Barrie & Mike

This past Saturday, fellow Cosplay friends Mike & Barrie were married in Laguna Niguel Regional Park. Among the cosplay guests, the running joke was that this was the "ultimate cosplay."

(If you don't know what Cosplay is, the combination of the words "costume" and "play" refers to the creation and wear of costumes for occasions outside of Halloween. Many cosplayers attend conventions such as Anime Expo & Commic-Con to meet fellow fans of animated movies, graphic novels, and video games.)

To the left, Mike & Barrie, as I first met them together. (Mike is the one in the gas mask & helmet)... Its no wonder that I didn't recognize Mike at first in his tux!

Before the wedding, I was scheduled to photograph the groomsmen, and I want to thank them all for putting up with my eccentricities. Aside from the traditional, formal standing photos, I made them not only jump off the benches, but catch a 'fainting groom,' participate in a Broadway style kick line, and 'stack up' like commandos along a wall. I think it was completely worth it; they may disagree. The easy part was that most of them were used to me making them do stuff like this from convention photoshoots, so they just looked at me like I was crazy and did it.

The ceremony itself was absolutely beautiful. The decorations made a picnic area at the park gorgeous with white lattice and a flower covered archway framing a picturesque 'wedding tree'.

In addition, Barrie and Mike choose ceremony elements that reflected who they uniquely are: a sand ceremony instead of a candle ceremony & and a sword ceremony.



I'd never seen the sword ceremony,but I loved it! This was not a military sword arch, but a medieval-inspired ceremony: the knight's sword laid between the bride and knight/groom represents the purity of the couple as well as the knight's honor. When the groom takes the bride's hand and helps her step over the sword, it symbolizes their joining together, as well as his vow to defend and protect her.

After the ceremony, we took care of the rest of the formal pictures, then proceeded immediately to the bouquet & garter tosses, followed by cake & a bit of dancing, right there on the grass.

Barrie & Mike, congratulations! Have fun on your honeymoon cruise! And enjoy this little sample of pictures from your wedding day.