Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Stuck on You: Field Fun


Oh hi!

The last stop on our elementary school photo tour was the grass field. And we brought giant balloons.



The photo above makes me smile. Hidden amongst our bridal party are my parents. They came with us for our photo shot (part chauffeurs, part prop masters, part cheerleaders), but they managed to sneak into some of our group shots. I love that we have photos of them with us, since they felt like part of the gang, and helped so much with the wedding.

But after a couple of minutes, I had to awkwardly raise my eyebrows at my parents and scooch them along their way.








Come along, my minions. I mean friends and loved ones . . .




Hey, how did my parent's sneak back in there (note the purple dress on the left) . . .


A note to people using helium balloons for their wedding. Word on the street is that it's a bit tricky to drive safely when helium balloons are floating in the your face. (Thank you for picking our balloons up and for not crashing your car, best man Virat!). So, if you are going somewhere to fill your balloons, bring along a buddy to hold them in place and prevent any wedding day injuries (balloon, human, or otherwise).

All photos by the fabulous Steep Street Photography

Pin Cushion Flashback:

The gals hit up the salon. Then, the gang gets dressed. We have a sob-filled first look.
Our wedding party poses with kids' murals. And we make them wear fake noses.

Sunday, April 22, 2012

Stuck on You: I Love You! And I Don't Care Who Nose It!

In case posing in front of murals painted by elementary school kids wasn't kooky enough, we decided to up the "fun ante" by bringing back a prop that we used in the Pin Cushion engagement photos.

That's right. We used fake noses and mustaches in our wedding portraits.


Trying to keep it classy.
(I sure hope my ears aren't as crooked as those glasses suggest they are.)


It's impossible to keep a straight face for long when you're wearing these things.

Time for some close ups (which were shot against the side of a portable classroom [shows the magic of good photographers]):


The Pin Cushions didn't want to be the only ones allowed to have fake mustache fun. We got everyone involved. First, we lured them in by taking normal close ups . . .


. . . then, before they could move from their spots, we threw on a pair of fake glasses!


I love that everyone's photo shows off a bit of their personality. (And how bridesmaid Jessica [far left] has eyebrows that look windswept!)

The groomswomen and man:



Best man Virat (far right) is cheating! It doesn't look like he's wearing a disguise, since his eyebrows and mustache already look like that. It just makes him look like he has really big nostrils!

All together now!
Do not try this at home! It's very hard to kiss with fake mustaches and noses on!

Are you using any props in your wedding photos? I highly recommend it-they're super fun!

All photos by the fabulous Steep Street Photography

Pin Cushion Flashback:

The gals hit up the salon. Then, the gang gets dressed. We have a sob-filled first look.
Our wedding party poses with kids' murals.

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Stuck on You: Fun with Kids' Murals

Mr. Pin Cushion and I didn't want to be too serious with our wedding party portraits. I debated for weeks about where we should take our photos. Getting married in Santa Cruz meant I could choose from beautiful beaches, redwood forests or rolling hills. After considering each of these places, I was left thinking, "Well, that's not very fun."

Which is how we ended up taking our photos at my elementary school. In front of murals that were painted by seven and eight year olds. Because seven and eight year olds know how to have fun (and how to use color!).



We jumped around from mural to mural taking photos. Ceramic birds stuck into stucco walls? Check. The wind incarnate blowing above our heads? Got it.




Our goal of being "non serious" and "fun" lead to more casual photos. I was not preoccupied (or even aware) of who was standing where or next to whom. Which means that in photos like the one above, our wedding party is completely mixed up (best man over yonder to the right, on 'my side', maid of honor being the nice lady with the killer calves on the left, you get the picture). Looking back, I'm tickled that it worked out like this because we both loved everyone in the wedding party, and with the co-mingling, it felt more like "our wedding party", rather than "his people" and "my people."

It's all about the co-mingling people. And the love. Oh yeah, and the fun too.



Onward and upward. Literally. To a space mural. With flying ballerinas and apes.



And even though I didn't end up taking photos in an actual redwood forest, I got the awesome alternative of a painted redwood forest.


This is the most serious face I could muster.
You can see my right cheek pulling into a smile. Too much happiness to contain.






I think that hawk is trying to attack Mr. Pin Cushion's head.



We had such a great time with all the murals. Kids' art is the best! There are more non-serious photos coming up, this time with fun props.

There are limitless options for photo shoot locations. I'd love to hear yours! Are you taking your photos somewhere out-of-the box? Are you choosing a beautiful, romantic setting? A movie theater? An In-N-Out burger joint?

All photos taken by the fabulous Steep Street Photography

Pin Cushion Flashback:
The gals hit up the salon. The, the gang gets dressed. We have a sob-filled first look.

Sunday, April 15, 2012

Stuck on You: First Sob, I Mean, First Look

Mr. Pin Cushion and I chose to do a first look because:
1) we would have had nervous break-downs going nearly all day without seeing each other; and
2) we had things to do before the ceremony that we couldn't have done had we needed a blinder set up between us the whole time.

Well, it turns out that while I might have prevented a nervous break-down, the first look did lead me to have a crying break-down.

It seemed that initially I would be able to hold it together. I started walking towards Mr. PC. . .


But as I drew near, I was so overcome with emotions that I started to cry. Not sweet, trickling tears. These were overwhelming, gasping for breath type sobs. I was making such funny noises that my poor fiance had to turn around to see if I needed some sort of medical assistance.



He probably was thinking, "Dear God! I'm marrying a crying fool!" Also going through his head, "What has happened to my fiance's arm. It looks like a broken chicken leg."
(And just to clarify, that photo is of me crying. Not laughing.)



The crying just would not stop

.

His smirk is saying, "This is so typical!"



Hug me, you fool, before I lose all of my water stores.


It is amazing how easy it is to forget that you are being watched and photographed when you are so overcome with emotion. My brain was short circuiting on happiness and excitement and nervousness, there was no room to think about being self-conscious or embarrassed about the fact that I was not able to control my emotions.


My blubbering turned into maniacal laughter. . .


. . . and then into my I'm-so-happy-my-gums-are-showing smile.


And I couldn't help hitting the ubiquitous first-look pose. It seems to say, "Admire my tear soaked dress. Check out my running make up. Soak it all in!"

With each hug I got from Mr. PC, my tightly wound stomach began to relax a bit more. My crying-turned-laughing breakdown subsided and I was able to revel in the moment, and appreciate that today was our wedding day.


Little did I know, we were not the only ones reveling in the moment. Our sneaky bridal party had gathered in my parents' dining room, and was peering through the window, watching us the whole time!


Are you doing a first look? I hope you enjoy the moment as Mr. PC and I did!

All photos taken by the fabulous Steep Street Photography

Pin Cushion Flashback:
The gals hit up the salon. Then the gang gets dressed.