Long Beach Reef Wedding: Kristina and Eric

How would I describe the day? One big fat Croatian Italian wedding!

I started off at Eric’s close friends house literally around the corner from me… score on a short drive!

As soon as I walked in, the guys were taking shots and just overall excited about the day. Right away I went to work on the details – shoes, watch, belt and socks…the socks were Volcom which totally describes his personality as a snowboarding enthusiast so I photographed them.

After a few group photos, I headed on over to Kristina’s mom’s house – another score because she was right around the corner… good old San Pedro comin’ in for the win with my couples that are super tight with their families.

Once I arrived to Kristina’s, she came out and looked just gorgeous – super chill and laid back sippin’ champagne and enjoying the last few moments before she walked down the aisle. Her dress and veil were handmade by her grandmother and her cousin- in fact the veil had been worn by all the women who had recently been married. I love traditions like this. It takes me back to Julie and Damiens wedding where they all wore their grandmother’s dress.

The flowers were absolutely incredible! I am falling in love with the giant protea – it brings such a whimsical yet traditional feel. Especially with the white and greens – that is just so right up my alley.

This cracked me up… Totally reminded me of the Boys II Men video for Hard to say goodbye haha

Once I arrived at Reef Restaurant, I could see just how beautiful yet simple their wedding was going to be. The Reef recently remodeled their reception rooms and I have to say they did an amazing job. I have always been a fan of this venue – It is a great size and they have multiple options for your event. Including their garden area for the ceremony. Usually I am on the roof, so this was a nice change and we still got that wonderful Long Beach Skyline – I loved that the clouds rolled in just at the right time so I could get that even light on their faces.

The groom was cracking me up. He said, “I am just waiting for the bird to walk down the aisle,” at first I was confused but later realized that he meant Kristina. During the reception he said “Theres a million fish in the sea, and I caught a bird.” These two are beautiful together. Kristina said her favorite part of the night was seeing Eric standing at the alter!

The reception was a blast – what a group of partiers! I just love an upbeat atmosphere like that! Especially to document the excitement with a little behind the scenes on insta stories! The girls were having a great time singing to Croatian pop music… LOVE! There were so many elements of Croatian tradition throughout the wedding… I mean, the cookies, the greenery (similar to rosemary), Croatian prayers, and just the all around European free spiritedness in the room.