Weddings by Dave

Kristy and Greg's Laguna Beach Wedding

2010-09-13T19:52:00.001-07:00

It's was a beautiful day at the Ritz for Toronto natives Kristy and Greg's destination wedding. They are such a cute couple and everything went perfect under the coordination of Gail Garceau and the fine people at the Ritz Carlton. I'll let them explain how it all came together in their own words...

"We first saw each other at a friends birthday dinner. We were at opposite ends of the table when we noticed each other however we never met that evening. We left that evening thinking about one another and were hoping that we would run into each other again. It wasn't until a year later however that we ended up at the same place and it was then that we were actually formally introduced. Greg asked me out for dinner and we have been inseparable ever since. 5 Years later, we celebrated our dream destination wedding at the stunning Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel in Dana Point, California which was perfectly fitting with Greg being in the travel business. Greg is daring, spontaneous and some may say I am the opposite, cautious and a planner. However we don't see ourselves as opposites attract, rather the perfect team who has it all covered. We describe each other as warm, caring, loving people who cherish family and friends. Thus naturally we fell deeply in love with each other and truly enjoy and cherish spending and sharing every moment together. We are so excited to be starting our life together as man and wife".

Check out this slide show of the wedding with the music from their first dance...

Lara and Patrick's Wedding

2010-07-07T17:50:00.001-07:00

The wedding and reception took place at the beautiful (somewhat secluded) Temecula Creek Inn. I'll let them explain how it all came to be "In their own words"

"We met when we were both brought along as security dates for our friends. Well things didn’t work out so great for them but defiantly did for us! Over 5 1⁄2 years, 3 military deployments, 1 horse, 2 wedding dates and many laughs and good times later we are getting married….finally! Pat is a Marine helicopter mechanic and Lara a high school special education assistant. We have lots of hobbies like wine tasting and hunting, and two very different ideas of “horse power,” Pat has a Harley and Lara an actual horse. We keep very busy and entertained! Where a small town Massachusetts country boy meets city girl from Southern California and are, as Pat puts it, “as inseparable as peanut butter and banana!”" ~Lara & Patrick

Jessica and Dale Story

2010-02-02T19:54:00.001-08:00

This story begins with their engagement session and "In their own words"
We met like many couples do, we met through friends. When we first met we became the best of friends. We would talk all night long, laugh and carry on, and we were always having such a great time together. I was captivated by her. When she was around she was the only person I wanted to be near and when she wasn’t around I was calling her to find out when she would be. I have grown so much with her and I love her more today than I did yesterday and I know I will love her more tomorrow than today. She is the love of my life, so for that matter I suppose we get a fairy tale ending.

When their wedding day finally arrived, mother nature decided to show her power by delivering record amounts of rain and even tossed in a tornado for fun. After Jessica and I discussed a plan B for the photos she hit a home run with the Hyatt Resort in HB. They were so kind to let us use their beautiful indoor facilities to get some awesome shots. I've known Jessica for many years and she is so sweet that it was fitting for this to come together for her and Dale. The little cutie you see is their daughter Madison and I mean she is adorable.

Hailey and Eric got Married

2009-10-27T10:29:00.001-07:00

Another beautiful day in paradise as Hailey and Eric exchange their vows. If you've read my previous post you pretty much know all about Hailey and Eric so now I present to you some of my favorite shots from their wedding.

In their own Words

2009-10-08T21:24:00.001-07:00

This is my very first installment of "In their own words" where my clients write about how they met and fell in love.
"Hailey and I went to the same high school but we didn't know each other until the end of her senior year. We met through mutual friends and when Hailey moved away to college in San Diego we kept in touch. She would come back to Orange County during the summer; we would hang out and ended up becoming good friends. We got to know each other pretty well and decided to start dating. It started off casual and grew into something special. We have been together for little over 4 years and in February of this year I popped the question in font of her family and mine at the Cannery restaurant in Newport Beach. We are both excited and happy to have you be our photographer and share in our wedding day with us".
This Saturday Hailey and Eric will show their love for each other as they look into each others eyes and exchange vows.

Natalie and Scott's Wedding

2009-09-12T08:18:00.001-07:00

The wedding was held at the brand new local paradise Terrenea located in Rancho Palos Verdes on the site which use to be Marineland. Natalie and Scott both looked fantastic and the ceremony on the cliff was absolutely beautiful. I loved the Bohemian Californian Chic theme designed by Joyce and Jay at L.A. Botanicals. Afterwards the live band cranked out the tunes as family and friends danced the night away in celebration.

This was the first wedding I've photographed where their dogs were actually guests at the reception. Seriously, they were dancing and enjoying their beverages from a glass. If you don't believe me just check out the slideshow.

Natalie and Scott's E-session

2009-08-27T13:43:00.000-07:00

Now this is a funny story.

