rooftop wedding ceremony Archives -

23Dec

Ultimate Skybox

By True Photography, December 23, 2017 Venue Guide

Highlights of The Ultimate Skybox

Located high above the city on the top floor of East Village’s DiamondView Tower, the Ultimate Skybox (aka the Skybox at DiamondView Tower) is a stunning showcase for some of San Diego’s most breathtaking views. Overlooking Petco Park, the venue sits in the heart of Downtown, within walking distance to many of the area’s popular destinations. When planning your Ultimate Skybox wedding, we suggest reserving time for portraits during the wedding day. This way, we can take incorporate a blend of city and nature landscapes by visiting the Gaslamp District, or cross the Harbor Drive Pedestrian Bridge for waterfront views of the San Diego Bay.

As the day transitions to night, guests can party late into the evening while admiring the venue’s mesmerizing 180-degree view of the glowing Downtown cityscape. The venue’s diverse range of unforgettable views, Metropolitan aesthetic, and proximity to the water make it a fun, unique location for any modern downtown wedding.

Night photo of bride and groom overlooking Petco Park and kissing

Known for its iconic view of Petco Park, the rooftop at the Ultimate Skybox is an intimate location that offers a wide variety of possibilities.

Bride and Groom on rooftop during sunset at the ultimate skybox

For a completely different look, we took Justine and Danny out during sunset to capture the beautiful city, and Point Loma in the distance.

Night portrait of bride and groom looking out over city during wedding reception

Facing north provides a view of the Skybox itself.

Solo portrait of bride and groom alone at the Ultimate Skybox

When photographing, we love utilizing the modern design of the Skybox and often look for ways to incorporate the building itself into images.

Black and white portrait of wedding couple with bridal party in lobby of ultimate skybox

Portrait of wedding couples outside lobby of ultimate skybox in downtown

The building's exterior also offers a dramatic option for photos. For the images above, we used the same location but created two completely different looks by switching focal lengths and shifting our angle.

Stylish black and white portrait of groomsmen walking in garage at the Ultimate Skybox in Downtown

Even on a rainy day, the Skybox has a number of locations to get creative with.

Aerial photo of Petco Park and Downtown San Diego

From the park, we like to head over to Petco Park on days without games. Within walking distance, the park provides lots of natural foliage as a contrast to the Downtown urban landscape in addition to an up close and personal view of Petco.

Bride and groom pretend to play baseball outside field at petco park

Bride and groom surrounded by flowers at Petco Park

Wedding couple pose with bridal party under brick opening at petco park

For a classic dose of San Diego culture, Petco Park is a great location for incorporating your love of the Padres and Downtown. The park within the park also includes a a mix of local restaurants and bars with a cross between modern and classic architecture.

Bride and Groom against wood wall at Petco park

From the park, the streets surrounding the Ultimate Skybox offer a diverse range of colorful backgrounds with a metropolitan feel.

Groom picks up and kisses bride in middle of street by dances in downtown san diego

Wedding couples with modern architecture in downtown san diego

Bride and groom sit laughing on balcony at bar

While walking, we always keep our eyes out for new locations to add a more candid, casual look to things.

Bride and groom embracing in front of grey wall with veil blowing in wind on wedding day

Portrait of bride and groom on their wedding day in downtown san diego

Wide angle photo of two brides embracing on bridge in downtown

Bride kissing groom outside wall at Luce Loft in Downtown San Diego

Individual photo of bride and groom alone on wedding day

With so much condensed into the area, Downtown provides an eclectic mix of classic and modern backdrops for different looks and styles.

Wedding couple with bridal party at sempra energy building

Wedding couple with their bridal party stand outside red doors at fire station in downtown

Bride and Groom kiss in carriage under gaslamp sign in downtown

Just around the corner from the Ultimate Skybox is the iconic Gaslamp Quarter sign and nearby Hilton Gaslamp.

Wide angle photo of bride and groom kissing on bridge at hotel

Bride holds onto Groom in front of petco park at harbor street bridge

Wedding couple with bridal party under arches at the convention center

The nearby sculptures at the Convention Center also provide lots of open space and fun, natural props.

The Skybox's proximity to the water also makes it a great location for couples looking for a balance of city and waterfront views.

Bride and bridesmaid overlook balcony and cheer at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront

Exterior photo of wedding reception at the Ultimate Skybox

At night, the Skybox provides a completely different look with new colors and energy.

