SARAH & MARCO
Locations:
- Getting ready: The Portfino Hotel And Marina in Redondo Beach, CA (bride) and a private residence in Torrance, CA (groom)
- Ceremony: Saint Lawrence Martyr Church in Redondo Beach, CA
- Reception: The Portofino Hotel And Marina in Redondo Beach, CA
Wedding photos at The Portofino Hotel And Marina:
Sarah and Marco met through work a few years ago and were planning a traditional wedding at The Portofino Hotel And Marina, beginning with a Catholic ceremony at Saint Lawrence Martyr Church. I had the pleasure of working with them during their e-session last year at Union Station and Vista Hermosa Park and was excited to reconnect for their special day in Redondo Beach.
I really want to give a shout out to Kim and TJ, a couple whose wedding I’m about to shoot, as it was Kim who recommended me to her good friend Sarah and made this all possible. It was a day filled with so much love and special family moments that I was honored to be a part of.
A romantic portrait of the newlyweds kissing at Hopkins Wilderness Park in Redondo Beach.
Getting ready photos at The Portofino Hotel And Marina:
While my second photographer was with Marco and his groomsmen at a private residence in Torrance where they were making their final preparations, I headed over to The Portofino Hotel And Marina where the girls were getting ready. We began with some close-up shots as Sarah had the final touches applied to her makeup, then grabbed a photo as she and her bridesmaids made a toast in their floral dressing gowns.
Sarah then slipped into her wedding dress and I captured a few shots as her bridesmaids helped to “fluff” the dress and secured her veil. We had time for a few portraits of the bride looking absolutely stunning backed by the contemporary walls of The Portofino Hotel And Marina lobby, as well as a couple with her bridesmaids in their teal dresses.
A close-up shot of Sarah having the final touches applied to her makeup while getting ready at The Portofino Hotel And Marina.
Sarah and her bridesmaids make a toast in their floral dressing gowns as they prepared for the Redondo Beach wedding.
A portrait of Sarah in her floral robe leaning against at wall at The Portofino Hotel And Marina in Redondo Beach.
Sarah being embraced by her bridesmaids in their floral robes as they prepared for The Portofino Hotel And Marina wedding.
Sarah’s bridesmaids help to fluff her wedding dress in a contemporary suite at The Portofino Hotel And Marina.
Capturing a special moment between Sarah and her bridesmaids while getting ready for the Redondo Beach wedding.
A portrait of Sarah securing her earrings as she was getting ready in a suite at The Portofino Hotel And Marina.
A portrait of Sarah looking down towards her stunning train in a contemporary suite at The Portofino Hotel And Marina.
Sarah’s bridesmaids help to place her veil while getting ready for her wedding at The Portofino Hotel And Marina.
Sarah being embraced by her bridesmaids in their teal dresses in the lobby of The Portofino Hotel And Marina.
Sarah looking absolutely radiant in her stunning dress at The Portofino Hotel And Marina in Redondo Beach.
A portrait of Sarah and her bridesmaids in the lobby of The Portofino Hotel And Marina in Redondo Beach.
Ceremony photos at Saint Lawrence Martyr Church:
It was then time to make the short drive over to Saint Lawrence Martyr Church where the couple’s traditional Catholic Mass ceremony was to be held. I grabbed a quick, candid photo as Marco shook hands with the priest, then photographed him as he walked down the aisle on the arm of his mom. Sarah followed shortly after escorted by her grandfather and I documented the groom’s reaction as he watched his bride walk towards him.
I photographed the Catholic rites and rituals of Sarah and Marco’s wedding ceremony at Saint Lawrence Martyr Church from multiple angles, utilizing an area behind the altar to capture their reactions. After a hymn and Bible reading from Sarah’s mom, the couple were draped in cords as they knelt before their priest. This was followed by communion and a blessing of the couple’s family before the bride and groom made their joyous recessional walk as “husband and wife”.
A candid photo of Marco shaking the hands of his priest as they prepared for the Catholic wedding at Saint Lawrence Martyr Church.
Sarah and her bridesmaids share in a final moment together before the start of the wedding ceremony in Redondo Beach.
Marco is escorted down the aisle on the arm of his mom at Saint Lawrence Martyr Church.
