Some wedding days are really about everyone who got you there. Rosemarie and Jahanshah’s Los Angeles wedding was one of those days.


Their celebration was filled with family, friends and generations coming together; the kind of day where there was always something happening just outside the obvious moments. Of course there were the vows and portraits and all the things you expect from a wedding day, but some of my favorite photographs came from everything happening around them.


Parents tearing up. Family packed together. People laughing across the room. And, eventually, pretty much everyone making their way onto the dance floor.

Woman in gold lace dress laughing and dancing joyfully at a formal event.
Elderly man in white barong holds a dressed baby at a formal event, black and white photo.
Couple walks down church aisle in elegant wedding attire, stained glass windows and wooden pews in background.
Catholic Mass ceremony with priest and altar servers gathered around the altar in a traditional church setting.
Bride and elderly man dancing joyfully at a wedding reception surrounded by guests in formal attire.
Three friends laughing together at a bar counter in a bright, elegant room, captured in black and white photography.
Three women in elegant dresses socializing by a pool at an outdoor evening party, looking at a phone.
Black and white wedding reception photo of guests laughing and celebrating outdoors under string lights at night.
Woman dancing joyfully at an outdoor evening party with friends socializing in the background.

A WELCOME PARTY WITH THEIR PEOPLE


Before the wedding day officially began, Rosemarie and Jahanshah gathered everyone for a separate welcome celebration in Los Angeles.


I love photographing events like this because there’s something different about that first night together. People are arriving, hugging people they haven’t seen in forever, meeting new family members and settling into the weekend before any sort of timeline takes over.


It gave me a chance to photograph not just Rosemarie and Jahanshah, but the community surrounding them, which ended up being such a big part of the story of their wedding.

A smiling woman holds a baby touching a glowing string light bulb outdoors near a brick wall.
Woman in rust orange maxi dress holding wine bottle and glass, smiling at outdoor wedding reception venue.
Two women embrace warmly at an outdoor poolside gathering during a sunset evening event.
Smiling couple seated at outdoor table with white hydrangeas, woman in navy dress, man in pink shirt.
Couple sharing a kiss at an outdoor evening party with string lights, flowers, and liquor bottles on a white table.
Black and white photo of a joyful group toasting drinks at an outdoor party table filled with bottles.
Black and white wedding reception photo of guests laughing and celebrating outdoors under string lights at night.
Bearded man in white shirt joyfully lifting laughing baby in striped polo at outdoor gathering.
Large group of guests gathered outdoors at a backyard wedding celebration, smiling and posing for a photo.
A man in a red shirt holds a baby girl at night, with warm candlelight glowing in the background.
Black and white photo of an elderly man at an outdoor gathering, surrounded by people holding drinks.
Elegant charcuterie board with meats, cheeses, vegetables, nuts, and dips displayed on a white tablecloth.
Glass vase with white flowers and greenery centerpiece on white tablecloth with tea light candles outdoors.
Three women laughing and socializing outdoors at a garden party with string lights and roses.
Women dancing joyfully at an indoor party event with warm string lights in the background.
An older man in a suit and a young woman in a sage green dress pose together at an outdoor evening event.

The big moments and everything around them


By the wedding day, everyone already felt like part of the celebration.My approach to photographing weddings is always to make space for both: the moments you know are coming and everything you couldn't possibly plan.


So while Rosemarie and Jahanshah exchanged vows and celebrated their marriage, I was also watching the people around them. The reactions. The hands reaching for each other. The family members watching from across the room. The moments that might have gone unnoticed if no one had been paying attention.


Because when you look back at a wedding years from now, those photographs can become just as important as the ones of the two of you.


Elderly couple sharing a romantic kiss at a church altar, dressed in elegant cream wedding attire.
Elderly couple in traditional Filipino formal wear posing together at a church wedding ceremony altar.
Elderly couple sharing a joyful moment at church altar in black and white wedding photo.
Filipino wedding ceremony in church with bride in lace gown, groom in barong tagalog, and guests in traditional attire.
Two women in formal gowns walk hand in hand down a church aisle in a black and white wedding photo.
Priest blesses a group of formally dressed individuals standing at the altar during a church ceremony.
Black and white photo of a bride and groom holding hands, bride wearing floral wrist corsage at wedding ceremony.
Two women in elegant white dresses walk down a church aisle during a wedding ceremony.
Guests in formal attire sit in church pews, with a man and woman admiring a baby during a religious ceremony.
Elderly couple in traditional Filipino Barong Tagalog attire exchanging rings at a church wedding ceremony.
Couple in traditional Filipino barong attire walking down church aisle during wedding ceremony.

THE PEOPLE WHO GOT YOU HERE


One of my favorite things about this wedding was how many generations were part of it.

Weddings have a funny way of putting so much of your life in one room. Parents and grandparents.


Childhood friends and newer ones. The people who knew you before you knew each other, alongside the people who will know you in whatever comes next.


That's why I'm always looking beyond the couple when I photograph a wedding. Someday, a photograph of someone laughing at a table or absolutely losing it on the dance floor might mean more than any of us could know while I'm taking it.

Family taking a selfie at a Filipino wedding celebration, wearing traditional Barong Tagalog and floral attire.
Black and white photo of an elderly couple holding a baby in formal wear at a christening ceremony.
A baby boy in a white barong sits on a tile floor, with an elderly couple in formal Filipino attire seated behind him.
Black and white photo of a joyful family group gathered under an arch, dressed in formal white attire at a wedding.

AND THEN EVERYONE DANCED

Eventually, the formalities ended and the dance floor took over.

Which is usually when some of my favorite photographs happen.

Elderly couple sharing a romantic dance at a wedding reception in black and white photography.
Couple shares an intimate slow dance embrace at a romantic wedding reception with warm string lights in background.
Bride dancing joyfully with wedding guests at lively reception party, surrounded by smiling friends raising hands.
Bride and groom dancing joyfully with guests at a warm-lit wedding reception celebration.
Joyful wedding guests dancing together at a lively reception celebration.
Bride and elderly man dance joyfully at wedding reception in black and white photo.
Guests dance together at elegant wedding reception in classic black and white photo.
Bride and guests sharing a joyful group hug on the wedding reception dance floor.
Women in traditional Filipino barong and malong costumes performing a cultural folk dance at an indoor event.
Bride holds baby on dance floor surrounded by clapping guests at elegant wedding reception celebration.
Black and white photo of wedding guests dancing joyfully at a reception party on the dance floor.
Bride in gold gown dancing joyfully with guests at a lively wedding reception celebration.
Woman laughing with joy while dancing with friend at lively wedding reception party.
Guests dancing and celebrating joyfully at a wedding reception in a elegant venue.
Women and children in traditional Filipino attire dancing together at a festive cultural celebration.

PHOTOGRAPHS THAT GET BETTER WITH TIME

I want your wedding photographs to remind you what everything looked like, of course. But more than that, I want them to bring back the people, the energy and all the little things happening around you while you were busy getting married.


Rosemarie and Jahanshah's celebration was full of exactly that — generations of family, a room full of friends and so much life happening everywhere I looked.


Those are the stories worth keeping.

PLANNING A WEDDING IN LOS ANGELES?

If you're looking for wedding photography that leaves room for the big moments and pays attention to everything happening around them, I'd love to hear what you're planning.

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