Night photo of bride and groom on balcony of Ultimate Skybox

Beyond the city lights, the rooftop's balcony features a fireplace which acts asu00a0a fun prop with multiple ways of photographing creatively.

Bride and Groom kiss under fireplace at the Ultimate Skybox

Stylized night portraits of wedding couple at Petco Park in San Diego

Night photo of Bride and Groom walking in rain with umbrella in downtown

Candid portrait of bride and groom with cotton candy

Bride and groom kiss on pedestrian bridge next to petco park

Environmental portrait of bride and groom kissing on stairs at modern library in downtown

same sex wedding couple hold hands and walk on grass at Petco Park

Stylized portrait of bride and groom kissing by blue door in downtown

Outdoor roof ceremony at the Ultimate Skybox

The Ultimate Skybox Wedding Photography

As preferred photographers of The Ultimate Skybox, we photograph weddings here frequently :) If you are considering a wedding at this venue, we are happy to talk over specific photography questions. We also suggest checking out more of our Ultimate Skybox wedding photos.

20Jan

Hard Rock Hotel San Diego: An Amazing Race Wedding!

By True Photography, January 20, 2012 Weddings

After writing blogs about so many awesome engagement shoots and weddings, it’s time to share the story of my own big day! About two years ago, my now-husband and I went on a life-changing adventure around the world on the CBS reality show, The Amazing Race 15. Being chosen for the Amazing Race was always a dream of ours, and we feel so fortunate to have won the whole thing. Only a few months after winning, we were engaged. We knew exactly who we wanted to photograph our once-in-lifetime celebration – True Photography! And the story gets better… not long after hiring True for our wedding day, True Photography hired me onto the team! I absolutely love working with all of our brides and grooms, and sharing their weddings on our blog.

Check out the January cover 2012 cover of Exquisite Weddings Magazine to see one of our favorite photos by True Photography! I hope you enjoy the recap of my wedding at the Hard Rock Hotel. Feel free to let us know what you think!

Cheyne and I knew from the beginning that we wanted our wedding to be a party. We wanted our guests to feel like this was an all-out celebration of “Team Meghan and Cheyne!” We chose the Hard Rock because we felt that it was a contemporary venue that optimizes the “rock star” party atmosphere that we were going for. We stuck to a color palate of dark blues, shades of gray and a touch of white. I wore a Romona Keveza dress and the bouquets by Blush Botanicals were beautiful with white peonies and anemones with deep blue centers.

We’ve always loved the Beatles, and because our wedding was at the Hard Rock, we incorporated a music theme throughout the festivities. We hinted at the Beatles in our invitations, which were screen printed with guitars and tied with “All you need is love” tags. There was even a Beatles guitar pick tab on the inside of the invites. We also played “All You Need is Love” as the recessional song during our ceremony. And of course, we couldn’t leave the Hard Rock without Aaron getting a great shot of us in front of the Abbey Road wall.

Cheyne and I were born and raised in San Diego, and have been friends ever since elementary school. San Diego was an easy choice for the location of our wedding, but we wanted it to be in an energetic atmosphere that was representative of us. We chose the rooftop of the Hard Rock Hotel, overlooking the buzzing downtown crowds during a Padres game at Petco Park, in the heart of the Gaslamp.

We also wanted to somehow represent our adventures on the reality show at our wedding. We had clay characters made of us in our backpacks and outfits that we wore on the show to top our cake from Sweet Cheeks Bakery! The escort cards were mini passports that lead guests to their tables, which were named after locations we traveled to on the Race, along with a picture of us completing a challenge. Not to mention, six of the 18 members of our bridal party were contestants we competed against on the show, and have now become friends for life!

To add to the party atmosphere, a custom monogram dance floor and dramatic draping was set up in the Legends Ballroom by Concepts Event Design. Also, Tim Altbaum Productions amped up the excitement with tons of uplighting, a light show, and a video DJ that allowed guests to watch music videos on the big screen as they danced the night away. Our centerpieces by Blush Botanicals worked perfectly with the feel of the room. Everything was better than we could have imagined, as people of all ages were breakin’ it down on the dance floor!

What I’ve always loved about True Photography is the way that color and emotion is captured in each photograph. Because our wedding was in the hands of True Photography and Aaron Feldman, we knew we had nothing to worry about but having fun. I feel so lucky to have these photos to remember the details of our wedding day, and I’m equally proud to be a part of a company that provides that gift to every bride and groom who chooses True Photography.