while vanessa and tom are away on the honeymoon of the century, taking in some european history in france and italy, i thought i’d post their wedding at one of california’s historic buildings, Mission Basilica San Diego de Alcala. not many americanos can say they got married in a building that is 7 years older than america, but now vanessa and tom can.
i may be biased, because i love Mission San Diego, but this wedding was absolutely incredible. we had sunshine, california’s first mission, a sweet view of the sunset from high above san diego bay on the balcony of the manchester grand hyatt, and of course, we had this awesome couple.
some of you may recognize vanessa. she was a beautiful bridesmaid for her sister karmina’s wedding. tom is new here, but we love him just the same. these two are a load of fun. at first, they were acting like they didn’t know what to do in front of the cameras, but as soon as i raised mine to my eye they both busted out some pretty legit model poses. you’ll see what i’m talkin about in just a minute. they looked amazing!
vanessa and tom, i hope you guys are loving it over in europe, and taking lots of pictures. we can’t wait to see you and hear all about it when you get home. well, maybe not all about it. happy honeymoon!
vanessa’s dad, who is the coolest dad in the world by the way, told me this little wooden carving of don quixote came all the way from spain. i love it!
vanessa wasn’t even done getting ready yet and she already looked amahzing!
it’s no mystery where karmina, tanya, and vanessa got their beauty. they’ve got one smokin hot madre! happy mother’s day! you too tanya.
you can’t help but to smile whenever you are around this familia. they are genuinely the happiest, kindest people on the planet. from day one they welcomed us in to their lives and their home as if we were related. we’ve now been lucky enough to be a part of two weddings with them and we absolutely adore all these girls, and dad! even their tiny ewok dog is cool.
vanessa’s lazaro wedding dress was exquisite!
it looked even more beautiful on vanessa.
it’s all about the shoes. vanessa’s mom helped her slip into these sparkly ivanka trump wedding shoes for her ceremony and later that night…
vanessa changed into these slinky little vera wang lavender shoes for her reception. these were kim’s favorite.
is this girl gorgeous or what? she makes disney princesses look like street rats.
san diego sunshine. drink it in.
i get all happy just thinking about how proud i will be to walk my daughter down the isle. i can’t imagine how blessed vanessa’s dad must feel to have done it for all three of his beautiful daughters.
i LOVE this church. every time i walk into it i think of what san diego must have been like when this church first opened it’s doors 243 years ago. i wonder how many couples have been married under this roof.
we saw this car when we first pulled up to the church and kim and i both said “ooh, sweet car!” after the ceremony we found out it belongs to tom’s dad. had to get a picture of tom and vanessa in front of it and the mission.
just as i found myself in the right spot to get some post-nuptual portraits of tom and vanessa the shrub security showed up and asked me to move. of course i still got the shots. a bird in the hand is worth david in the bush.
are you believing how amazing these two look?
one word, stunning.
for those who don’t habla, the mosaic says “pray for us.” we pray that you have a long and happy life together.
after the portraits it was time to head downtown for tom and vanessa’s reception at the manchester grand hyatt. the sweet view of san diego and the bay from the balcony was the cherry on top.
when the elevator doors opened on vanessa and tom’s reception floor we saw this painting on the wall of the old point loma lighthouse. kim and i both stopped in our tracks for a minute and smiled. that lighthouse is where i proposed to kim.
vanessa and tom had a favorite places / travel theme going for their reception. as the guests walked in, they found their seating arrangement cards hanging from the eiffel tower. not the real one. it would have never fit in that room.
you can’t have a party in san diego without some mariachis. problem solved, said mariachi pacifico.
tom and vanessa lit up the dance floor all night long with moves like this.
vanessa’s dance with her father had everyone in tears. except me. i don’t believe in tears.
seriously though, it was the most touching father daughter dance i have ever seen.
tom’s dance with his mom was super sweet.
ok, enough of the sappy stuff. time to have some fun on the balcony with tom and vanessa.
vanessa was brighter than sunshine. muy bonita!
we could have taken pictures of these two all day long. well, we kinda did, but i mean seriously, all day long. they both just looked so amazing.
beso! beso!
i love both the shot above and below.
vanessa’s beautiful cousin sonia caught the bouquet, so you know what that means.
she actually is getting married next… year. Â see you soon sonia.
and now… we dance!
so cute!
tom and vanessa make the best la paloma!
the rings got to paris before tom and vanessa did.
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These are phenomenal!! The bride sitting on the cobblestone about killed me, such a stunning shot!