emil & joanie: all you need is love (part 1)

joanie was referred to me by a good friend (thanks again, gillian!!). it was always discussed as more of “event photography” than a wedding type day. they would be getting married in a small ceremony at their new home with family and a few friends attending. the reception and photos of everyone in attendance was where the emphasis was placed. when i sat and met with joanie before the big day, i think the photos surrounding the ceremony and beforehand got a small bump in their importance. if you know me, you know i am a sappy so and so…. i love love. i love weddings because of this (and everything that goes along with them). i was happy to bring some of that to their special day…

there is a lot of (amazing) backstory to different little details of their wedding. emil’s family is armenian and they came over to the states from iran when he was 7 years old. his father, vanick passed away a few years ago and emil and joanie had wanted to honor him in some way with their special day. they not only did so on that day, but they will for the remainder of their lives. emil’s mother, noyemik (who also put together all of the florals for the day), offered forth her and her husband’s wedding rings for the newlyweds to have as their own. the serendipity extends beyond just the graciousness of her offer; the rings fit both of them perfectly. they didn’t need to re-size them at all. how amazing is that?? emil’s father, vanick brought his mandolin with him to the states when the family immigrated, and emil has held on to that family treasure. when joanie and i met, i asked her if they would consider bringing that out for some detail shots. it chokes me up even seeing these and thinking about the incredible history here.

gillian (of the write invite) designed their invitations. joanie and her sister kristin designed the programs and kristin created the table arrangements. the catering was provided by Picnics Fine Foods out of costa mesa… and let me just tell you… they were above and beyond.

i love this little story of moments between joanie and her mother…

keeping the family tradition strong, emil’s brother (a newlywed, himself), arbi was the officiant over the ceremony. and he should consider this as a profession. he was great at it!

just following their first kiss. does love get any more pure and tangible than this?

i love this of joanie and her new mother-in-law. after the formal grouped shots, i captured this. throughout the day, you could feel the completely love-filled merging of these two families.

and now some quickies from our brief time post-ceremony with the newlyweds. there was a lesson to be learned from this first picture on the left: never delete your “light test” photos. i love this one.

after our brief session apart from their family and friends, i was putting things in order… emil and joanie took a couple of moments to just “be” before they met up with everyone inside the house. yes, the sun is bright on them… i know, technically, some of my fellow photographers may “harumph” on some of this. i see it… i get it. but look at what is here. this is love. in all its glowing joy. this is what we need. all of us. as individuals and as a planet. love. simple.

again… my thanks to everyone involved. for a small wedding, this was a little bit of a jaw-dropper and such a fantastic party throughout. proof of that is yet to come. in the meantime, thanks again to emil and joanie for hiring and entrusting me with your day. i hope you have been loving the memories we captured thus far… you two are such lovely people. truly.