“I’m getting married today!” was one of the very first things we heard when we arrived to greet our bride on Sunday.  Renate was one of those bride’s that just oozed with excitement and happiness about marrying the love of her life, Carlos.  Which of course, made shooting their lovely wedding at The Raven Golf Club at Verrado such a joy.  These two are a wonderful pair and we’ve been super excited for their big day ever since their super fun, Chick-fil-A themed engagement session a few months back!

(Please sign the guestbook if you’d like to be notifed when the rest of their photos are online.)
AND don’t forget to click “love” under your favorite images along the way!

We’ll get started with a few details.  You’d never know by looking at it, but there was a problem with Renate’s dress alterations the week before the wedding and her mom ended up having to make the dress she ended up wearing in less than a week!  Very impressive.  It’s sure great to have a talented mom around in a pinch!

Loved the rhinestones on her cute shoes :-)

After the dress was on, it started to look like a Nascar pit crew at work!   There were two gals working on both her finger nails AND toenails while her mom was sewing the beaded belt onto her dress.  Go team Renate!

Their first look was super sweet :-)  Love how these next two shots show off each of their expressions in the same moment.

When you’ve got a dress that you can “twirl” in you just have to show it off!

The groomsmen “borrowed” this street sign as a present for Carlos!  They even signed it to commemorate the day.  So fun!

The lovely ladies.

Ceremony time!  Their ceremony was in both Spanish and English – such a nice touch so that all of their guests could feel included in making their marriage official.

Carlos & Renate wrote their own vows and read them off their iPhone 4’s during the ceremony!  Got a great laugh when they pulled these puppies out :-)  Love it!

Mr. & Mrs. Estrada!  Isn’t Renate’s reaction priceless?

Showin’ off the new bling. Renate Estrada – perfect!

Yep, they’re workin’ it.  Kinda makes you want to go buy sunglasses, doesn’t it?

The grounds at the Raven Golf Club are full of scenic places to shoot including this gorgeous bridge.

As the sun went down, the party was just getting started!

Check out their awesome cake topper!  And (to my delight) it’s sitting on top of a stack of incredibly delicious cheesecakes.  We rarely indulge in dessert at the weddings we shoot, but it’s a major no-no in my world to pass on a piece of cheesecake. Yummy in my tummy :-)

Carlos & Renate are  fantastic dancers!  They did a beautiful waltz for their first dance, and showed off a bunch of other awesome moves throughout the night.

And man did this group know how to party!  The dance floor was packed all night long!  How low can YOU go?

A sparkler exit was the perfect way to send off the newlyweds!

To check out more photos from Carlos & Renate’s wedding at the Raven Golf Club at Verrado, click on the slideshow button below.

 

 

Congratulations Mr. & Mrs. Estrada!  You guys are such a fun loving and super sweet couple.  We have really enjoyed spending time with you guys and having the opportunity to witness your deep love for each other and strong faith.  Can’t wait to see the many ways that God will bless your marriage.  Hope you’re having a blast in Cali!