I think Raul’s best man said it best when he observed that, “one thing [he's] always been amazed with with Raul and Anne is how just in love and how happy they are.” We’ve only know them for a short time but it couldn’t have been more obvious to us how true this is. That sense of anticipation and happiness from Raul and Anne throughout the morning really made it such a joy for us to watch and capture.

After hair and makeup was completed in the bridal suite atop the Manchester Grand Hyatt’s tower, the party headed over to the beautiful Immaculata Church at the University of San Diego for the ceremony. With nuptials complete, we all headed back to the Hyatt for an amazing reception crafted by the ever-so-talented Alexandra Rose Lee of AR Affairs. This was definitely a reception to remember. There was even a live mariachi band! Need I say more?

Congratulations to both of you, Anne & Raul!

Vendors:

Coordinator: Alexandra Rose Lee (AR Affairs)
Photographers: Darryn & Brett (Darryn St. John Photography)
Venue: Reshma Singh (Manchester Grand Hyatt, Downtown San Diego)

The day started on the 39th floor on the Manchester Grand Hyatt overlooking the bay, Seaport Village, and downtown San Diego. There’s definitely something to be said for having a spacious bridal suite when you need to squeeze in family, bridesmaids, photographers, cinematographers, make-up artists, hair artists, and of course, the bride herself. Thankfully, there was room to spare!

When Priya and Harsha where finally ready to see each other for the first time in full regalia, we all headed out to the grassy peninsula behind Seaport Village. The smiles on their faces at that first glance were priceless. After that they went off with the photographers for pics with family and friends. Shortly after, it was time for the barat. Now, I’m no equestrian…but the horse that Harsha rode in on was enormous! Very impressive.  Once the parade reached the bride’s family, the whole party proceeded up to the 3rd floor pool deck for the ceremony. Being that this was late September and San Diego, it was of course ridiculously hot outside but that didn’t seem to deter anyone from enjoying this beautiful ceremony.

The reception was no less spectacular. Taking place in one of the Hyatt’s huge ballrooms, the night was packed with great food, a live band, and even a special choreographed performance from a group of guests. Overall, it was an amazing day and we felt blessed to be a part of it. Congratulations, Priya & Harsha! We wish you both the very best!

Featured On: MaharaniWeddings.com

Vendors:

Coordinator: Sonal Kapadia (Sonal Kapadia Events)
Venue: Reshma Singh (Manchester Grand Hyatt, Downtown San Diego)
Photographer: Tony Florez (Tony Florez Photography)
Band: Donice Watkins (Go Big Daddy Band)
DJ: Nishant Kotecha (3D Sounds)
Lighting: Jack Hou (TMM Pro)
Officiant: Dilip Bhatt

This past Saturday we had the pleasure of filming the wedding of Jim and Stefanie! Both were such amazing people with equally awesome friends and family. That, combined with the fact that both the venue and reception locations were new for us, made for an all around fun shoot. We started the day bright and early at the Navarro residence overlooking Old Town and Mission Bay. While the guys enjoyed some beer, go-carts, and miniature golf, the girls were hard at work getting their make-up and hair done at Jim’s parent’s house. Okay…maybe “hard at work” is the wrong term. They leisurely enjoyed having their hair and make-up done while catching clips from movies like Father of the Bride in between.

Once the entire bridal party was ready to go, they all jumped into a sweet trolley car waiting outside the house to take them down to the Church of the Immaculate Conception in the heart of historic Old Town. Both the church and ceremony were perfect…and gave us the opportunity to use our new 135mm lenses (which were amazing). After the ceremony, we were whisked away to the Natural History Museum at Balboa Park. Until Jim and Stephanie first came to us about filming their wedding, we didn’t even know you could have weddings at the Museum. So awesome!! They started with the cocktail reception on the roof with a fantastic view of the park. Later, once all the guests had made their way to the ground floor and found their seats, Jim and Stephanie descended the stairs to make their grand entrance. They immediately went into their first dance which was an incredibly classy waltz to Sparks by Coldplay. That pretty much set the tone for the rest of this “night at the museum”

Just as the locations were stunning, the team of vendors was equally impressive:

Wedding Coordinator: Catherine Bachelier Smith of CBS Weddings
Photographer: Paul Barnett of Barnett Photographics
Cake: Michele Coulon Dessertier
Florist: Grand Floral
Band: The Tijuana Dogs
Caterer: Urban Kitchen Catering
Venue: Rachel de Quesada of the San Diego Natural History Museum