Meet Brett and Becca… Two of the most beautiful, real life Barbie and Ken’s I have ever met – inside and out! I will be honest, up to this point I had never had the pleasure of photographing an LDS wedding, so when Becca’s beautiful mama reached out to me, I really didn’t know what to expect! In fact, I can still remember when we spoke me asking her: ” Have you checked out my website? Did you see I have tattoos? Did you read the ABOUT ME section? And being the most adorable mama that Lisa truly is… she laughed and said ” Honey, we’re Mormon… we’re not dead!” It was that very moment that I knew this was going to be a perfect new adventure for me, and I was super excited to learn all about how LDS weddings worked!
A few weeks later, I met up with Lisa and her gorgeous daughter, Becca, the bride to be, at the LDS Temple in Newport Beach, so that we could walk the grounds and scout out where we would take the family pics and bridal portraits. I must say, I was completely intrigued… Lisa and Becca told me the entire process of how the couples get “sealed” inside of the temple in a special, very intimate ceremony, where most of the wedding guests would not be present. Becca would wear a special, very simple, unadorned gown during this ceremony, and once the sealing was complete, she would change into her wedding gown, and then join her new husband to make an exit out of the backside of the temple, where myself, and all of her wedding party and family would be waiting to congratulate them! I can remember thinking that I actually quite liked this set up… I mean let’s be honest, most times the bride and groom are lucky to get even ten minutes to themselves the entire wedding day, so the thought of the having this very special, private ceremony, really sounded amazing!
A few weeks later, the BIG day arrived and it was time for these two cuties to officially start their lives together as husband and wife! I patiently awaited outside of the temple for Brett and Becca to make their grand exit, along with many of their family and friends… The door opened, and out came this truly stunning duo – hand in hand – beaming from ear to ear with the most beautiful smiles you can imagine! I can honestly say, they are one of the prettiest couples I know… and they are going to have some of the most adorable, toe headed babies for sure! For the next hour we would focus on the traditional family shots that are so prevalent in the Mormon faith. Large group shots in front of the temple with the entire extended families and wedding party, and then the traditional family portraits of both sides of the family with the bride and groom. Then it was time for the wedding party shots, and this is where I realized that Mormons really aren’t dead lol… This group of theirs was OFF THE CHARTS fun, and literally up for anything! I joked around with the groomsmen, and asked them if they were pumped up and ready to toss their lifetime friend, the groom, in the air, and without hesitation they all looked at me and said HECK YES! And within mere seconds, poor Brett was hoisted up and tossed in the air like a pancake!
After the wedding party photos were done, everyone but Brett and Becca, headed home to freshen up and get ready for the backyard reception planned at a gorgeous home in San Clemente CA. Let the fun begin… As I said earlier, up to this point I had never photographed an LDS wedding, so I wasn’t quite sure how this was going to go, as I tend to be quite loud and full of energy during the bridal portraits! For me it is all about getting my couples super comfortable and laughing, as the whole “posy posy” portraits are not my style… and in order to do this, I sometimes need to spice it up, if you know what I mean lol… Well, let’s just say that Brett and Becca were down for anything, and had absolutely no problem in this department… From kicking off their shoes and literally running through the temple water fountains, to hiking up huge glass windows, to dancing the afternoon away in front of the temple, these two love birds were in it to win it – and that they did… They KILLED it!
And now it was time for the reception! A few hours later, everyone arrived at the stunning Talega home in San Clemente, CA, where they would spend the rest of the evening munching on the yummiestย hors d’oeuvres you can imagine, and dancing the night away under the twinkling lights and a starry sky. I think one of the highlights of the evening for me was watching Becca’s younger twin brothers get up in front of everyone and play the ukulele while singing to their sister and her new husband. It was so touching, and you could just feel the insane amount of love this family has for each other. This family has some serious talent I tell you, and after watching Becca dancing with her fabulous parents all evening, it was obvious where it came from! ย Love was most definitely in the air – the love of Brett and Becca for each other, the love of all of their family and friends, and the love of ย life… It was surely apparent that this was one tight knit group, and by the end of the evening, I literally felt like I was one of them… a true part of their family!
So, thank you, thank you, thank you, Dove and Fisher families! Thank you for opening my eyes to the amazing experience of my very first LDS wedding! Thank you for treating me with so much love and care, and for making me feel like one of your own, and thank you for trusting me to capture such an insanely special and heartfelt day for your family. It was truly MY PLEASURE and honor to spend the day with such a killer family. Y’all are really the epitome of what “family” stands for, and I hope you know that you are a shining example of what real, unconditional love looks like…
Stay Tuned… Soon to be featured on Glittery Brides!
Chrissy xoxo