I was brimming with excitement for this wedding.  Overflowing.  I’m always excited for weddings, but this one was super special to me.  See, I never really get to be involved in the planning process.  Typically I arrive at the venue and have no idea what to expect.  But this wedding was different.  See, the grooms sister is Paola of Just Chic Events and she brought me up to date on all of the amazing things that they were planning.  I was with her when she bought the brooches.  It was like getting little sneak peeks on a regular basis. 

So, when I arrived at The Reef in Long Beach it wasn’t absolutely brand new to me.  It was amazing to see the months and months of hard work between Geraldine, Danny & Paola come to fruition.  And it was absolutely beautiful.  They created an amazing atmosphere with some incredible details.  It was the perfect backdrop for what would be an amazing party.

And it was fun.  Incredibly fun.  My job is always fun, but this was working with some incredible friends.  Jessie, Paolas regular assistant made sure that the day ran super smoothly.  Joe from Todays The Day Videography (and my own wedding videographer!) shot the video.  Flowers on Mars handled the absolutely stunning florals. It was also one of the first times I knew multiple guests.  So fun to watch them have so much fun!

It was perfect.  A couple, so incredibly in love with each other, so incredibly happy to finally be married to one another.  They never left each others’ sides.  Giggly. Happy. In love.

Geraldine & Danny - Thank you so much for inviting me the be a part of this incredibly evening.  It could not have been more perfect.  I hope the beaches are treating you well!  Congratulations!

I love love love her Maggie Sottero gown.  The one shoulder strap was to.die.for.

Chris caught this next shot while Geraldine put on her shoes and I love it.  Girls & shoes.

Chris and I bought a foreclosure in September 2008.  It was, well, a disaster area.  DISASTER!  The bones were good, but it had been neglected for three years.  And before that, the homeowner TOUGHT he was really good at DIY construction.  Turns out, super gluing tiles to a linoleum floor is a bad choice.

Slowly but surely we are renovating the house.  Turning the nooks & crannies of what was super bad and giving back the 1929 charm that it had when it was new.  There are lots of weird little things, but I think that’s what gives it all it’s charm.  So, all of our free time is spent on our house.  Making it comfortable and a place that we want to be for a very long time. 

Lucky for me, Chris is INCREDIBLY good at house stuff.  I had no clue when I married him and I’m so glad that he is.  He just knows how to build things.  And when he doesn’t know, his Dad knows.  We’re in good hands!  Our last major project was this weird little offshoot of our dining room.   It was an empty room with disgusting brown & purple tile (super glued to the floor).  There was a janky ceiling fan.  And 2×4’s nailed to the walls to make a "door frame".  It was a hot mess.  And for over a year it was the kitty litter room.  Oh, and storage for the boxes that I hadn’t unpacked yet.  HA!

It is now a room that I want to sit in and stare at.  Just sit.  And stare.  I could not be happier with our new bar/library/staring room!

Chris built out an arch entrance, dropped the floor six inches and built floor to ceiling built-in cabinets and shelves.  New tiles. New chandelier. New shelves that need to be filled with lots and lots of stuff.

Most of things I’m buying from flea markets.  Little things here and there.  I’m building it slowly, with only things that I love.

This is one of my most favorite things.  It’s the receipt for the reception hall for my Great Great Grandparents wedding in 1903. They were charged $15 for the hall and were required to put down a $4 deposit.  Crazy!

I used to shoot for myself all the time.  Pictures of, well, everything I was doing, everywhere I went, everyone I saw.  I am BEYOND blessed to be able to shoot for a living now.  But I think that when you shoot for others, the shooting for yourself takes a bit of a backseat.  I rarely shoot just for fun anymore and I’ve missed it.

So, I recently decided that I was going to shoot.  For me.  Everyday.  Starting with the first 100 days.  When I’m done, I’ll print & bind it into a book.  Just everyday things.  The pillows I just made.  Basil.  My disaster area of a desktop.  The rooms we’ve torn down and are building back up.  You know, everything I do when I’m not shooting for you

The camera is out on the counter all the time now.  I pick it up whenever I want to document a little piece of our life.  I’m incredibly excited about this little project and the first 30 days have been super fabulous.

On Day 1 Chris & I went Geo Caching.  Have you Geo Cached?!  I couldn’t believe how much fun it was.  It sounds stupid, and yet, it is amazing.  This was shot at our first find… but our arms aren’t long enough to get it in the shot!

On day 16 we had a few friends over for dinner and it was our first night eating in the backyard.  We use it all summer and it feels so nice to get back there!  The table was a project that I’m in love with and that Chris battled me on tooth & nail.  It’s an old swinging kitchen door that we refinished and built into a table.  Love.

