Amanda + David { Wayfarers Chapel Palos Verdes Wedding }

Amanda and David are sweet, loving, thoughtful people. They have also been in each others lives for….basically forever. Amanda and David met in high school and first became friends…but quickly became “boyfriend and girlfriend”. Fast forward 9 years and they upgraded to “husband and wife”…and I feel so lucky that I could watch that day unfold.

David and Amanda got married at the beautiful Wayfarers Chapel in Rancho Palos Verdes and had their reception at the Cheesecake Factory in Redondo Beach.

Speaking of Cheesecake, they totally gave me a cheesecake during the reception. A Chocolate Godiva cheesecake in a gold box. It even sung “Ahhhhhhh” when I opened the lid….I know, it’s so amazing I couldn’t even believe it. I’m not even ashamed to admit that the cheesecake was my eaten every day for a whole week after the wedding. So good.

We started the day at Portofino hotel…and oh-my-goodness the Portofino is a pretty place to start your day. In the lobby, I found a glass table that I almost hugged. The table had moss and reflected light that just made the perfect backdrop for Amanda’s details.  It also reminded me of the glass church…I love when things just fall into place.

Marie of Kelly Zhang did an amazing job pampering Amanda!

Flowers by Laural created the pretty purple flower arrangements, and did a great job with Amanda’s bouquet.

Amanda and David wanted to have plenty of time for photos before and after the ceremony, so they chose to have a first look. They also mentioned that they would get so emotional during the ceremony that a first look made them relax a little bit. It was perfect.

Amanda told me that she had two dreams about her wedding day…one was getting this shot…

…and another was putting her toes in sand. We had to make both of those dreams happen. 🙂

Ok. So it’s time to be real here. Wayfarers Chapel is gorgeous…but isn’t that keen for photographers.  Like a lot of churches…they put rules on photographers. One of those rules is that the photographer cant pass the last pew. That means that a lot of shots I normally get during a ceremony is impossible, or nearly impossible to capture.  That and having a two hour limit on the grounds is tough. Since the ceremony ended around 4:30…we had 30 minutes to do family, bridal party and photos of Amanda and David. I don’t even think I spoke in complete sentences during that time crunch.  We made it work, but it’s a stress that I wish my couples didn’t have to go through.

It’s a beautiful church, but no one talks about the crazy rules. If anything I want other photographers to be prepared if they have a wedding here.

Ok, so it’s beyond beautiful.

To see more check out the slideshow or watch it below:

P.S. Congratulations guys, I loved spending the day with you two and dancing my little heart out!