As a wedding photographer, I have seen some clever and fun ideas. On September 12th, we were in Santa Clara with one of the funnest couples that I have had the pleasure to photograph. At their engagement shoot, they brought many handmade props and outfit choices to choose from, and their energy level was nothing short of radiant. I knew, heading into their wedding day, that their special day was going to be amazing.  And it was amazing, with a winning combination of beauty and fun. 

The Bride's dress fit her perfectly. It was a shoulder-less gown, with a sweetheart neckline and long train of tulle and lace. It had crystals and lacework on the form-fitting bodice. She had a very long veil in the early part of the day, and as the wind picked it up behind her, their were gasps of awe from the onlookers. Her hair was elegantly swept up, showing off her teardrop crystal earrings. 

In the early part of the day, the Groom read a letter for his Bride-To-Be. It was three pages long, and it was on video for her to hear after they were married. It was so sweet and touching.  They had met in kindergarten. The letter was about his love for her. He reminisced about the moment when he wanted to marry her.  As he read it, he teared up, and so did we. 

There were many fun and unique things about their wedding, such as a surprise flash mob performance by the Bride for her Groom during the reception. The Groom had a surprise performance himself. He serenaded her with his cello, and that was the first time she had ever heard him play. They strapped money to the garter belt, during the garter toss, to motivate the men to want to catch it a bit more than they naturally would have.  That was a great and unique idea. Their photo shoot was incredibly fun and entirely unique. I can say for sure, they have photos of their wedding day that no one else in the world has, that are truly original. We laughed and had such a great time.  

But hands down my favorite fun and unique idea that I saw at their wedding was: the Bride and Groom had made large cutouts of their own faces, making silly faces, as dance props on the dance floor. They were about one and a half feet by two feet, and cut in an oval shape. There were two pairs, and the guests had a ton of fun passing them around and dancing with them. It was so fun and looked amazing in photos. 

One tradition that I cannot get enough of is the performance of Mariachi bands at Mexican weddings. During the cocktail hour, they bring a liveliness and romantic ambiance to the hour. During the reception, each table is made to feel special as they are serenaded separately with a live and colorful performance of strings and horns, and also amazing singing. 


A couple weeks ago, I was blessed to document the special day of a wonderful bride. She was not only stunning, but she was kind, relaxed, and terrific to be around. She was drop-dead gorgeous in her mermaid cut wedding gown. It was shoulder-less, with a sweetheart neckline. It had beautiful crystal beads decorating the bodice. She wore Swarovski chandelier earrings, which her husband had given her for Christmas, but she had saved wearing them for that occasion. It was a warm September's day, and her veil, which was trimmed with crystals, was glowing in the daylight during the couple's photo shoot. 


During the ceremony, a Mariachi band rang out as she graced down the isle of the church.

One unique and fun thing I saw at their wedding was: her husband wore a white Mariachi suit that was made special for their day. He was a member of the Mariachi band that was performing on their day, making the band's performance and presence that much more special. On the sleeve of the Groom's suit, 
it had the couple's initials inside a horseshoe: Y and S, with a heart in between. It was by far the fanciest Groom's suit I had ever seen, with metal adornments on his jacket and pants. It had a horseshoe belt, and charro tie. Of course, at the reception he serenaded her in front of all the guests. He was fantastic.  


Click here to see an example of a Mariachi  band playing the Marcha Nupcial, or the Wedding March  

Click here to learn more about the history of Mariachi



                                                Malia Jeanne Wedding Photography