Wedding at 21 Main Events with a cute dog ring-bearer

21 Main Events at North Beach is becoming one of my most frequented wedding venues for photography. It’s a great combination of a sheltered courtyard area that keeps the guests out of the sun and wind. As well as a beautiful nearby gazebo and beach area. My wife Lizeth was assisting me as a second photographer at this wedding. She went up with the groomsmen to their suite above the main restaurant and got some great shots of them out on the balcony. I usually like to stay with the bride myself and take pictures of all her details. Such as her dress, bouquet, jewelry, etc, as well as the getting-ready pictures.

First look and pictures by the gazebo

The bride and groom wanted to get most of the pictures out of the way before the ceremony. So they decided to do a first look. The courtyard is a great place for this. Even earlier in the day, you have some nice shade. They also have a lot of beautiful foliage and some palms that make a great background for the pictures. My wife was up on the balcony while Eyecon Films and myself were in the courtyard shooting the first look. I liked some of the behind-the-scenes shots she got of us trying to get the perfect angles.

After the first look, the bridal party went down to the gazebo by the North Beach Towers for some pictures. It actually worked out really well doing this before the ceremony. There is nice shade under the gazebo, so the sun didn’t cause us any problems. The couple had their little ring-bearer dog with them that only had three legs. He was so cute and looked right at the camera for almost every picture. I got some great shots of them giving their doggie some snuggles in front of the gazebo.

Ceremony in the courtyard and sunset pictures

The ceremony in the 21 Main Events courtyard was beautiful. I always love getting the expressions of the bride and groom as they give each other their vows. The sky was beginning to cloud up, and I was getting worried about doing sunset pictures. After the ceremony, we hopped in my car and went back down to the beach as quickly as I could pull the couple away from the guests.

When we got down by the ocean, it was really looking nasty, with some dark storm clouds covering most of the sky. However, right before sunset, the sun poked out from the edge of the clouds, and we got some beautiful colors in the sky. I’ve seen this happen many times on stormy evenings. Sometimes, some of the most beautiful and unusual sunsets happen at times you wouldn’t expect. Always stay positive even if the weather forecast is looking grim. It changes so quickly when you are near the ocean. My off-camera lighting is also a big help to light up the subjects even on an overcast day.

Choreographed first dance and fun reception

The bride and groom had a really fun first dance they had planned out. It reminded me of something from a Disney movie. They must have practiced it a lot. It’s always great working with Eyecon Entertainment, who was the DJ that evening. He is great at getting everyone out on the dance floor. Sadly they didn’t have his sparkler fountains for this reception. I always love when those go off on the dance floor.

I was able to take the bride and groom out in the courtyard for a few after-dark pictures. I always like to set one of my Godox strobes up behind the couple to light up the courtyard and set them apart from the background. I had my wife pose for a few shots to get the lighting balanced properly so that by the time I brought the couple out, I could get them back to the party quickly. I hope you enjoy the pictures below. If you are planning a wedding at 21 Main Events at North Beach, please let me know!