I had the chance to work with some amazing local vendors on this wedding, including::

Venue: The Estancia Club, Scottsdale Arizona

Flowers: Flora Europa

Wedding Coordination/Planning: Imoni Events

Cake: La Dolce Pesca

Invitations: The Invitation Lady

Entertainment/DJ: SKM Entertainment

Makeup: Linda Wagner

Bridal Gown: Destiny’s Bride

What happens when a charming British chap marries his beautiful, long time love in the southeastern Côte d’Azur region of France?

Pure magic.

Lisa and Ben were married last Saturday in Antibes, France in what amounted to a true destination wedding for almost everyone involved. While Lisa was born in France {she speaks both perfect English and French}, she moved down the Caribbean island of Saint Martin with her Mom when she was two and has grown up surrounded by those amazing green waters, scuba diving and the relaxed island lifestyle. Whether it was destiny {my thinking} or simply good timing that drove Ben to St. Martin 9 years ago out of a desire for a change from his life in England, it has worked out quite well for them. Ben and Lisa knew they wanted their wedding to be on the French Riviera, as it has been one of their favorite vacation spots over the years and the sheer beauty of the locale made it a no brainer for them.

Their wedding was specifically at a cliff side villa in Juan les Pins (sort of like a ‘suburb’ of Antibes, but I don’t think you can refer to it as a suburb) which is nestled in the hills right above Antibes. For some geographical perspective, Antibes sits between Cannes (where Chris and I put down our roots for the week) and Nice, both of which are just a little west of Monaco. The old, original Roman town of Antibes was our favorite spot (or one of two favorites), and it where Lisa and Ben wanted to go to do all their bride and groom portraits, much to my sheer delight. It is what you might imagine when you think of France and the little towns with cobblestone streets, narrow alleys, lots of street side cafes, shops and Boulangeries. It was also here in Old Antibes {at La ‘Enoteca restaurant} where Chris and I had our very favorite meal of the entire trip, but I digress.

I feel so thankful that Lisa found and hired me to photograph her wedding in this amazing place. My husband and I decided to combine this destination wedding into a long-overdue vacation for us on the front end, so we spent the week before the wedding exploring the area, sitting on the beach, parasailing, eating good food, reading several books between us, and of course sleeping in…. but more on that later. I have a lot of personal photos to share from this trip, but let’s now get to the best part, which was their wedding. It’s safe to say this is the longest post in the history of my blog, despite the fact that I normally don’t like it when photographers post a gazillion images of one shoot or wedding, but I did try and post a wide variety. We took so many images that day that we filled all 50 gigs of compact flash cards, so there are just so many favs.

One more quick note about my husband Chris, who shot their wedding with me: he was a rockstar who got some fantastic images! This is not what he does by trade but he is actually quite a good photographer so I knew I could very safely count on him. But he even far exceeded my expectations and was a stellar second shooter. Now, if I can just get him to quit his day job…. just kidding ;-)

I ADORE these shoes. Must. find. these. And. buy. them.

Chris hung out with Ben while he was getting ready and got these 4 shots of him

Lisa flew in her favorite hair and makeup artist from the islands

Lisa’s adorable ring bearer (1-1/2 year old son of her best friend/maid of honor)

If you follow me, you know I always love a timeless, grainy black and white image of the bride getting ready

Chris snapped this of Lisa’s friend walking out the door – love it.

Ben works for Luxury Diamonds, so he knows his stuff :-)

Chris took this of Ben and his Mom, right before they walked down the aisle.

Lisa’s Great Uncle walked her down the aisle

Some ceremony moments. In France (maybe all of Europe?), they incorporate the signing of the marriage license into the actual ceremony itself, unlike here in America where couples typically sign it after the ceremony.

I loved this little series of them while their parents were signing the license

Hi.

Husband and wife!

Details, details

There is Antibes, down in the background

After the ceremony, we left for Old Antibes and spent about 45 minutes walking through the streets and alleys

Lisa is a model, so my job was really hard here ;-)

An outtake from Chris. The streets are indeed narrow!

I have such a thing for European doors

Lisa very wisely wore flip flops for all the walking portions of our bride and groom time … in case you were worried she was walking barefoot ;-)

Ben working his mojo.

Bottom left shot above by Chris – love it!

Chris’s angle below

I know this one is completely blurry, but I still like it.

Then we headed back to the villa for the reception…

A few more details

Little Kym wanted nothing to do with us until Chris gave him his iPhone. I guess they really are the universal child-attention-getters.

