There are times when it becomes about the wedding, and not the marriage. About the hue of the flowers in the bouquet, about every last strand of hair secured, about the position of the salad fork in relation to the dessert spoon. The wedding. And there are times when the entire day is about the love, care, and devotion. The marriage. Without a doubt, Mike and Monique's wedding was about the marriage. And everyone knew it.

Monique floated from room to room in her suite overlooking the Pacific ocean laughing and complimenting her bridesmaids. Her toes wiggled on the cool tile floor as the hair stylist finished the last bit of teasing and curling, as she called out for another bottle of champagne. The moment required a toast, naturally. The girls raised their glasses and after Monique thanked them, she turned to Mike's mom and promised she'd never break his heart, hurt him, or let him down. And, eeeeek!!, she was excited to one day have his children.

Mike sat just a few doors down in his St. Regis Monarch Beach suite and carefully opened her card. Monique sent him a gift, but took the time to write a heartfelt message. He wiped his eyes a few times, smiled, and lifted his new iPad from the gift bag. Mike walked around the hotel and resort like he was the luckiest man in the world…and he was. Because there, on Independence Day 2010, Mike was admitting his dependence on Monique. For all eternity.

Monique and Mike, from the moment we met, I felt like we were old friends. You ease into conversations, you're warm, and you make any room you're in glow with the certainty of love. Thank you for the distinct honor of being your wedding photographer and I can't wait to see where life takes you. Together. Enjoy you're honeymoon to France…be sure to eat a baguette, toast with lots of champagne, and kiss like the French! 😉 Much love and appreciation…. j*

And, yes, I d.i.e.d when I saw her Amsale wedding gown. Lurrrved it!

Bling. On the bouquet. And on the Jimmy Choo's.

Monique and her bridesmaids looking extra done up and prettified with the help of Makeup by Berit and Tiffany Monday

Before we get to more wedding details, I need to give a shout out, big-ups, and holllllla to R. Jack Balthazar for the amazing florals and bouquets. I've been wanting to work with them since I started my business and they didn't disappoint…oh, how I love details…

Monique, you're gorgeous. I mean, totally.

And just in case you were having some doubts…here are two more! 😉

A few wedding photos before we started the St. Regis Monarch Beach wedding ceremony in the Botanical Garden…

I love wedding recessional pictures…

Just after the wedding ceremony, the light peeked out from behind the clouds and we were able to quickly shoot around the St. Regis Monarch Beach property.

JD took this picture. It's why I pay him the big bucks! 😉

My angle…

JD's angle…and it made me jealous…

Okay, so here's where the day reeeeeeally picked up…the partay! Michelle Weita of Details, Details is phenomenal. No, really, whenever I work with Michelle, I know the day will be perfect. The wedding will go as planned, the details will be fabulous, and I'll have everything I need before I know I need it. I can never say enough good things about Michelle and the entire Details, Details team. Here, the streamer-lined path leads to Club 19 where the wedding reception took place.

And this? This is the reaction Mike and Monique had to seeing the reception site on their wedding day. Every couple should be this excited! Again, huge thanks goes to Michelle, R. Jack Balthazar, and the entire St. Regis team for working tirelessly on making things perfect.

Because Monique changed into a new wedding dress, I wanted to snap a couple photos rocking her new look….

And THE CAKE! Mike Hampton is a professional Major League Baseball pitcher….and here I thought he was just regular ‘ole Mike! 😉 There were a few details paying homage to Mike's roots, the cake topper being one of them.

The Grand Entrace, as captured by JD…

The First Dance…

Special thanks goes to Jeff of Moondance for being an amazing DJ…

I'll end this post with JD's photos of Mike and Monique dancing….because that's precisely what they did. They danced the night away under a sky of fireworks, a bright moon, and an overwhelming sense of perfection.

To see more of Monique and Mike's St. Regis Monarch Beach wedding, feel free to CLICK HERE for a slideshow!