Wedding Photography LAdigitalPhoto - Life Event Photographer Tom Keene ©
Wedding Ceremony and Reception Location - The Odyssey, Granada Hills, CA
At the top of a hill in Granada Hills, CA, sits The Odyssey, a restaurant and venue, that is perfect for a wedding and event of nearly any size. On this last Monday, yes two days ago, two amazing people got married, invited their closest family and friends and celebrated their being together for 11 years.
Claudia and James, were wed at the gazebo area of the venue. Despite the wind storm, this walled in area helped protect them from tree branches and the chill of the wind.
Upon my arrival at their home, I was amazed to see how organized the whole thing was laid out for me. The flower girls dress was hung ready for me, as were her ear rings, the rings of the couple, their shoes... you get the idea. Now in the 20 years I have been shooting weddings I have been given lists of things that clients want me to capture. Claudia, set an record with the size and specificity and the amount of detail. She should be an event coordinator.
Her daughter's flower girl dress.
The bride's shoes and earrings. Her dress is behind.
Their son. What a gem this kid is. Polite like no kid I have seen at his age including my own. These two are rockstar parents.
Claudia's sister helps get her into her dress. The window was perfect light for this moment.
It is moments like this that I really strive for. They can't always be captured, often they simply don't occur, but this flower girl, really really looks up to her mom. Bums me out that I won't likely still be shooting to capture her wedding day.
Even with the winds the view was great. The 405 was lit like a Christmas tree with traffic later that night, but it was really pretty.
Before we could have the ceremony, we got the first look out of the way. Again using the building as a shelter, the wind wasn't all that bad here. These two were gleaming with smiles.
Keeping on the timeline Claudia created, we knocked out some of the family photos in the side wall area by the gazebo. The flowers were not ready yet in the ceremony section and I would have to move an entire row of chairs from the front since they were set so close the couple could have set themselves on the laps of their guests. Think I am kidding? Look at the photos of the ceremony set up when I first arrived vs. how it looks during the actual ceremony.
In all, despite the wind, there was nothing that was going to stop these two from being wed. I am so fortunate to have been able to be their photographer. They are blessed with two amazing children already, a supportive and fun family and friends like few will ever know.
Here are the details of the day!