Another outtake Chris got of me

Chris’s angle below of these sweet moment during the toasts.

Another image Chris took during the toasts that I love love.

Some first dance moments

One of my favorite parts – they brought out the cake right before they cut it WITH SPARKLERS ON IT! How cool is that? I think some more American brides should try this tradition. It was such a cool way to present the cake and everyone came over to check it out.

Lisa requested a painting with light image so I attempted it. I’ve done this only once or twice just playing at home but this was a first for a wedding. Aside from the fact that the motion of Lisa moving her arm has rendered it completely gone in the image, I kind of dig it. They held small votive candles and I just kept the bulb open on the camera for the amount of time they drew the heart with their arms.

The grand finale, sparkler exit

Words cannot express what an amazing time Chris and I had photographing and being a part of your wedding Lisa and Ben. You guys are just awesome and make the perfect couple. Remember, drinks are on us if you ever make it to Arizona!

I also want to say a big thank you to my former bride Suzanne Dixon for her awesome quote she provided to the magazine! Ironically I had submitted their wedding some time ago and the chose one of the images from Suzanne & Mike’s gorgeous wedding last fall as their closing Bon Voyage page!

Congrats as well to some of my good photographer friends who had Real Weddings published – they know who they are :-)

Love, sweet love. In the end, it really is all that matters.

Matt and Ashley married each other last weekend in a ceremony full love. Like all weddings, there were moving moments, tender words and some happy tears shed. But these were their moments. Their uniqueness. Their families and friends surrounding and celebrating them. Looks shared between them that communicated so much respect and adoration.

Matt’s father shared a toast and story at the reception that so touched me….probably because I can relate to it. He said he had been thinking so much about Matt when he was a toddler and this adorable little dance he would do in the living room every night … and how fast it’s all gone by, and here is now getting married, and will soon likely have children of his own with Ashley … and how fast it will go, and how busy it will become when they are in the midst of it, and there will be so much that will feel so important along the way, like the long hours Matt works as a doctor and the jobs they will have and the other stuff of life that can seem so big at the time, but how none of THAT really matters because THAT is not what you will remember. It will be the small moments, like Matt as a toddler staying up too late at night because he wouldn’t sleep, doing this funny little dance in their small living room, with his binky in his mouth. Happy. To be up with his parents at that crazy hour.  And that made them happy. It is that which he remembers so perfectly and clearly all these years later…

That toast has stayed with me all week. Stories like this just reiterate to me why I love what I do so much. That I get to be in rooms filled with love, even if I am just a witness to it and documenter of it. I feel very blessed that I get to listen to so many loving words shared, and witness connections between human beings that affect them deeply, and share in these big days, these big moments.

Venue: Villa Sienna in Gilbert, Arizona

Event Coordinator, Cake & Florals – Thee Wedding Warehouse

Videography – My Wedding Film

Gorgeous!

Loved her beautiful bridal and bridesmaids bouquets

Ashley and Matt chose to wait to see each other until the ceremony….

Loved this series of Ashley’s dad giving her away to Matt

Dr. & Mrs. Marini!

She is so darn adorable!

The fun bridal party

One more of stunning Ashley

The ballroom at Villa Sienna is gorgeous

Their beautiful cake

Some first dance moments

Ashley and her Dad shared a touching first dance

I love this one

Matt and his mom shared a very moving first dance, that had several people in tears, including me

And especially these two…

I just like this one. It makes me happy.

I think “Don’t Stop Believing” by Journey was playing at this point – the classic that still rallies every crowd

The guests getting ready for Ashley & Matt’s big send off

Love the feel of this one!

Thank you Ashley and Matt for sharing your beautiful wedding and allowing me to capture it for you!

{Thank you also to Joel Contreras and Cheryl Sexton for their help & shooting.}

Intern will provide assistance at portrait shoots and weddings with bags, lighting, holding gear and more. Occasional second-shooting opportunities may be possible eventually. Some knowledge of photography is necessary, however I will train you over time on shooting manually, using correct settings for the light, setting up off-camera flash, etc.

If you have any video editing software experience, that is a BIG plus.

