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

The day started off at Nicole’s parents house where our beautiful bride prepared for the day.

All of the important ladies of Nicole’s life were there to dote on her, which was a super cute and touching thing to watch.

Even her 90-year-old grandmother was there. Nicole’s bond with her grandma was very obvious and seeing them together made me want to march right over to my grandma’s house and give her a huge hug.

Once we arrived at the boat, I found Mike and the boys getting ready. There were bow ties. Purple ones. I was very happy about this.

The thing about having a wedding on a boat is that during portraits you’re … on a boat. We had about 15 square feet of usable space for ALL of the portraits. A lesser woman would have been frightened by this, but I knew Nicole and Mike were going to rock it out so I wasn’t worried. And rock it out they did.

Nicole and Mike’s wedding day happened to fall on Mike’s dad’s birthday. They honored him by having a mini cake made for him and after they cut their wedding cake, everyone sang Happy Birthday to Renzo. So sweet!

Congratulations, Nicole and Mike! I’m so incredibly happy to have witnessed the joining of your two families.  Shout out to the vendors that had a hand in the day:

Hair/Makeup: Lisa Leming // Wedding Dress/Bridal Party Attire: Paradise Creations // Florals: Pamela Lowe Floral Design // Ceremony/Reception Location + Catering: Adventures at Sea, Just Dreamin Yacht

But through all of those years hundreds and thousands of miles apart – even in different countries – Darren and Tina’s love for each other never dimmed, never failed, and now, finally for the first time since high school, they are together in both body and heart. I heard this story recounted in loved ones’ speeches during their wedding reception at Summit House in Fullerton. I hid my weepy face behind my camera so as not to embarrass myself, but I was truly touched by their story of devotion to each other.

Darren and Tina were referred to me by Jennifer and Joe. Joe and Darren are brothers. I get to spend time with this family again for their wedding in April and I’m beyond excited about it. Darren and Tina, you both have amazing family and friends and it was such a pleasure to enjoy the day with all of them. Thanks so much for letting me a part of it.

Here are just a few of my favorites from the day. I started out at Darren’s parents house where the guys were getting ready.

I love these next shots of Darren and Joe helping each other with their ties. My grooms are kind and helpful like that. Obviously.

I eventually headed over to the home of Tina’s parents.

Tina and the girls were in the middle of hair and makeup when I arrived. Eugenia Chung did Tina’s hair and makeup and ensure she looked extra gorgeous.

This next shot makes me smile. Tina was a little nervous and worried about running late. Her bridesmaids knew she needed to eat something and made an extra special plate for her. It made her laugh and I think it even relaxed her a little. Loved it.

Tina and Darren chose to do a First Look before the ceremony. This was perfect because their ceremony would be ending just as the sun set so we wouldn’t have had time for portraits in the best light. Because of the First Look we were never rushed and we had plenty of time to get all of the romantic and family portraits we needed.

The layout of the ceremony area at Summit House is different than any other location I’ve shot at before. The stadium seating and no center aisle really made for a more intimate feel. I kinda loved it.

Chad and Nattida have started a foundation, the CN Hope Foundation, dedicated to improving the lives of orphans. Six months ago they adopted an orphanage in Zimbabwe that was unsafe to live in. Through the organization they plan to rebuild the orphanage and make it a place to thrive. All of that is extraordinary and selfless on its own, but this beautiful couple went the extra mile on their wedding day. Instead of registering for wedding gifts, Chad and Nattida instead asked their friends and family to donate to this cause. It was a gesture as beautiful as the two of them.

I was so honored to photograph Chad and Nattida’s wedding day. I discovered during their engagement session that they’re extremely fun to photograph so I couldn’t wait to do it again! And I wasn’t disappointed. If Chad and Nattida decided to marry each other over and over again every weekend, I’d be there, happily making photos.

Chad and Nattida, thank you for allowing me to share in your day. I wish nothing but the best for the both of you and all that you will accomplish! Thanks also to my second shooter Candice Benjamin and my assistant for the day, Erica Romero. Center of Attention Events planned and styled the lovely event.

See more of Chad and Nattida’s wedding day by watching the slideshow.

Chad and Nattida’s dog, Doobie, was around the entire day. He looked pretty handsome in his tuxedo and he LOVED the ruffles in his mom’s dress. I couldn’t get enough of him!

While processing these photos I realized that the cuffs of Chad’s shirt are embroidered with his initials. Nice touch, Chad.

Chad and Nattida chose to see each other before their ceremony because the day’s timeline wouldn’t allow for enough portraits otherwise. Chad was worried doing so would make the ceremony less emotional. What ended up happening was Chad and Nattida cried twice when seeing each other, instead of just once. Emotions x 2!

See even more of Chad and Nattida’s beautiful wedding day by watching the slideshow!

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Heather and Mike’s nerdiness does not stop at wearing matching t-shirts for their engagement session. Because, why stop there when you can nerd out your wedding in amazingly great ways? Needless to say, this was a fun wedding with tons of personal touches. Just as it should be. My lovely friend Jen Grant joined me for this one and we had a blast.

Congratulations, Heather and Mike! Thanks for including me in your day. I hope you’re having a wonderful time in Greece!

Heather’s mom, Jeannie, got emotional the instant Heather was in her dress. It was really sweet.

This is the face of a girl who’s excited to be getting married!

A few rooms over, we popped in on Mike and his guys getting ready.

Mike and Heather opted for a first look so that most of the portraits could get finished before there ceremony, thereby leaving them more time to enjoy their reception. Good idea, I say.

