Japanese Garden Wedding, Part One
Matt and Holly

On the surface, Matt and Holly don't seem like the romantic type. They joke around constantly. They tease and laugh and make fun of life and each other. On the surface, they seem realistic, down to earth, and sensible when it comes to their relationship. They care deeply for each other and for their friends and family, but there are no cotton candy clouds of pure floating happiness when it comes to love.

But that's on the surface.

Dig a little deeper (and it doesn't take much digging), and you find two people that are shameless romantics. They will admit to it wholeheartedly - that they are desperately in love with each other and they don't care who knows it. Matt serves and adores Holly with the entirety of his being. When she's tired or stressed, he is her rock and her caretaker. She feels him by her side always, with love and affection, even when he's miles away. And when Matt is not so sure about the world, Holly is his nurturing touchstone of peace and safety.

You may recognize these two from their sweet engagement session at Disneyland where they met and fell in love (see? hopeless romantics), and they both worked at Tokyo Disney for a number of years together, so these two incredibly sentimental people chose to get married at the stunning Earl Burns Japanese Gardens at CSU Long Beach to commemorate their time in Japan. This wedding was the perfect mixture of dramatic scenery, adorable details, and over-the-top personality, complete with a surprise performance from their Disney friends and plenty of karaoke!

While Jeff spent his morning with the boys, I hung out with Holly as her sister helped put on her dress.

 

 

A best friend or sister that knows you the best is the perfect person to help you put on your dress for the day. I'm sure these ladies have many memories of prepping together.

 

I love this shot. Holly is STUN - NING. And I know it may appear like she's posing, but this is seriously her just being natural. She just has a natural grace that my camera happens to adore...

 

Love, love, love.

Holly chose her best friend, Adam, to be her man of honor, and he just so happens to be a fabulous stylist as well, so between his Man of Honor duties (which he was the most devoted Man of Honor I've ever seen!), he designed Holly's classic hair style for the day.

 

Jeff hung out with the Matt and the boys, where his family gathered to get ready as well.

 

 

Moments before the First Look. Just look at this guy's face and tell me he's not hopelessly in love...

 

 

 

 

Absolutely beautiful!

 

Photo Nerd Alert: Love these images I took at 50mm f/1.2. If you saw this post on Tuesday, you know that I'm hopelessly in love with f/1.2 lately. You'll see quite a bit of them at this wedding so keep your eyes peeled for that creamy, buttery goodness!

 

Ummm, can you say lovely??

 

 

 

Matt can make Holly laugh at any moment. I think that's what I love about these guys the most.

 

 

 

 

 

Bridal parties are meant to be filled the people that will stand by your side for the long haul through life. There are no rules, there are no "must dos" when it comes to picking your bridal party. We're seeing more and more brides and grooms take this idea to heart and putting together unconventional bridal parties that reflect their true friends at our weddings. I. Love. It.

Holly loved her dress because it had pockets. I loved it too.

Love this shot Jeff grabbed with the guys.

 

 

The Japanese Gardens are pretty unconventional in their setup. For the ceremony, the guest chairs are scattered throughout the gardens, wrapping around the large Koi pond in the center and facing a bridge where the ceremony takes place. Even though people aren't sitting in the traditional ceremony fashion with an aisle down the center, the gardens feel so intimate and beautiful, that we all felt pulled into the moments.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Look at that view! The gardens were so peaceful and serene for this meaningful ceremony.

 

 

 

 

Married!

We have so much more to share from Matt and Holly's wedding at the Earl Burns Miller Japanese Gardens at CSU Long Beach. I'm so excited to share even more buttery portraits of the couple, the Japanese inspired details, and the most beautiful first dance and toasts we've ever seen. See you tomorrow!

Hugs,

Erin

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Wedding Photography : The Youngrens | Ceremony Location : Earl Burns Miller Japanese Gardens | Reception Location : Earl Burns Miller Japanese Gardens | Event Coordinator : Katherine Pan | Floral Design : Buttercup Floral | Cake : Rossmoor Bakery | Hair : Adam Peyton | DJ : Fly by Night DJs | Ceremony Music : Fly by Night DJs | Photo Booth : The Youngrens | Karaoke : Fly by Night DJs |

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