ES-Sense Photography - International Wedding Photographer - Ako'y Iglesia Ni Cristo! Based in Southern California, City of Long Beach » wedding

Long Beach, CA Engagement : Aldrin & Meghan

Joan — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 18:30:35 +0000

A few weeks ago, I met up with my friends, Aldrin and Meghan. I pretty much grew up with Aldrin and it’s always nice when my friends asks me to document their important events in their lives. When we started the session, Aldrin says to me, “Wierd huh, Joan?”. I asked him why did he think it was weird for me to be taking their photos and he said, “Cause I’m grown up now.” HEHE :) Well, I didn’t expect that answer because I thought he was weirded out because I was going to see him kiss Meghan and stuff HEHE!! It’s always starts off that way when I photograph my childhood friends… BUT I have to agree… a little bit… that Aldrin is all grown up now. What a lucky guy to be able to find Meghan as his better half !

Aldrin and Meghan: I’m really happy and excited for the both of you! By looking at these photos, it looks like you both still haven’t really “grown up” because of silliness of some of the photos, but who wants to grow up anyway :) Stay the way you are right now in these photos; Happy, Silly, and in LOVE :)

Long Beach, CA Wedding : Mida & Marissa

Joan — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 08:16:08 +0000

About a month ago, Ryan and I covered the wedding of Mida and Marissa. It was one of the most colorful weddings I’ve been to. I loved the three (yes, three) different outfits they prepared for their day. It was like a grand entrance whenever they returned to the reception hall after changing from one outfit to the next. :)

Here are a few of my favorite shots from the day :)

Wedding Teaser : Mida & Marissa

Joan — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 06:09:45 +0000

Just posting up a wedding teaser from the last wedding we covered a few weeks ago of Mida and Marissa. I loved the outfits they dressed into and below is just 1 of 3 ensembles they wore during their wedding day. More to come :)

San Diego, CA Wedding : Clint & Hershey

Joan — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 08:04:08 +0000

Clint and Hershey got married on a beautiful Friday evening in the city of National City, CA on September 30th. Surrounded by loved ones, the two of them vowed to be united with one another until the very end. Although their wedding was done last month, the celebration of their love is still fresh in my mind and I am so happy to have been a part of it all. I hope you enjoy viewing these images as much as Ryan and I had enjoyed taking them.

Congratulations again Clint and Hershey! I can’t believe it’s been over a month already! I know you two are having a wonderful time being married!! Here is to more years of blessings to you both!!

To view the slideshow, please click on the play button below.

San Diego, CA Wedding Teaser : Clint & Hershey

Joan — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 15:33:55 +0000

Congratulations Hershey and Clint! Here’s a quick post for you both: a teaser from your wedding yesterday! I hope you enjoy this shot for now :) More to come!

San Jose, CA Wedding : Robert & Golda

Joan — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 23:06:28 +0000

What a better way to welcome the weekend than to post up wedding photos!! Last month, Ryan and I had the honor of documenting Robert and Golda’s wedding in the Iglesia Ni Cristo house of worship in San Jose, CA . Their wedding was so simple and yet so elegant. You could tell a lot of work was done from the heart by the bride and groom in preparing for their special day. I was AMAZED that Robert and Golda made all the flower balls that were displayed as their centerpieces for their reception. They even made the boutonnieres!

Robert and Golda are just two wonderful people that never cease to amaze me and I’m so glad that God brought us together as friends and as my brother and sister in the faith.

San Jose, CA Wedding Teaser : Robert & Golda

Joan — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 06:44:53 +0000

Robert and Golda got married!!! More pictures to come, but for now, here’s a teaser for them. I choose this picture because I didn’t have to tell them to pose and those are the BEST kinds of photos. I love how Robert took her hand and gently kissed it… ***SIGHHHH*** It pretty much sums up how much they love and adore each other. :)

Sacramento, CA Engagement : Robert & Golda

Joan — Wed, 04 May 2011 17:33:52 +0000

It was great spending more time with Robert and Golda! Their wedding is only a few weeks away, in June to be precise. I’m so glad they were able to meet up with me and Ryan at Sacramento a few weeks ago. We decided to meet up at the hotel we were staying at called Le Rivage and we decided to take photos around the hotel premises. Time was of the essence, so we started right away :) Below are some photos, but to see more, click on this link to view the video!

