This story is a bit unique and truly very special to me.  When I was a kid, my grandmother babysat Genevieve and her younger sister, Crystal.  I was about 6 or 7 years old when my grandma started taking care of newborn Genevieve.  A couple of years later, Crystal came along.  Being an only child myself, it was like having little sisters.  They were with us for about 5 years before my family moved away.  So, I haven’t seen Gen since she was 5.  Fast forward 20+ years later, and with the magic of Facebook, we reconnected. It was great to see what a wonderful person she grew up to be. I was also happy to see that she was engaged to such a great guy, Nick.  Their bond was instantly apparent.

Gen and Nick’s faith is a huge part of their lives and the most important part of their wedding.  Their ceremony was at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in downtown LA, the center of the LA Archdiocese.  The Cathedral is a uniquely beautiful location, enormous in size, and filled with the warmth of community. Obviously, a number of great places for photographs, but lighting was the guide to the perfect spots. Before the ceremony, I had some time with Gen and her bridesmaids in the lower section of the church.  There was beautiful sunlight shining down the staircase just outside the bridal room.  With just the right positioning and Gen’s natural gift of posing, we got some awesome images.

The reception was at the Universal Sheraton just a few miles up the 101 freeway. True to Gen and Nick’s playful personalities, the reception was filled with hysterical moments. My second shooters and I couldn’t stop laughing. I’ll never forget Nick going to get Gen’s garter and pulling out a rubber chicken. Classic. The impressive ballroom was surrounded by huge windows that lit the entire room and gave an unmatched view of LA and the Valley. The challenge was that the windows gave almost too much light.  The overpowering backlight from the windows was causing the people in the pictures to be underexposed. Simply turning the folks around and having them face the window created perfect lighting for them.  I stood on the sweetheart table’s stage and shot with the windows behind me using it to my advantage. We got some great family group shots without having to use any flash.

Being a part of Gen and Nicks wedding was very surreal. Seeing Gen, her parents, and the rest of her family brought back a lot of childhood memories. A lot of time and history has passed in those 20+ years.  It was great to see  that the family was still just as fun loving.  To be honest I’ve never felt older, but I also was very proud of our little Genevieve.  I’m sure my grandma would’ve been proud too.

-Jason Z.

Associate Photographers: Lindsay Chavez and Erickson de la Cruz
Ceremony: Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels
Reception: Sheraton Universal Hotel
Wedding Coordination/Videography: Solano 888 Productions
Wedding Gown: Rose Petals Bridal
Hair and Makeup: Elaine Chou – Echou Makeup
Cake Artist – Masis Bakery
Limo Service: Platinum Style Limousine