July 27, 2012
Peter & Katrina - Monterey California Wedding
Meet Peter and Katrina - two of the most fun people ever. Katrina was a bridesmaid in a wedding I photographed a few years ago. When she and Peter got engaged, they contacted me to see if they could fly me to California to photograph their wedding. I always love to shoot in new locations and to travel, so I was excited to have the opportunity. Knowing how fun Katrina was as a bridesmaid, I could only imagine what we were up for on her big day. They flew up to Seattle and when I met Peter and heard the details of their day, I knew it was going to be an event not to be believed.
Every detail of Katrina and Peter’s day was exquisite. From the custom made hanger for her wedding dress to the Christian Louboutin Cinderella shoes.
My assistant Christiana and I arrived on Thursday to scout out the area. Katrina picked us up and we spent a fabulous day together finding little treasured spots to offer tons of diversity in our photos. Katrina was willing to give me whatever time I wanted on the day of the wedding for photos (can we say dream bride). We started in Spreckles, a small town outside of Monterey, California. It was literally like a throwback to Smalltown, USA…complete with the vintage Coke sign painted on the side of the corner grocery store.
Katrina and her father had always talked about fixing up a 57 Chevy together. He surprised Katrina in February with this beautiful 57 Chevy Bel Air. It was the perfect ride for the wedding day photos.
Despite living in California…..You won’t meet bigger WSU Cougar fans that Katrina and her family. Pete is a graduate from San Luis Obispo but he is an honorary Coug and he loves coming up to Seattle to cheer on the Cougs and the annual Coug/Husky football game.
Look at how happy Peter looks. Such a fantastic guy!
Across from the corner store was this lettuce field….who knew they grew the Artisan lettuce in rows to cut, wash and bag on site. I loved the colorful lines it created in the background.
One little treasure we found when scouting out the area was this old abandoned chapel. We literally had to climb over a chain link fence that was partially knocked over to get to it. Don’t worry, we stepped on the fence to hold it down for Katrina so she wouldn’t catch her dress. I loved that Katrina and Peter were willing to do whatever I wanted to get the interesting and fun shots that I have envisioned.
Notice how the graffiti says “St. Peter”. How ironic is that? I’d say it was right on target with that one. Peter is wonderful and totally adores his bride.
Hello beautiful!
Katrina has a bit of a shoe fetish. She wore three different pairs during the wedding. Some crystal flip flops, her red boots and finally the Louboutin Crystal Cinderella Stilettos. Oh and for bridesmaids gifts, how about taking her girls shopping in Vegas on a bachelorette party and buying each girl their choice of black Christian Louboutin shoes.
You can’t get married in Monterey without a visit to the beach and to the Fisherman’s Wharf.
Katrina and Peter’s favorite place to go for World Famous Chowder….Old Fisherman’s Grotto. Yes, those are chowder shots.
On to the wedding. Now when I mentioned earlier that the details were exquisite, I wasn’t kidding. Peter is a pilot and proposed to Katrina after their first solo flight together in a private plane. Peter told Katrina that since she trusted him enough to fly with him, would she trust him for the rest of her life and marry him. Every detail of their day was in someway connected to airplanes. Save the date cards were printed on old airplane tear tickets. Party favors were small bags of peanuts with mini bottles of Crown Royal like you get on an airplane and they were displayed in vintage suitcases. And best of all, the wedding was in a private airplane hanger with 5 vintage airplanes on display. Lynn and his daughter drove down the taxiway in the 57 Chevy arriving at the ceremony just in time for the hangar doors to open and the guests to get a first glimpse of the blushing bride.
Paper airplanes were tucked into the back of each guest’s chair imprinted “When the newlyweds walk you way…gently toss and yell hoorah!”
I had a conversation with Katrina’s father early during our visit. He carries these stones in his pocket everywhere he goes. They signify special times in his life and memories that make him smile. The day of the rehearsal dinner I stumbled across a store that had this “unity” rock and I simply couldn’t pass it by. I bought it to give to Lynn to signify the day his little girl got married.
The food at this wedding was nothing short of amazing. The perimeter of the tarmac was lined with food trucks. Babaloo’s Cuban Cuisine, Mansmith’s Barbecue, Tacos Pachero, The Pizza Gypse Woodfired Pizza. YUM!
Their dancing was a entertainment at it’s finest. Katrina and Peter had a choreographed dance that was nothing short of spectacular.
Their dance was followed by a father/daughter dance that featured 7 snips of songs and a routine that made me laugh so hard I cried.
As a surprise for Peter, Katrina had a grooms cake made by Marina Sousa from Just Cake. It was an exact replica of the plane he proposed to Katrina in (shown behind in this photo).
Thank you Peter and Katrina for an amazing 4 days! You treated Christiana and I like family and we loved being there to capture your events with photos to cherish.
A big thanks to Karissa Paxton of Coastside Couture for helping coordinate the wedding and keeping things running smoothly the day of the wedding.
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