I’ve never photographed  a wedding I have been so closely involved in. From helping to choose the colors (blue & coral to match the water & sunset), to making the food (my other favorite pastime) to hosting it at my house (which was tricky at best, but hey we made it work)….. I had a hand in every detail, and it was so much fun! Talk about living vicariously  And I couldn’t have done it all for a more wonderful person and friend.  Rob – you are such a lucky man! And Rebecca…I wholly approve of your choice – except for the fact that it moved you all the way across the country and away from me! We miss you around here!  But I’m so happy for your new life and you  were such a beautiful bride! (Check our Rebecca’s awesome bridal portraits here!)  We had a great time having the family and friends over and of course making all of the yummy food!  And the small and simple ceremony was so sweet! Rebecca and Rob are having a reception today in Michigan where they both have roots and this blog post is in honor of them. Congrats!

Memorial day weekend was a fabulous time for a wedding. But I never would have guessed it would be my coldest outdoor session of the year so far! It was so cold and windy down by the Huntington Beach Pier!  But this adorable family smiled the gloom away and we were able to get some beautiful photographs to commemorate the wedding between Cody, Karlee and of course the beautiful little Sailor, who was quite the trooper in spite of the wind and cold.  They came all the way from Wyoming to tie the knot here in sunny Southern California.  Enjoy your photos guys!

I first met Connie a week before her wedding, as she was coming from Hong Kong. I was still in my sling and hopefully she wasn’t too worried about that!  We explored our venues planned the day together. We hit it off and I knew this would be a wonderfully lovely and laid back wedding. Shawn and Connie were married May 5th in a lovely private ceremony in a house overlooking Table Rock Beach in South Laguna Beach.  It was a beautiful day, a beautiful ceremony and a very beautiful couple.  After the ceremony, we went down to the beach for some formal photos of the bride and groom and then over to Seven4One hotel in Laguna Beach, for the dinner and reception. It was the perfect location for an intimate and cozy wedding  - so very personal! I really enjoyed getting to know all of Shawn’s and Connie’s family and friends who were able to be there to support them in their beautiful day!

Enjoy your sneak peek!

Congratulations to one of my best friends, Rebecca – who married one of her best friends, Rob, yesterday.  Although I have known Rebecca for less than a year, I feel as though we have been friends for a lifetime! We have so many things in common and I will be so sad to see her leave this summer.  But I love her choice in a groom and I know they will be very happy. For bridal portraits, Rebecca wanted to go someplace nearby but with a romantic and country-ish feel to it – so she could show her folks and friends back in Michigan that we don’t live in a land of concrete and deserts (well at least not only that).  It was my pleasure to capture beautiful Rebecca this week just before her wedding day!

There is something so simple and so classic and so laid back about beach weddings!  And this one was no exception…So casual and fun, with a tight and intimate group of family and friends to witness the union of two very warm and caring individuals.  If only all beach weddings could be held just a little bit closer to sunset!

When the “D” family, who I met during out portrait session in Huntington Beach this summer, asked me if I would be willing to fly up to Utah to photograph their 25th wedding anniversary, I was more than thrilled!  They were such a warm and wonderful family, beautiful on the inside and out.  And I was so excited for the chance to fly up to Utah to capture their beautiful occasion, and visit family and friends who are there!  It was one of my most looked forward to jobs of the year. So, as you can guess, when on the eve of the anticipated event I was ordered into court for the following day by an unwavering judge, I was less than thrilled. Completely dismayed and panicked may be closer to the truth!  I so desperately wanted to go that I had a good friend and client plan with me to order me a last minute ticket to Utah in case I got done with court early enough to still fly up for this event and race over… Unfortunately that wasn’t able to happen, to my great disappointment. But fortunately, I was able to find a replacement for me who lives there –  Ashley Spaulding! She did a wonderful job covering the event, and I am so grateful for her being able to fill in last minute!  I also had a great time editing the photos as I was seeing them for the first time, which is a different experience for me. I can usually remember exactly the moment each picture is taken and as I edit, I relive the session or the event. But in this case I was “living:” it for the first time… and was even more disappointed that I wasn’t able to be there, as it was so beautifully done. So much attention to every detail!  Congrats “D” family on your 25 years of being married. Enjoy your sneak peek!

Fashion Island that is… that was the setting for the party celebrating the wedding of Maurice and Lou one beautiful August evening. It was a bit chilly out for August, but the warmth of the guests more than made up for the chill in the air!  Friends and family came from all over to celebrate the coming together of these two fine individuals, and a lovely time was had by all.  Here are just a few snapshots from the evening  - many more to come in the gallery which will also be going up tonight!  Enjoy this sneak peek Maurice and Lou!

Exactly one year ago this weekend, I had my fist foray into reality television!  I was invited by Percy Sales, who won TLC’s Battle of the Wedding Designers Aloha Wedding Bells Episode (Season 1 Episode 4), to photograph the entire event.  I was a little bit nervous to be on the other side of the lens and in front of the cameras, even for such a brief time, and more than anything the challenge was to work around all of the television crews and try to capture all of the special moments for a bride and groom I had never met prior to the wedding!  Josh and Leilani were amazing!  They make a gorgeous couple and were so fun and easy to work with! And the event was pulled off with perfection – every detail attended to! Percy did a fabulous job of putting together an amazing event at Rancho de Las Palmas and so many other vendors also did their part to make this one of the most memorable and beautiful weddings I have ever had the pleasure to photograph!  Special thanks to my assistant Sheena who did an amazing job as a second shooter and who helped make the entire event possible for us!  To Josh and Leilani – Happy Anniversary! And enjoy these pictures as you celebrate one year of marriage – may they bring back some wonderful memories of quite an eventful day!

These have to have been about the most carefree and relaxed wedding photographs ever!  Just two beautiful people in love and enjoying every moment of their wedding day – no other family, friends, parties to go to… just enjoying being with one another  – and having a great time with me, I might add!  We met up at Diver’s Cove in Laguna Beach a few hours after their wedding ceremony to capture some images to commemorate their special day!

Gina and Derek were up for anything (short of diving into the icy cold water) and we had a blast.  Enjoy your sneak peak guys!

Of course I was booked solid the week we had non-stop rain right before Christmas. Some clients were able to reschedule, or take their sessions indoors, but that isn’t possible for weddings. And especially temple weddings. The Los Angeles temple does not have much in the way of shelter or overhangs, so I was praying hard for a little break in the downpour!  I brought along an assistant to hold an umbrella over me while shooting and hoped the wedding party had plenty of umbrellas as well! I planned some ideas of how to pose and see everyone while using umbrellas, that I didn’t even need to use! Because just before Melissa and Justin came out, the steady rainfall turned to a drizzle and even stopped completely momentarily!  We were able to get most of our family shots sans umbrellas!  I was so grateful!  We had to move fast, so not very much time for creative posing, but I think everyone was happy not to be getting soaked!