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ON THE BLOG

Intimate Restaurant Wedding in SoCal

I love it when couples are able to reach out and express exactly what they want on their wedding day. Open communication is huge with me and making sure that we are the perfect fit for your special day. For Brianna and Ben, they really wanted something small and intimate. Since they are both Jewish, they also wanted to be able to incorporate some Jewish traditions as well. I was so excited for them and being able to capture their amazing Intimate Restaurant Wedding in SoCal.

First Look & Wedding Portraits

One thing that I hadn’t heard of before about Jewish weddings is that they are supposed to happen after sunset. Typically, weddings start in the early afternoon. For Brianna and Ben’s special day we began about 30 minutes before sunset. Basically the entire wedding was at night which made it such a fun challenge. While taking photos with natural daylight of course is beautiful, I’ve done it for so long that it’s second nature. Night photos on the other hand take a lot more practice. You also need some flash photography which I have been LOVING doing. We started off the day with Brianna and Ben doing their first look and some portraits before heading into their ceremony. Since the sun was just about to set, we were able to take a few photos with their still being light out before nightfall hit.

During some intimate weddings, we may sneak out at some point during the reception to get some beautiful golden hour photos. For Brianna and Ben however, they really wanted to enjoy the night with friends & family. So having photos done before the hustle & bustle of their wedding day was really important to them. They also didn’t want many formal photos done, so majority of their photos consisted of candid shots of them and their guests. It was such a fun time coverage wise because we really got to step outside of “traditional wedding photos”. We got to do what Brianna & Ben wanted on their special day. Really though, that’s what it’s all about! Making sure that your wedding day is about you and doing it the way you want to do it.

Intimate Restaurant Wedding in SoCal

Brianna and Ben got married in this beautiful restaurant in the city, Ella Elli. This space brings so much elegance and charm and the food is AMAZING. No wonder they chose this as their venue. Since the venue was stunning and decor was to die for, we made it to point to really take advantage of the gorgeous space before heading to the ceremony.

Upon entering their ceremony, Brianna and Ben greeted their guests and it was finally time for them to say their I do’s. It’s common in Jewish weddings to have a Chuppah during the wedding ceremony. A chuppah is essentially a canopy in which the couple stands under during their ceremony. They also incorporated a lot of different Jewish traditions throughout their ceremony. It was great being able to see their family be involved in some of those and have it be so intimate with the Brianna & Ben. One of these traditions of course is the breaking of the glass, so of course Ben broke the glass they kissed and they were officially married! Woohoo!!!

SoCal Wedding Reception, First Dances and The Hora

After the ceremony, Brianna and Ben went out and met up with all of their wedding guests and spent the rest of the night hanging out. They both are complete foodies, so having a venue that has amazing food was really important to them. I actually was specifically asked to take photos of them enjoying the food. So if you ask, you best believe I will deliver!

After embracing all of the delicious food, they stepped out onto the dance floor for their first dance since being married. Once the first dance was over, the dance floor opened up and everyone joined in to have a great time getting groovy on the dance floor. It wouldn’t be a fun intimate wedding if they didn’t break out into the hora, which of course they did. Brianna and Ben were lifted up into the air by their wedding guests and everyone participated which during these intimate weddings is all you could ever ask for.

Ice Cream at Jeni’s

To finish off the night, instead of cake cutting Brianna and Ben really wanted to grab some ice cream. Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream to be more exact. So we were able to sneak away for a bit and head over there to grab some ice cream which is actually where they had their first date! I love when my couples are able to incorporate little personal touches during their special day that mean so much to them. It makes the day that much more special and unique which I love.

Cheers to Brianna and Ben on their wedding and giving me the honor to be able to capture such magic!

If you loved this Intimate Restaurant Wedding in SoCal, then you’re going to love this Traditional Jewish Intimate Wedding!

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