I think this next shot might be my favorite of the day. It’s straight out of camera. The light was perfect and the moment was completely genuine. Love!

Right after the ceremony one of the first things these two did was … change their Facebook relationship status to “married.” Of course!

So here’s where some of the nerdiness comes in. As I mentioned during their engagement session post, Mike proposed to Heather through a game they both love called Kingdom of Loathing. The tables were named after different areas found in the game. The couple also provided little bags full of board games and activities for guests to entertain themselves with. But that’s not so much nerdery as much as it is just awesome.

The cake topper was made in the likeness of Kingdom of Loathing characters by one of Mike’s and Heather’s friends who owns a toy company called October Toys. It was PERFECT.

And let’s not forget the dragon champagne flutes, purchased from the Ren Faire. Awesome.

Heather saw my post about the custom Christmas ornament I had made in the likeness of our late dog, Frasier. She mentioned during their engagement session that she ordered some of their cats and I was so excited to see them make an appearance at the wedding! Thanks to Jen for lining them up to get this shot. The bride and groom on the left are manatees, which is Heather’s favorite animal. The cats are dressed up like Star Wars characters, in case you’re not a nerd.

All of the dances between husband/wife, father/daughter and mother/son were very sweet. Mike and his mom’s dance was particularly emotional. Both of them hugged tightly and cried and I’m sure there wasn’t a dry eye in the house.

There was a photo booth with props, courtesy of Party Booths. Heather and Mike don’t usually dress like this for special occasions. At least I don’t think they do.

Say what you will about nerds, the fact is, they sure do know how to party..

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Here are a few of my favorites from the day:

Unsurprisingly, Jackqueline looked STUNNING. She wore vintage jewelry, purchased especially for this day. It was a perfect choice for her.

The ceremony programs were designed using one of their engagement photos, which also matched their wedding invitations, as it turns out. I love when details are all tied together.

After the Western ceremony, Jackqueline and Jeremy had a Chinese tea ceremony to honor her culture. I just adore the idea of tea service in general. There’s something so soothing about it.

I was finally able to sneak away with the newlyweds for a few portraits at the very top level of the yacht. One thing I hadn’t thought about before this wedding – where there’s a moving boat, there’s wind! But Jackqueline and Jeremy were total troopers and braved that cold wind like champs.

When we headed back inside, everything was situated for the party to start. An enlargement of another engagement photo was used as a guest book, which is a great idea!

And the pinwheels from their session made another appearance in the form of place cards, which I LOVED.

Dan of DV Artistry was the videographer at this wedding and he and his team did a same-day edit to show at the end of the reception. It was fun watching Jackqueline and Jeremy’s face light up as they watched it.

Once the boat docked at the end of the night, guests were welcomed by a group of Shaolin monks who put on an amazing performance. They did crazy things like this… (don’t let the calm face of the sledgehammer guy fool you. He was using quite a lot of force and it looked painful).

Also, this… Yes, that is a METAL rod that he is snapping like a twig over his head.

The look of concern on Jackqueline’s face and the look of awe on Jeremy’s says it all…

The happy couple had a fun send off with confetti poppers. While walking through the sprays of confetti I heard Jackqueline yell, “This is SO COOL!” I’d have to agree.

Congratulations, Jeremy and Jackqueline! I hope you two are having the best time in Europe!!

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We met up with Jen first just as she was getting the finishing touches put on her make-up.

On the other side of the hotel, Will was getting dressed with a little help from his friends…

The view from the church was amazing – such a perfect day for a wedding!

I love this next shot of Will and Jen right as they excited the church after the ceremony. Look at the joy on their faces!

There was an amazing Rolls Royce waiting for them outside of the church. The driver had champagne on the ready!

Jen and Will’s wedding party was a lot of fun. When I was setting up this next shot I told the guys this was their band photo so they needed to look “cool.” I think they got it right.

And for the ladies, their inspiration was Sex and the City. Again – nailed it!

We eventually headed to San Juan Capistrano for some portraits of the newlyweds. This was their first bit of quiet time together as husband and wife, which is why I think a lot of people enjoy the portraits part of the day. Just the bride, the groom and a photographer or two. It makes for a pretty relaxed time.

My favorite detail of this wedding were the vintage apple crate labels that Jen and Will collected to use as table names. I saw the real ones in person at their engagement session and they were pretty large so they had the ingenious idea of scanning them and shrinking them down to a better size. I thought they looked great mounted on thin sheets of wood and now they still have the real labels to remember the day by! The lovely arrangements and bouquets were done by The Flower Girl.

I love this shot of Will and Jen at their entrance into the reception. Will looks super proud about that wife he snagged.

So, the thing about this reception is it became very clear that these two people are very, very loved. Their friends and family were genuinely excited and happy for them. I caught Will wiping away tears several times that night and it was really moving to be there to capture all of tears and laughter. Some of Will and Jen’s friends put together a slide show for them and they both watched the entire thing while laughing through tears of joy. Moments like that remind me why I love my job so much.

I’ll leave you with these two shots of some of the amazing kids at this wedding. They could DANCE. They put every adult in the room to shame and I fell in love with every single kid on the dance floor that night. They should be at every wedding reception ever! I’m sure the awesome tunes DJ Chris of Elegant Event Entertainment had a lot to do with the awesome moves we were seeing.

Congratulations, Jen and Will! It was truly an honor to share in this day with you, your family and your friends. I hope you two are having an amazing honeymoon!

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