05.25.08 Mr. & Mrs.

If ever two people were so obviously on a natural high, it was most definitely us!
Our coordinator, Kerrie, from Platinum Weddings by Kerrie, found this park while she was running (literally running) back and forth from the church to the Madison. It looks as if we are standing in some secluded, enchanted spot but really we are surrounded by the massive buildings and madness that is downtown Long Beach. While our guests were making cozy with our reception venue, we gladly took our time frolicking around the city, posing as newlyweds :)








If it's not obvious, Sarah worked her butt off to get these fab shots! Have I ever mentioned how much I love her?! I have so many fabulous portraits to pick from, but since I am quite certain that you are sick of looking at our smoochy mugs (i kinda am!), I will leave you with these.

Coming up next: Reception details galore!

Have a safe and relaxing long weekend :)
XOXO

05.25.08 SHOWTIME!

SHOWTIME (FINALLY!)

The girls, all lined up and ready to go...



I was escorted down the aisle by my older brother. Total paparazzi pic!


My nephew flawlessly read a passage from 1st Corinthians. He was so cute, we were so proud!


High Five! j/k

Our hand ceremony:
As an expression that your hearts are joined together in love - will you please face each other and hold hands,

so that you may see the gift that they are to you.
These are the hands of your best friend, young and strong and full of love for you,

that are holding yours on your wedding day as you promise to love each other today, tomorrow, and forever.
These are the hands that will work alongside yours as together you build your future.
These are the hands that will passionately love you and cherish you through the years.

These are the hands that will countless times wipe the tears from your eyes; tears of sorrow and tears of joy.

These are the hands that will tenderly hold your children, the hands that will help you to hold your family as one.
And these are the hands that even when wrinkled and aged will still be reaching for yours,

still giving you the same unspoken tenderness with just a touch.
Our prayer for you today is that both of you will use these hands to build a marriage where all your dreams come true.

MARRIED!

The reason we won't be having children anytime soon!



I love these anonymous shots!



COMING UP NEXT: Our Newlywed Portrait Session!

05.25.08 The Big Reveal!

As non-traditionalists, Mark and I opted to see each other before the ceremony, and I am so glad we did! Not only did it give me us a chance to shake off our jitters, but our photographers were able to take tons of pictures beforehand while the lighting was precisely perfect.



I was a little emotional, but so happy to see my soon to be husband!

Ahhh... I call this my "exhale" moment

Now off to the ceremony! We all decided to walk since it was just a few blocks away.

I think it built excitement and made for some fun pictures too!

The church courtyard was a great backdrop for photos



From here we parted our seperate ways to wait for our ceremony to start. For me, it was the waiting game. The upstairs bridal suite at the church overlooked the church parking so I was getting anxious and excited seeing guests arrive.

My anxious-excited look

Mom, giving last minute hugs and advice

Patiently waiting

Meanwhile, the guys didn't pass up the opportunity to strike a pose as they greeted guests outside the church...

Our boarding pass programs. Inside them we listed the ceremony order, wedding participants, and a personal message from us.

Even the aisle looks eager!

Photos by Sarah K Chen & Jonilyn Brown

Coming up next: SHOWTIME!

05.25.08 Groom Headquarters

I have to admit, I was a little jealous to see the ease and casual-ness of the guys' getting ready process!

He kinda looks anxious ;)




My brother helping his little man get suited up


And that would be Mark's BFFs doing each others hair! Um, yaa....

My darling nephews...

And 10 minutes later they were ready! lol

All photos courtesy of Jonilyn Brown

COMING UP NEXT: The Big Reveal!

05.25.08 G'Morning Sunshine

"G'Morning Sunshine" was my wake up text from Mark. The girls and I had spent the night in the hospitality suite while Mark bunked with his Best Men. The morning of our big day was very easy going. I remember everyone was looking at me trying to figure out if I was OK. Truth was, I was perfectly fine... like way too fine. But that all caught up to me later! In spite of everyone questioning us, Mark and I ate breakfast together in the concierge lounge. It was really nice to sit down alone and kind of reflect on what we were feeling. Mark had a charming aloofness to him and was more quiet than usual. I, on the other hand, could barely eat because I was all bouncy. This demeanor pretty much continued throughout the day. I returned to the suite and this is when my wedding day really began.

Girls Getting Ready

Photos by Sarah K Chen








I think it was right around this time when Liz, our makeup artist, says to me "Oh, you totally just switched over." Before I could figure out what she meant, I realized at that very second that not only did I not hear anything that was happening around me, but I had not said a word for a good ten minutes. I TOTALLY just switched over, and that surreal feeling was slowly but surely seeping in. When I explain this I am going to sound like such a loony but whatever... its like you see the day in third person. Mark described it this way and I knew EXACTLY what he meant. It was honestly like a movie.









We used every last minute we had getting ready. This is due to a minor (OK fine, not so minor) hair dilemma. At the end of the day, its not worth mentioning. But this would explain why we I don't have many posed shots with the girls. Oh well, c’est la vie!

Wait till you see the casualness of the groom's quarters! COMING UP NEXT...