Southern California Fine Art Wedding Photographer - SherriJ » Personal

San Diego is for Lovers

sjphoto — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 06:04:23 +0000

This past weekend, Mat and I took our first trip to San Diego. Neither of us had ever been before, so it was a new experience and a much needed time away to relax. We stayed a couple of nights at Pacific Terrace Hotel; a welcoming place right on the beach and just a couple of blocks from many great restaurants. One afternoon we went over to the USS Midway, a Navy aircraft carrier. Outside of the ship, I found the popular KISS statue called “Unconditional Surrender.” (Rendered from the iconic photograph from Alfred Eisenstaedt taken on Aug. 14, 1945, the day the Japanese surrendered after the war.) Just a couple of days prior to our visit, a campaign was launched to raise $1 million to replace the statue with a permanent bronze state of equal height. I’m not really sure which I would prefer, but I’m pretty happy we got a chance to see the color version and capture this great picture of it! I think my favorite part of this image is the small child at the foot of the statue looking up under the skirt. It captures innocent curiosity while also giving some reference to the grand size. If you get a chance to visit and you want to photograph this statue well, the best angle for this statue isn’t head on (as you first see when approaching the statue). Just walk a little to the right so you can see more of the woman’s face too. It’s magical. =) Anyway, if you’re looking for a weekend getaway place to visit with your love, I definitely recommend San Diego!

What I Wish I Knew Before My Wedding: The Dress

sjphoto — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 23:48:50 +0000

It’s been about 5 months since my own wedding day, so I thought now is a good time do a reflection post looking back to talk about some of the things I learned being a bride. According to the recent survey results from TheKnot, the average cost of an American wedding was $26,984 for 2010 (not including the honeymoon). Here’s a breakdown of some facts:

Key Average Wedding Statistics

Most Expensive Area to Get Married (excluding honeymoon): NYC (Manhattan), $70,030
Least Expensive Area to Get Married (excluding honeymoon): Utah, $13,214
Wedding Dress Spend: $1,099
Percentage of Destination Weddings: 24%
Bride’s Age: 29
Groom’s Age: 31
Number of Guests: 141
Average Wedding Spend (on a per guest basis): $194
Number of Bridesmaids: 4
Number of Groomsmen: 4
Length of Engagement: 14 months
Most Popular Engagement Month: December (16%)
Most Popular Wedding Month: June (15%)
Most Popular Wedding Color: White/Ivory (43%)
Los Angeles, Santa Barbara/Ventura ranks 6th place on the top 20 most expensive places to get married averaging $35,000

I find these numbers interesting as an average, but because there are so many different factors when it comes to wedding planning, it’s hard to think of them as a guide. I believe a wedding is one of life’s greatest moments and should fully reflect a couple’s personality. On the same hand, it should also be within a budget, and not leave you broke at the end of the day! It takes a careful balance of both splurging on your heart’s desires and making smart spending decisions to create a wedding that is affordable, fun, and unique! One of the points I want to elaborate on in today’s post is…

1) How to get a good deal on a new wedding dress?

I attribute my skewed perception of the average costs of wedding dresses to TLC’s “Say Yes to the Dress.” (The show is filmed in Manhattan at Kleinfelds Bridal.) Most brides on that show spend $2000-$6000 on designer dream dresses. (With the most expensive silver Pnina Tornai gown reaching $45k!) If you are a bride who can afford to spend that much on a dress, you’re a very lucky lady… and I’m very jealous! But for the rest of us, thankfully there are ways to get a great wedding dress without breaking the bank. When it came to my wedding day fashion, I wasn’t really looking for the newest and trendiest styles, but I did want something that was good quality, a good price, and a flattering fit. After searching the Internet for bridal shops, I found The Glamour Closet in Los Angeles. They specialize in selling sample gowns off the rack for up to 50-75% retail prices. The dress selections aren’t huge and what you see is what you get. There is no ordering dresses in other sizes, so it’s really a hit or miss. The first time I visited the shop, I wasn’t really sure of what I wanted. I ended up falling in love with a pretty Kirstie Kelly gown with sparkly rhinestones and soft silhouette. Pros: I ended up paying $850, which was 50% of the original price of the dress (score!), it fit awesome and didn’t need any alterations (saving another $250+). Cons: after defining the style of my wedding as more “romantic, rustic, ranch” I envisioned a different dress all-together and I ended up going back to the Glamour Closet and buying a second lace dress that was more of my style. The price was about $1000, and still a great deal at 40% off the retail price.

