CURT + SARAH

Wedding Day

Date: 01-18-20

Location: Marina Village, 1936 Quivira Way, San Diego, CA 92109

Vendors:

I first met Cut and Sarah during their engagement session at Balboa Park in December of 2019. They were referred to me by my good friend Walter Arenas. They were such a sweet couple with great chemistry. I always learn so much about the couple from the engagement session. Engagement sessions are so important not just for me but also the couple. These sessions helps me learn about how they met and how they fell in love. This allows me to connect with them and helps them feel more comfortable. Most of the couples I meet have never done a photo session and for some it’s a little intimidating. So the more I know about them and more they know about me helps build that trust. That trust helps calm their nerves and they act more naturally in camera. Here’s the link to their engagement session photos.

This was no different with Curt and Sarah. Curt and Sarah are very simple and down to earth couple. I loved that because I live life in a very similar way. They wanted their wedding to be small and intimate. The guest count was around 50 people. I also loved the fact that the Curt and Sarah would be wearing the traditional filipino attire. Curt would be wearing the traditional “Barong” which is a short sleeve shirt made out of bamboo. Sarah would be wearing the traditional filipino dress called “Filipiniana” which is a two piece dress with large butterfly shoulder sleeves. The sleeves typically have some intricate design.

A week prior to the wedding, we had a conference call to discuss the wedding day timeline and make sure we covered everything in detail. Their wedding venue was at the Tom Ham’s Light House Restaurant in San Diego and getting ready location was the Hilton San Diego Harbor Island Hotel right next to the restaurant. Both locations are convenient and great for photos. Both face out to the Pacific Ocean and have direct views to Downtown San Diego.

We started the day at the hotel to capture wedding detail shots (rings, save the date cards, flowers) and getting ready portraits of the bride and groom.

Curt and Sarah were on different floors because they wanted a first look before the ceremony. We started at Curt’s room since I knew most grooms don’t take more than 5-10 minutes to get ready. Curt actually has really long hair but he styled it in a simple bun. One of the must have shots was Curt with his hair down, per Sarah’s request :) After taking a few more candid shots the groom and his groomsmen, we moved our way to Sarah’s room.

The bride’s room is usually chaotic and has lot of moving parts. Sarah was still getting her makeup and hair styled by Natalie, so we took a few photos of the ring and her traditional filipino dress. Once Sarah was ready, we focused on capturing some portraits with her sister, bridesmaids, her mom, and Curt’s mom.

For the first look, I decided to do it across the street at the park. This was the perfect spot to capture the beautiful background of the coastline and downtown San Diego. We were able to capture some amazing portraits during sunset! We then ended up doing all the wedding part and family shots there.

This was my very first wedding ceremony during sun down. The ceremony was set at 6pm and it was completely dark. So Walt and I put up LED lights strategically around the ceremony site. We didn’t want to ruin the mood of the ceremony, so we stuck with only four lights that would illuminate the aisle way and the bride and groom for photo and video. Thank you Curt and Sarah’s family for making the ceremony site a success. The ceremony was a success!

The rest of the day went as well as expected. There were so many surprises that had me surprised. One of the highlights for me was Curt singing “This I Promise You” by N’Sync. Great job Curt!

The Grand Exit was pretty fun! Since we couldn’t do a “sparkler” grand exit due to fire safety. I had everybody pull out their phones and turn on their flash to mimic the sparklers.

Congrats again Curt and Sarah! We wish you happy long lasting marriage!

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I’m sure you’ve heard enough from me from this blog post! Here’s the review from Mr. and Mrs. Sendaydiego.

What was the biggest surprise of the day?

Sarah Answer: How fast it went by and Curt’s surprise song.
Curt Answer: “I honestly wasn’t surprised” – Curt

What was your most anticipated part of the day?

Sarah: Giving speeches as I know this would be a very emotional day for me.

Curt: Taking photos

What ended up being your favorite part of the day?

So many! Its hard to pick. For Curt, it was the pre-wedding photo shoot and getting to spend time with guests. For me, it was also the pre-wedding photo shoot and then getting time to connect with the guests at the reception. Curt and I wanted to keep the wedding small and very intimate so we could enjoy time with our friends and family.

What were some of your favorite wedding details?

Sarah: Getting ready with my mom, mother in law, SIL, sister and all my good girlfriends. I also really enjoyed all of the help and support Curt and I received throughout the day from family and friends. Everyone chipped in to help with décor, setup, takedown, etc.

Curt: The alter. Watching our moms and my Aunt Michelle work hard to get the alter prepped for the ceremony. It was true labor of love and was completely improvised, but perfect and exceeding our expectations.

Describe the venue and why did you choose Tom Ham’s Lighthouse?

Tom Hams was the first place Curt took me to dinner when I visited San Diego for the first time when we started dating. Curt had originally suggested Tom Ham’s as a venue and after visiting several venues, Tom Ham’s was our last stop. ts on the water and has an amazing view, is romantic and has a very intimate vibe. The food is also great.

How did you feel after the day ended?

Exhausted, relieved, joy….it was a long day! It was also sad as we know this would probably be one of the last times we would have all of closest family and friends in the same room.

What did you like most about working with us (Mike & Dolly)?

You guys were both super professional and were excellent at communicating. You both are calm and collected and have a clear vision for how you want for a photo to turn out. You both have an exceptional attention to detail and made the entire process so easy and fun. We also appreciated the pre-wedding consultation that was provided. For us we wanted a lot of photos of our family and friends, and less focus on just the couple. When we received our final wedding album we couldn’t have been happier. It had the perfect mix of the bride and groom, but also an awesome assortment of friends and family. We also liked how you guys worked so well together with the videographer team. Guests event commented on pleasant and professional the two of you were. Curt and I can’t wait to book our next photoshoot with you (perhaps baby Sendaydiego 😊 ) Thank you Mikey and Dolly for you being you and for making our day extra special. We hope to connect again with you soon.

What are you looking forward to the most as a married couple?

Curt: A baby

Sarah: Spending time with Curt and making memories with him and our family and friends. Perhaps a baby Sendaydiego will come in the near future 😊

What advice would you give to future couples for their wedding?

Curt: Don’t waste time on the details that don’t matter. Don’t forget to eat.

Sarah: Same. I focused so much on the small details (i.e. programs, wedding flowers) and could have spent more time connecting with guests and enjoying my time more during and leading up to the wedding day.

Wedding Highlight Video by Walter A. Media