We were excited from the start for this wedding because we are always pumped for new venues and having never filmed at Balboa Park in San Diego, not to mention The Prado, so we were all in.

Just days before the filming of this wedding, we contacted Michael + Rachel’s amazing coordinator, Kelly from Mint Weddings (shameless plug: if you need a superior coordinator look no further than Kelly!), to go over the final timeline. It was then that we were told that Scott Russo from the band Unwritten Law was going to be singing an acoustic version of “Cailin” for their first dance.

Every year, it seems like more and more old friends are getting married and there is nothing more enjoyable than to have the opportunity to film those weddings. My friendship with Mike dates back to the fraternity days where it began as simply a Warden/AM experience (Sorry, Pi Kappa Phi Reference). For the rest reading this, let’s just say that I was a “Pledge” and he was in charge of the “Pledges”. Enough said.

Of all the people I met along my path through fraternity, I do have to say that Mike is without a doubt one guy that I have always had the utmost respect for. Truly a stand-up individual with all the qualities of a great man, and I was humbled that he would ask us to film his wedding.

As several years have passed since the good ol’ days, Mike is still the same great guy and thus it is clear why he ended up with Christine. They are truly deserving of one another and it is clear they “dig” each other. I found this song by Incubus to be perfect for their trailer, as it is not only a song they chose, but one that is very reflective of relationships in general. . . . and to be honest, it’s just fun to edit to. 🙂

Enjoy!
-Steve

I first started communicating with Elizabeth almost a year before her wedding. She was looking for a distinctive look in her wedding film and was having trouble finding it locally. We must have exchanged 25 emails before her and Jon decided to take a leap of faith and put their trust into our hands for the big day.

Well, if that isn’t pressure, I don’t know what is, but I must say that I have yet to meet a more gracious and hospitable couple. It is so ironic that we only had to fly across the country to find them 🙂 When we first met with Elizabeth to go over the day’s events, she was so easy to work with and she even gave us the quick nickel tour of our surroundings. . . . and when you are in Boston, you’ll take anything you can get! Every building, every street, every crevice in Boston has a story. . .

Jon + Elizabeth were married in the heart of Boston, which gave them the opportunity to have their portraits taken in front of a 500 foot long reflection pond and the stunning architecture of the Church of Christian Science Headquarters (Home of the Christian Science Monitor). The scenery was jaw dropping and needless to say, our minds were running a million miles an hour with ways to shoot this one.

A couple of other fun details, Jon is an enormous Red Sox fan, of course, if you hang out in Boston long enough (and you don’t originate from New York), I’m not sure how you couldn’t be a Red Sox fan. So we added a few fun “sox” touches to this highlight, including iconic Fenway Park. Also, the two exchanged gifts before the ceremony. Jon coughed up the coins for a beautiful Tiffany’s solitaire pendant necklace and well, Elizabeth. . . . . . she gave Jon a “for his eyes only” kind of gift (Had to promise we would shoot him opening it in silouette :-).

It was a shame we only had the opportunity to spend a few short hours with Jon + Elizabeth, but it was time well spent and we feel honored to have had the opportunity to fly over 3000 miles to document such a wonderful wedding.

A quick shout out to Catherine from Catherine Morris Photography. What fun to work with and if you are looking for a photograher in the New Hamshire area, she gets our vote for sure! She is coming out to California in February and we hope to meet up at that point to catch up!

One of the most intriguing aspects for me about the wedding day is the history and strong family traditions and values that are ever present at each shoot. When Kiki’s father spoke about what it meant to him to give his daughter away to Jake, it simply reinforced my belief that a strong family is such a great foundation for the beginning of a marriage.

It was evident both on their wedding day as well as the rehearsal dinner that both Kiki and Jake come from very tight knit and strong families. Traditions played a big role in this wedding and they were exemplified in all the details. From photographs of grandparents in a locket on the bouquet, to a grand entrance capped off with their college fight song, Jake and Kiki didn’t miss a thing.

My personal favorite to this highlight is the Vespa parked out in front of the Balboa Bay Club. While we have the opportunity to share in many couples’ special day, I have never seen a Bride and Groom drive off at the end of the night on a Vespa, and as they say, “Just when I think I’ve seen it all. . . . . ” you get the idea.

A very special thanks to Jim Kennedy from Jim Kennedy Photographers. We randomly had the opportunity to work together twice within a month, so that was definately a treat as he is always a pleasure to work with!

Also, thank you to Lisa Moon from Lisa Moon Events for moving the evening along just as planned. A good coordinator is worth her weight in gold and Lisa is a great coordinator!

So here are the wedding day highlights from jake ♥ kiki, enjoy! 🙂