Finally, the day had come & it was time for Philip & Ruby to be wed! :)
The days leading up to their wedding date was a bit gloomy & rain was in the weather forecast, but it didn’t bring down Philip or Ruby! After all, rain on your wedding day is considered good luck! ;)
Now if you haven’t seen this lovely couple before, check out their engagement session blog here!
Philip & Ruby are a laid back, comic-book-reading, game-loving, nerdy couple! They told me themselves! As you may have read in their engagement session, they started off as good friends in college, & as they worked on some projects outside of work together and got lunches & dinners, they drew closer in a very different way!
“After watching How to Train Your Dragon, something sparked in my head and I knew I had to ask her to date me.” – Philip
These two flourished in their commonalities in their game, music & book interests!
“I am a starting comic book nerd so I enjoy reading them and when she has time she enjoys prop making and crafting costumes for cosplay or researching how to. We also do play our own video games separately sometimes.”
Needless to say, a gaming-themed wedding was perfect for these two!
John and I came to the Maxwell House in Pasadena a bit early & got to meet up with Philip and some of his groomsmen, as well as with their wedding coordinator, Christine of Sweetly Memorable Weddings & Events! The rain had calmed and though it was still sprinkling a tad bit, the weather was quite cool and nice! :)
Once we were let into the house, the guys began to get ready! During this time Ruby and her lovely bridesmaids were getting their hair & makeup done!
After the gentlemen got ready in the Maxwell House’s top floor, they were led into another room to relax in as Ruby and the girls arrived! Ruby’s gown was absolutely beautiful! But not as beautiful as when she put it on! ;)
The bridesmaids were all ready, so Ruby and her parents and sister entered into the bridal bathroom together to share this special preparatory moment with her!
Ruby was absolutely stunning!!
Her parents were filled with so much joy as they watched her put on the finishing touches!
Then it was time for her mom & dad to put on their finishing touches! But they needed a little help! Boutonnieres are always much harder to put on than they seem!
As everyone finished getting ready, I took a couple shots of Ruby fully decked out! She was glowing! :)
Her family couldn’t resist photographing their beautiful daughter (& sister), either! :)
A preview of what would happen if Philip didn’t treat Ruby right! ;)
I was able to catch a couple shots of Ruby’s sister Wendy, and both Ruby & Philip’s mothers before everyone ran inside to stay warm! :)
When we came back into the Maxwell House, “Hedwig’s Theme” from Harry Potter was playing, and it set the tone to the tee! It felt so magical! I felt truly like I was in Harry Potter! The ceremony was starting soon and guests were beginning to come in! :)
Now as I had mentioned, it unexpectedly rained the week of Ruby & Philip’s wedding! Originally, the wedding ceremony was supposed to be held outdoors, as most of the Maxwell House weddings are done, but they had a backup plan (something that is good to have at any venue you choose)!
Philip looked soooo happy to finally get to see his beautiful bride!
He truly couldn’t stop smiling as he saw his bride!
“She is my rock when the currents of stress push me around.”
This couple is known to be “joint-at-the-hip”! It was cute hearing what Ruby had to say about Philip:
“Phil is also silly and can be a total cheesy romantic at times. I’m definitely more of the go with the flow type person and he tends to get stressed out a lot easier than I do especially when things don’t go according to plan. He’s fun and comfortable to be with and very dependable and punctual. I’m quite close with my family and he’s been able to kind of meld right in and get on with them quite well.”
3 of Philip & Ruby’s close friends came up and shared some poems of love for the couple during the ceremony!
And now introducing the newly weds!! :) They were so happy it was finally accomplished!! Check out their little walking dance!
As Ruby & Philip headed up the stairs, I followed shortly behind to begin their bridal session! :) Of course we couldn’t keep from taking a photo in the historic elevator at the Maxwell House! It has a metal webbed cage door just like in the movies! :)
Once we got outside, they rejoiced with happiness! :)
So you might be wanting to hear how Philip proposed to Ruby, right? Well here’s their sweet story!
Philip had been planning for months when finally it was time for him to ask her parents. It all had to be quite inventive since they’re joint at the hip! “I asked her dad in a grocery store, after not so surreptitiously signaling Wendy to take Ruby away. It was awkward. I asked her mother while preparing dinner since Ruby was upstairs changing. Also, awkward. All in all, not the best of settings/times, but their response was great.”
