One question that naturally pops up with our couples when the conversation gets rolling is, “How did you guys meet one another?”. We can say with certainty that though we have met with hundreds of couples, this was the first time that the answer was, “Kindergarten”.

Obviously, there wasn’t a 20+ year courtship in the romantic sense, but the fact that these two weaved in and out of one another’s lives over the course of a lifetime and came back together speaks volumes for their relationship and the concept of a soulmate. The longer we do this and the more stories we share, the more often we find that when couples let fate take over, what is meant to be will be. Such a boring and tired cliché, but seriously….the strongest stories and relationships that we have seen are always forged through years and one hell of a journey. Phuong and Vu are no exception.

Icing on the cake for this story was the element of the Vietnamese culture that was infused into the morning festivities. From a Buddhist wedding ceremony to the door games that are always fun, this wedding had a little spice of everything…even hand written vows for the American ceremony in the afternoon. Oh, and huge shout out to the bridesmaids for locking down the Facetime connection so Phuong could see the madness that ensued in her driveway as Vu fought to see his bride 🙂

Enjoy…

This is part II of a two-part series. If you didn’t have a chance to check out part I, be sure to take  a peek at the post by clicking HERE. Part II of this project took us to Culver City last weekend for the the “Cirque de los Muertos” themed party hosted by Herbalife. Again, a HUGEtastic shout out to Alex from Sterling Engagements who makes these parties possible. It literally takes an ARMY to put these events together and the fact that she managed to pull off two of these parties in back to back weekends astounds us. For this edit, we stuck to the theme and found an interesting remix to a piece of music that we love. Hope you enjoy the imagery!

Also, a huge shout out to our buddy Geoff Brouillette for helping to collaborate on this shoot with us. Couldn’t have done it without you and we certainly appreciate your help.

For those who follow the Fray, you’ll recall we did a shoot like this for Herbalife last year in Long Beach. This year, we took a trip with the Alex from Sterling Engagements out to Las Vegas for a party to top all parties. This year’s theme included acrobatic elements mixed in with a sensual flare that you’ll see further into the cut. If you check the title, you might see that this is a 2 part series. Shortly, we will be filming “Cirque De La Muertos”, another Herbalife party that will play off the popular Latino theme of the Day of the Dead. Be sure to check back soon as that edit will be up once we have it ready!

                              A quick capture of the room before the party got started.

                         The ice sculptures are always incredible attention grabbers

We LOVE Lauren and Paddy because they are willing to be themselves at all times, no matter the situation. So when Paddy decided to quote Homer’s Poem about Ithaca and Odysseus….EVERYONE including Lauren (watch her face BTW) groaned at the reception. . . and what we love is not the fact that everyone groaned, but the fact that Paddy just continued on with his toast as if the groans fell on deaf ears. We LOVE that. Moral of the story??? Be yourself, always….and people will respect you for that…even if you start reciting verses from books and poems we were all forced to read in high school. Paddy never missed a stride in his step and that says a lot about who he is as a man and the husband he will make for Lauren.

These two are always themselves and it shined through from preps to the party at the reception. As Paddy recited the poem about Ithaca, we saw so many correlations from their day and as you watch this, pay close attention as you’ll likely find plenty of symbolism between the shots that are inserted and what Paddy is saying. We attributed Ithaca to being like the wedding day originally, but as the wedding day draws closer, Ithaca becomes the love that Paddy and Lauren share. Ultimately, Ithaca transforms into a marriage and as time goes along, Ithaca will become a date that Lauren and Patrick set out for long into the future. That date is 2063. So often in life, we get caught up in the destination without pausing to reflect on how important the experiences we gain along the way truly become. For Lauren and Paddy, we are confident that they take those moments to pause and reflect and realize that their journey is just beginning. The wedding day is just the first step in the long road home to Ithaca.

Upon closing his toast to his new bride, Paddy made mention of their goal to get to 2063, 50 years of marriage. We have been privileged to film many weddings over the years and share in the biggest day of many couples’ lives. We can say without a doubt that Lauren and Paddy should have set their sights far beyond 2063 because if anyone is asking our opinion, their marriage has 50 years, and then some written all over it.

A very special thank you to Jeannie Savage from Details Details for introducing us to Lauren and Patrick. Always great to work with the wonderful ladies of the Details Details team! Also a big shout out to Caroline Tran, our newest photographer friend! Pleasure to shoot along side you, Caroline!

Dreams really do come true. This message resonates across so many stories and so many different experiences that one can have in a lifetime. Summer will tell you that this message pertains to not only her relationship with Travis, but also her love affair with Jesse….her beloved horse.

Not often do we have the opportunity to encounter a bride who is as passionate about horses as she is about her wedding day. Summer will have you know that the two could not happen without one another and this was the very reason why our filming began at 6:30am bright and early with Summer and Jesse on Saturday morning. For Summer, there is a calm that comes with horses and as for Summer and Travis’ story, this wedding day was the culmination to a story enshrouded in triumphs and tribulations.

Summer and Travis have known each other since they were children. Both of their fathers had a thing for boats…..really REALLY fast boats. So it was only natural that Travis would come over to Summer’s house to help her father, Don, work on the boats in the driveway. As it would be explained during their ceremony, Summer knew she wanted to marry Travis Richardson from the moment she laid eyes on him. Add to the mix Travis’ son, Talan, a fun and adorable 4-year old and we have the makings of an incredible story that involves two very in love and dedicated individuals, the building of a new family….and the inclusion of an incredible horse set to a scene filmed on location at the one and only Hummingbird Nest Ranch in Santa Susana. We are thrilled and excited to share with you, as it was seen at the reception on Saturday night, Summer and Travis’ Same Day Edit.

OH, and PS….be sure to watch until the end. Mr. Ed couldn’t have even timed this better if he tried…..

A very special shout out and thank you to Hallie Slade from La Bohéme event planning. We have known Hallie for a while now and she is INCREDIBLE at what she does. Not to mention, we had a blast working with Kori and the rest of the women from the La Bohéme team as well. Other big props go to Kyle Taylor, DJ extraordinaire. DJ’s are the unsung hero in these edits as amplifying through soundboards would not be possible without the DJ’s help. Kyle was truly extraordinary to work on Saturday, too!