We actually shot their session around the church where they’ll be married. It’s a gorgeous property with a lot of big shady trees and it’s so versatile. I’m really looking forward to shooting their wedding in August because there are just so many options. I mean, we even took pictures in the same place we parked our cars because the wall was covered in vines! And we had to make sure to get pictures in front of the gray house because it’s Caitlin’s favorite.

And I just have to share their “Tommy Pickle feet” picture. Tommy Pickle, from the show Rugrats? Well…he stands with his toes turned in. Like this

Well, I don’t know who “they” are – but when my best friend (circa 1998) told me that she was engaged, I had 2 options:

1. Get all dolled up in a cute little dress and spend a weekend out in Los Angeles, or

2. Celebrate Candice and Kevin’s wedding the only way I know how: with a camera in hand.

It may not have been the most attractive way to celebrate…. (I tend to look a hot mess by the end of every wedding… hair in a messy ponytail and strapped in to every piece of equipment I own), but I knew there couldn’t be a better gift that I could give Candice. What I didn’t expect, was how much of a gift she gave me by allowing me the honor of photographing her stunning day.

Candice has always been specific about her own personal style; she graduated from FIT in New York and quickly moved out to LA to be a fashion designer; and she knew what she wanted for her wedding. Vintage, roaring 20′s style with sparkly metallic touches, an amazing reception venue and a heart-felt ceremony. Pretty much describes Candice. From her hair, to her flowers and reception gown – she used vintage brooches collected from various antique shows (the Rose Bowl flea market in her city, Pasadena, is her all-time favorite). The entire theme of the wedding was derived from a vintage brooch that belonged to her late grandmother – which she used as the main piece of her reception cocktail dress. Other pieces of her grandmother’s jewelry were used as her reception jewelry and in her ceremony headpiece.

Actually, calling it a ‘reception cocktail dress’ may be a bit misleading. Candice designed her gown from a piece of silk fabric that Kevin bought her as a Christmas gift, and layered it with metallic beaded fabric. The flapper-style dress was her entire creation, from the low drop back to the beads across her shoulders (one of her late-grandmother’s necklaces), and of course, her grandmother’s brooch on the front. She finished her style with a beaded Anthropologie headband and ivory Nina shoes with feather accents on the heels.

Candice’s ceremony gown was an amazing vintage-styled masterpiece (the Kristene) by couture bridal genius, Claire Pettibone. Candice knew she wanted that exact dress from the first moment she saw it at Kleinfelds in Manhattan, New York (I asked, but no, she didn’t make it on “Say Yes to the Dress”). I recently shot some of Claire’s other pieces for my Southern Weddings shoot, and I’m always blown away by how breathtaking women look in her dresses. She knows exactly how to make someone feel beautiful, elegant and unique, and isn’t that what your wedding is all about?

Little moments were captured in her details – like Kevin’s proposal in front of the historic Flat Iron Building in NYC. The inside of his wedding band is engraved with the address of the building, and they set out Flat Iron postcards for guests to write little notes for them to read later. A mirror was inscribed with his proposal message, ‘Candice, you have had a lot of great memories in New York. I want this to be the greatest memory you ever have… Will you marry me?’, and below the mirror a vintage dresser carried the guest favors – vintage bottles of perfume and Flat Iron cufflinks, with a custom silk screened jewelry box.

Candice’s engagement ring was created by an estate jeweler in New York City; and her engagement session, that I shot back in August, featured some of their favorite places in Los Angeles, Pasadena, Redondo Beach and Santa Monica!

Ceremony Venue: Wayfarer’s Chapel
Reception Venue: Viceroy Hotel, Santa Monica CA
Bridal Gown: Claire Pettibone
Bridal Salon: Kleinfeld’s, Manhattan
Bridal Jewelry and Details: Vintage
Reception Gown: Candice Konya (bride)
Groom Tuxedo: Dolce and Gabbana
Grooms Shoes: Calvin Klein
Hair and Makeup: Jessica Liparto
Floral Designer: Flowers by Felicia
Cake Designer: The Butter End Bakery
Videographer: Lunch Pail Pictures
DJ: System 3 Entertainment
Bridesmaid Shoes: Seychelles Footwear
Bridesmaid Gowns: Anthropologie
Wedding Bands: Estate Jewelers of South Pasadena

Claire Pettibone designed this stunning gown, called Kristene. Candice bought the dress at Kleinfeld’s in New York.

