Their day started out with the ceremony at one of the loveliest churches I’ve had the privilege of shooting in so far, St. Maximilian Kolbe Catholic Church. The interesting wood beams and large windows that let in tons of natural light had me swooning through the entire ceremony. If I’m going to shoot in a church, I love one that has lots of windows, and that’s hard to come by.   The reception was held at Malibu West Beach Club, and had a lovely wintery theme, perfect for a December wedding.

Katie’s mom really put this wedding over the top when she surprised everyone (including me!) with an appearance from the USC Trojans marching band. Katie is a die-hard Trojan and comes from a long line of Trojans, so needless to say, this got the party started. It was an amazing night for an amazing couple and I’m so happy I got to be a part of it! Congratulations, Katie and Steve!

PS: Don’t forget to check out their feature on Elizabeth Anne Designs. I love that blog and am so thrilled to be featured there again!

Coordinator: Whitney Wing-Drake, Wish Wonder Dream // Florist: Greenwich Floral Design // Ceremony site: St. Maximilian Kolbe Catholic Church // Videography: Jakfoto Productions //  DJ: M&T Entertainment // Reception Design: CFS Design // Rentals: Ventura Party Rentals // Catering: Monrose Catering // Reception site: Malibu West Beach Club

I hope you all are reading this and know how much I appreciate you and how grateful I am to have been included in your wedding days. I look forward to capturing many more of life’s amazing moments for you in the years to come!

I’ve put together a slideshow of some of my favorite images from the past year’s weddings and engagement sessions. Hope you enjoy.

Happy New Year! Here’s to a great 2012…

I was honored to get to document this day for them, and was thrilled when I got this awesome couple alone to myself for portraits at the Arboretum, before the ceremony that was held at Marcella’s mom’s house. It was a beautiful Autumn day and we actually found some trees with golden leaves fit for the season! Here are just a few of my favorites from their day, hope you enjoy them.

Congratulations, Marcella and David!

The day couldn’t have turned out more perfect and I was so honored to be a part of it. Thank you, Judy and Tom – I’m so happy for the both of you!

I’m also pleased as punch to see this wedding featured on The Loveliest Day today! Head on over there to see more from this beautiful wedding:

Caterer: Command Performance //Event Planner: Mia Bella Weddings & Events // Floral Designer: LV Floral // Reception Venue: Walnut Grove at Tierra Rejada Ranch // Dress Designer: Vera Wang // Shoes: Badgley Mischka// Bridesmaid Dresses: J. Crew// Photo Booth: The Original Traveling Photo Booth

Their wedding was absolutely beautiful and it warms my heart that I was able to play a small part in it. And, because Lindsay loves me, she hired another photographer, the lovely Kayleen T., to cover the reception so that I could pack my gear up, put on a party dress, and dance the rest of the night away. It was the best of both worlds, really!

So, here’s the story of my CIL’s wedding, as seen through my eyes. Hope you enjoy!

The day started off at the salon, so Lindsay could get her hair did. The lovely lady in green is Lindsay’s mom, or Pretty Aunt Lori, as the kids call her. I luff her very much!

Karlie, my other CIL, was also there. She is the bees knees and I feel like I’m laughing every time she’s around. I luff her very much, too!

Lori had a very sweet gift for Lindsay, and made sure to give it to her before her makeup was done, which was very smart because we were all crying when she opened it.

When Lindsay asked me to shoot her wedding I was of course very excited, but when she sent me a picture of what her dress would look like, that was the moment I could hardly wait to get to Utah.    It. Is. Amazing.

Lindsay was supposed to have Bridal portraits done with Kayleen a few weeks before the wedding, but her dress wasn’t ready in time so we headed over to the gorgeous venue, Log Haven, early to get a few.  When I was shooting these photos I thought I had probably died and gone to heaven. The light, the location, Lindsay, that dress, THOSE RUFFLES! I mean, seriously!

I asked Lindsay to give me some movement with her dress and she gave me her very best Flamenco dancer impression. LOVE IT.

This shot on the left is just one small reason why I adore this girl.

It was finally time for the first look and I met with a nervous and excited Brandon who was looking super sharp and ready to see his bride!

If I could shoot at just one place for the rest of my life, I think it would have to be the mountains of Utah in the Fall. Holy cow.

I helped stuff these little boxes with licorice, so I just had to post a photo of them! Karlee made the cute little love bird tags.

Congratulations, Lindsay and Brandon! I love you guys so much!

There are so many great handmade details and elements to show here that I couldn’t possible point them all out, but my favorite detail by far is Tracy’s purple ombre dress that she MADE HERSELF. I just loved it. Thanks so much, Tracy and Jim, for allowing for me to be a part of your amazing day. It was so fun watching you two enjoy every second!

I’ll let the rest of the photos tell the story here, but for full details, head on over to 100 Layer Cake, where the wedding is being featured today! Tracy dished to them all about the DIY elements and particular items that were most special to them.

