Mel and Kris Wedding The Thursday Club La Canada, CA June 15, 2024 Wedding Photography
- Tom Keene
- Jun 21, 2024
- 5 min read
Updated: Apr 23
Wedding Photography LAdigitalPhoto - Life Event Photographer Tom Keene © Ceremony and Reception Location - The La Canada Thursday Club
The La Canada Thursday Club Wedding Photography
Another beautiful day at the La Cañada Thursday Club.
Arriving early at the venue where I shoot is a crucial part of my routine. It sets the tone for the entire day and allows me to prepare meticulously for the upcoming photo shoot. The quiet moments before the hustle and bustle begin are priceless to me; they offer a sense of calm and focus that is essential for capturing the perfect shots. Being able to have the venue to myself before others arrive grants me the freedom to explore different angles, lighting conditions, and compositions without any distractions.
The day ahead was going to be a long one, stretching from 1 pm all the way until 9 pm. In addition to the main event, we were also running a photo booth, adding an extra layer of excitement and fun to the day for the couple.
Managing a full day of photography, from capturing candid moments to orchestrating group shots, requires a blend of creativity, technical skill, and time management. It's a delicate dance between seizing the fleeting moments of spontaneity and ensuring that all planned shots are executed flawlessly. The pressure of delivering high-quality images throughout the day is a challenge that I embrace with enthusiasm and dedication. Having Christian with me for the videography also adds a new look at every event we do together. It's great being able to bounce off each other getting what we want for the couple.
This location has so many different places to make memories.
What I love most is the time and care that Jose and Ani take on keeping this location looking amazing.
Mel's dress in the front doorway
Always perfect lighting in the front area for detail shots like these
Normally grooms are stressing about their wedding day. Kris was keeping it fun and real. Great job Kris.
It was getting a little hot out there so we had to rush a bit to get his getting ready shots done. We didn't want him melting outside.
Inside, Mel and her sister were getting the last minute details done.
Mel was also really calm but there were moments that she allowed her true self to show through.
What a dress! I mean I can't wear it but she really found a great wedding dress. Now it was time to get these two to their first look.
They did see each other earlier but they were not dressed yet. We do highly recommend doing a first look, always! But it is always up to you as a couple.
When you go to the full gallery you will see a photo of Mel showing herself as one of the bridesmaids yelled out, he is right behind you. You will know it when you see it. The look is an interesting one but it shows how many emotions are running through your head at a moment like this.
Just a little closer...
First touch! There another candid moment captured. It is not uncommon for one or both of them to be very emotional at this moment. A first touch is an option to not doing a full reveal.
1....2....3....
Now that we had their first look out of the way we could get them both going with court photos and family photos. The couple really wanted to be able to be part of their cocktail hour. Something that Cindy and I wish we had taken advantage of on our wedding day.
I love the colors used as a theme but all had a unique way to express it with their dresses. Great job!
The full wedding court!
Just a few moments to go before the ceremony. Christian and I had the couple ahead of schedule all day and cudos to everyone for being on time.
Getting moments like these will bring a life time of memories for the couple as well as the flower girls who will hopefully remember times like this on their wedding day.
Too often there is no time available to take the photos like these... again being organized and ahead of scheduled allowed us the freedom to get some portraits.
The flower crowns were a great touch for both of them. Being a bit older than the normal flower girls allowed them to have a much larger set of flowers. It looked great!
Now I have not shot this for years and it seems it is coming back into fashion. I have a big feeling I will be doing this a lot more often in the near future.
The wedding party had a lot of fun doing it.
Normally it would be done with a tripod but holding the camera as still as I could gave it a nicer look if you ask me.
Everyone quickly got back inside before the heat got to them and some fun moments were captured there too.
The venue recognized that is was going to be a hot one so umbrellas were brought out to save the guests...
Here comes the bride. She looked amazing and was all smiles... With the umbrellas in the courtyard I opted to move to the back to get this shot.
Mixed light can often be hard to capture. I think for them it was almost a cloak to shade them from the sun and helped give them a way to feel more private.
After the ceremony, we grabbed them for a small session of romantics. We were set to also have more time with them around sunset so we kept it short and with so much of the other photos already done, we had a lot of time on our hands.
We were tag teaming them for photo and video. The flow was seamless as usual but I caught some of Christians camera here and there and you will see the work I did to remove it when you look at their full gallery.
Perfect!
We got the couple inside and they did a private first dance with each other. I took advantage of Christians lights to backlight them and use the reflections off the dinner table glassed for foreground sparkles.
This was a nice touch to allow them to spend sometime alone in the AC.
A whole lot happened between here and the last image...
But it was getting close to sunset so we got them out in front for the romantics. It was so cute when Mel said "oh, romantics, that sounds like fun!"
Shooting behind the scenes while Christian captured some moments for video.
A last minute kiss before getting back inside. By now it was a lot cooler outside so there wasn't the same kind of rush, but guests were probably wondering where they went.
Here is the location for the day
4440 Woodleigh Ln,
La Cañada Flintridge, CA 91011
818-790-1166 Ask for Ani
At the reception the couple had a phone where guests could leave a message. Mel and Kris wanted those recording added to their video. I think it added a very unique way to relive that day.
