Los Angeles Destination Wedding | Natalie & Michael

Natalie and Michael’s Los Angeles Destination Wedding

When Natalie first reached out to me about shooting her wedding in LA I was so excited! This wasn’t a destination wedding for her, but this was a Los Angeles Destination Wedding for France Photographers – Austin, so we couldn’t wait to get out here and shoot this gorgeous wedding! We flew into San Diego and got to hang out with our team there, and then we drove up to LA the day before the wedding and explored all over. Santa Monica, Venice Beach, Downtown. We stayed at the Millennium Biltmore where the reception would be and oh my gosh it was so stunning. And working with Modern LA Weddings was so great! Just wait till you see the pictures!

Natalie and I have known each other for seven years now. We met at our college church and became quick friends! She is loving and fun and just the type of friend you want to be around always. I am so lucky to know her and I had missed her so much! I was so excited for her when she met Michael, and when I met him last year for their engagement session, I knew instantly they were meant to be.

The Ceremony

They got married at the American Martyrs Catholic Church in Manhattan Beach. It was very special to Michael and his family that he got to marry Natalie there. The monsignor that married them baptized Michael 30 years ago! It was so sweet to see it come full circle as he watched Michael marry the love of his life. The ceremony was long but so funny and so beautiful. There many beautiful readings, gorgeous songs, and the vows were hilarious because the couple kept messing up the answers. It was so sweet and funny.

The Millennium Biltmore

After the ceremony we got to take a lot of pictures of Natalie and Michael at the Millennium Biltmore. And there was so much to see! This venue is just so breathtaking. Their portraits are some of my favorites because Natalie really does look like a princess and that’s exactly what she wanted. She was on Say Yes to the Dress and it was so fun to watch her find the dress of her dreams, and then marry the man of her dreams in that dress.

Being in Texas, I have definitely never shot a wedding quite like theirs. It was elegant and over the top in all the best ways. It was what you see in movies. And I couldn’t believe I was actually there shooting it! The Millennium Biltmore was built in 1923 and at the time was the biggest hotel west of Chicago! The ceilings in this place were INCREDIBLE. You never wanted to look down! You may recognize it from Ghost Busters, Ed Sheeran’s Thinking Out Loud music video, Taylor Swift’s Delicate music video, and so much more! It was a the perfect place for Natalie and Michale to celebrate with their friends.

My Favorite Details

Besides the fact that I love the bride so incredibly much, there were so many other sweet details that I loved about this day. For Natalie’s “something blue” her mother gave her the most gorgeous blue ring. Natalie’s father gave it to her mother when she gave birth to Natalie. She was so excited and almost in tears. Sewn into the lining of Natalie’s dress were two hearts. One cut from the fabric of her mother’s wedding dress and one cut from the fabric of her grandmother’s wedding dress. Their wedding day was also her grandparents’ 62nd wedding anniversary so Natalie and Michael surprised them with their very own wedding cake to cut. It was such a sweet moment and there were many tears. Their first dance was breathtaking because the ballroom is so stunning! Natalie surprised Michael with a very cute grooms cake. She also hand hand painted TOMs from one of her bridesmaids. Oh and lets not forget the late night donuts from Krispy Kreme. Yum!

Ah, this day was incredible! Thank you. Natalie and Michael, for letting me tell your story! I hope you are enjoying Italy!