21 Main Events at North Beach is becoming one of my most frequented wedding venues for photography. It’s a great combination of a sheltered courtyard area that keeps the guests out of the sun and wind. As well as a beautiful nearby gazebo and beach area. My wife Lizeth was assisting me as a second photographer at this wedding. She went up with the groomsmen to their suite above the main restaurant and got some great shots of them out on the balcony. I usually like to stay with the bride myself and take pictures of all her details. Such as her dress, bouquet, jewelry, etc, as well as the getting-ready pictures.
First look and pictures by the gazebo
The bride and groom wanted to get most of the pictures out of the way before the ceremony. So they decided to do a first look. The courtyard is a great place for this. Even earlier in the day, you have some nice shade. They also have a lot of beautiful foliage and some palms that make a great background for the pictures. My wife was up on the balcony while Eyecon Films and myself were in the courtyard shooting the first look. I liked some of the behind-the-scenes shots she got of us trying to get the perfect angles.
After the first look, the bridal party went down to the gazebo by the North Beach Towers for some pictures. It actually worked out really well doing this before the ceremony. There is nice shade under the gazebo, so the sun didn’t cause us any problems. The couple had their little ring-bearer dog with them that only had three legs. He was so cute and looked right at the camera for almost every picture. I got some great shots of them giving their doggie some snuggles in front of the gazebo.
Ceremony in the courtyard and sunset pictures
The ceremony in the 21 Main Events courtyard was beautiful. I always love getting the expressions of the bride and groom as they give each other their vows. The sky was beginning to cloud up, and I was getting worried about doing sunset pictures. After the ceremony, we hopped in my car and went back down to the beach as quickly as I could pull the couple away from the guests.
When we got down by the ocean, it was really looking nasty, with some dark storm clouds covering most of the sky. However, right before sunset, the sun poked out from the edge of the clouds, and we got some beautiful colors in the sky. I’ve seen this happen many times on stormy evenings. Sometimes, some of the most beautiful and unusual sunsets happen at times you wouldn’t expect. Always stay positive even if the weather forecast is looking grim. It changes so quickly when you are near the ocean. My off-camera lighting is also a big help to light up the subjects even on an overcast day.
Choreographed first dance and fun reception
The bride and groom had a really fun first dance they had planned out. It reminded me of something from a Disney movie. They must have practiced it a lot. It’s always great working with Eyecon Entertainment, who was the DJ that evening. He is great at getting everyone out on the dance floor. Sadly they didn’t have his sparkler fountains for this reception. I always love when those go off on the dance floor.
I was able to take the bride and groom out in the courtyard for a few after-dark pictures. I always like to set one of my Godox strobes up behind the couple to light up the courtyard and set them apart from the background. I had my wife pose for a few shots to get the lighting balanced properly so that by the time I brought the couple out, I could get them back to the party quickly. I hope you enjoy the pictures below. If you are planning a wedding at 21 Main Events at North Beach, please let me know!
21 Main Prime Steakhouse entrance - 21 Main Events at North Beach
View of the courtyard - 21 Main Events at North Beach
Cake topper with doggie - 21 Main Events at North Beach
Dresses hanging in the window - 21 Main Events at North Beach
Bride's shoes in focus with dress hanging in the background - 21 Main Events at North Beach
Bride's bouquet in focus - 21 Main Events at North Beach
Bouquet details - 21 Main Events at North Beach
Best man helping with the boutonniere - 21 Main Events at North Beach
Portrait of the groom - 21 Main Events at North Beach
Groomsmen on the balcony - 21 Main Events at North Beach
Hug with the bridesmaids - 21 Main Events at North Beach
Mom lacing up the dress - 21 Main Events at North Beach
Bride's mother putting on brides veil in mirror - 21 Main Events at North Beach
Mom pulling bride's veil over her shoulders - 21 Main Events at North Beach
Mother touching brides face - 21 Main Events at North Beach
Bride walking towards groom for the first look - 21 Main Events at North Beach
Bride touching groom on the shoulder during first look - 21 Main Events at North Beach
First look with bride and groom - 21 Main Events at North Beach
My wife taking a picture of the first look from the balcony - 21 Main Events at North Beach
Kiss from the balcony during first look - 21 Main Events at North Beach
Kiss in the courtyard - 21 Main Events at North Beach
Touching noses - 21 Main Events at North Beach
Big smiles in front of the courtyard greenery - 21 Main Events at North Beach
Bride pulling veil over her shoulder - 21 Main Events at North Beach
Bride holding her bouquet in the courtyard - 21 Main Events at North Beach
