Oceanside and Los Angeles Affordable Wedding Photographer Tom Keene Photography
The Hyatt Seabird Hotel in Oceanside, CA is really two locations in one. The hotel next door, The Hyatt Mission Pacific Hotel, is also a great option. Located at the beach in Oceanside, the Seabird Hotel is prettier of the two locations and has more options for your wedding day.
The Hotel is a great place to use as your home base to have your wedding elsewhere or on the property as well. Of the two locations this is by far the prettier of the two, at least how we saw them set up.
The hotel is simply gorgeous and has so many places that are a small walk away to take breathtaking photos.
The Seabird has a salon, that you can get ready in and is also close by to a stunning staircase and window as well as a library room above. The library/rec room may not be available, but ask what the schedule is to set up a time to allow us to capture your dress and other detail shots there. There is a real story behind this event. I will share some of it at the bottom.
On this particular day in July of 2022, this wedding almost didn't happen. With less than a week before it was to take place, we were notified that the groom had fallen and severely hurt his back. After talking with the coordinator and the couple we felt we could make it happen. You will notice in the photos moments of sullenness in the bride and our attempts to keep her mind elsewhere. Luckily Christian and I had done their engagement session on January 1, 2022 so we had already build up a good connection with them.
The groom was MIA much of the morning, unable to stand without a lot of pain, we kept focused on the detail shots and the bride. We improvised much of the day, moving things around as best we could to do as much as we could without the groom. There was a high probability that he would only join us for the ceremony and then again, go back and lay down.
On every wedding, something goes wrong or at least not as planned. This day, was what we call a test of wills, patience and fortitude. As I write this, I am remembering some of the things that did't go well and frankly were just compounding on each other. Was it a sign to not go through with it, like many would see, or was it a test to see how much these two loved each other?
So as we mentioned the groom was in pain. So much pain you can see how little he had been able to sleep in the days before the wedding. At one point we tried to get him down to do some photos of him and his court. Sadly the elevator was intermittently broken and only left him stairs to come down. At one point the fire alarm went off and you will see the bride laugh in the photos above while sitting on the bed, wondering what else might happen, I said something that made her laugh. The couple had checked to make sure nothing was scheduled for the amphitheater by the pier, as they had heard on their visit how loud that could be. It was clear. But that did't stop someone from just showing up and making so much noise from their high energy group exercise and dance workout. You can see the photo from their room down below to this group of people. it sounded like someone with a megaphone was standing next to you screaming in your ear "c'mon lift those feet and feel the heat!" Our only hope was it would be over by the ceremony. Sadly, it didn't. We also had the joy of hecklers walking by shouting their unwelcome words of stupidity and the lovely sound of a few Harley's minutes later. I think by then that this couple was so in the groove and focused on each other, they didn't even notice. There were other things that happened that night, but in the end, they didn't let it stop them. Their friend was an officiant (please stop doing that) and he completely missed much of the ceremony that was planned as he skipped through it, including their vows they planned to read to each other. In the photos above you will notice that we took them aside after the ceremony to record this moment as well as capture it. Later during the reception the bride and groom exchanged them again for the guest to hear. Either way we made sure we had a clear copy of the moment, thankfully.
Here is one of the reviews we found from this couple for us.
"Tom and Christian were not only the literal best photo video team I have ever worked with, but they were also the most flexible on our wedding day. I would not have made it through our ever changing conditions on our wedding day without these two by my side. They were professional, made me laugh, acted as my hype team and took the most spectacular photos of my wedding day. This is my second time working with them (the first was my engagement) and I could not recommend them enough. I would give them 10 stars if I could. Beyond amazing, cannot recommend enough."
Hyatt Seabird Hotel
101 North Myers Street
Oceanside, CA 92054