A Star Wars Wedding, by Rob Greer [RF Wedding of the Week]

December 17, 2015

By Jacqueline Tobin

As fans across the country already started lining up four days ago for the Star Wars: The Force Awakens movie that hits theaters tomorrow (Friday, December 18), we thought it was perfect timing to run a Stars Wars wedding…and as luck would have it, L.A. photographer Rob Greer just happened to have one. 
Couple Ace and Linda had their Star Wars-themed wedding at Sunstone Winery in Santa Ynez, California, close to the wine town of Solvang, best known for being featured in the movie Sideways. Greer is a strong proponent of marriage equality and LGBTQ rights and says that “to be able to photograph this incredible same-sex wedding where two special people were able to legally commit to each other in front of their friends and family is nothing short of amazing.”

rob-greer-150606-150820A“When I ushered Linda and Ace into my home studio in Pasadena,” he explains, “they loved the photos of the Star Wars cosplayers that are displayed in my small gallery. When we were all seated in my presentation theater, Ace remarked on the Darth Vader and stormtrooper helmets on display at the back of the room. I jokingly suggested I could arrange for those Star Wars characters to appear at their wedding, and just like that, their day pivoted to a Star Wars chic wedding theme featuring both the Rebel Alliance and the Empire.” (Bride Linda is also a Trekkie, and there were various Trekkie elements in place as well, i.e. Vulcan ears and Star Trek-themed character pops! )rob-greer-150606-173959A1“All of the characters on hand for the wedding [Darth Vader, Darth Maul, Chewbacca, Boba Fett, Captain Rex and two Stormtroopers] are members of the 501st Legion,” Greer explains, “a worldwide Star Wars costuming organization comprising and operated by Star Wars fans. The organization is Lucasfilm’s preferred Imperial costuming group.” Greer says all of the costumes were screen accurate and almost exact duplicates of what has appeared in Star Wars films.rob-greer-150606-191555BAs Greer first wrote on his blog, here are the “Top 5 Reasons Why This Star Wars Wedding Was Awesome:”

– Darth Vader’s heavy breathing sounds romantic during wedding ceremonies.
– The music for the ceremony processional was John Williams’ The Imperial March, also known as Darth Vader’s theme.
– Guests heard the uplifting Throne Room/End Title music from
Star Wars: A New Hope (Episode IV) during the wedding recessional.
– Wookies at a wedding are much more fun than a bunch of Klingons.
– Jar Jar Binks couldn’t attend. 

rob-greer-150606-135722AGreer says Ace’s custom suit (above) was from b.spoke and included a custom Stormtrooper lining designed by Heather Cassils.rob-greer-150606-142937rob-greer-150606-143559-2rob-greer-150606-152513rob-greer-150606-152717-5rob-greer-150606-153442rob-greer-150606-163623Brob-greer-150606-154230Brob-greer-150606-154523-4
rob-greer-150606-154826rob-greer-150606-184108Brob-greer-150606-184735rob-greer-150606-152226A“Although having a wedding with a Star Wars theme is not necessarily new in the world of themed weddings,” says Greer, “I’m not aware of any weddings similar to this one that also featured so many different Star Wars characters that were integrated so seamlessly into an otherwise chic ceremony and reception.”rob-greer-150606-172321Brob-greer-150606-185815-6rob-greer-150606-165729Arob-greer-150606-183833-6rob-greer-150606-181628Arob-greer-150606-151227AOn hand to help capture the day was Greer’s second shooter, commercial food photographer Vanessa Stump (who has worked with Greer for the past 7 years), as well as Greer’s mentor and good friend, Jerry Ghionis, also a huge Star Wars fan.rob-greer-150606-192014Arob-greer-150606-180231Arob-greer-150606-194353Arob-greer-150606-180320rob-greer-150606-180430rob-greer-150606-222047rob-greer-150606-222100-4rob-greer-150606-222651rob-greer-150606-222745rob-greer-150606-222748rob-greer-150606-211238rob-greer-150606-203503rob-greer-150606-220945rob-greer-150606-220919A

Rob Greer’s Wedding-Day Gear

Cameras: Nikon D4 (main) and Canon 5D Mark III (for food and details)
Lenses: 70-200mm and 24-70mm

Check out more Weddings of the Week, and email Libby Peterson or Jacqueline Tobin with submissions.