If You Think You Might Come to California, I Think You Should

This post is going to have a lot of photos. I traveled to Los Angeles in April to attend my good friend Tara's wedding. Tara and Dave have been together even longer than Doug and I have! They complement each other so well. As long as I've known Tara and Dave, they've been together. I can't imagine it any other way. I love picturing them happy, together, whether it be in Silverlake or Abu Dhabi. I was not the official photographer for the wedding, but I managed to squeeze some shots in. Tara and Dave hired Michael Chan of The Image Is Found, so I knew they were in GREAT hands! Dave and Tara arranged for guests to stay at The Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles. Even though I had friends in the area I could stay with, I knew I wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to stay at the Biltmore. Here are a few fun facts about the hotel:
1) It opened to the public in 1923.
2) The hotel has hosted the Academy Awards eight times.
3) In 1960, JFK used the hotel as his campaign headquarters.
4) The Biltmore was the last place actress Elizabeth Short (Hollywood's notorious Black Dahlia) was seen alive.
While we were staying there, they were filming something for America's Next Top Model. I didn't see anyone related to the show, but some of the other wedding guests claim they rode the elevator with Jay Manuel. That would have been pretty cool. The hotel is located in downtown Los Angeles, which is often overlooked by travelers. It's seen better days, but it seems like they are working hard to bring it back to life. In the few years I lived there, they built the Walt Disney Concert Hall and they've been revitalizing it ever since.

Now, on to the photos. Tara, her mother, and her aunt (and me) put together the wedding bouquets. They got their flowers from the Flower Market the morning of the wedding, which means that they had no idea what kinds of flowers they'd be using until they got there. Tara had ideas, but they were dependent on which flowers were available. In the end, the bouquets were gorgeous!














The wedding took place at the Los Angeles River Center and Gardens which was gorgeous! They had a bridal suite where Tara could get ready and the girls could all hang out before the ceremony.



The light during the ceremony was crazy! I loved the way it hit Tara.


Yay for being married!




The wedding was beautiful! Tara and Dave's awesome friends gave a bunch of mini-speeches throughout the night that were amazing. So funny and natural. I guess it helps that a lot of them have theatrical training. Congratulations you two! You did it!