“So what do you have planned for your birthday?” a friend asked me last year. “Actually, Tommy and I are shooting a wedding that day … and I wouldn’t have it any other way,” I replied with a smile.

It’s true. In my 2.5 years as a wedding photographer, I’ve spent two birthdays now shooting weddings and frankly, spending the day celebrating the union of two people in love couldn’t make me happier and more grateful for life and all its blessings. I honestly couldn’t think of a better way to ring in a new year than documenting one of the happiest days of a couple’s lives with a grand ol’ party 🙂

During my most recent birthday, Tommy and I had the honor of photographing Alfred + JoAnna‘s wedding celebration in Dana Point. The festivities began with a beautiful ceremony at St. Edwards the Confessor Catholic Church in the Dana Point hills, and later made its way to a gorgeous oceanview reception at Cannons Seafood Grill Restaurant in Dana Point. We had a great time photographing this fun-loving pair during their engagement session a few months prior, so we knew the Wedding Day would be epic. They are the sweetest couple and their families are simply amazing and so much fun! And as you’ll soon see in the photos … this bunch really knows how to DANCE!!! 😀

Before I share some of our favorite moments of the day, here’s a list of the wonderful vendors and information on the details that helped make this day so special for this awesome couple:

Wedding Ceremony: St. Edwards the Confessor Catholic Church, Dana Point
Wedding Reception Location/Caterer: Cannons Seafood Grill Restaurant, Dana Point
Photography: MarieSam Sanchez Photography
Cake/Bakery: Heidelberg Pastry Shop
Florist: The Flower Girl
Makeup/Hair Stylist: Tiff from Legends Ladera Salon
DJ: Moondance Mobile Music (Jeff Holmes), djmoondance@gmail.com
Dress Designer/Bridal Shop: Maggie Sottero/Bridal Corner (Chicopee, MA)
Bride’s Shoes: Kelly & Katie Dahlia Pump (purchased from DSW.com)
Bride’s Veil: Etsy.com
Groom’s Suit Designer/Vendor: Calvin Klein, Men’s Wearhouse

I loved our bride’s reaction when she first saw herself in the mirror … yes JoAnna, you are stunning!!!

This is seriously one of my most favorite shots. EVER!!! The love shared between Alfred + JoAnna’s parents was so infectious and beautiful ~ this was a shot I knew I had to have 🙂Did I mention how fun-loving and awesome this bunch was? Including the priest — see top left photo, yes those are bunny ears he placed behind our beautiful bride 😀I took this shot in hopes of capturing the awesome details on the guys’ socks … little did I know the real gem in this photo was the capture of them reacting to my instructions up top. HAHAHA!!! 😀

Alfred + JoAnna made sure to give us plenty of time to take photos of them following the ceremony ~ “time” is a wedding photographer’s gold. So glad we had enough time to photograph this loving pair … they are truly so beautiful together and made our jobs so easy … 

Their touching ceremony was followed by an incredible reception filled with lots of special touches and gorgeous and bright details … The special dances they shared with their parents were filled with so much love + emotion <3

And yes they totally danced their hearts out into the darkness of the night!!!

Alfred + JoAnna, thank you from the bottom of our hearts for letting us spend such a beautiful day with you and your families and friends. Your celebration was filled with so many incredible moments of love, laughter and joy and we felt so lucky to be there to capture it all. Much love to you both and many blessings for a life together that is filled with the happiness that surrounded you on your Wedding Day!