I really love photographing weddings. It’s such a wonderful time. A beautiful day. Something you will always remember. I can still remember every detail of my wedding day. (well, almost…as you know, I’m not that great of a remember-er) Darrell and I eloped, but the one thing I made sure I had was a photographer. I wanted to be able to look back on all the fun we had.

Darrell and I started planning a full on wedding, but we had just moved to Los Angeles and all of our family and friends were back East. We couldn’t decide if we should have everyone come here or go back East? But where back East? We had met and lived together in New York City. That’s where all our friends were. My family lived in Maryland and in the South. His in New Jersey and Upstate. (Yes, a Southern girl marrying a Yankee! My uncle still gives me a hard time about that. haha) The planning process was a huge ordeal! There was nothing like Wedding Wire way back then. (I still can’t believe how long I’ve been with my husband. And how much I still like hanging out with him. I guess that means it’s true love.) We ended up eloping. It was a planned elopement, though. We told everyone our plan and they loved the idea. Get married alone and then have a party when we visited NYC. Another when we visited MD. The perfect solution. But I wanted everyone to be able to see our wedding, so I searched for a wedding photographer that I loved.

We decided to get married on Catalina Island. It was gorgeous. The photographer was great. (I just looked for her online, but I guess she no longer does photography. Bummer) Back then it was old school film. I wanted all black and whites and no traditional poses. I loved Terry Gruber’s style and wanted my photographs to have the same feel. I showed Melinda some of his work. She was really excited. I don’t think she met a bride like me before. Completely non traditional. I wanted her to feel free to experiment and get creative. Just like me.

Speeking of non traditional…everything about my wedding was offbeat. Wedding dress shopping included. We got married around Halloween, so the local costume shops had tons of bride and groom stuff. Darrell and I stumbled into a great store called Aardvarks. There was a huge rack of wedding veils. I pulled out the biggest, poofiest one I could find. It was great. 1980′s at it’s most…interesting. Next I spotted a big basket of corsets. I picked a few to try on. The last thing I spied was a rack of petticoats. I chose a simple one. Not too big, but still a little puffy. While I was rummaging around, Darrell was looking at tuxedos. Just as I rounded the corner, he came out of the dressing room in a really cool chocolate brown vintage number. I guess we both found our perfect outfit.

As we were paying for our items, the clerk behind the register said, “Now all you need to do is find the dress.” I replied, “This is going to BE my dress.” Yep, a little bit unconventional. It was very Madonna, 1987. I loved it!

Our minister was a woman (don’t forget I was raised Catholic, so that, too, was odd). We got married on a terrace overlooking the Pacific Ocean. That was just beautiful. We were figuring out where to stand for the ceremony and both the photographer and minister suggested we stand with our backs to the ocean view. Good for the photos. We were thinking the exact opposite. We wanted to see the gorgeous view as we were exchanging vows. And it was absolutely breathtaking.

We also got ready together. No separate rooms. No worry about seeing each other before the ceremony. It was just causal and relaxed…just like us. So we got photos of us goofing around, with curlers in my hair, putting make up on and Darrell eating apples. Of course.

My bouquet was chosen last minute as we were walking down main street. A bunch of daisies. Simple. I wonder what folks thought of as as we walked around Catalina. Me in my corset and petticoat and Darrell in a chocolate brown tux. I remember everyone saying congrats and good luck.

Right before the ceremony began, the minister suggested I bring some tissues so when I started to cry I could dab my eyes. I thought, are you nuts? I’m the most unsentimental girl I know. There is no way this wedding is going to get me to cry. But, being a people-pleaser and not wanting to hurt her feelings, I said thank you and took the tissues from her hands. We were ready. I was really excited and we were both anxious to get to the patio and exchange our vows.

The actual ceremony is a bit of a blur. The only thing I really remember vividly is that the minister was right. I did need those tissues. Come to think of it Darrell did too. I guess we were both overwhelmed with joy and love. Corny, I know, but true. We were both blubbering like idiots.

Our wedding dinner was at the Wrigley Mansion. It was delicious. We had a nice midnight stroll back to our hotel. What a cool place. Instead of cars, the locals drive golf carts. There are wild buffalo roaming the hills. We need to take a trip back there. I am so happy we decided to get married on Catalina.

For anyone planning their wedding now, Wedding Wire is a fantastic site that has everything at your finger tips. I’ve been listed on their website for a while now and brides have told me how easy they make wedding planning. Have fun and happy wedding planning.

Click here to see Fusaro Photography on Wedding Wire

Filed Under Events, LA's Premiere Lifestyle Photographer, Uniquely You | | Send this post to a friend