I decided to write a four part series for winter weddings in Southern California. Actually, I have given the topic it’s own category and hope to add to the category on a regular basis. but for now, I’ll write the 4 parts to this series over the week – The general introduction (this post, favors and colors, photography opportunities, and finally a list of tips for your winter wedding. I’ll be adding various other articles and perhaps some key wedding venues that may be of interest to brides seeking a winter wedding location in Southern California.
Winter weddings in Southern California almost sounds like an oxymoron. After all, the mere name, Southern California, conjures up images of sunny warm weather. However, despite popular belief, we do have a winter in Southern California, regardless of the lack of snowfall in the local mountains or sub-freezing temperatures like the east coast. Brides seeking to fulfill their childhood fantasy of a winter wonderland wedding are not left out in the cold in Southern California, especially the past few weeks as we have seen snow fall at low elevations and a drop in temperatures one could associate with winter in Northern California.
Southern California has some of the nations best weather and with its mild winters (average temperature in the mid to upper 60’s in the months of December) it’s no wonder California is host to the majority of U.S. weddings as well as destination weddings with bookings well over 213,000 in 2006 according to The Wedding Report. So while Jack Frost spends most of his time chilling the north and north east, California brides can rest assured that they too can have a piece of the frost for their wedding. To ensure that you capture the most of your winter wedding, Southern California Wedding Photography has put together a suggestion list (over 4 parts) of what you may want to consider when planning your winter wedding.
Winter Wedding Locations – Southern California
While the beach tends to be a popular spot for weddings in California, if you’re seeking a more traditional look and feel for your winter wedding, we suggest a wedding venue that may lend itself to more of a winter theme. By doing so, it provides the backdrop for stunning photographs and video that will remind you of your well planned event. One suggestion may be to get married in a small chapel, especially one in the local San Bernardino mountains, with communities such as Big Bear or Lake Arrowhead (I’ll be doing a few blog posts on Big Bear in a few weeks. First I have to make it up there in all of the current snow). Another suggestion would be the woods. This can provide for a stunning photo or video backdrop because wooded areas and lakes tend to remind people of the north and hence, winter.
You’ll also find that many Bed and Breakfasts, such as the Christmas House in Rancho Cucamonga, offer a themed Christmas wedding environment. Completely decorated with a Christmas tree, ornaments, and the coziness you would find if you where at home. If you’re not opposed to having a “Christmas” wedding, then nothing screams winter louder than a Christmas theme.
But in the end, the location is only part of the overall feel for your winter wedding. You can certainly hold your wedding in a private residence and still capture the charm and warmth of winter. Your wedding favors and colors will determine a big part of your winter wonderland wedding momories. I’ll make note of both favors and colors in part 2 of this series tomorrow.
About the Photo in this post: The main photo in this post was taken at the Christmas House in Rancho Cucamonga. I used a remote Nikon SB800 flash mounted on a tripod off to the left side. The flash had a amber filter over it, this provided for an overall warm feeling to the photo. The camera was mounted on a tripod and set at 2.8 1/30th of a second. The iso was not recorded. The photo depicts a cold, winter environment with its dark clouds, but the warmth of the lighting gives it an overall cozy feel.
I think being a Southern California wedding photographer has its moments. Aside from actually taking photos, a wedding photographer not only has to pay attention to the details, but tends to listen in on a lot of the details. After, some guests, family members, and couples tend to just say the darnedest things at a wedding. And as they say, weddings bring out not only he best in people, but the worse as well.
So, just for fun and entertainment purposes, I have added my first list of wedding liners to my blog. These are actual statements made by guests, couples, and family members at weddings I have photographed. Of course, I’ve omitted names and locations.
- “My step-mom is such a bitch. Just ignore her.” I could remember a bride telling me (the photographer) this. I wasn’t sure what compelled her to tell me, but nevertheless, she felt she needed to get it off her mind.
