We’ve come to the third and final installment of the Pasadena wedding of Jason and Elizabeth. They held the “Share in the Love” themed reception at the multi-level Spanish-style estate of Lizzy’s parents, and this house lends itself to casual estate weddings more than any other house we’ve photographed. Built against a small hill, it has several levels surrounding the house, each with various different areas to entertain large groups of joyful, mingling guests. Lizzy and Ipp left no detail unattended and infused their personalities into every inch of the space. Get your “Love This” fingers ready folks, cuz these details just may top the charts as all-time favorites!
A HUGE thank you goes out to Casey Figlewicz for helping us capture the reception – you’ll see plenty of his work mixed in with ours and he did a phenomenal job!
As soon as you walk up the long driveway hung with blue and white fabric flags, you’re greeted by a kayak that doubles as a drink stand and a fabulous banner that pretty much sums up the evening! Lizzy and Ipp met on a houseboat, got engaged on a sailboat, and we shot their engagement on a rowboat, so they had to incorporate a boat somewhere!
They hung more of those lovely flowers and mason jars in the huge trees around the house to blend the spaces together.
The little details were so cute!
Lizzy’s family absolutely loves wine, so there was plenty to go around!
The driveway up to the estate was hung with banners to welcome guests in.
I loved the entrance to the driveway – what a perfect welcome!
At the end of the walk down the driveway, guests were greeted with yummy popcorn.
The bottom half of the house reflected a casual winery picnic theme complete with family style tables, empty wine bottles from the family’s favorite wineries, and more ripped fabric flags strung across the space.
A quick walk up the stairs, and the top half of the estate felt like stepping into a prohibition-style bar with it’s dark mahogany furniture, vintage glass centerpieces, and cigar and whiskey lounge.
They made two chandeliers that hung over the dance floor and became the centerpieces of the night once the sun sank down.
Not surprisingly, the cigar lounge was a big hit and reflected one of Ipp’s favorite pastimes.
The food was self-serve picnic-style – perfect for this casual, mingling reception.
As the sun sank down, the dance floor opened up with some toasts and dances.
Love, love, love the first dance!
Ever since shooting the wedding of Lizzy’s sister, Stephanie, and photographing the close bond Stephanie held with her father, I’ve been wondering how we could authentically capture the unique relationship between Lizzy and her dad – both sisters are so close with their father, but just like their weddings, their personalities are different. I think Jeff did it perfectly with this image.
And now – the mixologists! Lizzy and Ipp absolutely love cocktails and the art of mixology, so they transformed the living room into a dimly lit bar and brought in two mixologists for the night. They hung einstein lights that the uber-talented Chris Clark fashioned together, built two liquor shelves, set up a mahogany bar, and picked out a menu of custom cocktails for guests to enjoy. Needless to say, it was a big hit.
Everyone loved watching these two mixologists do their fabulous thang.
A big thanks to the DJ, Chad Hines, for rocking the dance floor!
Lizzy and Ipp: Sorry that I was such a cry baby… Every so often we get to photograph a couple that hits our heart strings with fierce – you guys mean the world to us, and it was more than an honor to experience the day with you! Spending the rest of your life next to your best friend is the greatest gift that we’ve ever been given, and I see such an amazing love and friendship in you guys. Stay amazing and fabulous! Love you guys!
