Pacific Edge Laguna Beach Wedding

Courtney & Jason held their beautiful, laid back ceremony and reception at the Pacific Edge in Laguna Beach. Courtney is the co-owner of Little Black Desk interior design company in Laguna Beach, so naturally she has a great eye (unlike myself who spent countless hours on TheKnot.com searching for wedding style ideas!) With the help of Krista Levandofsky at Downtown Flowers in San Clemente, her vision of a fresh yellow and green floral design was brought to life. I was a little obsessed with the flowers, hence the large amount of flower pics in this blog entry :) The chill vibe of this beach side ceremony and reception was enhanced with fun elements such as sparklers, a bud vase for each guest, s'mores (provided by the awesome Beachfire Extreme Catering), and even a trolley to cart us around the city for a photo session! Enjoy the images, and please feel free to leave a comment!

Ponte Family Winery Temecula- Wedding

Crystal & Robert held their Friday evening wedding at Ponte Family Winery in Temecula. Everything photographed beautifully: the bright blue sky, plethora of green flowers, and most importantly Crystal's turquoise shoes :) The unique floral design was created by Bethany Falefitu of Splendid Sentiments Flowers & Gifts in San Diego. I've never seen so many pomanders in one wedding! To top it off, Crystal loved the camera as much as it loved her! So many great pics from this day, enjoy...

My Best Friend's Wedding...Literally!

Roni has been my best friend since 8th grade, when we met in Mr. Nichols' history class. On Friday March 20th she called me & said "Nathan & I want to get married on Monday!" Long story, but basically her fiance's parents were in town, & they decided to go ahead & finally seal the deal. A million thoughts rushed through my head upon hanging up the phone. I wanted to make the day as special as I could for Roni & Nathan...with only 2 days to plan.

First on the list: Call Tricia Barr (www.designsbytricia.com) and beg her for a last minute bouquet. I just can't imagine a bouquet-less bride. Second: Find a location for a small, intimate ceremony (beach below Heisler Park in Laguna Beach) & dinner for about 25 people (Las Brisas). Well...everything turned out perfect, & with how radiant & gorgeous Roni looked, you never would have guessed she bought the dress the night before & sewed on the sash herself!

A HUGE THANK YOU to Tricia for not only providing a killer bouquet, but also corsages & boutonnieres for the parents, a big bag of rose petals, AND about 3 dozen roses to decorate the dinner table! Tricia: you are amazing!


Mid air kiss...why not?Roni & I circa sophmore year of high school

Strolling down the beach with their oldest daughter, Macey

Doesn't she belong in a wedding magazine?!

One of my personal favs

This random brick house is my favorite place to shoot at the Fun Zone, very urban

I love the contrast created by their white clothing on the black background

Believe it or not, this was not posed. Purely candid moment

The dress had a black satin sash sewed onto it (not very bridal looking). We found cream shantung silk at the fabric store right after buying the dress, & Roni created her own sash.

My daddy, the newlyweds, me, & my husband :)

The girl knows how to pose...

The AWESOME bouquet created by Designs by Tricia. She used floral spray paint to make the hydrangea greenish/purpleish antique-looking.

In front of the candy store at the Fun Zone

In the arcade

Roni's little bro Jake walking her down the aisle...Nathan waiting for his bride

Engagement Session - Balboa Fun Zone Newport Beach

My memories of the Balboa Fun Zone date back to my elementary school days, when the thrill of The Dark Scary Ride (no joke, that's what it was called), arcade ski-ball, and feasting on Balboa Bars were the highlight of my weekend. Last August, I photographed a bride and groom there before their reception at the Harborside Restaurant and the crowds of tourists created a challenge. Before Jenn & Chad's engagement session, I did not envision this area as one with spectacular photographic potential. Now, thanks to these two lovebirds, I can't wait to shoot here again! We had a blast exploring all the cool photo spots, and deciding whose dock, porch, or store we could utilize for photos without getting in trouble. For couples looking for something with more variety than just the beach, this is the spot. Thank you Jenn and Chad for giving me a fresh prospective on the Fun Zone, and being a pleasure to photograph! Check out Platinum Weddings by Kerrie, for details of this cute couple's nuptials happening this summer.

A small section of this mural serves as a simple, vibrant backdrop...
And the wide view creates a more dramatic image

Venturing down dirty alleys does have its benefits!
Jenn getting warm & fuzzy with the candy store wall :) I crouched down behind a bush to get the little pop of green in the foreground.
Side of a store selling taffy, sea shells, cold drinks, and hot wheels

I can't take all the credit for this one, the pose was Jenn's idea. Thanks Jenn!Too cute to pass up...A good laugh after Chad's first attempt to pick up his fiancee and spin her around
Second attempt- perfection!
On a random dock overlooking Newport Harbor

Last image of the day, with a cool filter applied post-production