The Fall of 2016 has been spectacular, and spectacularly busy! When not photographing, my time was spent planning my wedding with my then Fiancée Rebecca. Our wedding was on October 15th in Long Beach and the days were counting down. We had blinders on and our eyes on the prize the last few months before the big day. 

Rewinding back a month before the wedding, Rebecca's Bridal Shower was coming up and It was one of the rare days I found that I didn't have a photoshoot or event to go to or wedding errand to run. I was contemplating what I would make of my free Saturday while Rebecca was at her shower when my phone began to ring. 

I picked up the phone and found that I was being hired for Bridal Shower Photography in El Segundo, and it just so happened to be the Bridal Shower of my soon-to-be wife! While unorthodox of me attending Rebecca's bridal shower, I at least didn't have to worry about the skills of the photographer and had the upmost confidence in his abilities. Plus he's an awesome guy.

Rebecca, her family, and my family had really put in a lot of work to make the bridal shower fantastic. There was candy galore, each table was full of pink candy for the guests to enjoy. Rebecca's father Tracy and mother Cheryl made pink lemonade and two different kinds of Sangria full of fruit.

My mother Eileen had put in so much time making the games for everyone to play. She had the standard games of "How Well Do You Know The Bride", and even a guessing riddle game about what kind of Cakes fit the riddle. The last game was the ever popular "What Did the Bride Say and What Did the Groom Say" game. We were asked questions about each other's favorite films, foods, and things like "what do I do that annoys her the most?" What was a little different than other bridal showers I've photographed is that the to-be Groom was attending and I was able to read my answers next to Rebecca. It was a fun experience having each of us read our answers to each other and share a laugh with both of our families.

After the games finished and the food was served, it was time for dessert.  Rebecca's grandmother baked pies, and my mom went a little nuts on the small plate desserts. Everyone migrated to the den and she began to open everyone's generous gifts. 

At the end of the day, it was honestly really special to be able to be a part of my wife's bridal shower and see first hand the outpouring of love for her, her family and my family. It was moments like that that helped us to slow down from planning and making sure the tables had the perfect number of candles, votives and decanters and to just be around family and loved ones. 

While it's uncommon for the groom to attend the Bridal Shower and be in charge of Bridal Shower Photography, I was very thankful I was hired for that day and I'm so happy I was able to share in the love, excitement, and joy of this special day for my wife.

-Daniel of Daniel Doty Photography, a premiere Southern California Wedding Photographer.