[update] Maria and Mike. Beverly Hills, CA

i’m on a roll here! i dont think i’ve ever updated with such frequency. i’ve been working like a madman and i think my post production work flow is at a good place right now; i feel like a machine cranking these images out. funny how we use that metaphor nowadays huh? its kinda sad, really. i should really say that i feel like a “human cranking these images out” after all machines are devoid of any emotional/imaginative capacity that would enable them to create art as i do. lets hope our reliance on technology and technology itself never supplants the human endeavor for excellence beyond the status quo. lets maintain the natural order of things, human > machine. =) anyways…

congratulations to maria and mike! i always love traveling to southern california during the early months of the year because that means i’m escaping the schizophrenic winter-to-spring-transition weather of chicago to enjoying the u-v rays of the sunshine state. the day started off at the chan residence with a traditional tea ceremony. tea ceremonies are awesome because the bride gets to wear a chi-pao which looks great on any woman who wears one. not so much on guys. the weather was great for maria and mike, which was perfect for their outdoor ceremony at greystone mansion. greystone was a beautiful place to shoot at, with its gardens overlooking the city of los angeles. from the ceremony, i came to know maria and mike better through the testimonies of their friends. they are truly good people who understand that life is about more than themselves, who understand that love is not meant to be horded but shared. what helped made their ceremony fun was their ‘officiant’ scott. he had a great sense of humor and by time he was done with his talk, maria and mike wound up walking down the aisle with light sabers in their hands. first time i’ve seen light sabers at a wedding. lets hope its not the last. another “first” for me was at the reception when the emcee had maria and mike play a game. i’ve seen plenty of games at weddings but not this one…and this one was pretty awesome. basically while the bride looks away, the groom goes and finds a random table to sit at. then everyone in the room picks up their hand-napkins/cloths and starts wielding/spinning them in the air. this makes for a pretty amazing visual effect…and obviously the more the crazier! so with all the distraction of a room full of guests wielding their napkins in the air, the bride has to go find the groom. pretty fun, yea? i think so. i also think i’ve written enough, so on to the photos! but not before a few shout outs to my fellow vendors:

make-up/hair :: jac beauty
florals :: la vie en rose
coordination :: uyen @ sassy girl weddings & events