It’s been a while since I’ve worked at the beautiful TPC in Santa Clarita. (Even though it’s only 10 minutes from my house.) It’s also been over a year since I’ve worked with the fabulous Tricia Dahlgren. Together with my friends from R&R Photography, I knew we were in for a phenomenal night at Kezban and Mike’s Wedding. Kezban and Mike both teach at La Mesa Jr. High in Canyon Country. It was there they met, fell in love, and decided to gat married. Bringing together their friends from all over, as well as different cultures is just a small part of the wonderful evening they had planned for their guests.
The ceremony overlooked the entire city of Santa Clarita. Instead of the traditional Patio wedding, they opted for the less used, but breathtaking 18th Tee. This hilltop bluff that overlooks the golf course creates a picture-perfect setting for a sweet, albeit short, wedding ceremony. After the walk back to the clubhouse, the guests were treated to some delicious appetizers, drinks, and the warmth of the fire pit and built in heaters. (They almost didn’t want to come inside when it was time for the reception.) Once inside, we blew the roof off of the place with a super high energy Grand Entrance, which lead into Mike telling a very funny story about his “basketball shorts situation” at Starbucks that morning. They danced their first dance, and were soon joined by Kezban’s two children, now the other two loves in Mike’s life.
After dinner, we brought everyone out to the dance floor for some fun. The crowd was on fire with energy. After the cake was cut, Kezban wanted to pay homage to her Middle Eastern/Turkish side of the family with some belly dancing music. The mix of traditional and modern songs ignited the crowd once again, and EVERYONE (not just the Middle Eastern side of the family) got into the fun. Kezban’s response to the once again packed dance floor with everyone belly dancing was “They’re all insane!”
Two challenges we faced at TPC were the Ceremony set-up, and the split-room style of the ballroom. The ceremony site is about 400 feet from the clubhouse and the closest power. Thankfully, I had done this set-up before, so I knew exactly what I was in for. The staff at TPC is always amazing, and they lent me a golf cart with a flat bed to haul my equipment out to the Tee. We ran 450’ of extension cords back to the power outlet (safely, I might add) and had no issues with sound. The other challenge at TPC is one I discuss with brides and grooms all the time. When doing a larger wedding (of over 100 guests) the dance floor, head table, and a few tables will always be set-up in the Atrium, and the rest of the tables and bar is set-up just on the other side of the open French Doors in The Oaks Grill. While the rooms are open to each other, proper sound reinforcement is paramount to ensure that all the guests will be able to hear the announcements clearly. A simple 4 speaker sound system with two speakers in each room works perfect. Add some up-lighting and the rooms pop, with no feeling of separation between the two.
Having such an amazing team working together on this wedding also helped make it all the more spectacular. Tricia and her team of coordinators were everywhere at once and left no stone unturned. They even set-up a very cool S’Mores station outside by the fire pit later in the evening. R&R Photography is always a breath of fresh air to work with, and we always seem to raise each other’s already high standards when we work together. This amazing team worked and partied with the guests all the way till the very end of the night, as Kezban and Mike’s friends and family surrounded them for one final dance. It was such an amazing night, and I’m sure Kezban and Mike are so looking forward to their honeymoon. Too bad they have to wait until after finals in December!
Dave’s recommended vendors from this wedding included:
- TPC Valencia – (Tina Moran, Catering Manager) – www.tpcvalencia.com
- Tricia Dahlgren Events – www.triciadahlgrenevents.com
- R&R Creative Photography – www.randrphotography.com