17Jun

Destination wedding at a Palm Springs desert resort

By, June 17, 2011

Even though San Diego is an incredible location for a wedding, some San Diegans actually seek awesome spots elsewhere to tie the knot.  Our friends Laura and CK chose the legendary Riviera Palm Springs Resort & Spa for their destination ceremony and reception. This stylish venue features ultra-contemporary decor, pool-side cabanas, and garden villas.

While we were shooting, we took full advantage of the modern textures, chic decor and luxurious atmosphere of the resort. You can really see these details and the venue’s color palate come alive in the wedding images. Of course, photographing such a beautiful and energetic couple made the photos all the more eye-catching! The weather was absolutely perfect, and as Laura stated, “for a two hour drive, it feels like you are a million miles away on vacation”.

Take a minute to read what Laura had to say about Palm Springs, their wedding colors, details from the ceremony, and a bit of her own advice for brides-to-be!

We chose to have our wedding at The Riviera Hotel in Palm Springs because of the absolutely perfect weather in the desert in April.  We wanted to make our wedding a weekend long event, and be able to have all of our guests hang out together outside by the pool and enjoy themselves for a few days, rather than just the wedding day. This is a boutique hotel, so it was a great size for our 110 guest count. It allowed us to interact with all of our guests during the days leading up to our wedding.

True Photography Wedding Photography San Diego: Nighttime wedding recption Riviera Resort and Spa in Palms Springs

 

We used the colors champagne, white and blush pink to give a classic, simple and natural feel.  Our flowers were elegant, and were very dramatic in the context of a natural garden setting.

True Photography San Diego: during wedding ceremony with pink bouquet and wine pouring ceremony

We wanted our wedding to be romantic but modern, clean, and not too overdone. We wanted to incorporate the outdoors with flowers and sunshine into our ceremony, and carry that element indoors (with a modern twist) for our reception.  We wanted our guests to feel comfortable, yet chic and classy to allow for a beautiful wedding in a fun atmosphere.

San Diego Wedding Photography: Modern Rivierta Resort in Palm Springs reflection in the mirror of bride and groom San Diego Wedding Photographers: Red wedding at Riveriera Hotel in Palm Springs

 

 

 

My most memorable moment from our wedding day was when I stepped around the corner to enter our ceremony. I held my Dad’s arm and felt like I was floating off of the ground.  The sight of our ceremony was just heavenly! Sunlight was just beginning to set, and the sun was streaming between the trees and mountains. Between the soft sounds of our acoustic guitarist playing a sweet song, the flower petals scattered on the aisle, and the flowy white fabric on our altar just softly blowing in the breeze, it was like a dream. I could have floated down the aisle as I saw my groom waiting for me at the end with a huge smile.

San Diego Wedding Photographers photograph father and bride walking down the aisle with guitar player

I have so so so so many favorite pictures from the day, but this is definitely one of my favorites. It captures our happiness right after the ceremony and is just full of love.  It is so artistic with the sun shining through the back and the low angle.  It is absolutely beautiful.

San Diego Wedding Photography bride and groom during ceremony with sun shining in Palm Springs


I can not say enough wonderful things about True Photography for making our wedding photography experience absolutely perfect! We were so excited to get to work with Aaron and Michael. It was an absolute pleasure. They are extremely professional, and have such great talent and personality. I appreciated all of their communication with me leading up to our event to create a customized fabulous day. I greatly enjoyed working with them, and would absolutely recommend them to any bride!

San Diego Wedding Photography captures bridal party on pool table at Riviera Hotel in Palm Springs

A TIP FROM OUR BRIDE:
As cliché as it is, and as many times as you hear it, the honest truth from a brand new bride that just went through it is….the day truly and honestly goes by in the blink of an eye. All of your hard work and energy and planning and love going into that day all comes together before your eyes and it is amazingly overwhelming – in a great way!  Take a few moments to step back and look at everything. You will only have a few chances to reflect with everything going on, so really soak each moment in.  This, along with your wonderful photographs, will be the only memories you will have. So cherish and hold onto them for a lifetime.

 

Photographer: True Photography

 

31May

10 Unique, Simple Props to Make Engagement Shoots “WOW” Worthy

By, May 31, 2011

An engagement shoot is all about creativity! It doesn’t have to be posed and formal, although we would suggest a few portraits as well. It makes Mom and Dad happy too ;) This is an opportunity to showcase your personalities, while showing your love for each other. Whether you’re going for a romantic setting in nature, a goofy shoot with lots of color, or working with a contemporary backdrop, the right prop can add a special touch that makes your engagement photos memorable. Props can be easy to come by – you can find and use simple items that you see everyday. We seek inspiration in almost anything, from fruit at a farmers market, to a tea set in an antique shop, to a pile of leaves in nature. The possibilities are endless!

1. BUBBLE GUM

San Diego Wedding Photographer: True Photography captures popping bubble gum on face and laughing during engagement photo shoot in San Diego
Aaron of True Photography: “Anna and Ryan are a fun couple, so we wanted to make sure we captured their goofiness. Whether it was Anna popping bubbles in Ryan’s face, or the two of them cruising down the street on a tiny child’s bicycle and rollerblades, we were able to encompass their personalities in a creative and colorful way.”

2. A CIGARSan Diego Wedding Photographer: True Photography during a night shot on a bridge smoking a cigar for a cool effect

Aaron of True Photography : “To create the mood lighting was everything. We back-lit the image to create a nice rim. We didn’t want to over-pose the shot, as there was already plenty of mood with the environment. If we over-posed the shot, it would have quickly gone from cool to cheesy. Linda and Steven definitely pulled off the look :) “

 

More Fun Ideas…

3. A SIGNSan Diego Wedding Photographer: True Photography captures couple in front of red barn with a sign as a prop

4. PICTURE FRAMESSan Diego Wedding Photographer: True Photography captures John Spanos, Director of College Scouting for the San Diego Chargers, playing with empty frames during engagement shoot

5. A BALLOONSan Diego Wedding Photographer: True Photography captures girl floating away with red balloon on the beach during an engagement photo shoot in San Diego

6. LETTER BLOCKSSan Diego Wedding Photographer: True Photography captures laughing couple holding letter blocks during engagement shoot in San Diego

7. AN UMBRELLASan Diego Wedding Photographer: True Photography captures Meghan and Cheyne from the Amazing Race 15 holding a guitar and umbrella during engagement shoot with props

8. BICYCLESSan Diego wedding photography: True Photography captures a couple riding bikes in the street during engagement shoot in San Diego

9. A BOTTLE OF CHAMPAGNESan Diego wedding photography: True Photography captures popping champagne during engagement shoot in the orange fields

10. AN ICE CREAM SUNDAESan Diego wedding photography: True Photography captures couple sharing ice cream at a diner during a retro engagement shoot

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For over twenty years, True Photography has set the standard among San Diego wedding photographers for innovative, stylish, and timeless imagery. As well, when you are seeking a San Diego corporate event photographer, True Photography leads the way with creative and powerful event photography. Each photographer is hand selected for their creativity, technical knowledge, and charismatic personality. We invite you to view each portfolio, and select the photographer who will best capture your vision for your big event. Your San Diego Wedding Photographer – your San Diego Event Photographer – True Photography. Whether it’s San Diego Wedding Photography or San Diego headshots, or San Diego Events, True Photography will deliver. Check availability: [email protected]

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