Gift giving is never easy. Especially on your wedding day. John had a heads up from his mom that Molly was getting him something special, REALLY special as a wedding gift on June 27. In fact when John asked his mother for a hint on just how special it would be, Mrs. Chace was pretty blunt.

“Molly reached into your soul,” she warned.

A little back story: John had to sell his drum set when he and Molly moved in together at their Huntington Beach apartment. John plays both guitar and drums, but it was the latter that he loved more than just about anything. They were a huge part of his life and passion. The replacement electronic drum set that he got just didn’t quite cut it. When he had to let go of his set, it was a sacrifice that did not go unnoticed by his fiancée. (No spoilers here but hint, hint).

After receiving the tip of an impending gift of a lifetime, John did some soul searching of his own in an attempt to come up with something of equal significance. He didn’t need to look much further than his fast approaching wedding day for the idea of something special. He had the brilliantly romantic idea of a gift that would help Molly remember all the details and mementos that made it special. It made for a couple of pretty emotional moments on June 27, when the two opened up their gifts. We’ll let you watch for your self.

We’re not surprised that John and Molly knocked the whole soul-searching, gift-giving escapade out of the park. From our first Skype meeting with them it was obvious how much they cared about and understood each other — right down to the each other’s soul. (One might we call them soul mates? We digress.)

Congratulations to our good friends Mr. and Mrs. John Chace, we had a blast being a part of it. As one bridesmaid so astutely noted that day, Molly and John’s incredible day will live on in Internet Land with one of the coolest wedding hashtags we’ve ever seen (and we see a LOT of cool hashtags, we promise).

We’ll leave you with that, for indeed #theChaceIsOver for Molly and John.

The rolling hills, gentle breezes and sloping lines of vineyards that envelop Temecula create a beautiful backdrop for a wedding, but all of that grandeur took a backseat to the intricacies that made Danielle and Sammer’s wedding on June 13 so special.

They’re a couple who is all about the details: the flowers, little cards and notes, homemade desserts, customized rose gold and Damascus steel (lined with rose gold) rings, ceremonial sand from their respective cultures  — every little aspect of the wedding was layered in symbolism unique to the couple. That’s one of the reasons we couldn’t wait to sift through all the footage from their day; there were so many stories and laughs shared that the hardest part was just picking which ones to show.

Danielle and Sammer truly are perfect for each other, right down to the last detail on their rose gold wedding rings. We know our friends have a wonderful life ahead of them after a day that they (and we) will certainly never forget. We hope you enjoy this glimpse of June 13; we’re hard at work on the full feature and we can’t wait to share it with you soon.

If there’s one thing we love, it’s a good story.  That’s what makes a day like Cayla and Chad’s so incredibly special for us, and we couldn’t have been more excited to be a part of it.

Pelican Hill is truly one of those slices of paradise in Orange County. Perched some 300 feet above Newport Beach on a 500-acre mediterranean-inspired landscape beset with century-old olive trees, the resort offers sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean and California coastline.  It was to this gorgeous resort that Chad invited then-girlfriend Cayla to a weekend getaway in December 2013.  He’d arranged the weekend stay at the villa, limousine rides, candlelit dinners — all the romantic necessities were in place.  Way to go Chad.  Cayla had a feeling the question was coming that weekend — Chad had asked for her ring size several weeks before— but still admits the moment caught her by surprise.

The pair were standing beneath the arching rotunda — Cayla snapping photos of the sunset over Catalina— when Chad asked Cayla to turn around for a moment. There he knelt on one knee, ring outstretched.  The photographer he’d hired to hide in the bushes crouched nearby, not-so-subtly capturing the surprise and beauty of the moment (again, way to go Chad).  Cayla, after overcoming the initial shock, of course said yes.  So nervous and excited were the couple-to-be that evening that neither of the self-proclaimed foodies were able to eat.  That says something.

That incredible evening, setting and really the entire weekend were all so fittingly perfect of the fun and loving couple that Chad and Cayla are.  That’s why we were thrilled to find that 18 months later, Chad and Cayla decided to return to the same spot to begin their life together as Mr. and Mrs. Kurthy.

As the day approached, there was growing concern that the intermittent showers passing through Southern California would put a damper on an otherwise beautiful day.  Downpours ensued the night before.  Umbrellas were ordered as a backup plan.  The day arrived with clouds and intermittent morning showers.  But the clouds cleared and the sun shone through as Cayla and Chad said their vows beneath the very same rotunda Chad had proposed at a year and a half ago.

We’d like to echo the remark so eloquently put by the officiant during the ceremony:

“They started this journey in December 2013 and its a great thrill to share this special moment with them at the very place where this journey began.”

 

Ian marches to the beat of his own drum. no seriously. . . . . . any guy who eats an Elvis Sandwich (Peanut butter, Bananas and Bacon) in lieu of a formal reception dinner on his wedding night marches to the beat of his own drum.

So it is no surprise that he chose Ashley because she is witty, caring, and can hold her own. The perfect compliment to Ian. . . . a witty, yet caring individual himself. While he and the boys kept the jokes coming all day, we know that his love for Ashley is undeniable.

At our first consultation, it was made very clear by Ian that wedding cinematography was not high on his list of priorities, but Ashley knew it needed to be a part of their day and thus, the challenge was born. We knew that this shoot was going to be unique in that these two have such a fascinating chemistry and Ian and the boys wouldn’t disappoint, so we couldn’t disappoint them. What we didn’t know was how well some of the story lines were going to play out, and for this trailer, it was the reoccuring theme of keys.

The guests were all given keys with their place cards as they sat down for dinner. Ian opted out of a wedding ring and had a tattoo of a key placed over his wedding finger instead. Ian gave Ashley a key necklace as his wedding gift to her. . . . and Ashley’s wedding gift to Ian??? Well, let’s just say it is the key to every man’s heart, lol. . . . and if you don’t believe me, check out the trailer and you decide for yourself.

It was great to work again with Jesi Haack from Jesi Haack Design. If you recall, we collaborated with her on Melissa + Eduardo’s wedding last summer. Also, a shout out to Janel Conlan from Focus Photography because she is always creative and a BLAST to work with. Mai from Bunch Studio rocked the florals and Eric from So-Cal DJ brought the beat.

Having met a little over 8 years ago at a college back east called Dartmouth, Chris + Meredith began a journey that has now committed itself to a lifelong adventure together. . . .

As we had our final meeting with this wonderful couple, they mentioned the idea of writing letters to one another and exchanging them before their first glance. Being that we are suckers for emotion, we suggested the option of reading the letters at the first glance, but before they actually saw one another. The opportunity to build up the suspense as they stood back to back and took in each other’s words from the heart was something we had to take advantage of.

Set against the beautiful mountain backdrop of Palm Springs, this wedding boasted not only a beautiful venue and a breathtaking locale, but a fantastic pair of families now joined through the love and connection that is Chris + Meredith.

A Very Special shout out and thank you to Vanessa Preziose of Vanessa Preziose Photography for rockin’ it and allowing us to share the shoot alongside her all day.