the palace of fine arts

I was so delighted when Maria asked me to photograph her wedding. Maria is my younger sister's friend from her high school years. I was honored that she chose me to photogragh this special day for her. When Joe (my assistant) and I arrived at the hotel where Maria was getting ready, we had no choice but to park at a metered parking. To our dismay, a quarter will only give us 6 minutes of parking time. Thank goodness that the front desk wasn't stingy with quarters and saved us a parking ticket. Unfortunately, Joe had to keep going back down to refill the meter.

Maria was a gorgeous bride. She was calm and cheerful. I had the pleasure of meeting her mom and her dad. Her parents were so nice. Her dad always had a cheerful smile. I was surprised when Maria told me that her dad was over 90 years old. Wow!! He looks great. I saw him later dancing at the reception. He is still going strong. I think people who always have a happy attitude toward life live long and healthy.

The wedding ceremony took place at the beautiful Palace of Fine Arts. Ricardo looked so dashing in his white tuxedo. Ricardo is a professor at SF State teaching design. Maria is an interior designer. So I guess we can say that they have something in common besides their love for each other. The ceremony was touching and elegant. The setting was beautiful and the weather was nice. I whipped out my new baby..oh,I mean my new lens. The amazingly HEAVY 70 - 200 IS 2.8 Canon lens. I got some really great close up shots of the bride and groom and the guests. I guess it had its other benefits too in that I was able to work out my flabby arms at the same time. One of the groomsmen told me later that he can tell that I was different from other photographers becuase of the way I was shooting at different angles. I do get very busy during a wedding and I strive to photograph it at different angles and different lenses. I love variety and adding artistry to this beautiful and festive event.

The ceremony area got pretty windy and so many were cuddled up with their coats and each other. Sacramento at the time was in the nineties. So, the cool breeze was welcoming. After the ceremony, the guest along with passerbys were treated to a traditional Filipino dance. I wish I can tell you the names of the dance, as I should know because it is a cultural dance that is very popular with Filipinos. In college, I did participate in these dances when I joined the Filipino club. I never get tired of watching them.

After the ceremony, because the ceremony was delayed by half an hour, we had to hurry to photograph really fast so that we can go to the Palace of Legion of Honor. Unfortunately, we got there with just 15 minuntes to photograph. Since I have shot there so many times before, I was able to quickly get as many shots that I can. The bridal party was so much fun. We had great time despite the short amount of time we had. The photos turned out amazingly well.

We headed back to the Marina Greens for the reception at the Golden Gate Yaught Club. I was pleasantly surprised at how much light was pouring into the dining area. Beautiful light means I can photograph people candidly and get ideal lighting from several angles. Funny seeing an old high school buddy of mine, Jose Guillermo at the wedding. He still looks the same after.... (well, I'm not telling many years, then you'll know how OLD I am)....let's just say after many years. He was surprised to see me photographing instead doing some engineering work somewhere. Well, I followed my passion and here I am enjoying what I do and loving every minute of it.

Maria and Ricardo are two people who are meant to be together. I know that watching the two of them together that this loving couple will be happy forever. View their wedding by **clicking here***.