Personal Post

Coming up in May is something very exciting for me!  I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and our temple, in Oakland, has been undergoing extensive renovations and will be reopening in May for visitors!

When I was in Europe we visited many beautiful churches and synagogues in Rome and around Tuscany.  And I enjoyed learning more about the symbolism connected to the artwork, the ways they worship and learning more in general about other faiths.

One of the things that I love about doing wedding photography is working with individuals of all faiths and cultural backgrounds.  I love to learn about those differences and I find the more that I do I come to love my fellow man more simply by understanding them better. Learning the rich details and deeps of what others believe, how they worship, what cultural traditions they practice is very intriguing to me.

Unlike most Churchs or Synagogues, a Temple of the Latter Day Saint faith is not regularly open for visitors and tourism which is why this is a special event if you have ever been curious about what is inside the Oakland temple.  After each temple is finished, there is a short period where an open house is available and they will do tours and share about the beautiful artwork, our beliefs and what goes on inside the temple. I look forward to taking my children who are still very young and whom after the temple is formally re-dedicated will need to wait until they are 11 to attend.

The temple is a very special place for myself and my family.  It is where my husband and I were sealed for time and eternity on our wedding day (at the Salt Lake Latter Day Saint Temple), which in our faith, we believe we can be eternally bound to our family for all time and eternity. That brings me joy with the peace it brings me each day knowing that should something happen I will be able to see my family again.

If you are interested in going to the open house and tour the inside of the Oakland Temple, all are welcome!  You can reserve a free ticket here, or feel free to send me an email at effervescentmediaworks@gmail.com and I would be happy to get some for you. I am even happy to go with you too if you would like! Tickets are required for crowd control as it gets rather busy!

The open house will take place May 11th - June 1st and June 15th

Once the Oakland temple is back operating, I will look forward to attending and doing wedding pictures there for those getting married in the near future.