arizona wedding photography ~ berrinda and andrew

We had never met Berrinda or Andrew until the day of their wedding as they booked us online. But the chemistry we felt between the two of us, was undeniable. She was like a long lost friend I had met up with again. We chatted almost weekly via Facebook about all sorts of things, some nonsensical and some very heartfelt and intimate, I felt like I knew her immediately.

She is that kind of a girl. Very warm and giving. That fact was also very evident in the amount of friends she had in her wedding party. Andrew, on the other hand, is what you would deem one very “cool guy”. He is friendly and full of macho attitude. But you could see from the moment we laid eyes on him, he is in love with his woman. Upstairs, in the bridal suite, we met Berrinda and her daughter who were busily putting the final touches on things. She wrapped her gorgeous bouquet with a handkerchief given to her by her grandmother adorned with one of her pearl rings.

But seriously what is not to love about this girl? First, she is “easy” on the eyes, I mean she is one gorgeous girl. Why on earth she is not modeling, I have no idea. She is the type of person, who seriously, cannot take a bad photo if her life depended on it. She just “got” everything we would tell her to do. I had such a hard time picking photos of her as I loved them all. Seriously, take a look at these….. I AM seriously crushing on this photo…………….

Then we took her down to the lobby before Andrew and the guys came to get some shots of her with the place and all…..

and some more outside, like really, she is gorgeous….

and I know a lot of brides smoke and say “oh don’t take a photo of this” and I don’t want to “push” smoking, cause hey, we all know it isn’t good for your health, but photo wise, there is just something in a pic of a bride taking a quick smoke before she walks down the aisle, LOL, I mean it is so rock ‘n roll!

Andrew, what a sweetheart! He set up all morning long, making sure things were just so so. Berrinda had told me that she was the calm one and that Andrew was the “freaker-outer”, LOL. But even when they had forgotten the marriage license at their home and had to send one of the girls back for it, following the ceremony, Berrinda remained cool and composed, while Andrew paced LOL…… She even had told me how he wanted to go shopping for “things” before the ceremony! I said things, what things, she said “who knows”, he just needed to keep himself occupied. He was so cute as was Berrinda’s daughter, Chelsea, who was our junior bridesmaid. She is the spitting image of her mom and so grown up looking, if it weren’t for the gown, you wouldn’t know who was who…… She had told me way back when that she was having a “beach themed” wedding in Tiffany blues and shades of green. It was to be held at the Val Vista Lakes Country Club down in Gilbert, Arizona. It is a beautiful place, where flowers abound and a huge lake with boats and such. The ceremony is held right beside the lake with a tremendous waterfall.

All the flowers were provided by Fred’s Flowers down in Tempe. Renee did a great job setting them all around and they were so fresh and pretty. Daisies were a main part of their wedding for very private reasons and I just LUV them, as they are one of my all time favorite flowers! You can see below, this large hurricane decanter with a “C” for their surname on it, which was filled with sand and shells and surrounded by a floral arrangement. It was supposed to remain just a centerpiece as there were two smaller jars of colored sand, one for Andrew in which to pour and one for Berrinda. Usually this is accompanied by another empty container in which to pour their respective sand. But as luck would have it, as we approached that part of the ceremony, it became evident that there was no “empty” container in which to pour the sand. So what to do, just pour it over the shells! It was too funny…. I always tell my brides, all weddings have something that goes awry, if this is all that happens, then you are lucky, LOL, plus it makes something to laugh about in the years that follow, haha.

The tables were set with two different styles of flower arrangements, as well as a gorgeous centerpiece right when you came in the foyer of the Clubhouse.

Right before the ceremony was to begin, Berrinda waited anxiously with the bridesmaids and little kids, upstairs, carefully hidden away from Andrew’s eyes. I snapped a few shots while they waited, but look at this photo of the cutest ring bearer ever, Caiden and his equally adorable counterpart, our flower girl, Alana, who just couldn’t contain their tongues! How cute is this?

The ceremony was a beautiful tribute to both Berrinda and Andrew’s hotly anticipated union. It was done by Ken Knowlton of the Church of Christ. What a nice man he was, so pleasant and a joy to be around. He had a real calming presence. Just what you want when pre-marriage jitters can get the best of you. Val Vista Lakes provides a boat for the bride to arrive in via the lake right before the ceremony. It was so cute, her and her step dad talking about the wedding and all right before they motored up to the dock…..

And, here they are, the new Mr. and Mrs.!

Right after the ceremony concluded and our happy couple went inside, Rich snapped this photo of their newly united family! Berrinda, Andrew and Chelsea…we are so happy for you guys!

Then it was back outside for sunset photos around the lake with the bridal party while the guests sat outside and were treated to some wonderful hors d’oeuvres and drinks.

The clock was a ticking and their feet wanted to get moving to the wonderful Windy City DJ’s, Inc. where Giovanni Leone was spinning the tunes for the evening. Berrinda and Andrew entered the room in style, complete with hat!

Look at our ushers who upon prompting gave me a little of “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil”!!! Only they got it a little mixed up in the order, LOL….and what is up with “hear no evil” guy, he looks like he is in pain! I didn’t tell you to squeeze your ears real hard, LOL!

I’m telling you, the women at this wedding had such a natural beauty to them…how many women can wear their hair in this little cropped, wavy hairdo and look this fabulous?

Our lovely cake for the evening, complete with Tiffany blue waves, a starfish topper and sugar in the raw combined with seashells encircling our bottom, was made by Designer Cakes by April. It was DELICIOUS!

The cake was so fresh you could smell it through the ballroom and inside, it was filled with chocolate and peanut butter, yummmmm. Berrinda insisted we have a slice, thank you very much! It was great! Be sure, if you are in the Gilbert, Arizona vicinity to stop by and see her fabulous cake designs. Her website is a feast for the eyes! Along with the fabulous cake, their guests were treated to a multitude of candy from our host’s candy bar all done in shades of blues and greens.

And, check out these dishes, how cute are these for a candy bar……..filled with M&M’s…..

and then when the guests have eaten all the candy up………………viola……………

Berrinda and Andrew are going to wait about a month and then go on a fabulous honeymoon to the Bahamas. We wish them tons of fun and I’ll see ya on Facebook, bud! I hope you love the photos as much as we enjoyed creating them for you. Please tell your friends and family to leave us a comment, cause you know, I live for them!

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The Couszins: OMG omg OMG omg!!!!!!!! These are the most amazing photos I've ever laid eyes on...not saying that just because I'm in most of them but you captured our day so well!! I have the chills looking at all of the pics...Thank you so much for being so amazing!!!!!! August 1, 2010 2:31 pm

The Couszins: I cant stop looking at the pics!!! You 2 are truly amazing..words cant even describe how happy these make me!!!! I couldn't have asked for anything more...If you ever need a reference, I would be happy to tell someone how great it was working with you!!! Thank you again August 1, 2010 8:05 pm

admin: Ahhhh you too, that is sooo nice to hear. I am THRILLED you love them and couldn't wait for you guys to see them! But seriously, you are such a gorgeous girl, how could they not be beautiful? August 1, 2010 8:13 pm

Virginia Moore: I'm the mother of the bride! You did a great job, I didn't find a one I didn't like. Thanks for the wonderful memories. It was the fairy tale wedding she wanted. August 29, 2010 4:33 pm

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arizona wedding photography ~ berrinda and andrew