Laguna Cliffs Marriott Wedding

Melissa & Hamid tied the knot in a beautiful outdoor ceremony and reception at the Laguna Cliffs Marriott Resort and Spa in Dana Point. DeNeitra Vincent and her wonderful staff from Savvy Events once again did a flawless job of making sure the day ran smoothly. Melissa's bright blue eyes were so striking paired with her dark hair and her deep red rose bouquet, which made for some dramatic images. My favorite image is Melissa lounging on the couch in the hallway of the Laguna Cliffs Marriott looking very model-esque and glamorous. The night was complete with a delicious monogrammed wedding cake, created by It's All About the Cake and towering red rose centerpieces by Victoria's Garden. To honor Hamid's Persian culture, Melissa arranged for a surprise belly dance performance by Laura Diaz (HOT!). Check out the same day video created by the awesome videographers at Elysium Productions.

Beach Theme Wedding

Thanks in part to the fab florals created by Designs by Tricia, under the sea theme has never looked as classy as it did at Khris & Dana's wedding. Being avid scuba divers, they chose to bring that aspect of their lives into their big celebration. The outdoor gazebo ceremony & indoor reception took place at La Canada Flintridge Country Club on an unsually wet summer day. Luckily, the rain dissipated shortly before the ceremony began & gave way to perfect photo weather- overcast yet still bright. We took most of the bridal party photos on the edge of a cliff with an amazing view as the background. After that, some romantic bride & groom shots, & of course a few silly ones too.

Rancho Las Lomas Wedding and Reception

"Finally!" and "It's about time!" were popular comments at Giannette & Ahmad's Rancho Las Lomas wedding. The couple has been dating for 9 years, since they were about 15 years old, so it was a treat to see them finally take the plunge! The zoological gardens of Rancho Las Lomas are nestled back in Silverado Canyon, and are home to animals such as zebras, white Bengal Tigers, alpaca, and wild cats, just to name a few. If you're looking for an outdoor wedding venue in Orange County, this is a must see. There are also indoor accommodations.

This telephone booth is nestled on a small piece of grass next to a small fountain and koi pond.

The gorgeous fountain at Rancho Las Lomas. Cocktail hour is usually held here.

It's such a treat to photograph at an outdoor wedding location with no shortage of amazing props, like this sweet yellow swing.

Rancho Las Lomas boasts this beautiful bridge perched above a creek.

Giannette's blinged out, ivory wedding gown. It was so heavy; I don't know how she stood up straight!

Flower Allie in Fullerton provided the flowers: colorful bouquets, unique centerpieces, and a gigantic mass of roses above the altar. Several of my brides have used the incredibly talented Flower Allie.

Can you believe that the building behind Giannette is a bathroom?! Sure beats a Porta-Potty!

A very emotional Dr. Bolivar preparing to give away his daughter at the altar.

Hoffmann Photographer accompanied me as second photographer, and took this awesome shot of the ceremony.

24 carrots catering and events provided this eclectic array of Mediterranean appetizers. The hummus is to die for!

Diving into the wedding cake!

Huntington Beach and Irvine Outdoor Wedding

Brooke & Mike's outdoor ceremony & reception was held at the beautiful & private Woodbury Community Gardens in Irvine.  Locations such as this are great for couples who want to bring in their own catering & decorations, unlike more commercialized wedding venues with stricter rules.  Brooke followed in my wedding planning footsteps and hired the AMAZING Dalise Lindsay of Dalise Lindsay Events to ensure everything ran smoothly on the wedding day.  Since photography was a huge priority to this couple, we arranged a pre-ceremony photo session at the Hyatt Huntington Beach and took advantage of all their sweet photo spots.  I 100% recommend a bride & groom pre-ceremony photo session because it provides you with a greater variety of images, while also shortening the length of the after-ceremony photo session.   

Though Brooke's bridesmaids wore black dresses of their choice, they had sexy, matching red shoes.
Elements from 3 different gowns were combined to create Brooke's custom wedding gown.  If you can't find "the one," just have it made!

At the last minute, Brooke opted for a super colorful floral palette instead of the original all white theme.  LaRaine Wilson from This Old Garden Gallery went above & beyond Brooke's expectations (as she always does) using a plethora of cheery bright blooms.

The centerpieces were held in cute black buckets, which LaRaine spray painted herself just for Brooke's wedding! Linens provided by Fusion Linens.

 Brooke with lil sis Kaitlin & mom at the Hyatt.  Such a "mom" moment! 

 

Second photographer Steve Hoffmann took this awesome pic with the sun & palm trees.

With fisheye lens in hand, Hoffmann captured this image of the newlyweds departing the altar.

 

Check out my previous blog entry of Brooke & Mike's Sneak Peak to see Brooke's killer red heels.  After the ceremony she changed into her dancing shoes- red Vans.

 

Can you tell she's happy to be married!?  The best advice I can give is to live in the present on your wedding day, and don't worry if an unflattering image of you is captured.  We delete those!  

The bridal party!  Though it was tempting, I won't post any of the incriminating bridal party reception pics.  Yes GUYS, I'm talking about YOU!  Haha!

Four Seasons Hotel Westlake Village Wedding

It's the best compliment when one of my friends hires me to photograph their big day. Steve & I met my freshman year at Chapman University, and became great friends. How time flies! Steve & his beautiful bride Nikki exchanged vows inside the awesome pagoda at the Four Seasons Westlake Village. I think you'll agree after looking at the images, these two are a match made in heaven! Special thanks to Hoffmann Photographer for shooting with me, and to videographer Brian Starkman from BGS Productions.


Me getting caught spying on Nikki as she gets ready.So soft & pretty, very "bridal" looking.Clearly, Mr. & Mrs. Grossi are very proud of their son :) Great pic Hoffmann!I couldn't part with any of these 3 images of Nikki & her dad walking down the aisle. You can see where the smiles turn to tears of joy. Not gonna lie, I was hiding a few of my own tears behind my camera!Nikki approaching her soon-to-be husband.At last, Mr. & Mrs. Grossi!!

Love the waterfalls.Lovey dovey moment + perfect lighting = sweet pic

One of their engagement pics in front of Chapman University's Memorial Hall.