Christy & Stuart's Prom Wedding, Santa Monica
Are you ready for this prom wedding that I shot last August?! My goodness, I had so much fun photographing this party. I always appreciate when people think "outside the box" and really, your wedding should be anything and everything you want it to be. With Christy and Stuart, they did just exactly that. I believe first and foremost that you make the rules of the party, and I'll be as happy as a clam to photograph exactly how it went down. Promise.
“Gina is AMAZING. From the moment we found Gina’s website, we were pretty sure we’d stumbled upon someone fantastic. And when we had our first introductory meeting with her, we knew we had. We threw an untraditional wedding: a Prom at a local high school. Some of the vendors we spoke with seemed a bit confused why someone would want to do something like that. Others seemed baffled by the seemingly circular logic of the idea: ‘Don’t most proms these days try to imitate weddings?’ But from the moment we told her, Gina *got* it. Truly. And even more importantly, got us. She came prepared, having done lots of research beforehand on prom imagery – both in the literal, Google image search sense, and in the fantasy prom sense of Sweet Valley High covers and John Hughes movies. She showed up hours beforehand to scout the school and figure out the best places to inspire both of those ideas. And she worked with us in advance on timelines and family groupings so we were sure not to miss anyone or anything. But most importantly, she brought a positive energy with her the entire night, that radiated from behind the camera to whoever was in front of it. I cannot say enough amazing things about her – her eye, her creativity, her preparedness and professionalism, and just her as a person. We feel so lucky to have found her, and are excited to glowingly recommend her to anyone who will listen.” – Stuart
Balloon arch?! Kill me now… but first a photo!
With Christy and Stuart, the details were everything. Their guest book was an old yearbook. How perfect! Sign my yearbook please?
What I really liked about this party was that “prom attire” is such a great, open-ended request that lends itself to creative interpretation. Guests wore prom clothes spanning multiple decades, some guys even wore prom dresses, and there were even “prom outsiders” wearing flannel like all the best high school misfits. By doing this they activated their guests and created an environment where you were an invested participant in the celebration. THIS, my friend, is SO GREAT and is a testament to the kind of people Christy and Stuart are.
Prom poses all day long – yes!
To make it all complete, Christy and Stuart were crowned “Bride & Groom”, sashes and crowns and all. I love a fully-formed concept, and they did it with such ease.
If the vision of the perfect prom wedding wasn’t enough, why don’t you add flexibility and fun to it too? When their wedding rings, which were customized high school rings, didn’t arrive before the wedding, they went to a pawn shop and bought temporary replacements for their day. The unexpected is a part of life, and these two took it with stride. Big love to you both Christy and Stuart!