Candice’s Art-Deco, Roaring 20′s style theme was based off of vintage brooches from her grandmother

These Art-Deco pieces were found at vintage flea markets across Pasadena!

This reception dress was designed by Candice! She’s starting her own line of bridal dresses and I just fell in love with this art-deco style cocktail gown she made!

Candice and Kevin did their First Look at Wayfarer’s Chapel. Please PLEASE watch their wedding trailer (at the end). This venue was STUNNING!

I loved the delicate lace detailing around the stems of their bouquets.

The entrance to the historic Wayfarer’s Chapel, a Frank Lloyd Wright masterpiece in Southern California

The reception was held back at the legendary Santa Monica Viceroy.

Instead of a guest book, Candice and Kevin scattered New York postcards for guests to write to them. They’ll read them on their one-year anniversary.

Kevin’s proposal was showcased on a vintage dresser mirror that held the guest favors: custom perfume and cufflinks

The “escort cards” were inscribed plated metal hung on a wall of ivy during cocktail hour

Candice’s lemon cake with raspberry filling was amazing! Best cake we’ve ever had at a wedding!

The inside of Kevin’s wedding band had the address of the Flat Iron building inscribed; the place where he proposed to Candice.

There wasn’t a dry eye in the house during Candice and her father’s dance.

Candice changed in to her self-designed cocktail dress for the remainder of the reception!

Please take a few minutes to watch their GORGEOUS wedding trailer from the uber talented Lunch Pail Pictures! They were an absolute dream to work with!

Kevin + Candice from Lunch Pail Pictures on Vimeo.

The purpose of the workshop was to give back to all the amazing photographers who joined us and participated in Images for a Cure this past fall. We raised $15,000 for The Breast Cancer Research Foundation (bringing our grand total to $28,000) by donating one day of session fees to the cause. Because of these photographers, who so graciously gave up their time and talents, we wanted to reward them by providing a workshop that was bringing back the foundation of our industry – learning from other photographers, sharing and growing to be a better industry! The photographers who spoke at the workshop are not “touring” photographers. They make their living actively booking and shooting clients. They don’t have big staffs, sell products, dvds or books, and they didn’t make a penny participating in IFAC. They are an amazing bunch, and I’ve heard some of the most incredible compliments from our attendees about how much they learned!

Day 2 of the workshop was open for a half-day shooting experience with one of our speakers! This was a completely hands-on approach to photography training by photographers who welcomed everyone to learn from them – making the entire industry a place for sharing, learning and growth among colleagues!

I can’t thank my speakers and attendees enough for this amazing experience. If you attended, please feel free to share your thoughts on the workshop in the comments section. I can honestly say that I look forward to making this a yearly event and I hope to see it grow in the future!

I wanted to share some pictures and video from the day!

A special thanks to:

The MEZZ, our fantastic workshop hosts – the brand-new, premier wedding and reception venue in Orlando!
Kristen Johnson, Rachel Willems and the entire staff at An Affair to Remember for their mad-coordinating and design skills!
Lee Forrest Design, for his amazing vision and floral design
Something Blue Bridal Salon for allowing us to borrow several of her gowns for the Day 2 shoots!
Connie Duglin Linens, our tables never looked so incredible!
Arthur’s Catering, because there’s no better food in Orlando!
Luisa Valdes and the staff at Lunatic Fringe Salon in Altamonte Springs, FL for their crazy hair/makeup skills on our models!
Erika Barker, for our killer video of the workshop!

Images For A Cure 2011 from Erika Barker on Vimeo.

The morning began with a continental breakfast, coffee, juice and the esteemed Brooke Thomas from Weddings Unveiled! Brooke opened the day with an interactive, round-table discussion where our attendees could ask any questions they wanted about what editors are REALLY looking for when they publish Real Weddings. She gave everyone invaluable insight on how to submit, what to include and how to promote their work to editors! For more about Brooke and Weddings Unveiled, please check out their magazine, website and blog!

