Los Angeles & Orange county Wedding Photographer, Hal Jurcik, Weddings of Distinction » The very best Wedding Photography in Los Angeles and Orange County

This was really a long distance event. Jeff and Levita flew in from New York, to tie the knot at the Turnip Rose in Costa Mesa.  Family gathered from the Los Angeles to San Francisco, and as far away as China and Indonesia.   When everyone gathers from far and wide, keeping to a time schedule is always a challenge.  This day turned out to be interesting and fun.

I arrived at the second floor and found just what I hoped for, the ladies, all focused on getting ready.  The make-up artists were doing a wonderful job.  Everyone, having a great time.

They still have a little work to do before some final shots so I head up to the tenth floor to check up on the guys.

While planning their wedding Jeff and Levita decided to add a Chinese Tea Ceremony to honor tradition and their family.  This is one of the reasons photographing weddings in Southern California is so much fun.  Cultures are so varied and mixed, and many couples decide to combine some of their old world traditions, along with our modern customs, to personalize their wedding.   From a photography perspective it’s fun to experience and capture traditions from around the world.    My record so far is three ceremonies in one day.  Indian, Vietnamese, and Christian.  It was a long day with five clothing changes, but the couple joked they were legal anywhere in the world.  Now there is tradition and then there is tradition.  The great thing about So Cal is our relaxed attitude.  Here, couples are free to integrate customs and ceremonies they feel add to their day, sometimes adding a little twist for fun and showmanship.   I always tell everyone, its your day, and it only happens one time.  Take charge of the day and make it your own.  There are no rules.   If you want tradition, an ultra modern event, a luau on the beach, or a quirky personal ceremony in a totally unique location.  Go for it.  Or you might want to combine a little bit of everything.  Remember it’s something you’ll cherish for a lifetime.

I love small and intimate weddings. Wesley and Ariel tied the knot this weekend at Wayfarers Chapel in Rancho Palos Verdes. They’re off to Tahiti for their honeymoon. While we await their return, here’s few favorite images.

 We usually try and post images from our weddings about a week after the big day, but we’ve been swamped this past month!  So before another week passes us by, we wanted to share some of our favorite images from Nehal and Kareem’s wedding.  It was a pleasure working at the fantastic Ritz Carlton Laguna Niguel again.   The day was perfect and Nehal looked radiant.  Melissa Norelli of PaperLantern Events took care of all the details.   The day went smoothly for all, and everyone had a wonderful time.  Nehal and Kareem are off to Florida for a fabulous honeymoon.  While we await their return, here is a sample of some of my favorite images of the night.  Their proofs should be online in a week or so.  Nehal will have the password.  Until then, Enjoy!!