December is usually a slower month for us but our most recent December was just as busy as the middle of summer (probably because winter temperatures in San Diego are the same as they are in the summer)!  One of our couples, Anna + Dustin, chose to have their downtown San Diego wedding at The W Hotel, which is a cool luxury boutique hotel near the San Diego Gaslamp Quarter. While traveling to other downtown San Diego wedding venues we’ve seen The W Hotel in passing but this was our first opportunity to photograph an event there.  We were not disappointed!

About 50% of our wedding couples do an official “first look” with us.  The other 49% don’t see each other until the ceremony starts.  1% are like Anna + Dustin, who arrived for photos together, all dressed and ready to rock!  We met them at Balboa Park to get things started.  We’ve shot a lot of weddings at Balboa Park San Diego, and also a lot of engagement sessions, so we know what’s there.  It’s a great place with a lot of photo opportunities but it’s always a fun challenge for us because we always end up finding a spot or doing something different there that we haven’t really done before.  For once, we were blessed with the gift of time!  Time to cruise around Balboa Park, and also time to hit another location before we needed to be back for the ceremony & wedding reception at The W Hotel.

There were a lot of great traditions incorporated to the ceremony and the reception, and Anna + Dustin were able to have a great time with all of their family and friends.  Enjoy the following photos from their big day and be sure to contact Zelo Photography if you’re planning a San Diego wedding at The W Hotel or anywhere for that matter!  🙂

This bread-biting is a Russian tradition which we hadn’t seen before.  The Bride & Groom both take a bite of a loaf of bread and the person who pulls off the biggest bite gets to be the head of the household!  It was so much fun and the guests got a kick out of it!

Another fun wedding game they did was the balloon popping game, where couples try to pop the balloons using only their bodies (no weapons allowed!).  Check out Anna + Dustin’s technique below….and check out Dustin’s reaction.  Priceless.

The next game we hadn’t really seen before either.  It was a “Find Your Groom” and “Find Your Bride” game.  The blindfolded Bride is supposed to squeeze the biceps of several men and she’s supposed to choose which one belongs to her Groom.  Then, the blindfolded Groom is supposed to feel the leg of several ladies and figure out which one belongs to his Bride.  As you can see from the photos, Dustin chose lady #3….who just happened to be his daughter…and the look on her face says it all!  Another priceless moment and we’ll never forget it.

Downtown San Diego wedding photos by Zelo Photography.  Like what you see?  Contact Zelo Photography.  We’d love to hear from you!