Portraits of the bride and groom in the gazebo - 21 Main Events at North Beach
Portraits of the bride and groom in the gazebo - 21 Main Events at North Beach
Portraits of the bride and groom in the gazebo - 21 Main Events at North Beach
Portraits of the bride and groom in the gazebo - 21 Main Events at North Beach
Portraits of the bride and groom in the gazebo - 21 Main Events at North Beach
Bridal party in the gazebo - 21 Main Events at North Beach
Bridal party in the gazebo - 21 Main Events at North Beach
Bridal party in the gazebo - 21 Main Events at North Beach
Bridal party in the gazebo - 21 Main Events at North Beach
Bridal party in the gazebo - 21 Main Events at North Beach
Black and white of bridal party in front of the gazebo - 21 Main Events at North Beach
Bride and groom with their three leg doggie ring bearer - 21 Main Events at North Beach
Bride and groom with their three leg doggie ring bearer - 21 Main Events at North Beach
Bride and groom kissing their dog on the head - 21 Main Events at North Beach
Bride and groom with their three leg doggie ring bearer - 21 Main Events at North Beach
Groomsmen in black and white - 21 Main Events at North Beach
Bridesmaids leaning out from behind the bride - 21 Main Events at North Beach
Bridal portrait by the gazebo - 21 Main Events at North Beach
Groom walking down the aisle with mom and dad - 21 Main Events at North Beach
Flowergirl walking dog down the aisle - 21 Main Events at North Beach
Groom watching bride walk towards him - 21 Main Events at North Beach
Bride walking down aisle with parents - 21 Main Events at North Beach
Ceremony in the courtyard - 21 Main Events at North Beach
Bride looking into groom's eyes - 21 Main Events at North Beach
Groom's vows to the bride - 21 Main Events at North Beach
Bride watching groom during the vows - 21 Main Events at North Beach
Groom putting on the wedding ring - 21 Main Events at North Beach
Mothers lighting the candles - 21 Main Events at North Beach
Candle lighting during the ceremony - 21 Main Events at North Beach
First kiss during ceremony - 21 Main Events at North Beach
Happy bride and groom after the ceremony - 21 Main Events at North Beach
Bride and groom from the balcony - 21 Main Events at North Beach
Kiss from the balcony - 21 Main Events at North Beach
Picture of all the guests from the balcony - 21 Main Events at North Beach
Picture of all the guests from the balcony - 21 Main Events at North Beach
Bride with father - 21 Main Events at North Beach
Bride and groom in front of the towers behind the dunes - 21 Main Events at North Beach
Bride and groom in front of the towers behind the dunes - 21 Main Events at North Beach
Bride and groom in front of the towers behind the dunes - 21 Main Events at North Beach
Bride and groom in front of the towers behind the dunes - 21 Main Events at North Beach
Flowers in focus - 21 Main Events at North Beach
Kiss by the ocean - 21 Main Events at North Beach
Dip in black and white - 21 Main Events at North Beach
Big smiles in front of the unusual sunset - 21 Main Events at North Beach
Beautiful sunset reflecting in the water - 21 Main Events at North Beach
Kiss in front of the orange sunset - 21 Main Events at North Beach
Touching noses in the sunset - 21 Main Events at North Beach
Unusual sunset colors on a cloudy day - 21 Main Events at North Beach
Unusual sunset colors on a cloudy day - 21 Main Events at North Beach
Unusual sunset colors on a cloudy day - 21 Main Events at North Beach
Kiss on the dunes - 21 Main Events at North Beach
Wedding menu - 21 Main Events at North Beach
Introductions on the dance floor - 21 Main Events at North Beach
Bride and groom doing a choreographed dance together - 21 Main Events at North Beach
Bride and groom doing a choreographed dance together - 21 Main Events at North Beach
Bride and groom doing a choreographed dance together - 21 Main Events at North Beach
Bride and groom doing a choreographed dance together - 21 Main Events at North Beach
Bride and groom doing a choreographed dance together - 21 Main Events at North Beach
Everyone on the dance floor - 21 Main Events at North Beach
Bride dancing with father - 21 Main Events at North Beach
Groom dancing with mother - 21 Main Events at North Beach
My pretty wife helping me balance my lighting before bringing out the couple -
Couple under the lights in the courtyard after dark - 21 Main Events in Myrtle Beach
Couple under the lights in the courtyard after dark - 21 Main Events at North Beach
Couple under the lights in the courtyard after dark - 21 Main Events at North Beach
Ring macro with focus stacking - 21 Main Events at North Beach
Best man speech - 21 Main Events at North Beach
Big laughs during the wedding speeches - 21 Main Events at North Beach
Cheers! - 21 Main Events at North Beach
Bouquet toss - 21 Main Events at North Beach
Bouquet toss - 21 Main Events at North Beach
Fun during the garter removal - 21 Main Events at North Beach
Fun during the garter removal - 21 Main Events at North Beach
Catching the garter - 21 Main Events at North Beach
Getting uncomfortable with garter catcher putting garter on the bouquet catcher - 21 Main Events at North Beach
Fun on the dance floor - 21 Main Events at North Beach
Fun on the dance floor - 21 Main Events at North Beach
Fun on the dance floor - 21 Main Events at North Beach