Sarah is escorted down the aisle of Saint Lawrence Martyr Church by her grandfather for the start of the Catholic wedding ceremony.
Capturing Marco’s reaction as he watched his bride walk down the aisle at Saint Lawrence Martyr Church.
Sarah’s grandfather shakes hands with Marco as he gave the bride away at Saint Lawrence Martyr Church.
Capturing a special exchange between the bride and groom while knelt at the altar of Saint Lawrence Martyr Church.
A candid photo of Sarah’s grandparents singing a hymn during the Catholic wedding ceremony in Redondo Beach.
Sarah’s mom reads from the Bible during the Catholic wedding ceremony at Saint Lawrence Martyr Church.
A candid photo of Sarah smiling during her traditional church wedding ceremony in Redondo Beach.
Sarah and Marco stand holding hands in front of their priest during the ceremony at Saint Lawrence Martyr Church.
A candid photo of Sarah and Marco turning to face one of their wedding guests during the Saint Lawrence Martyr Church ceremony.
Cords are draped over the couple in what is a Catholic wedding tradition at Saint Lawrence Martyr Church.
A candid photo of Sarah and Marco shaking hands with their priests during the wedding ceremony at Saint Lawrence Martyr Church.
Sarah and Marco knelt before the altar during their traditional Catholic Mass at Saint Lawrence Martyr Church.
A candid photo of Sarah drinking from the goblet during communion at Saint Lawrence Martyr Church.
The priest blesses Sarah’s grandparents during the traditional Catholic Mass in Redondo Beach.
A candid photo of Sarah smiling during her wedding ceremony at Saint Lawrence Martyr Church.
Sarah hands a bunch of flowers to her grandma during her Catholic wedding at Saint Lawrence Martyr Church.
Sarah and Marco make their recessional walk as “husband and wife” to be congratulated by their wedding guests.
Capturing a kiss between the newlyweds as they exited Saint Lawrence Martyr Church in Redondo Beach.
Portraits at Hopkins Wilderness Park:
After family formals and bridal party portraits at Saint Lawrence Martyr Church, we made the five-minute drove over to Hopkins Wilderness Park for a more extensive portrait session. This included some playful shots of Sarah and her bridesmaids hiding behind their bouquets and romantic portraits of the newlyweds in this loved-up moment.
We got creative with some shots incorporating Sarah’s veil and a few embraces in the whimsical, late-afternoon light but it was the chemistry between the bride and groom that really shone through.
A playful portrait of Sarah and her bridesmaids hiding behind their bouquets at Hopkins Wilderness Park.
A portrait of Sarah holding her bouquet during the wedding photo session at Hopkins Wilderness Park.
A portrait of Sarah showcasing the back of her dress in the leafy surrounds of Hopkins Wilderness Park.
Sarah and her bridesmaids throwing their bouquets into the air during the wedding portrait session at Hopkins Wilderness Park.
Capturing an intimate moment between the newlyweds during their wedding portrait session at Hopkins Wilderness Park.
Sarah and Marco kiss in the late afternoon light at Hopkins Wilderness Park in Redondo Beach.
A classic portrait of the bride and groom during their Hopkins Wilderness Park wedding photo session.
A close-up portrait of the couple with Sarah’s veil flowing at Hopkins Wilderness Park in Redondo Beach.
Sarah and Marco smile at one another while walking hand-in-hand through Hopkins Wilderness Park.
Capturing a tender embrace between the newlyweds with their bouquet at Hopkins Wilderness Park.
Sarah embraces Marco from behind during their romantic wedding portrait session at Hopkins Wilderness Park.
Reception photos at The Portofino Hotel And Marina:
Around 5:15PM, we returned to The Portofino Hotel And Marina so Sarah and Marco could enjoy cocktail hour with their guests, although I did grab one quick shot of them kissing with their live mariachi band. They then made their grand entrance into the ballroom reception to be congratulated by their bridal party and guests before launching straight into their first dance.
After an amazing buffet dinner that included fresh tacos, I snuck out with Sarah and Marco for a short sunset wedding portrait session overlooking the waterfront of Redondo Beach. We then returned to the ballroom reception for speeches from those closest to them, followed by the grandfather-granddaughter dance and mother-son dance.