There were these nice lawn chairs overlooking the Sacramento River, but then a group of people also decided to sit there, so I only got to take a few shots in that area and then we went somewhere else.

I’m glad we decided to go somewhere else because there was this walkway and I knew I could take some awesome shots of them there. :)

I hate heights. I’m deathly afraid of it, but I’ll do anything to get a shot of the couple on this bridge!

To view more of their photos, click on the video below!

Robert & Golda’s Sacramento Engagement Session from ES-Sense on Vimeo.

Music: Colbie Caillat – I Do

The Bear

Joan — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 16:30:43 +0000

Our relationship, before getting married, was not your typical kind, where Ryan and I got to see each other anytime and go out on dates. We had to strategically plan on how to watch movies together by having our earphones and mics ready on our computers. Then once everything was set, we did a count down so that we would pressed the play button at the same time on our DVD/VCR players. Even though we had internet on our side to keep us connected, we often sent each other snail mail or packages just to surprise one another with gifts. It is no wonder that our proposal story isn’t the kind where Ryan went down on his knees to propose. Nope, it was not like that at all. However, it was one of the most unique stories that I know of, given the fact that he was in the Philippines and I was here in the US.

In December of 2001, I had the opportunity to visit Ryan after 3 years of not being able to see him in person. It was really difficult, but we believe it was something we had to go through. It really made us stronger and it made us realize how much we meant to one another. So before I had to leave Ryan again, we talked about how it would be a great idea that we started talking about marriage and that was it. It was a plan. We would be getting married. There was no ring involved, but I knew when I got back to the US, I had Ryan’s promise that we would be getting married sometime in 2003. That gave us about a year to plan for our wedding.

Fast forward to a couple of months before our wedding. We had already set a date to be wed on January 7, 2003. We decided that our colors for our wedding would be Periwinkle and that our wedding would be held at the Central Temple in the Philippines. The only thing I had to do on my end were the giveaways, choosing my dress as well as the bridesmaids dresses, and convincing about 30 family/friends to travel to the Philippines to witness our special day. Ryan was taking care of the details in the Philippines with the help of our Ninongs, Ninangs, and family members there. He was also taking care of another project that I had not known about… his proposal to me.

I remember talking to him one morning on our Voxphone software and he kept asking me if I got a package in the mail. I told him not yet but I would call him once I did receive it. It was getting late for him and I wanted him to sleep, so we said our goodbyes and ended our conversation. A few hours later, I received the package that Ryan had sent to me, but I didn’t know it was from Ryan at that moment because the return address on the package was from our friend, Kuya Jojo De Guzman, who was visiting his family in the US. When I opened up the package and saw the little blue bear with Ryan’s name on it, I realized it was the package Ryan was expecting me to receive. I called him right away and woke him up from his sleep to let him know I got the bear. That’s when Ryan asked me to marry him. I kept telling Ryan that he was crazy, because we were already planning to get married. What I didn’t realize when I opened the package was that was Ryan’s way of proposing to me because behind the bear was a small pocket. And in that small pocket, hid an engagement ring.

Our relationship is really not your typical kind. But I like knowing that we have a story unlike many others.

Today marks our 8th year Wedding Anniversary.

Happy Anniversary Ryan! I love you so much and if I could, I would marry you all over again.

Huntington Beach, CA Wedding : Jonathan & Jovete

Joan — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 17:46:36 +0000

A few weeks ago, Ryan and I had the honor of documenting the wedding of Jonathan and Jovete. It was the last wedding for us this year and like all weddings we’ve done, it was a beautiful one. Jovete told me she had only started to plan for the wedding a few months before, but it seemed like she had been planning it all her life. Their love showed in all the details of the wedding ceremony as well as the reception. They even had a cute grand entrance dance routine that they prepared for their guests. It was really awesome :)

Jonathan and Jovete: Thank you both for giving us this opportunity to not only photograph your special day, but most of all, for giving us a chance to know you both! Have a wonderful New Year as well as a happy life as husband and wife.