Shannon and Matt : Wedding

She was ready. She was a bride. And she was ready to be a bride. Shannon woke in the wee hours of Saturday morning knowing her wedding day arrived in full glory. Knowing the day wouldn't be perfect without a little Turbo Jam kickboxing, Shannon punched, jabbed, and upper-cutted her way through the sunrise and started the day surrounded by her bridesmaids, cute tote bags, and a DVD player busting with a kickboxing routine. But that's just Shannon…she's full of life and an abundance of energy. If you stand too close to her, it may rub off on you. She's gloriously contagious.

Shannon watched Matt from a distance. While tucked away in the bridal room of St. Maximillian Kolbe Church, she had a sneaky view of Matt greeting guests as they arrived. Matt was calm and collected, with a confidant demeanor of a man knowing his destiny. Little did he know Destiny was watching from the bridal room.

The day unfolded fabulously well and guests enjoyed the shade of the Malibu eucalyptus trees, while sipping on blackberry mojitos. Shannon and Matt floated from friend to friend and laughed the the day away. The twinkle lights illuminated their seats under the large oak tree of Calamigos Ranch as toasts were made and glasses raised in their honor. Throughout the night, the newly minted couple danced the night away. They're full of life and an abundance of energy. And, if you stood too close to them, it rubbed off on you. Together, they're gloriously contagious.

Shannon and Matt, thank you for being so fabulous. From the first time we met and bonded over cupcakes, I felt an instant connection with you and I'm incredibly blessed to have been your wedding photographer. Your friends and family are amazing (special shout out to my homie and father of the bride, Chuck!) and I couldn't have asked for a better way to spend my weekend. Hope you're enjoying Mexico and loving life as husband and wife. Much Love and Appreciation…J*

The wedding day started at Westlake Village Inn with the fabulous bridesmaids and the mother of the bride looking on…

Shannon wanted to find the perfect pair of shoes to compliment her Romona Kaveza wedding dress

Special thanks to bridesmaid extraordinaire, amazing baker, and overall fabulous girl, Amy of Vanilla Bake Shop. She referred Shannon my way and I was more than happy to offer my services as long as I was able to eat a thousand slices of cake at the wedding 🙂

Annnnnd, she's gorgeous. How could my day go wrong shooting this girl all day?!

Matt and Shannon chartered a party bus to shuttle guests and much to our surprise (okay, and delight) there was a dancer's pole in it! Com'on…on a wedding day?! Shannon decided to have a little fun…. 😉

Matt just moments before the ceremony….

A little fabulousness in church never hurt. In fact, I think God likes it. Trust me.

Here the Deacon shared a private joke with Shannon and Matt, and I loved their reactions…

JD caught this moment just before the First Kiss…

One of my favorite recessional shots ever…

I'm not gonna lie…I was jealous JD captured this picture…

It was 104 degrees in Malibu and there were times throughout the day when I wanted to steal the tray of drinks and toast myself! 😉

A very special thanks must go to Lynda Mort of Romantic Moments for coordinating the day flawlessly and keeping everything smooth and relaxing. I love wedding coordinators who make my job so dreamy! 🙂

Amy of Vanilla Bake Shop provided the wedding favors…and they were so cute! Inside each box was delicious chocolate chip cookies….love it!

The ring bearer was the only child at the wedding, so when I saw him on this bench, I immediately snapped this photo. It's become one of my favorites of the day…

Shannon's sister and maid of honor delivered a funny speech…

JD captured this photo of the reception…

My angle of the First Dance…

JD's angle of the First Dance…

To see more of their wedding, CLICK HERE for a slideshow!