marshall + faye ; a southern california long beach wedding ; portraits by lydia jane (www.lydiajane.com)

I'm excited for today's post because it's the wedding of two dear friends! Marshall was one of the first people I met when I started dating Stefan long distance in Minneapolis. Every time I flew into town I begged him for a Faye update. Being in a long distance relationship myself, I knew how tricky it was to navigate. But Marshall and Faye were even further apart than Stefan and I. Faye was living far, far away in Southern California. Their work schedules kept them from visiting often, the time difference was brutal, and phone call dates were hardly enough to carry them over. Then I began to hear some whispers. Marshall was ring shopping. No wait, he had the ring! I vividly remember bouncing up and down in my seat on the couch as he passed me the ring box. They were getting engaged! Marshall hashed out all the details of his proposal. He was going to pretend to fly home but actually get a rental car and drive back to the beach to surprise her. The rest is history! Marsh and Faye were married on a gorgeous April day at The Reef in Long Beach, California. Faye got ready at Hotel Maya which was so stunning I couldn't resist starting the post with some photos of it.

VENDORS:

Hotel: Hotel Maya
Venue: The Reef
Dress: Alfred Angelo from Brea, California
Hairsylist: Rachel Lauren Nera
Makeup Artist: Jhonna Gonzalez, MAC Senior Artist
Marshall's Bowtie: Tie Bar
Florist: Flowers by Fely Dela
Caterer: The Reef and Specialty Restaurants Corporation
Wedding Coordinator: Aarika Alura
DJ: Eric Reyes
Band: Eric Reyes, Cassie Alura, Andrew Soledad, Garret Alura, David Reyes
MC: PJ Tibayan from FSBC Bellflower
Videographer: Louie Casas from Cakeflix
Graphic Designer: Cleofaye Peniel Uy
Paper Art: Helen Hong, Andrea Ornelas, Hazel Quinones
Wooden Cutouts: Sara Dauglash
Wooden Arches: Built by Tony Ormeo

kelly + connor ; photos by lydia jane (www.lydiajane.com)

Kelly and Connor's wedding took place last fall at Catoctin Hall at Musket Ridge Golf Course in Maryland. Kelly was one of the first brides to book a wedding with me in 2014 so by the time October 4th came rolling around there was a lot of "finally!" running through my head. And I wasn't the only one. Kelly and Connor met during their high school production of West Side Story. Connor was a Jet, Kelly was a Shark. They dated 10 years before getting engaged in 2013! Let me tell you, there is nothing like photographing a couple that has already grown "old" together. I can't put it into words. There's a beautiful, unbreakable trust. Throughout their wedding, Kelly and Connor seemed to move as one. They laughed as best friends, cried as partners, held each other as two people who have memorized every inch of each other. It was effortless. And, wow, did that make my job easy because of it. This blog post is mostly portraits of the two of them because I couldn't stop taking them! Their wedding day was such a highlight and I hope you enjoy these photos as much as I enjoyed taking them.