Jake and Christine were one of our Summer 2011 couples. I had a lot of fun doing their engagement session and their wedding was even more fun. Taking place at a beautiful venue and a separate portrait session at the ultra lounge SLS Hotel, their photos came out glamorous, dramatic and edgy.

We wanted our wedding to be like our life together: fun, spontaneous and unique. White roses and a hotel ballroom weren’t for us, but we envisioned an eclectic wedding that was still classically elegant. We wound up with everything we dreamed of and so much more!

The Smog Shoppe, a converted auto body shop, set the tone for the everything to come. The centerpieces of coffee cans and milk bottles, vintage handkerchiefs handed out to the ladies pre-ceremony, and my bouquet of vintage flower brooches were culled from many Sundays at LA’s flea markets. Dolly Thicke of Dolly Couture designed a 1950′s inspired dress that made me feel indescribably beautiful, yet gave me freedom to dance all night in my sparkly Converse.

Charlie made three kinds of beer for our guests, as well as the invitations and slide show. I made our “guestbook” quilt, the table runners, my bouquet and other little touches. And imaginative florist Brad Austin put our vision together with gorgeous flowers and lighting.

I’m so grateful to have Duke’s photos to remember our day. He captured every memory and moment perfectly. My favorites are the candid shots of our guests dancing, smiling and acting silly. The people we love, laughing together — that’s the dream wedding of all time!

This wedding has been featured on the California Wedding Wave website: http://www.californiaweddingwave.com/2011/03/24/real-wedding-mary-mickey/

A few words from Mickey on the day of the wedding, “I had been told by everyone that Mary looked beautiful in her dress.  Although I was sure of this, nothing could have been more true than at the moment of surprise when I saw Mary on the staircase at the W Hotel.  At that moment I knew I was the luckiest man in the world, as nothing had ever captured my heart the way this beautiful women had.”

Christine and Patrick wanted to have a sexy shoot and at the same time very trendy and fashionable. I remember her saying “we are young, youthful and passionate toward each other and we want to celebrate it”.

We did some great photos around Palos Verdes and the cliffs.

I have a long list of countries I’d like to visit. Some I’ve already been lucky enough to see, but a journey I never thought I’d be taking was to a little country in Central America: Nicaragua. The general view of Nicaragua is that it’s just another poor and unsafe country that has been overly ruled and abused by dictators and military over the last few decades, without much recommendation to visit as a tourist- not exactly the case once you’re there.

Opportunity knocked and I took the assignment of shooting a wedding there which really changed my view about this amazing country. It’s true that its citizens may not be as fortunate as we are here, but they have the biggest hearts and eager smiles on their faces with a “no worries” kind of life. They are actually some of the most friendliest I have met traveling in such countries.

Nicaragua is full of natural phenomena- 11 volcanoes, lagoons, craters, jungles- and it is said that Nicaragua has around 5000 lakes, which for a country that small, must be half their real estate.

For a photographer this place is perfect as there is so much to see and capture: the colors, weathered buildings, textures, volcanoes, formations, the story of the people and their day to day happenings. There is a resounding innocence I noticed when looking back through the photos- what they show you is who they are, wholly and sincerely.

San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua

My Hotel. La Posada Azul

Cooks in the kitchen

Granada, Nicaragua

Opoyo Lagoon

Broken Bus on the way to Volcano

Masaya Volcano

Katarina Lagoon

Zip Linning on the picks of San Juan Del Sur.

Next post is the wedding in Nicaragua!