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

I would usually start this post off with something like, Jeff and Levita fly in from New York, to tie the knot at the Turnip Rose in Costa Mesa. I’d go into detail on how the family gathered from San Fransisco, China,  Indonesia etc . . .   and had an absolutely wonderful time.   Naaaaa! Boorrring! That’s what everyone posts.  Lets have a little fun.  I think the back story is much more interesting.   In this case, I think this post should be called:

The Tale of two floors and the USC Band!

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!!

A Barn, In and Out Burger, and a picnic theme describe Gina and Jason’s wedding in Huntington Beach last weekend.  Family gathered from far and wide.  The couple wanted a relaxed atmosphere so they planed a low key casual themed affair.  A cookie table replaced the cake, In and Out Burger provided the catering, and the location was the Newland Barn in Huntington Beach.  Enjoy!