Posts in Wedding
St. Steven's Serbian Orthodox Cathedral, Center for the Arts Eagle Rock Wedding - Mandy + Matt

My job provides such an amazing opportunity to learn about life, and there is nothing like photographing weddings and being surrounded by diverse types of people and love.

Mandy and Matt have this calm energy and subtle and secure love for each other that I so admire. I'm having a little hard time to describe it but their love isn't loud, if that makes sense, yet it is simple, deep and mature. Both of them love books (in fact, on their first date, all they talked about was books) literature and languages; Mandy majored in Creative Writing in college while Matt studied in Russian. They met on a dating app which is one dominant way of how we meet new people these days. They live in New York but Mandy is from LA area, and their wedding ceremony was held at St. Steven's Serbian Orthodox Cathedral where Matt's father got to marry them, and their reception was at Center for the Arts Eagle Rock.

Carondelet House Wedding - Chris + Jared

Jared majored in Photojournalism in college (hallelujah!), and Chris reached out to me saying, "we are looking for a photography that isn't your typical wedding expert. We want more documentary and less posed/staged group shots. We are truly looking for in the moment photography...candid, unscripted, and a bit unruly. Our wedding guest list is a cast of characters and you'd have a great time shooting them!" Boy, he was right! Brett and I loved hanging out with their groomsmaids, documented their wedding story, and partied until the end. 

Though, Jared is not a photojournalist but a successful entrepreneur, and Chris is a prominent publicist. The couple lives in Bay area and it was (personally) so fun and an honor planning their wedding together because they initially did not have a wedding date set. They had known that they wanted to get married Carondelet House  in Los Angeles, so their date was finalized on the venue's availability and mine. (I know!) I often get asked what part of the wedding day is my favorite and (you guessed it right) I can't pick one. I can say though, that they're usually moments when I witness different types of love from friends and family.... which you'll get to see about Chris and Jared as images below. :D

Bel Air Country Club Wedding Los Angeles Photoshoot - Sierra + Alan

One day, I got an email from Sierra, "We want a wedding photographer that won't do all the usual things (a million posed pictures or any for that matter or pictures of expensive shoes etc.). We would love to have you just capture everything as it actually happened so we can look back and laugh and remember what it was like, not how hot we are (b/c WE KNOW jk jk ;)" My heart literally started beating so fast because I was that excited. Because... you know, it's harder than you think - meeting like-minded people/friends in life. That's what I felt with Sierra and Alan from the start - from that email. Sierra was finishing up school in London when she met Alan, who is a talented film director, working with other fellow brilliant filmmakers such as Wes Anderson, and they were moving to LA, where Sierra grew up. (Oh, and it turns out, this amazing London-based documentary wedding photographer Lyndsey Goddard had already photographed their UK wedding and helped the couple find me for their California Bel Air Bay Club Wedding photoshoot. Yayyyy, thanks Lyndsey!)

Truly though, in all my experience as a wedding photographer in CA, Sierra and Alan are the two nicest and most genuine people I've ever met, and I admire how they enjoy life and appreciate the true meaning of being in the moment. It was probably my first event where a giant sign at the entrance to the wedding ceremony read, "There's a LOVELY LADY with an IMPRESSIVE camera out there SOMEWHERE. So tuck your camera and smartphone away and RELAX." It was pretty amazing to see how a group of 200 people already knew what was important in life - living in the present, because, you know.. even with that sign, there would be at least one single person who still pulls his/her mobile phone out. But no, not here. It was simply beautiful to feel and document the love their friends and family were pouring on them all day and all night; in the heart of the beautiful Pacific Palisades at The Bel Air Bay Club.

Contact Annie Bang today to learn more about her wedding photojournalism photography and videography services in Los Angeles!