Orange County Professional Photographer
As an Orange County Professional Photographer, I just adore the couples we meet, whether it’s to photograph their engagement session, their wedding, various stages of their family life, or any combination of any of those, each one of them is truly great to work with. But perhaps our favorite part is to hear their stories. This is especially true for Alex and Chine. A truly wonderful couple that we had the pleasure of photographing on their SeaCliff Country Club Wedding day here in Orange County. Today, August 12th, 2019, is Alex and Chine’s two-year anniversary! In honor of their anniversary, we’re posting their wedding day blog! Read on to learn about how these two fell in love, and see more photos from this Country Club Wedding!
The SeaCliff Country Club, located in Huntington Beach, was the perfect place for these two to say I do. This wedding venue offers your outdoor ceremony with a backdrop of lush green rolling hills, a display of tropical palm trees, and hanging marquee lights framing the altar. Then it was time for a delicious dinner and reception. As the toasts were given, guests enjoyed some amazing food.
When asked to describe their wedding, Chine and Alex said that from the very beginning they wanted their wedding to be centered around their two families becoming one and to be a reflection of their own relationship. They absolutely love eating delicious food, dancing, and partying all night long. So, that’s exactly what they wanted their guests to experience on the most memorable day of their lives! Through their outdoor patio ceremony with an altar crafted from bamboo, tropical greenery accents in the bouquets, centerpieces made of banana leaves, and the black and gold tablescape, this wedding was a gorgeous assortment of colorful and elegant eclectic details.
Alex turned heads as she walked down the aisle radiating in an elegant off-the-shoulder lace trumpet gown, while her hair was tucked back in a graceful half-up ‘do as she carried a lovely magenta bouquet. Chine waited for his soon-to-be bride wearing a classy deep gray suit with black detailing and bow tie. Their bridal party carried the classy and chic theme as well, through their deep navy gowns and light gray suits that complimented the newlywed’s attire perfectly!
After Alex and Chine’s first dance as husband and wife, they changed into traditional Nigerian wedding attire and began the party! All of the amazing details of this tropical-inspired Orange County wedding were captured by Three16 Photography, creating lasting memories for these two newlyweds.
We would really like to thank Alex and Chine for allowing Three16 Photography to be part of your special day. We wish you many years of love and happiness.
Check out their love story. We hope you enjoy it, and their photos, as much as we do.
Alex and Chine’s Love Story
Alex’s Thoughts…
What three things do you admire most about your soon-to-be spouse and why?
Among many things, Chine is caring, ambitious, and loyal. He takes such great care of me and his family. He is super determined and innovative in his career and I love it because it inspires me to keep pushing in mine. And he’s just a solid person who is trustworthy and respectful to the people who support him.
Describe each other in one word and why did you choose that word?
Stubborn. Chine has high expectations for his life, and he doesn’t like to settle. I think it’s so funny that the one quality that makes us sometimes butt heads in our day-to-day lives is what I most appreciate. The fact that he is stubborn has helped us grow as individuals and also brought us a lot of happiness.
Any advice for other newly engaged couples as they begin to plan their wedding?
Helping each other is a must, but you also don’t want to do double the work. So, I suggest delegating the work, share progress, and trust that the other person is doing their best.
Describe your wedding for us. Is there any particular theme? What flowers did you choose and why? And are there any special traditions or items you have incorporated into the day?
From the very beginning, we have wanted our wedding to be grounded in the crazy idea that we have decided to bring two families together. We want it to be a celebration of two families coming together and to reflect our relationship, as well. We like to eat good food, dance and party all night, so that’s what we want our guests to experience.
Chine is Nigerian and I am American, so we will have a lot of both. We also have both been to Miami and loved the tropical, loungy, Latin vibe, so we’re bringing that through in some of the colors of the reception… bright, fun, and tropical.
Looking back on planning your wedding, is there anything you would have done differently?
Maybe booked some of our vendors earlier! It’s feeling like a mad dash.
What’s the plans for the honeymoon?
The few days after our wedding we’re going to have a staycation in San Diego at our apartment and just enjoy each other’s company. We haven’t booked it yet, but in September we’re going to Costa Rica. So excited because I speak Spanish and we love the Caribbean and Latin America.
Chine’s Thoughts…
I had known for a long while that I wanted to pop the question. But when my company asked me to move to Memphis on very short notice, I realized that the timing of things would become difficult. Right before I left, I got very sick and Alex stayed home from work and took care of me the whole time. All I was thinking was that I need to be sure I never lose her.
I began planning how I would propose to her from Memphis. I was flying home every 2 to 3 weeks for a long weekend and decided that September would be the perfect time because she was on Fall Break from teaching.
I had Alex’s friend, Jenelle, tell her that they were having a reunion with some college friends on the day of the engagement, so she’d mark her calendar. The nerve-racking part was that Alex kept telling me that she didn’t want to go to this reunion, and each time I tried to encourage her to go, she got extremely annoyed that I was telling her what to do. Can you imagine after all this planning and then the guest of honor doesn’t show up? God, I was worried! I’d have to say that her stubbornness isn’t the top reason why I’m marrying her. 😉
I knew that she would want her family involved and that she’d always wanted me to sing for her. She doesn’t care about fancy restaurants or fancy places, but I knew I wanted our proposal to be one of the most memorable days of our lives.
I ended up taking her back to this secret place where we used to hang out back in the day at UC Irvine. I set up nine different stages (for each of the nine years that we’d been together), to lead her from the Tri Delta house toward our Hideaway Spot. Each one had a gift of a photo and a note to signify where we were in our relationship at that point.
At the first stage, I set up a desk with flowers and a note to her late father asking for her hand in marriage and explaining why I loved her so much and how much I respected him even though I never got to meet him. She told me later that she couldn’t even read the note at first because she was in shock as soon as she saw my handwriting addressing her dad. Deep down I was thinking, “Do you have any idea how long it took me to write that letter!?” haha.
When she got to me, I sang one of our favorite John Legend songs, told her how much she meant to me, and got on one knee. After I proposed, both of our families jumped out of hiding and congratulated us. To be honest, I was so nervous that I forgot what I planned on saying and my singing was all off-key, but it ended up being one of the most memorable days of my life.
To view the proposal video, follow this link here!
Vendors used for Alex and Chine’s gorgeous SeaCliff Country Club Wedding:
Location Information
Ceremony / Reception / Caterer: SeaCliff Country Club
Address: 6501 Palm Ave., Huntington Beach, CA 92648
Additional Caterer: Veronica’s Kitchen in Inglewood
Vendor Information
PHOTOGRAPHY
Company: Three16 Photography
Website: www.three16photography.com
Instagram: @three16photography
VIDEOGRAPHY
Company: Cam and Beck Videos
Website: www.camandbeckvideos.com
FLORIST
Company: 800ROSEBIG Wholesale Wedding Florist
Website: www.800rosebig.com
DJ
Company: DJ Major League 100
Name of Person: Sam
CAKE
Company: Sweet Traders
Website: www.sweettraders.com
HAIR
Name of Person: Becca Kessler
Website: www.hairbecca.com
Instagram: @hairbecca
DRESS
Company: Alfred Angelo
Brand / Designer: Alfred Angelo
Website: www.alfredangelo.com
GROOM’S SUIT
Company: Friar’s Tux
Website: www.friartux.com
WEDDING INVITATION
Company: Minted
Website: www.minted.com
Master of Ceremonies
Name of Person: Chidi O’haeri
Website: www.chidiohaeri.com
Instagram: @chidithaMC
Loved reading about Alex and Chine’s Seacliff Country Club Wedding? Show them some love by liking and commenting below!