Must Haves:

• Responsible, dependable and reliable (you show up when you say you will and on time)
• Motivated to learn and grow skills as a photographer
• General knowledge of fundamentals of photography
• Willing to work hard and do what is needed at weddings and shoots
• Schedule that allow you to work evenings and weekends
• Reliable transportation
• Computer skills (you know how to navigate computer files systems, use general software
• Sense of humor and positive disposition :-)

Skills or Experience that are a big plus:

• Knowledge of Lightroom and/or Photoshop
• Video editing software knowledge (can be as basic as a program such as iMovie on Mac)
• Experience with 5D Mark II video capabilities of similar HD camera

This intern position is initially not paid, however it could grow into a paid position within 6 months depending on performance. However, you will gain knowledge and experience about working at weddings and on photo shoots, working with clients, shooting manually and much more.

Interested applicants can email me here. Please include your skills level of the above and any other information you think would be relevant. I may not be able to respond right away to everyone, but I will get back with qualified individuals to set up a time to meet. Thank you!

I always love photographing weddings there; the venue is beautiful, they have an excellent team who take great care of their couples, the food is exceptional, and the light beautiful. Plus the Four Seasons is right next door for those who need hotel rooms for out-of-town wedding guests. Be sure to definitely check them out if you having a wedding smaller than 170 guests!

I should start by saying that our albums are always custom created. 90% of them are designed in-house by yours truly or Kelly, who uses my templates and is doing a great job helping to create the books. Occasionally, when our production queue fills up, I will outsource some books to a designer that has worked with me for awhile and knows my style, and she will create the initial proof of the book, where I will then go through and typically make some changes to reflect the couple as much as possible. We take several things into consideration when designing that client’s albums: the unique set of images from that particular wedding, the timeline or story from the day and how the images reflect that story, and finally my clients’ unique tastes or design preferences. Some clients prefer simpler, more clean-lined designs with features like all-white backgrounds and fine art papers, while others might prefer splashes of color or text throughout. Therefore, each album we design ends up as a one-of-a-kind book, and a unique reflection of the client’s wedding. To see some full albums we’ve designed, you can click here, here or here.

We currently offer two different lines: The Signature Album and The Avant Garde Album. The Signature Albums are included with most or all of my wedding photography packages, while the Avant Garde line features covers or designs that are available for an upgrade price. The prices range from $350-$500 additional, depending on the cover selected or page count.

Couples who hire me to photograph their wedding, and select one of of our album packages receive their choice of a Signature Album. These include leather or metallic covers, or if the client prefers, a hard-bound photographic cover like you might see in a bookstore. Most of these are printed on thick photographic, linen (fine art feel) or smooth papers.

Many clients prefer to upgrade their album to super fine leathers, duo-tone covers, or unique fabrics. There are many fabrics available these days, and we can provide some swatches to clients so they can touch and feel the different options available, or see other features which allow them to customize a cover that most reflects their style.

We also offer our popular Guest Book Signature Album, which is something many clients add after their engagement session. It’s a custom designed hard-bound 20 page book that features the client’s favorite images from their engagement session with us, with plenty of room for guests to sign the book, give well-wishes, advice or anything else the bride and groom may suggest inside through personalized questions or sayings. If you would like to see a full album, please click here.

Some clients, or their parents, opt to purchase an album completely ala carte after the wedding and that is always an option as well. I occasionally photograph smaller weddings where the bride and groom only want 4-6 hours of coverage (these are typically booked 1-3 months before the wedding day and this type of coverage is only available on certain dates or in the off season) and many of these clients will decide to purchase an album after seeing their images.

I apologize for the blog lull. My little guy Alex has been super sick with the stomach flu this week so its pushed me off schedule a bit. I do have three great weddings to get posted, so wanted to re-kick things off with Mirav and Steve’s beautiful April wedding at the DC Ranch Country Club. I always love shooting at this venue because it is so incredibly romantic and the architecture so Tuscan looking. Steve and Mirav called me just a couple months before their big day and it was great to meet and see their beautiful families. They each have two children and recently combined them into one big happy family.

Flowers: Leapin’ Lillies

Band: Dianne Lindsay Band

Wedding Gown: Pronovias purchased at Lillian Lottie

Here are a few favorites from their wedding:

Gorgeous Mirav

They opted to see each other before the ceremony. Before Steve turned around for the first look, I kept waving for the guy in the background to please move, but I think he was so entranced by Mirav he didn’t see or hear me ;-) And then Steve turned around before I could move my position to get the guy hidden by Mirav, so snap, snap – I had to capture the moment as it really happened! Maybe he lends more to the scene anyway :)

Luckily he kindly stepped aside for a few more shots during their first look…

And then we walked around for some bride and groom portraits

Love this one

A few more of Mirav

I normally don’t post family formals, but since they are blending two families and such an important part to their day, I wanted to show of their gorgeous kids. Steve’s 5 year old twins Jack & Lexie and Ari and Ashlyn are Mirav’s pre-teens. The kids are all very close, so it was so sweet to see them playing all evening on the dance floor.

