In the midst of shooting a wedding, we’re constantly looking for ways to head off unplanned issues with the schedule, knowing where we should be in case A happens at spot X or B at spot Y, or making sure we get as much coverage as possible — always working, always moving and thinking. We need to triage the information coming, and while most of it we can let expire from our memory, somehow meeting Ren and Ricky at Catherine and Jeyel’s wedding in the Fillmore was a moment that didn't leave us. Ricky’s is a guy who can just _really_ wear a suit, but more striking than him was Ren, who sported a bun with a sleek curly-cue bang and outfit that gracefully mixed a classic pin up look with a modern evening dress. More than their strong fashion sense, they had a palpable grace to them. We’re big on first impressions, and the vibes of sincerity were abundant in this one.

On that first meeting, we learned that they were newly engaged, and there’d be a good chance they’d reach out; over the ensuing summer before their wedding, we hoped that they’d finally reach out, so when they did, we were elated. Meeting with them formally for the first time started where many of our favorite consults start — at a bar! Over an afternoon of drinks, we experienced more of what we immediately intuited when we were first met: they were a pair of generous people who were brought together by fate and circumstance. The exact underpinning of their introduction is better left to them to explain, but to know the start of their story as a couple is to understand how they were destined to be together.

We were honored to be witness to their wedding day, where they were confident, vulnerable, and everything in between -- we couldn’t ask for them to be more honest. From the deep thanks from Ricky towards his brother and groomsmen or Ren and her girls sharing in her slight nervousness-turned-fiercenessk once into her Mori Lee gown, it was evident that they realized the gravity of their day, the collection of their friends and family who were sharing it with them, and were intent to revel in it. From their ceremony at St. Robert’s Catholic Church to their Westin Hotel reception, it was a beautiful celebration of their new life together.

Their reception was especially memorable, with a contagious energy that started with their own entrances, carried through a french kiss contest won by their parents (ick?🤣), and onto the dancefloor at the end with all their wedding guests. There was a immutable sense that all in the room were invested in them, in their union, and that this time was joyous because of it.

Congratulations to Ren + Ricky!