Another thing that was great about Liz and Gary’s wedding was that Gary’s side of the family had (mostly) come over from the U.K. to attend.  It was nice to discuss the fickleness of March weather in London with Gary’s sister, which is a topic that doesn’t usually come up in most weddings we shoot.

The fact that almost everyone had cameras was also something to be happy about.  Some photographers are annoyed by masses of people with point and shoot cameras, but how can it be bad for friends and family to want to take pictures of loved ones?  As a fan of photography, there’s not really any way that I can protest this.  Sometimes it means that we need to do a bit more maneuvering, or shout things like “look over here for a moment!”, but that’s a small price to pay.  After all, the wedding is about the families and friends, NOT the photographers.

Having other people taking photos also helps in some ways – it’s sometimes easier to get the close-up, unguarded shots of the happy couple if their attention is elsewhere!

Anyway – this particular wedding took place on the beach at dusk, and was a very quick ceremony, punctuated with bikers and joggers on the path directly behind the ceremony site.  Some of them kept right on going, some of them stopped to watch.  I think I would probably have stopped to watch, too.

The officiant was unique as well – her stole was festooned with a variety of colorful patches – one for each wedding she’d taken part in.   I think one of them was an ear of corn, and I’m kind of sad that I didn’t get the story behind that one.

On to the photos!

Liz and Gary got married on the beach in Santa Monica, which is rather farther than our normal shoots, but we took it on because a) traveling is fun, and b) Liz was referred to us by my friend Sora, who I’ve known since high school.  Sora lives in South Korea but was taking an online writing class that Liz was also attending, and happened to mention that she was getting married, and the result is the photos you see below!

I shot this one solo, as it was logistically impossible for both me and Rebecca to be in Southern California at the same time, and while it was certainly different than shooting as part of a team, I think it turned out great!

I also enjoyed taking the bride’s Getting Ready shots, which is something that Rebecca usually handles, although that meant that I couldn’t get shots of Gary doing his Getting Ready thing.  I’m sure he’s pretty broken up about that…

This wedding was about my great aunt Barbara and her new husband Fred, but I’d like to think that my great uncle Frank was there as well, in spirit if not in body.

Frank was a pretty amazing guy.  When I was a kid, he and Barbara owned an almond farm in Modesto, and Frank taught me how to drive a tractor and an ATV, which was pretty much the most incredible thing in the world for an 8 year old boy.  He could also wiggle his ears.  Actually, FLAPPING would be the correct word. He was always smiling, always had a quick comeback, and was a genuinely good person.

He and Barbara were very active in their church, and when Frank was diagnosed with cancer, everyone just sort of pulled together.  Barbara and Frank’s friend Fred was there to help as well, being there for whatever was needed.  When Frank finally passed away, Fred was there then, too.  And then, after a time, Barbara and Fred fell in love, and got married at the church that meant so much to all of them.  And everyone came. Everyone who knew Barbara and Frank and Fred.  There were so many people there that they had to bring in extra chairs, and people were standing in the back and spilling out into the hall.

Because love crosses all boundaries, and is not hindered by time or experience or sickness.  Sometimes it’s a surprise, and sometimes it’s something that’s been there for years without anyone realizing.

To close, here are some famous words from Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet about love:

Love gives naught but itself
and takes naught but from itself.

Love possesses not nor would it be possessed;
For love is sufficient unto love.

When you love you should not say, “God is
in my heart,” but rather, “I am in the heart of God.”

And think not you can direct the course of love,
for love, if it finds you worthy, directs your course.