Some of the pretty details

Mirav hand created a candy table where she picked and embellished many of the bowls and candies herself. It was a big hit as you can imagine!

Onto the ceremony… the boys and girls

They gave the children engraved mementos and shared some vows together with them

Married!

We had time for a few more evening portraits…

Some more details and shots of The Country Club at DC Ranch. It is such a beautiful location for a wedding!

Mirav made some goodie bags for the kids

Cristi shot this wedding with me captured this shot of them. Love it!

Thanks Mirav and Steve for allowing me to capture your beautiful wedding!

Soft-spoken, intelligent, very kind. Driven, thoughtful, conscientious. I think these words describe both Jenna and Jimmy. Where many couples have a definite ying-yang, these two seem to embody similar temperaments in many respects. In a very good way. Jenna and Jimmy live in Baltimore, where he is a successful VP of Finance for a major printing company and she is in medical school there. Their wedding was a truly elegant and lovely affair, coordinated by the splendid Victoria Canada of Victoria Canada Weddings & Events, and her team who don’t miss a beat, or a detail.

Here are some of my favorites from the day::

There was a little dancing going on in the room to start the day, which should have given me a hint about how much fun these girls would be at the reception.

Jenna, right before getting her veil put on, looking gorgeous

Andy was able to second shoot with me again for this wedding and he headed over to where the guys were getting ready. Jimmy kept things a little more quiet in his room… I dont think there was a lot of dancing going on :)

Beautiful florals by Table Tops Etc.

Jenna and Jimmy opted to see each other before the ceremony which was wonderful because we had enough time to do most of their pictures as well as their family and bridal party images so that Jenna and Jimmy were able to enjoy their cocktail party later in the evening…. and I think Jimmy’s face said it all. (Photo by Andy)

That shared that hug for literally about 1 minute, and the moment brought Jenna to tears

Then we walked the amazing grounds for some pictures. Royal Palms is, and has always been, one of my favorite venues in town because the resort is so beautiful and the light is divine in there.

A side shot by Andy…

The good looking group:

A few of the details…

I loved this frame that anchored their guest book table, which of course included the custom signature book we designed for them from their engagement session pictures.

A few more details, including the elegant and beautiful ballroom.

Jenna’s Mom, who looked stunning in her blue gown, walked Jenna hand-in-hand down the aisle

I love this shot Andy got of Jimmy putting on Jenna’s ring. The light is gorgeous!

Married!

Jenna and her brother

We had time for a few more bride & groom portraits, in the golden light …

LOVE!

I love, love, love this series Andy got of Jenna with her best friend Jennifer!

I love these two images

A cool one Andy captured!

These two were a riot all night on the dance floor – they were great and had so much energy!

Jenna and Jimmy, thank you so very much for having us along to photograph your wedding day. You two make a beautiful couple, inside and out!

Vendors to note:

Event Coordination:: Victoria Canada Weddings & Events

Florals/Centerpieces:: Table Tops Etc

Ceremony Musicians:: String Serenade

DJ:: Ray the DJ (one of the best!)

Cake:: Royal Palms Resort & Spa

Videography: My Wedding Film

Wedding Gown:: Enzoani

Bridesmaid Gowns -Ann Taylor

Andy, thank you for your help and being a wonderful part of the team!

Order ANY PRINT in ANY SIZE from your online proofing gallery (portraits or weddings) and we will throw in an extra one FREE!

Expires Sunday, April 11th @ Midnight PST

*Free print will be exact duplicate & same size of primary print(s) ordered. No limit to number of prints you can order. Offer also applies to expired galleries*

How to Order:

Login to your online gallery with the password you have been provided from any session. (*If your online proofing gallery has expired, please send us an email to jen@jenniferphotography.com with “Re-Release my Event Please” in the subject header, and your name in the body of the email and the session you would like to order from, so we can re-release your event.)

Order any prints you would like. You will receive the same number of duplicates for any print you order, of the same size. For example, if you would like 4 copies of a 5×7 print, just order two (2) of that print and you will automatically receive four (4) copies.

All prints are produced at our professional lab, are archival quality and are guaranteed to last generations. Includes professional lustre or metallic images!

If you have any questions, or need assistance, please contact the studio at 602.402.5600 or via email.

Print sale ends at midnight on April 11, 2010. Any orders placed after that will no longer qualify for the free prints.