Videography: Erin Yaeger //Catering, Rentals, Florals: Kitchen 12000 // Hair & Makeup (and cake!): Brittany Moody // Ceremony Music: Love, Resonate // Printing: 1 Up Graphics / /Calligraphy: Katrina Presto // Gown & Garter: made by the bride // Shoes: Steve Madden // Jewelry: from the bride and groom’s late grandmothers // Groom’s Suit & Shoes: Zara // Groom’s Bow Tie: Upper French

Sharon and Nick, thank you for trusting me with your wedding day. It was such a pleasure to be a part of all of the fun and emotional moments you two had together.

Sharon got ready at her parent’s house, which is full of awesome pop-culture references – hundreds of McDonald’s Happy Meal toys and cool posters. I just love this shot of Sharon checking out her make-up with Audrey Hepburn looking on in the background.

Sharon and Nick chose to do a First Look, which allowed us ample time for photos before the ceremony. This one was extra special because they took the opportunity to read personal vows to each other, which made it sort of like a pre-ceremony ceremony. It was seriously beautiful and unbelievably special.

Sharon and her coordinator, Eva from Red Velvet Occasions, spent an entire day making these awesome buttons, which were placed at each table setting. They incorporated such a fun personalized element into the wedding. I took home four with me and have them proudly displayed in my office since I am totally Team S&N!

I loved their cake, and the cake topper, made by a friend of the couple, is just perfect. It’s their Wii avatars! So cute.

Nick planned a little surprise for Sharon, and it was so sweet and adorable I could barely stand it. He sang “I Want to Grow Old With You” from the movie The Wedding Singer. He stood up there and sang it right to her, as if no one else was in the room. Love!

Congratulations, Sharon and Nick!

Vendors:
Coordinator: Red Velvet Occasions // Videography: Shade Tree Films // Flowers: Flower Mart // Hair and Make-up: Susie Chhour Hair | Makeup Studio // Bride’s Dress: Allure Bridals // Groom’s Suit: J. Crew // First Look Venue: Los Angeles Arboretum // Church: St. Thomas More Parish // Reception Catering: Golden Soup Restaurant

Theirs was a lunch time wedding at Lawry’s Prime Rib in Beverly Hills. The food was delicious, and one of Hubie’s bands, Big Bounce Orchestra, played the entire reception and were AWESOME. Seriously, if you’re in need of an amazing cover band for your wedding, let me know and I’ll put you in touch because they were the best I’ve seen.  The day started with Liz and her bridesmaids getting ready at Farmer’s Daughter, a super cute boutique hotel that was so much fun to shoot at, we returned to it at the end of the day for some portraits.

Thanks so much for including me in your day, Liz and Hubie! It was a genuine pleasure.

Hubie’s mom did all of the flower arrangements for the wedding, with the help of the teacher from a flower arranging class she took. I thought that was so special and she did an amazing job!

Hubie surprised Liz by singing a song to her while backed by the band. I was expecting it to be some super romantic ballad, but it ended up being “Jungle Love” by Prince from the movie Purple Rain. Amazing!

Catering: Lawry’s Prime Rib // Florist: Nancy Wang (Hubie’s mom) // Officiant: Christopher Hopgood // Cake: Sweet Lady Jane // Band – Big Bounce Orchestra // Hair and Makeup: Design Visage //Bridal Alterations: A Stitch in Time // Bridal Gown: J. Crew

Emily and Kirk planned a lovely bayside wedding complete with sand dollar and sea shell details which were paired with succulents, my favorite! It was a sweetly emotional day and it was obvious Emily and Kirk were so excited to become husband and wife. I loved every second of their wedding day and I am so excited to share these photos! Congratulations, Emily and Kirk!

Thanks to my second shooter, Candice, for getting this shot of me with both of my couples! Love it!

Venue and Catering: Balboa Yacht Club // Bouquets and Boutonnieres: Urban Gardener // Centerpieces: Bride’s Mother // DJ and Ceremony Musician: Pete Goslow // Bride’s dress: Paloma Blanca // Cake: French’s Cupcake Bakery // Bridesmaid’s Earrings: Anthropologie // Bridesmaid’s Bracelets: Etsy

And then I heard about the kind of wedding they were planning, and my excitement level jumped through the roof. Seriously. These two put together a wedding day that was super fun, super cute and very much “them.” Jessica is a designer and so she of course handled their invitations and Save the Dates – the best ones I’ve ever seen aside from my own wedding invites. They’re 3D and come with monogrammed 3D glasses! Awesome!

And their reception? Their reception was at a bowling alley. But not your average neighborhood bowling alley. Montrose Bowl is only open for private parties and it’s completely retro. No electronic scoring and original decor and design from the 50s, which made it the perfect home for this 50s-inspired wedding. I’ll let the images tell the rest of the story. Enjoy!

And, I’m so pleased to see others appreciating this wedding as much as I do! Check out their feature on Ruffled!

Vendor Love: Ceremony location: Brand Art + Music Library // Reception location: Montrose Bowl // Invitations: Little Hinka // Bride’s bouquet: Made of brooches from bride’s friend and family, put together by bride’s mother // Bridesmaid’s bouquets, corsages and bouts: Made of paper, put together by bride // Catering: Seabirds truck // Cupcakes: Babycakes NYC // Bride’s Hair: Missy Lowe