Philip, as I learned from Ruby, is a romantic & a big planner, so he had a very elaborate for his proposal! As the end of the year came around, they had discovered that they had won a house they were bidding on, so he had a reason to take her out for a celebratory dinner!
Philip & Ruby shared a lovely end of the year date and celebration at Citrone in Redlands! While a date night at a fancy “fine dining” restaurant seems so relaxing and romantic, as the date went on, Philip got nervous because of the timing! He’s incredibly punctual, so being at restaurant where you are expected to sit and chat, the waiters weren’t expecting there to be any type of rush! They were expected back at Ruby’s house at 7, but as time went by, Philip began to feel anxious of the time!
As they walked to their car, Ruby was finally a bit suspicious seeing his rush. As part of Philip’s plan, he drove her to a park where they were able to star gaze and cuddle under a blanket (HOW CUTE!). :) I think there’s usually a point where a girl’s intuition kicks in and she gets suspicious of what’s going on… and Ruby definitely felt this intuition! When Philip sent me this story, I loved Ruby’s little addition of what she was thinking: “I was thinking to myself, why the heck are we going to the park? It’s freaking cold! ;D”
In the words of Philip, this is how the rest of the story went:
Then I tell her, “Babe, I am so happy that we are ending the year together and starting a new year together again. But this time. I want us to be together-together. (Pulling out the ring) Will you marry me?”
To her, apparently it went something like “Babe, I am so happy that we are ending the year together and starting a new year together again. But this time. I want us to be together-together. (Pulling out the ring, 200 second pause) Will you marry me?” though I think the pause was only in her now adrenaline induced state. (Ruby: It really was a super long pause =/)She blurts out “YEAH! … ahem, I mean yes!” and she is in awe. The cold doesn’t stop her from smiling as I slip the ring on. The cold doesn’t keep her from staring. The cold no longer bothers us, because we have each other.
They then went off and met up with the rest of their family and friends awaiting, where Ruby was again surprised! :)
You can tell how much they love each other when they stare at each other… their smiles are so sincere and joyous!! I loved it!! :)
Ruby is really truly very sweet but it was so fun seeing her a little bit spunky and sassy during their time together! ;)
As we made our way back to the Maxwell House, we met back up with their beautiful bridal party & family for some portraits with Philip & Ruby as a whole! :)
While Philip, Ruby, John & I took some photos, the lovely bridal party was busy at work, transforming what had been the ceremony room into the reception dining room! People enjoyed a little cocktail hour including a cute sweets bar! :)
Isn’t this handmade Pokéball card holder cute? So personal to their gaming love! This is just a slight preview of the rest of the personal touches Philip & Ruby made for their game-themed wedding!
And finally when it was time for the bridal party, and the newly weds to be introduced to the guests for the dance party, everyone gathered around the main hall! :)
The dance floor was beautiful! Ruby & Philip looked so wonderful and happy out there on the dance floor! :)
After their beautiful first dance, Ruby had her father-daughter dance! The amount of emotion during this dance brought tears to my eyes!
And then the couple had a special mother’s dance, which was just as sweet! :)
After the beginning dancing, we were let into the reception dinner hall! Don’t you love these little characters on the name placards and the tables? :)
The wedding cake they chose was the coolest thing I have ever seen! They had a cake with three of their favorite books: Ender’s Game, Harry Potter, and Hunger Games! So awesome! I had never seen anything like it!
Toasts came first during their reception time!
And as food was served, and people had a wonderful time with each other, I caught these two sights of Philip & Ruby cherishing time with their family! :)
When the cake cutting time came, I was only a little sad to see that these lovely books were going to get cut up! Haha
After this, came the dance party and favors time! Don’t you love these little favors Philip & Ruby had? I LOVED the Mario coin boxes filled with little goodies (I definitely enjoyed receiving a little Pokémon figurine! Hehe)! :)
Philip & Ruby had so much fun surrounded by their dearest friends and family!
It was cute seeing Christine with Ruby’s parents, enjoying time resting as the dance party ensued!
Philip & Ruby danced the night away! :)
CONGRATULATIONS ONCE AGAIN PHILIP & RUBY! :) It was such an honor being able to capture your wedding day and witness your love for one another and your family and friends!
Happy Friday! :)
VENDORS LIST:
Wedding Coordinator: Christine Chen of Sweetly Memorable Weddings & Events / Floral Arrangements: Alma Alina Florist / Make-up Artist: Gina / Wedding Cakes: Michelle’s Bakery / Photobooth: Smooshbooth