On Day 24 our neighbors dog, Lucy, came over to play with Basil.  She’s a Chiweenie and just hit 5 pounds of absolute adorableness.  Basil loves her and it so cute to watch them play together.

Looking back at old posts, I realize this is my first personal post in, um, four months.  I’ve been so incredibly busy with work that even blogging for myself has taken a backseat!  Must get back on that train!

All day I kept looking over at Amanda, grinning from ear to ear & said "This is entirely too adorable!"  Everything.  Every single part of this day was entirely too adorable.  Sarah & Greg are adorable.  The decor was adorable.  The family was adorable.  Everything. Adorable.  And it all made me so happy.

Greg has this infectious smile, you can’t help but smile with him when your eyes meet.  He’s silly and energetic and hilarious.  Sarah has a calm & kind spirit.  She is incredibly sophisticated.  And together, they make this amazing couple.  I imagine that he will be the one keeping their home light & fun while she maintains their grounding.  A perfect pair.

As her father put it, Sarah & her mother were the "project managers" for the wedding day.  The two of them did not leave a single stone unturned and every detail was there.  So creative and so much fun for me to photograph.  TONS of details.  They even handled all of the florals.  I couldn’t believe it.  They told me they would be at our initial meeting.  And I thought they were crazy.  CRAZY!  But they did such an amazing job and they all still looked sane!

They always say a wedding is not the joining of two people, but the joining of two families.  I don’t think that could be truer than in this marriage.  Greg & Sarah both seem to have such strong bonds to their families.  It was incredibly beautiful to see how affected the families were by this marriage. I hope they all know how lucky they are to be gaining a whole new family.

Sarah & Greg - I am SO incredibly happy for the two of you.  Your wedding was absolutely incredible and I am blessed to have been a part of it.  You two remind me so much of the relationship that Chris & I have, I pray that you have the happiness that we have for always.  I hope Hawaii is being good to you :-)  Congratulations!

The First Look…

The wedding was held at Muckenthaler Mansion in Fullerton.  It was such a beautiful backdrop for the wedding and I loved that everything was outside.

I squealed when I saw this.  They didn’t date in high school, but they went to Sarahs senior prom together.  How adorable!?

They did an anniversary dance and there were four couples in attendance that had been married for more than fifty years. FOUR!  Gregs grandparents had been married the longest at 57 years.  I find that incredibly inspiring.

I think, no, I KNOW, they were incredibly nervous.  Because they told me.  But I wouldn’t have really known it if they hadn’t told me. They seemed to just have fun with each other.  Laugh & just be with each other.  Alex & Jason are simple fun.  Enjoyable fun. 

We met at The Malibu Country Mart on Friday to shoot their engagement session, a mere two weeks before the wedding!  The day was fun & perfect & everything that I hoped it would be. And from what Paola & Alex have told me about the wedding, I can only imagine and totally amazing and perfect wedding day.  Simple & enjoyable fun dressed in a vintage shabby chic outfit. I could not be more excited.

It really struck me while we were shooting how differently couples interact with each other.  How the feeling is the same.  The relationship similar.  But the manifestation of that relationship so different.  The way the world sees that relationship so different.  I’ve had the wonderful opportunity to learn about these relationship when I shoot.  To discover my clients as people and as a couple.  For the psychologist in me, it’s pure heaven. 

Alex & Jason - Thank you for such an enjoyable afternoon!  I know you think you were tough ones, but I think the images tell a super different story.  You’re fantastic and I can’t wait for the wedding (in eleven days!).  See you soon!

Moira Taylor did Alexs’ makeup and she looked incredible!

She is the most focused baby I’ve ever met in my life.  At six months old, Delilah knew exactly how she wanted to play this shoot.  No smiling happy baby in front of the camera. Maybe when the camera was off.  Maybe when I lowered it just a hint to give her an encouraging smile.  But as soon as the camera was up she was done.  She’d stare at me intently, suck on her lips and kick her teeny little legs.  Perhaps she’s camera shy.  It was incredibly adorable.

Carrie & Jennifer are friends of my friend Wendy & Lior.  We’ve run into each other at events celebrating our mutual friends for over two years now.  I was so thrilled to run into them at Ben’s first birthday and realize that CLEARLY it had been a while… they had a beautiful baby girl!  They make this amazing family… so happy.  So incredibly happy.  And that makes me happy!

Delilah, Carrie & Jennifer - Thank you so much for inviting me into your home and allowing me to capture your little one. I couldn’t be happier for the three of you!

