wedding

Victor & Shawna - Treasure Island San Francisco Wedding

Victor & Shawna. What can I say about this couple? They had a whirlwind engagement and got hitched one rainy day in the bay. Victor is a friend of mine from Kairos Christian Church here in sunny San Diego, and Shawna attended a church in New York that is part of our church network. They met on a short-term mission trip in inner city Cincinnati. The two of them hit it off immediately, but started out as friends first because it's a little bit taboo to actually ask someone out during a mission trip (juuuust a little bit). But love was undeniably in the air and they ended up starting a long distance relationship, making frequent trips from coast to coast to see each other as often as they could, given their busy schedules. After about a year, Victor flew to NY for a surprise proposal, she said yes, and the rest is history, as they say.
They got married at the Aracely Cafe and Events Center located on Treasure Island, a literal island right off the bay bridge in San Francisco, CA. Although there was rain in the forecast that day, it stayed dry throughout the whole ceremony. Rain only started to come down immediately after the ceremony was over, ever so lightly. Perfect timing for some atmospheric bride and groom portraits by the bay. I came prepared and had some weather resistant cameras and lenses with me to get those killer shots without worry (more about my gear below).
It ended up being an amazing day, and I'm so glad I was able to be there to celebrate the day with them not only as a photographer but as a friend. Congrats again to Victor and Shawna on your beautiful day! Thanks for letting me be a part of it!

Second shooter for Orange Turtle Photography.
Venue & Catering: Aracely Cafe and Events Center
Bouquet: Farm Girl Flowers
Desserts: The Big Lantern
Suits: Robert's Men and Tailoring
Bridesmaids Dresses: H&M
Gear: Fuji XT1 and XE2 with various prime lenses and Pentax 645n w 105mm 2.4 using Kodak Portra 400 film.

Shawna & Victor - La Jolla Cove Engagement Session

Press play twice and watch the slideshow here or scroll down as the music is playing to view photos at your pace with the full effect.

It seems like only yesterday when I met Victor at my church when he was just a college student at UCSD. It was back in 2008 and we volunteered together on our church's media a/v team. Then he graduated and went on to help form startup called Launchboom that helps crowd-sourcing projects get off the ground. Now he's getting married. Crazy how time flies! So when him and Shawna asked me to take their engagement photos at La Jolla Shores, how could I say no? The session went AMAZINGLY well- these two exhibited the perfect mix of down-to-earth charm and romantic passion that is so evident in the images captured. Not to mention their chemistry was off the charts.  I am so looking forward to their wedding this Saturday and celebrating the start of their new life together! Congrats Victor and Shawna!

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