One of the most important decisions you will make regarding your wedding is who will stand up for you that day? In these modern times, the wedding party is comprised of family and close friends meant to lend support and help on the big day but the history books show that the wedding party of yore served quite a different purpose.

This tradition dates back many hundreds of years when it was quite common for a woman to be kidnapped by a groom and a band of his friends and male relatives. The one leading the charge was known as the best man and the larger the raiding party the less likely the bride’s family would retaliate.

Luckily today, the wedding party serves a more benevolent purpose and in my opinion a very important one. For instance, a good bridal party does more than look good in the fancy outfit or throw a killer bachelor party. If you’ve chosen well, on your wedding day, they will be your first line of defense against a well meaning but over bearing parent. They will know the precise moment when you need that glass of champagne or where you put your speech notes. They will be attentive to your needs and mood. I’ve seen a bride’s maid trek across half an acre in high heels and 100 degree weather just to bring back a forgotten lipstick or lift up the bride’s dress so she could use the toilet. These folks are the unsung heroes of weddings. If you choose wisely, your wedding day will run smoother and be all the richer for it.

What better place could there be to gather family, than at the Hotel Del Coronado in San Diego? Larry and I were thrilled to have been asked to photograph this little reunion.

The weather was utterly glorious and the light, warm and delicious. Since we had photographed a wedding for this merry group a few years ago, this sitting felt like an outing with old friends. To see more of this fun session, check out the video slide show below.

I’m always so struck by the range of emotion that can surface on a wedding day. Everything from tenderness to pride can bubble up at a moment’s notice.

Can you imagine a world without bookstores? With the flat economy and proliferation of Kindles & Nooks, bookstores are disappearing at an alarming rate. Borders has gone bankrupt and I wouldn’t be all that surprised if Barnes & Noble followed suit. In fact, both of these giants closed within two weeks of each other on State St. in Santa Barbara recently. I don’t know about you, but one of my favorite ways to while away an hour or two is to hunker down with a cup of hot chocolate at my neighborhood bookstore with a stack of art books and magazines. I’ll often run into friends there and even booked a wedding client who was leafing through a bridal periodical at the next table. Which proves my point – a bookstore is so much more than just a place to buy books. In this ever increasing world of online everything, it’s a place to engage in some good old fashioned human interaction. It’s a place to browse the shelves and be inspired by volume after volume. Ordering on Amazon can’t take the place of being mesmerized by one gorgeous plate after another in an Irving Penn photo book or discovering a beautifully illustrated children’s book that you know some little person in your life will always cherish.
So, with that I implore you to visit your local bookstore (while you still can) and buy some books this weekend. Help me keep what bookstores remain, alive!