When they dance together, it seems that the world is completely at peace.  Everything is quiet.  Calm.  From the sidelines, you can hear the faint of sound of humming.  Their eyes are closed and you can see just the hint of a smile on their lips.  I could literally watch the two of them dance all day.

Gabriel & Shoshana met while dancing the Argentine Tango.  Fitting that Gabriel is from Argentina.  And on Saturday, the tied the knot at the Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve… likely my new most favorite venue.  The space is open and absolutely beautiful.  The ceremony, performed by a friend of theirs, was one of the most touching I’ve ever heard.  He spoke about choices, that everyday we must decide to choose love.  It was perfect.

Their wedding was filled with good food, amazing toasts, fantastic music and some of the most beautiful dancing I’ve ever encountered.  I stood at the edge of dance floor, taking in the amazing evening and feeling so blessed that this is my job.  To document the relationship of a couple as fabulous as Gabriel & Shoshana.

Gabriel & Shoshana - the two of you make me so incredibly happy.  Happy to know you.  Happy to have documented you.  Happy to have witnessed your wedding.  I hope Kauai is treating you well!  Congratulations!

This shot is from their first look, the second Gabriel turned around to see Shoshana for the first time.  He immediately dropped to his knee and kissed her hand.  SWOON!

Kate of Kate Baker Floral Designs did an amazing job with all of the florals.

Paola of Just Chic Events put together all of the details.  She’s my friend & hands down, my most favorite coordinator on the planet.  Everything always runs so smoothly!

See what I mean about the dancing…

Shoshanas father & his band entertained for a bit.  Live music makes me so happy.

They’re so relaxed together.  Calm and relaxed.  They just mold into each other and play off the others’ happiness.  She giggles and he beams.  Joanne & Dominik have a beautiful relationship and it was a pleasure to spend an afternoon with them.  Couples that invite me into that relationship, to document what exists between the two of them, make my job so incredibly special.

On Friday, I headed down to Playa del Rey to discover the tiny town that I usually just drive through.  Turns out, it’s adorable!  They showed me around, let me laugh with them and allowed me to capture them at their best, calm & relaxed.  They’re getting married at The SmogShoppe in October and I’m thrilled to be along for the ride!

Joanne & Dominik - Thank you so much for a lovely afternoon!  You two were beyond perfect and I’m loving every single image. LOVING.  Thank you for simply being yourselves in front of my camera… Super excited for the wedding!

They have they kind of house that I’d like to have one day.  Tons of people coming & going.  Extremely organized chaos full of love & laughter.   And I get the feeling that it’s like this all the time.  Friends & family all hanging out and enjoying each others’ company.  But on Breanne’s wedding day, the Crane household was absolutely buzzing with excitement.  So many people, and yet, everything was so calm.  So quiet.  And so organized.  It was a pleasure to be a part of this amazing wedding.

Breanne & Tim were referred to me by the couple who first trusted me to shoot their wedding.  The very first!  It was so amazing to see the same group of friends, some of the same people who were there the very first time I tried my hand at wedding photography. 

Beyond that, this couple is so incredibly special.  So sweet.  So caring.  So beautiful.  Inside & out.  It is so joyful to simple be in their presence.  To soak in their love. To just sit back and enjoy the day.  Everything was absolutely perfect and I couldn’t be happier to have been there to witness this day.

The ceremony & reception was held at Robinson Ranch, where the light was absolutely beautiful! Breanne & Tim built the timeline so that there was So.Much.Time for shooting.  There was shooting time & relaxing time and I can’t stress how important this it.  It allowed us to really relax and capture fantastic moments without being rushed into anything.

Breanne & Tim - It could not have been a more perfect day.  And I could not possibly be more excited for the two of you.  Congratulations!   I hope that Jamaica is treating you well… Enjoy!

I love love loved her garter,  the lace is from one great grandmother and the earring from another.  Such a beautiful way to incorporate them!

There was also a Photobooth!   Click here to take a look…

I’m pretty sure I couldn’t adore this family more.  They’re friends of friends that have become friends and this was my second opportunity to get them in front of my camera.  A year later the girls have grown so much.  They’ve bought a new house.  But they’re still incredibly cool, head over heels in love & amazingly rambunctious.  Delaney can now keep up with Addison and I don’t know how Kathy & Brian can keep up with the two of them!  This little family just makes me so happy… they’re so joyful you can’t help but smile when surrounded by them.

Kathy, Brian, Addison & Delaney - I adore you!   All of you!   Thank you so much for being a part of our lives and allowing us to be a part of yours.  I so enjoy watching your family grow!  Love & Kisses.