In May, my good friends the Schumacher's invite me on their boat for another weekend on Catalina Island. While there in Two Harbors having fun dancing and drinking a couple of Buffalo Milks (local adult beverage) we hook up with a fun couple Natalie and Scott doing the same thing.

As we sit down for a friendly chat and get to know each other I find out their getting married in August. I congratulate them on their engagement and jokingly ask them if they need a photographer (hahaha). To my surprise they had yet to book a photographer. I proceed to give them my card and they were kind enough to call and set up a meeting. They chose to do their engagement session at the beautiful Greystone Mansion in Beverly Hills with their four dogs (love those dogs).

Click here if you would like to see the signature book for their wedding.

FYI...No you're not allowed to have dogs on the property ;)

Photo Sharp Shooters

2009-08-05T09:28:00.001-07:00

Thanks to all of you who took time out of your busy lives to share a Photoshop experience with me. Sorry for the late start due to technical issues but I really had a fun time hanging out with you. I moved along at a quick pace but I hope you took home some ideas for your next project.

I like this photo Kelli sent me (I can deal with all the chins)

This was the image we worked on for that natural makeover.

Some of my new friends from Photo Sharp Shooters that made it into the photo. Hope to see you all again soon.

Free Photoshop Retouch Seminar

2009-08-01T16:13:00.001-07:00

I've just returned form a camping trip and I'm going to host a Photoshop retouch (mini) seminar called "Jack it Up". Photoshop can be an overwhelming program for most photographers so I'll walk you through my file prep from start to finish to create that showcase image...

I know what you're thinking, THAT'S AMAZING ! Truly incredible but we'll be starting off with something that's actually possible. Check out the nice people at Photo Sharp Shooters for all the details. A big "Thank You" to Nancy Ramos for the invite and Calumet for hosting the event. Not to mention Pro Photo for their continued support and services. Come join the fun !

Suann and Dave are all "Jacked" up

2009-07-09T16:47:00.000-07:00

Two very close friends of mine are finally getting married after several years of courtship. They decided to do their engagement session with Trooper and Bandit (pretty much their kids). These are two Jack Russell's with a mind of their own and we were not going to make them do anything they didn't want to do. So off we went to follow the dogs and take some photos along the way. It's always fun to hang out with Suann and Dave and the session went quite well. I look forward to the wedding and seeing all the family and friends we hang with.

Yes, we did do some shots of them without the dogs, but what's the point...

Hailey and Eric are getting Married

2009-06-05T11:07:00.000-07:00

This October Hailey and Eric will exchange vows and become husband and wife. An engagement session was in order so we headed out for a walk and shoot in downtown HB, talking about their wedding and enjoying a couple of laughs along the way. Eric is about two feet taller than Hailey with her petite frame and they are an extraordinarily cute couple. I look forward to seeing them all decked out and photographing their wedding.

Senior Portrait

2009-05-20T14:21:00.000-07:00

I receive lots of requests to shoot senior portraits to supplement the the boring smiley face shots provided by the school. Most of my clients don't really have any idea of what they want except something a little more interesting than what they have. With no plan and no special requests we head out to do a rush session with cousins Alex and Jordan. A walk and shoot with plenty of variety and a lot of laughs. Usually the guys don't enjoy having their photos taken so I just try to act cool and make it fun.

Sorry, I had a goofy Photoshop moment.

Carrie and Elliott are parents.

2009-04-24T12:53:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Carrie and Elliott on their first child. Before Roland was born, Carrie wanted to do a maternity session at her home while she was on bed rest. I've known Carrie for quite some time and I knew she had some body art so I was looking forward to something a little different during our shoot. I enjoy the "in home" sessions since it's a familiar and comfortable environment for my clients. Not to mention there are plenty of props and a variety of backgrounds (studio talk).

Love to be second shooter

2009-04-14T10:10:00.000-07:00

I had the pleasure to be a second shooter with my friend and awesome photographer Cindy Meadors.

Rae Lynn and Chris met up with Cindy at Rock Harbor and were so much fun to work with. We got off to an early start with plenty of time (rare) to do their photos. The timing for the wedding put our session right smack in the mid day sun but Rae Lynn and Chris went right along with the location we selected. All of their photos were taken before the ceremony and Chris was such a gentleman to help keep Rae Lynn at ease with her dress as we placed her in the jungle. It was so worth it. To top of the evening I was treated to some dance moves that had me laughing at the reception. What a perfect day !

Savannah and Brian's wedding

2009-04-02T13:16:00.000-07:00

I met Savannah and Brian at QSC where they both work. When she told me she was getting married and wanted me to photograph her wedding I was ecstatic. When she told me she was getting married at Rancho Las Lomas I was uber ecstatic. That place is a photographers playground for weddings. I wish I lived there (but then who doesn't) It was a calm Thursday afternoon with a mellow groom and a ham of a bride surrounded by the nice people I've met through QSC.

Want more, see their slideshow