Viceroy Santa Monica Wedding : Erma and Maxim

He moved from Bulgaria to Canada to attend college, and he fortunately found a lovely apartment with nice landlords. Maxim would talk to Mr. Hadzic about life, college, and–sometimes–his immigration woes. You know what you need to do, Mr. Hadzic told him, find a nice Canadian girl and marry her! Then everything will be solved.

But that was easier said than done.

Maxim continued to focus on his studies and made many friends, one of whom was Erma, a lively girl with charm and class. Maxim and Erma hung out with friends and went out to dinner with large groups, but one night, they ended up at dinner. Alone. They spent the entire night talking and, well, falling in love. But the story only gets better.

Remember Mr. Hadzic? Well, it turns out that he was Erma's father. That's right. Maxim's landlord gave him perfect advice, but one ever knew Mr. Hadzic's encouragement would lead to his endorsement of marrying his own daughter! But it was perfect. And amazing. And the perfect blend of two equal parts.

Erma and Maxim planned a destination wedding at the Viceroy Santa Monica, bringing only the closest of friends and family to witness their intimate ceremony. They chose to marry on Equinox, the day of the year when the tilt of the Earth's axis is inclined neither away from nor towards the Sun, thus causing the night and day to be equally long. Their love, much like equinox, is two equal parts, neither one loving more or less than the other. As Erma placed Maxim's ring on his finger, she knew what part of the inscription read: the latitudes of Santa Monica. That there, in one of their favorite cities in the world, on the most equal day of the year, they became one whole part.

Erma and Maxim…I told you this at your wedding, but it bears repeating again. Thank you. Thank you for sharing your love, your private ceremony, and your lives with us. We walked away from your day feeling like–quite possibly–the luckiest wedding photographers to be alive. I appreciate the gifts you gave me, the lovely toast, and the overt expression of appreciation. We can't wait to see you next year as you celebrate your first anniversary! Much Love and Appreciation…J*

There were so many personal touches to their wedding day, and I was especially fond of the ring plate Erma made…

Erma was nervous traveling with her Ramona Keveza wedding dress from Canada, but it made it safely…

Many thanks to Carlie B. for a wonderful job with hair and makeup…

The Ta-DAH moment…

This is Erma being simply fabulous.

When I first met Erma, she explained she wasn't photogenic and I'd have to work hard at capturing photos of her. Ummm, I beg to differ.

Here's Maxim waiting nervously outside Viceroy Santa Monica's library…

Maxim and Erma saw each other before the wedding ceremony and it's moments like the following that reassure me that encouraging my clients to opt for a First Look is a perfect addition to their day…JD captured this photo…

I simply adore shooting at Viceroy Santa Monica…every nook and cranny is fabulously amazing!

JD's photo…

Just before the ceremony, we ventured in Viceroy Santa Monica for a few more wedding photos…

JD captured this photo and there's something I adore about it…the following two images are his…

Erma personalized her ceremony site by pinning childhood through adulthood photos of her and Maxim on long strings of ribbon….

A reading during the ceremony…

As we made our way to the beach, JD captured this photo…

One thing I love when clients see each other before the ceremony is the flexibility in their day to capture the type of photos they want. Because of the extra time, we were able to capture more wedding photos at Santa Monica Beach…

JD's photo…

The following two photos are my favorites from the wedding day…

**Note to Future Brides: If you want to lay down in your wedding dress, I promise to take very good care of it…and make you feel fabulous doing so!** 🙂

I have to totally commend Erma for being the epitome of perfect destination bride. She traveled from Canada with BOXES of decor, but she made her reception radiant and bubbling with her personal style…LOVED it!

Erma's mother made the clay flower cake toppers and they were so pretty…

A heartfelt toast from Erma's sister and much celebration…

One of my favorite parts of the night was an impromptu First Dance and everyone else joining in…it was perfect! The following photos are JD's…

I'll end with this picture…because I hope Erma and Maxim see fireworks for the rest of their lives together…

To see more of their fabulous wedding at Viceroy Santa Monica, feel free to CLICK HERE for a slideshow