Southern California Wedding Photographer - John Riedy

Laguna Gloria
Austin, TX
May 24, 2008

I hadn’t had the pleasure of meeting Jennifer (known to her friends as JennA) and Ronnie, but when I found out that Ronnie was a lawyer who gave it all up to become a watermelon farmer (see the groom’s “cake” below), I KNEW I was going to love them. I was NOT disappointed. JennA (she’s MY friend now) and Ronnie are two of the coolest, most genuine people I’ve ever met. And despite the fact that I kept insisting on taking them out in the 95 degree, 90% humidity SAUNA that was Austin, neither one complained once or denied me a shot. By the end of the night, my black shirt looked tie-dyed with all the salt stains. I honestly don’t think I’ve ever sweat so much at a wedding in my life. Even with the heat, everyone had a fantastic time, myself included. I sincerely hope you enjoy the photos. I had a blast taking them. Enjoy…

A few from the rehearsal dinner…

The wedding day…

The groom’s “cake”…

This is a shot of the tag on Ronnie’s tux, which was actually his father-in-law’s tux from almost 45 years ago…

The sparkler send-off was more than appropriate…

If you’re hankerin’ for more, check out the full slideshow…

And, yes, my ears are STILL ringing!

For those of you to young to remember the song “I’m gonna be” (also known as “I would walk 500 miles”), you MIGHT remember the Proclaimers from the song “I’m on my way (from misery to happiness today)” from the first Shrek movie.  At the risk of dating myself, I first saw the Proclaimers at the Belly Up in Solana Beach, CA almost 16 years ago!  Last night was the fifth time I’ve seen them (second at the Belly Up).  We went with a group of friends and I must say, the Proclaimers sounded better than ever.  I can’t believe they’re not more popular here in the States.  In Europe, they’re huge!  Selfishly, I’m kind of glad that they don’t have a huge following here, because how else can you see one of your all time favorite bands front row center every time they come into town!?!?  They even came out after the show to sign autographs and have their pictures taken with fans.  How cool is that!

Anyway, here are a few REALLY bad pics taken with my little point and shoot…

Here we are with Charlie and Craig.  WOOHOO!!!  I must admit I geeked out a bit in meeting them.  I’ll blame it on the tequila :).

Enjoy a few happy snaps from Jack’s third birthday celebration…

All the yummy mummies…

How old are you, Jack???

Rather than start a whole new post, I thought I’d tag on a couple shots from a party Becky and I attended a few weeks back thrown by Michelle of M Bride. We sailed on a HUGE sailing yacht around the San Diego Harbor. Big thanks to Michelle for inviting us. We had an amazing time and met a lot of great vendors from the wedding industry. The first shot is a rather nice portrait (if I do say so myself) of me and Beck, courtesy of Aaron Feldman of True Photography…

This second shot shows off San Diego’s incredibly beautiful skyline…

This weekend I had the pleasure of photographing a good friend and actor, Kaleo Griffith. Although I’m not really a “headshot” photographer, per se, I always enjoy working with Kaleo and I think we managed a few really nice images for his new headshot. All of these shots were taken in and around our house in Carlsbad. All were shot with available light. I actually had a LOT of fun looking for light in places you wouldn’t think to use for this type of photography. If you know what you’re looking for, good light is everywhere!

Of course, my little guy, Jack, couldn’t help but get in on the action…

The Beverly Hilton Hotel
May 10, 2008

My bride this weekend would have looked right at home on the walls of the Beverly Hilton Hotel with the likes of Grant, Hepburn, Sinatra, and Kelly. Just look at this one shot and you’ll know what I mean…

In fact, everything about this wedding exuded an understated elegance, from Julie’s Monique Lhuillier dress, to the flowers, to the rockin’ music provided by J. Sterling Productions. Of course, just because it was elegant, doesn’t mean it wasn’t fun. Believe me, these people know how to cut loose. In fact, the only thing that slowed them down for about a half an hour, was a power outage that affected the better part of Beverly Hills. Power or no power, wedding planner extraordinaire, Georgia Covell of Hellenic Designs, made sure everything went off without a hitch. I hope you enjoy the photos that follow. They represent a small portion of my personal favorites from the day. Check back shortly for a slideshow of all the favorites!

Watch the slideshow below if you’d like to see all of my favorites!