- “Shit the cake! Don’t tell (brides name). Hurry, dust it off!” Yep, the cake actually fell on to a dirt, gravel sidewalk. needless to say, three bridesmaids stood in front of the cake while the maid of honor picked up the top piece of the cake and tried to set it in its place. I didn’t have a slice of cake that night.
- “Why don’t you shut the F…k up!” While setting up to take the photos of the bridal party, a brides maid turned to the father of the bride and blurted these words out. And let me tell you, she was not joking!
- “Here, help me with the twins.” Often times and while taking the getting ready photos, the bridesmaids and bride will tend to forget I’m in the room with them. So they tend to say what comes to mind. Here, the bride was referring to her breasts as the twins and wanted a bridesmaid to help her with them.
- “My mom is such a bitch, she expects me to go get her a sweater in this dress on my wedding night. What a bitch!” The Bride blurted this statement out to me as she stomped off to her parents car in the parking lot. Needless to say, she was not happy about leaving her wedding reception and getting her mother a sweater.
- “How do I cut the cake, I’ve never done this before.” A bride was asking me the photographer this question. I included the line since I tend to hear this a lot. My comment, I hope you haven’t done this before. But I just thought it and didn’t say anything.
- “Hey, you’re taking too many photos of the step-mom with my daughter. I’m the mom! She shouldn’t be in all the photos.” Lets just say that the bio-mom was having a hard time that day with the fact that the her daughter was calling the step-mom, mom and wanted a lot of photos with her. The bio mom didn’t like that.
- “Why don’t you just shut up and enjoy the damn thing.” I guess this groom was setting the tone for his marriage to his bride when he blurted these words out during their reception. I wonder if they are still married?
- “What do you mean he’s an hour away. The ceremony starts in 10 minutes.” The bride was talking to a groomsman regarding the whereabouts of her future husband. I guess the groom forgot to set his alarm clock…at least that’s what the groomsman claimed.
- “My dad’s an idiot. Look, he’s off drinking again.” Apparently the bride was not too happy when she discovered her dad off drinking again. She was muttering this to a bridesmaid.
- “Where the F…K is my husband?” Apparently the bride could not find her new husband for the first dance. She was pacing all over the reception hall looking for him. He was outside smoking a cigar with his buddies.
- “Look at the racks on those girls.” I was actually standing on the edge of the dance floor when the groom was next to me and made the comment in reference to a bridesmaids breasts. I was actually in shock. After all, didn’t he just get married?
In part 1 of this blog series, I introduced you to using signs in your wedding photography to communicate special messages. In part 2, I take a look at the use of signs in wedding photography as humor and defiance.
Wedding Photography
At practically every wedding venue, you will find your standard directional or street signs. You can use these signs to communicate a variety of meanings in your photographs. For example, if you’re a wedding photographer, I’m almost certain you haven’t escaped a wedding where the groomsmen have cajoled the groom by stating, “it’s not to late to back out”. Having fun with this statement, I put an exit sign to use to capture this fun image of the groom fleeing the groomsmen. It basically, visually represents the groom trying to flee from his wedding day and the groomsmen reaching out to keep him from running off. The result was a humorous photo that captured a common thought on the grooms wedding day.
Couple kiss.
In the next photograph, I utilized a “wrong way” sign to capture the defiance of getting married. How often do you hear people ask, “Are you sure you are ready to be married?” Or, “I think you are too young to be married.” The photograph is a great example of contrast and defiance. The young couple show their love and commitment as they kiss, just beyond the sign that reads, “Wrong Way”.
There are a variety of other useful road signs a photographer can use to create a memorable image. Think of the uses with a “Stop” or “Yield” sign. Or better yet, a sign that reads, “Road Closed”. Just use your creativity.
Photo Notes: The photograph of the groom fleeing was taken at Zosa Gardens in Valley Center. And the photograph of the “Wrong Way” couple was taken at Faulkner Winery in Temecula.
