A few months ago, my good wedding photographer friend Gavin Wade and I were talking about how much fun it would be if we could convince a bride and groom to get back into their wedding attire and do a photo shoot. At the same time, we wanted to work with other wedding vendors that would be interested in the shoot; in return, we would give them the images for their portfolio and media usage as a token of appreciation for their help. Sounded like a win-win-win situation to us :).

So the scene was set last Friday; the bride and groom were one of my favorite 2009 couples Gabriela and Scott; the venue was the modern, stylish, and classy AVIA Hotel in Downtown Long Beach; make-up and hair were by Muse Make-up Artistry; lastly, the bouquet and boutonniere were designed by Bella Fiore. We wanted to re-enact certain parts of the wedding day, such as the getting ready for the bride and groom and the portraits. Our goal was to depict what it would be like for an engaged couple to have their wedding at AVIA Hotel.

Thanks again to all the amazing vendors that helped out, especially Melissa and Rafael at AVIA; Margaret, Christina, and Sarah of Muse Make-up Artistry, and Deanne Ragusa of Bella Fiore. I really hope this type of project becomes a periodic thing. If there are other brides and grooms interested in getting back in your dress and suit/tux, please let me know. Here’s some of my favorites from the photo shoot, enjoy! Be sure to check out Gavin’s blog in the near future for his photos on this shoot.