jessica and Dan organized a list of events and activities to entertain guests throughout the day. By the time the couple walked down the aisle, everyone felt like family!
We hope you enjoy the images below. We’ve also included stories from Jessica about her beautiful four-day wedding celebration.
My family has a house in Turks and Caicos, and it’s always been an amazing getaway for me. When Dan and I got engaged, we knew we didn’t want the pressures of a local wedding. It only felt right to head back to Turks, which is where we took our first real vacation together. There’s just something about it that we wanted to share with others.
Day 1 – Horseback riding on the beach with the wedding party and then a dinner hosted for all guests at my Mom and Stepdad’s house.
Day 2 – Four hour snorkel excursion, followed by a rehearsal dinner for all attending guests.
Day 3 – The Big Day!
Our wedding was meant to be a fun, small, and very casual beach wedding. Everything was on the sand and just a few feet from the ocean, even the dinner tables. We decorated using a lot of natural elements, such as starfish, sea shells and sand.
Destination weddings can be complicated, but what made the difference was that I had a wedding planner. This is a must with destinations! To make sure the event had our signature touch, I pulled together images we liked – from the exact flowers to the setup of the dance floor. We had a few blips, but that’s just how it goes… and you can’t get upset when you are having the time of your life. When it came down to it, it was an easy experience.
If I were to go for a little humor, I would say the most memorable moment was the speedo couple that stood there in the background posing behind our ceremony shots. When I finally saw the couple as we were doing our vows, Dan and I started laughing. Of course, once it registered that they were in our shots, I tried to wave them on, but they weren’t having any of that. The guy in the speedo literally just shrugged his shoulders and gave me a “What?”. Aaron got a great shot of them posing for the camera during our vows. It was pretty hysterical and we all laugh at it still today… Although I still kind of want to punch that guy for staying that long.
I have so many favorite moments… roasting marshmallows, snapping Polaroids, playing limbo, and strumming an air guitar on the dance floor. Dan even split his pants during some goofy dance moves! We had such an amazing time at our wedding. Aaron, along with Jason from Taylor Films, captured the great moments.
I think the one thing that stuck in my mind was that everyone was having a blast. We have friends and family that met through our wedding that still keep in touch today.
It is so hard to choose our favorite photos from the day. I think the one of us holding on to the ceremony canopy and looking at each other is my favorite. The colors are amazing and it looks straight out of a magazine. I also really love the one where I have my arm around my Dad, and Dan and I are clinking glasses. It’s really sweet. Dan’s favorite is the one where we are kissing on the bench.
Our experience with True Photography was perfect. What I wanted out of a photographer was another guest who would get along with everyone, have fun and support us. That’s exactly what I got!
To view more images from Jessica and Dan’s wedding, click here!