Sarah and Marco then cut their multi-tiered cake and made a “thank you” speech for their wedding guests before the “anniversary dance”, which saw Sarah’s grandparents as the final ones on the dance floor. It was then open dancing for the rest of the night, with young and old getting up to celebrate this new union. We ended the night with a group shot of the wedding party, with Sarah and Marco kissing surrounded by their family and friends.
Sarah and Marco kiss surrounded by their mariachi band at The Portofino Hotel And Marina.
The newly married couple make their grand entrance into the wedding reception at The Portofino Hotel And Marina.
Sarah and Marco are congratulated by their bridal party and wedding guests while a mariachi band plays behind.
Sarah and Marco look lovingly at one another while performing their first dance during the Redondo Beach reception.
Capturing a kiss between the newlyweds during their first dance at The Portofino Hotel And Marina.
Sarah and Marco listening to the mariachi band perform during their ballroom wedding reception in Redondo Beach.
A spontaneous kiss between the newlyweds at their sweetheart table during The Portofino Hotel And Marina reception.
A candid photo of Sarah and Marco helping themselves to tacos from their buffet at The Portofino Hotel And Marina.
Capturing an intimate embrace between Sarah and Marco during their sunset portrait session in Redondo Beach.
A creative silhouette portrait of the couple during their sunset wedding photo session at The Portofino Hotel And Marina.
Sarah and Marco walking hand-in-hand along the waterfront at The Portofino Hotel And Marina.
Sarah and Marco kiss during their sunset wedding portrait session at The Portofino Hotel And Marina.
Sarah and Marco share a laugh during their sunset wedding portrait session in Redondo Beach.
The newlyweds listen in to a speech from Sarah’s mom during The Portofino Hotel And Marina wedding reception.
Sarah and Marco smiling at their sweetheart table during the wedding reception speeches and toasts.
A candid photo of Sarah’s maid-of-honor making a reception speech while the couple listen in beside.
Capturing a special exchange between Sarah and Marco during their reception at The Portofino Hotel And Marina.
One of Marco’s brothers stands up to make a reception speech in the ballroom of The Portofino Hotel And Marina.
Sarah and her grandfather dancing during the ballroom wedding reception at The Portofino Hotel And Marina.
A candid photo of Sarah’s grandma wiping away tears during the grandfather-granddaughter dance.
A candid photo of Marco watching Sarah dancing with her grandfather at The Portofino Hotel And Marina.
Marco and his mom perform their mother-son dance during The Portofino Hotel And Marina wedding reception.
Capturing the reactions of the groomsmen during the mother-son dance at The Portofino Hotel And Marina.
Sarah and Marco perform their cake-cutting ceremony in the ballroom of The Portofino Hotel And Marina.
Sarah and Marco make a “thank you” speech for their wedding guests at The Portofino Hotel And Marina.
Sarah’s grandparents were the last couple standing during the “anniversary dance” at The Portofino Hotel And Marina.
A candid photo of wedding guests enjoying the dance floor during the ballroom reception at The Portofino Hotel And Marina.
A playful photo of the groomsmen on the dance floor at The Portofino Hotel And Marina.
Capturing a moment between Sarah and her grandparents during the ballroom reception in Redondo Beach.
An elevated view of Marco on the dance floor with his friends at The Portofino Hotel And Marina.
Wedding guests getting down on the dance floor during The Portofino Hotel And Marina reception.
A playful photo of a groomsman and wedding guest on the dance floor at The Portofino Hotel And Marina.
Capturing a kiss between Sarah’s grandparents during The Portofino Hotel And Marina wedding reception.
An action shot of Sarah’s bouquet toss during the ballroom wedding reception at The Portofino Hotel And Marina.
A group photo of Sarah and Marco kissing with their wedding guests in the ballroom of The Portofino Hotel And Marina.
Wedding photos at The Portofino Hotel And Marina:
really can’t thank Sarah and Marco enough for having me as their photographer for this wedding at The Portofino Hotel And Marina, as well as Kim and TJ for making it all happen! I know that they’re off to Spain for their honeymoon, so I wish them an incredible time and I hope they like this sneak peek of what’s to come.
May 16, 2019
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