Arcie x Jun || Wedding

This is the cutest couple ever. They call themselves “His Sunshine” and “Her Sunshine.” You can tell that they really do brighten up each other’s lives. Jun is probably one of the chillest/coolest/illest dudes I’ve ever met. And Arcie is just a total sweetheart. These two truly do belong together.

On the wedding day, before the ceremony started, Arcie eagerly waited in her limo parked outside the church. I ran towards the limo to get a quick shot of her. As I opened the door to the limo, there she was, tearing up all by herself. It then hit me that this is it- this is the day she’s been waiting for; probably one of the happiest days of her life. For Arcie, at that point in time, nothing else really seemed to matter--only who was waiting for her inside that church, preparing to take her hand in marriage. I totally got chills after Arcie finished wiping off that first set of tears. Whoa, crazy. It’s moments like these that remind me why I love doing what I do.

Arcie’s walk down the isle was picture perfect. You see and FEEL her excitement and anticipation as her parents delivered her down the isle. Even more emotional was the father/daughter dance. The way Arcie tightly clinged to her dad and crying into his shoulder said it all.

Thank you for letting me be apart of your special day “Junarcie.”

Church location: St. Clements Church - Hayward, California

Reception location: Sunol Valley Golf Club

2nd shooter: Quan D Nguyen (Thanks for coming out to help dude!)

~Ari

Tags: Hayward Wedding, Bay Area Weddings, Suncol Valley Golf Club Wedding, Ari Wedding

Krstina x Ran || WEDDING

This was my first Jewish wedding held on top of the Marriott Hotel in Marina del Rey. The ceremony was on the helipad, overlooking the whole city. The view was breathe taking and the decorations were pertty amazing. I love it when I get to photograph a wedding that's filled with beautiful decor and good looking people. Krstina's wedding had all of this and more. I had a great time shooting this wedding with the one only Greg Bumatay.

Location: Marina del Rey - Marriott Hotel

2nd for : Greg Bumatay

~Ari

Look Mom! I'm on T.V!!! Trashing the Dress

Trashing the dress (TTD) is a growing trend among modern brides who want to continue to enjoy their wedding dress after their wedding day. I had the distinct privilege to assist my friend, Greg Bumatay on a TTD session which was going to be broadcast on national television for That Morning Show on E!

We headed out to Laguna Beach to meet up with Stacy, the person playing the role of the bride. This was probably one of the most fun I've ever had during a shoot because we did all kinds of crazy stuff. We had Stacy climb on rocks, dive in the water, and even get shot by a paint ball gun. Maad props to Stacy. Try going to the beach and surfing in your wedding dress- trust me, it's not that easy.

Here's a clip of Greg getting interviewed on That Morning Show on E!

Watch out for me. (1:02 and 1:22, 1:30 i'm behind Greg lol, and 3:22 holding the reflector)

Here's some behind the scene photos:

My feet

My camera got soaked with sand all over it.

eww, salty.

Greg and me.

Paint ball time!

Greg being interviewed:

You can view the photos from this session on Greg Bumatay's Blog

~Ari

Tags: Trash the Dress Photography by Greg Bumatay, Orange County Wedding Photographer, wedding dress trashing on the beach and paintball, Laguna Beach photography, E! Entertainment, That Morning Show premiere episode

Tanya Maternity

About seven months ago, my phone starts to ring. I let it play for a little bit longer as I start jam’n to my ring tone. It was one of my past brides, Tanya, calling to tell me the good news. She was having a baby! I remember my eyes widening up and jaw dropping before saying my congrats. This was nearly the same reaction I got when I first found out that Tanya was going to marry Ivan, one of my best friends from college. Man, was I excited for them.

I remember being there when these two met for the very first time at UC Davis in front of Shield’s Library. Nodding towards Tanya, I whispered to Ivan, “Aye buey, handle it.” And “handle it” he sure did. They spent the next five years together and now they are expecting a baby girl next month! I’m a little taken in by all of this because it still feels like just yesterday that they got married. Their wedding was held in Tijuana, Mexico where all their closest friends and relatives were able to celebrate their special day. I could not have been more grateful to Tanya and Ivan for flying me down to photograph and be a part of their wedding. It was one of the best experiences of my life.

Yesterday, I drove to San Diego to photograph Tanya’s tummy. We went to one of the beaches in San Diego. I was expecting her to move like a turtle with her big belly in the sand, but wow did she prove me wrong! Tanya, you’re a soldier!

One of these will hopefully be put on a huge gallery wrap:

Tanya’s beautiful dress was actually made by her mom.

Cheers!

-Ari