Fashion stylist and personal shopper, Melanie Pace, helped our photographers with the basics of styling on set, including what every photographer needs in their own “styling kit” and how to help our clients dress for engagement sessions and bringing out their own personal style!

Luisa Valdes, hair and makeup artist from Lunatic Fringe salon, discussed the importance of professional hair and makeup for shoots, how lighting can affect makeup and how “natural” doesn’t necessarily mean no makeup.

Natural light children and family photographer, Amy Smith, presented “Confessions of a Child Photographer”, sharing all the amazing little moments that capture all the amazing little people in our client’s lives. Even though we were a room of predominantly wedding photographers, Amy’s presentation was a runaway hit, sharing some of her methods for being profitable and how she maintains a balance in her own personal life. From the feedback I’ve gotten, her presentation was one of the favorites of the day!

Abby Liga, who has been documented by countless magazines and blogs across the world, shared her tips for success in shooting weddings that get published. Abby presented tips for documenting your day for the client, and also keeping in mind what things magazines are looking for when they review submissions. Abby’s own fashion-editorial style of photography made her the perfect choice to help other photographers achieve the same business success!

And on to Melanie and Bradford Watson from La Dolce Vita Studio, wedding photographers from Jacksonville, FL, who spoke on “Finding Your Sweet Spot”! This is the perfect balance between work, life, fun and family to create a thriving business and your own sanity. I couldn’t think of anyone more qualified than a husband-wife duo who shoots weddings all over the country and keeps their sanity (if you can call it that) while enjoying a game of disc golf.

I asked Becka and Nate Robinson from Studio222 Photography out of Orlando, FL, to come speak on client relationships. They’re actually the photographers that I refer out to the most often when I’m already booked because of their amazing relationships with their couples. Their presentation on “Cultivating Connection” was a huge hit among the attendees. The ability to maintain these relationships is what often leads to the most referrals, happiest couples and of course – the most amazing photographs.

Joey Wright, funny man extraordinaire and Wescott Lighting Top Pro, gave us an introduction to fashion photography, lighting and final editing to create his graphic masterpieces. Joey opened up his book of tricks, sharing his favorite equipment, lighting set-ups and how to keep things basic no matter what your budget. He also gave a little insight in to his relationships with models, agencies and commercial clients to create his business of perfect photos!

Oh look! It’s me

I helped my good friend (and future bride!), Jennifer Scarola (Jennifer Frances Retouching) go over some before/afters of professional retouching. She discussed why it’s important in some areas of photography (like fashion and commercial projects) and how you can make simple adjustments to really make your photos stand out no matter what genre you shoot.

On Day 2, I hosted a Fashion Bridal shoot back at The Mezz, with model Hope Roberts, and real brides Kristen Johnson, Rachel Willems and Melissa Diep. Here are some behind the scenes shots!

Luisa touches up Kristen’s eyeliner before we worked with her on natural light.

We recruited 4’11″ Melissa, who was in from Chicago to help me out on Day 2, to model one of our gowns from Something Blue Bridal Salon!

Rachel was ready and willing to jump back in her amazing Amsale gown from her Dec. 11th Grand Bohemian wedding and help us translate fashion photography to real brides.

I even covered some lighting basics with the photographers and our model, Hope.

I brought my ring flash to play around with – and was super excited about this amazing wallpaper. It shoots amazing with a ring flash!
On Rachel (left) Amsale | Gown from Boca Raton Bridal Salon
On Kristen (right) 2Be Bridal | Gown from Something Blue Salon

Behind the Scenes of Missy as she was working with Hope. I shot through the crazy mirrors and loved the distortion it gave!

I didn’t get the memo that it was “Striped-Shirt” day….

And finally, some of my shots from the Bridal Fashion shoot!

Sincerity Bridal | Gown from Something Blue Salon
All hairpieces by Sara Gabriel, provided by Something Blue Salon

La Sposa | Gown from Something Blue Salon

James Clifford | Gown from Something Blue Salon

James Clifford | Gown from Something Blue Salon

Real Bride, Kristen Johnson
James Clifford | Gown from Something Blue Salon

Real Bride, Kristen Johnson, in her original wedding gown

Real Bride, Rachel Willems
Amsale | Gown from Boca Raton Bridal Salon

I love little Andrea, and I can’t wait to see her again!