St. Regis Monarch Beach Wedding | Earl & Jillyn

Enjoy this glamorous wedding at the St. Regis Monarch Beach featuring Earl & Jillyn.

Special thanks to Katie from Intertwined Events for coordinating such a beautiful event!

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Monarch Beach Resort Wedding Highlight | Earl & Jillyn from Lin and Jirsa Studios on Vimeo.

Jillyn’s unique feathered cape was the perfect accessory for her wedding day ensemble. She paired her beautiful white gown with gold jewelry and footwear, incorporating her bridesmaids’ color theme into her outfit. The navy and gold dresses were a perfect match for Earl’s debonair navy tux.

I have to say that the two looked like they walked straight off of a Hollywood movie set and into their wedding. They were absolutely stunning!

Wedding Preparation

Earl and Jillyn’s wedding invitations had a gorgeous start pattern stencil which made for the perfect background for their rings.

Having all of your closest girls there to help and support you on your wedding day is something truly special. We love helping to set up shots and moments that call attention to all the love and support that makes moments like this possible.

Jennifer helping Jillyn with her accessories. It’s pretty much impossible to take a bad photo with these two gorgeous women in front of your camera.

There was something so soft and elegant about Jillyn’s final look. Hair and makeup by Flawless Faces and that dress along with the feathered cape and jewelry, all selected by Jillyn, and all were absolutely perfect.

She looked like an angel, so we shot the entire scene with a “high key” or bright look and feel to match her incredible appearance.

While shooting Jillyn, I thought for a split second, “I hope Earl can keep up with Jillyn’s fashion sense.” Then I remembered it was Earl =)

Yeah, Earl rocked it. When they stood next to each other, it honestly felt like I was photographing a celebrity couple. I don’t think I told them, but I was actually stopped by guests in the hall of the St Regis Hotel two times while walking back and forth between locations.

The guests saw the couple from a distance, and both times they asked me with a surprised and excited voice, “Who’s getting married!? Would we know them?”

Yeah, seems like I wasn’t the only one who thought they were celebrities =)

Between moments, Earl and his boys busted out the cards for a little impromptu poker session in the St Regis lobby area. The hotel staff was so kind to oblige and allow us to take a few pics. It’s one of the reasons that the St Regis Monarch Beach is one of our favorite properties, their people and service is absolutely amazing.

First Look

Apart from a traditional first look, Earl & Jillyn started their day together at first touch. It was a beautifully intimate way to commemorate their wedding day.

We set them up in the Mirror Hallway of the St Regis, and with Earl facing away from Jillyn, we had them simply touch hands and speak to each other for just a few private moments.

We then took Earl down the Rotunda Staircase, put him into position and walked his gorgeous bride to be down to meet him. The walk down the stairs was the perfect chance for Jillyn’s outfit to really shine as we could see the pull in her dress with each step. It was incredible! 

Bridal Party & Family Portraits

Earl and Jillyn are big fans of our Editorial Family Portraits, and well, so am I! So we obtained special permission from the St Regis staff to use a part of the lobby for some truly unique family and wedding party editorial formals.

It took a few minutes to get everyone into the right positions, but this crew of family and friends absolutely rocked it!

Wedding Ceremony

The ceremony took place on the St Regis Monarch Beach’s Grand Lawn. It was simple and elegant with contrasting reds and purples decorating the aisle. The sun provided just the right amount of flare as the couple recited their vows and exchanged their rings.

Honestly, with a backdrop like St Regis, simple and elegant is all you need for absolute perfection. The shot below was taken from the St Regis upper balconies and showcases the amazing view of the ocean from the hotel property.

Katie and her team from Intertwined Events (@intertwinedevents) was superb! From design to execution, they did amazing work. But, we have come to expect that of them =)

These stunning and colorful floral designs were put together by Nisie’s Enchanted Florist.

Wedding Couples Session

During engagement sessions, we have all the time in the world to photograph our couples. A typical engagement session is around 3 hours, and so it gives us plenty of time to educate our couple on posing,  shoot multiple scenes and deliver a unique variety of imagery.

We did just that for Earl and Jillyn’s Engagement Shoot (which you can check out here).

Wedding days are a bit different. While an engagement shoot offers several hours of time, we typically only get about 15 to 30 minutes to photograph our couple on the wedding day.

Having the experience of the engagement shoot allowed us to create an amazing set of images for Earl and Jillyn. From their engagement shoot, they mastered posing and our system of verbal ques and instructions. So we moved from scene to scene quickly to deliver the set of images you see below.

All of these images were  captured in that short window just after the ceremony and just before the reception. Of course, having the gorgeous backdrop of the St Regis Monarch Beach and our incredibly beautiful couple sure does help as well!

Wedding Reception

Their reception was equipped with rich colors, a personalized hashtag spotlight, and a beautiful white dance floor. The couple entered the room with a bang to Drake’s ‘Started From the Bottom’ getting the crowd to their feet and ensuring that the rest of the night was only going to get better.

It was at the reception where we all saw the hard work that went into this event. Katie and Intertwined Events (@intertwinedevents) along with amazing vendors like DJ Guiseppe (@DJGuiseppe), Nisie Enchanted’s Florals (@nisienchanted)  made the evening reception truly a special scene to take in.

But of course, throughout the night what made these images truly stand out was our couple and their incredible friends and family. They were so kind and gracious to us throughout the day, we truly felt like we were part of the celebrations.

When there is genuine love between a couple, it radiates. That love and relationship energizes and lifts friends and family, and it shows throughout the images throughout the evening.

A Lin and Jirsa Wedding just wouldn’t be right without a signature night time session, haha.

For the first shot, we took Earl and Jillyn to the front lawn of the St Regis Monarch Beach and setup a signature “LJP Whip Pan” facing the hotel. This is where we setup flashes to freeze the couple, and then whip the camera frame to create streaking lights in the background.

For our final image below, we took the couple just outside of the ballroom into the Mirror Hallway in the St Regis. There we put a big Profoto B1 into the backroom and blasted it with 500 watts of orange light to make it look like a giant golden sunset was hitting the back room. A little prism was held under the lens to create a reflection. After all, the Mirror Hallway could always do with a few more reflections.

More Wedding Info:

Wedding Photography Location or Venue: St. Regis Monarch Beach Address: 1 Monarch Beach Resort N, Dana Point, CA 92629 Website: http://www.stregismb.com/
Wedding Coordinator: Intertwined Events, Website: http://www.intertwinedevents.com/, Contact: [email protected]
Make Up Artist /Hair: Flawless Faces, Website: http://www.flawlessfacesinc.com/home, Contact: [email protected]
Wedding DJ: Visions Lighting, Website: http://visionslighting.com/, Contact: [email protected]
Wedding Florist: Nisie’s Enchanted Florist, Website: http://nisiesenchantedflorist.com/, Contact: [email protected]

For more info on Lin and Jirsa Photography, please contact us via our Contact Page. We’d love to set up an appointment for you to come by and see our albums, meet the team, and find out more about our other services, including wedding videography and photobooth!

To learn about our Posing, Lighting, and other shooting theories, please see our Engagement Photography Tutorials.