2) How to sell a used wedding dress?

So now, 5 months and $1,850 later… I have 2 dresses in my closet, one is still brand new with tags and the other was worn once and has now been dry-cleaned. The question I’m face with now, is what to do with them? I don’t plan on passing the dress down to anyone in my family, and with our wedding costs being so high… I like to gain some of my money back. Luckily there are many options for reselling used dresses (and buying used!) #1) Consignment (It’s typical for them to charge a fee of 50% the dress’ sale price) #2) Ebay/Craigslist #3) Online Dress shops like The Gown Swap, Pre Owned Wedding Dresses, Once Wed, 100 Layer Cake’s marketplace.

My advice for brides searching for an affordable dress

Remember the most important part of your wedding dress is the fit. Make sure to try on different silouettes before making your decision. When setting a budget, consider hidden fees such as alterations (this can range from $100-400) and accessories like the veil, jewelry, and shoes! If you want to save some money there are options. You can buy a dress off the rack or choose to buy your dress used. When you’ve found “the one”, make sure it’s exactly what you want! Changing your mind later can be costly and stressful. This is your wedding day and you get one shot to live it up. Happy Planning Brides! xoxo

**UPDATE** Pictured above are my 2 dresses both for sale at White Magnolia, a consignment shop close to my place. I currently still have the veil. Contact me if you’re interested!

Best of 2011

sjphoto — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 05:29:22 +0000

Angela and Eugene’s Wedding, Rancho Del Cielo. Malibu, CA

Shana and Brandon’s Wedding at Gainey Winery. Los Olivos, CA

Laura + Chris’ Wedding, Santa Barbara Zoo

Kelly and David’s Destination Wedding: Yosemite, CA

Anne and Peter’s Wedding, Verandas Manhattan Beach

Jen and Rylan’s Wedding, Seven Oaks Country Club, Bakersfield

Reagan and Ken’s Wedding, Sherwood Oaks Country Club

Monina and Matt’s Wedding, Calamigos Equestrian Center Burbank

Karina and Kevin’s Wedding, Malibou Lake

Tara and Timmy’s Backyard wedding

Tina and Armando’s Wedding, Sportsman Lodge

Melissa + Ray’s Wedding, Walnut Grove. Moorpark, CA

Manami + Nick’s Wedding, Museum of Art Long Beach

Danielle and Gabriel’s Photobooth

Engagements

Personal: My engagement at Joshua Tree

Bridal Photoshoot: Las Vegas

Portrait: Paul Kenny

Sony E3 for Playstation, Jane’s Addiction

Mindy: Feather’s Photoshoot (unblogged)

Honeymoon in Paradise: Personal

sjphoto — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 03:00:11 +0000

While I was busy in the world of wedding planning, my fiance Mat was doing some research for our honeymoon. After talking with a few people, he decided to book us a dream vacation to Bora Bora and Moorea. Both are places I’ve never heard of before, and if you haven’t either, imagine an island where the sun warms your skin, a rainbow of tropical fish, sea turtles, and other marine life swim in crystal clear water, and you can walk barefoot along white sandy powder beaches, while sipping on the juice of some freshly fallen coconuts. Something I thought only possible in postcards, was my dream turned reality for the past 2 weeks in French Polynesia! Our first stop: Bora Bora, (aka the second most expensive place you can travel to in the world.)

Most of the resorts on Bora Bora are only accessible by taking a plane to the main island of Tahiti, then a small prop plane to the island. From there, you then take a small boat to your oasis in the middle of the Pacific. We stayed at place called Le Meridian, which had some cool over-the-water bungalows with glass floors to see into the water, a sea turtle sanctuary, and private lagoon for snorkeling.

We stayed for a few days, and on our last day we woke up to a double rainbow sunrise. It was so magical!

Some underwater screen shots from the Go Pro camera, swimming with black tipped sharks, sea turtles at the turtle sanctuary, chopping into some fresh coconuts for a snack, our amazing glimpse of a humpback whale and her calf, ended with a uber rare shot of a manta ray (these things have a wingspan of 15 feet!)

The second half of our honeymoon was spent on the remote island of Moorea. Here, we explored more of the local life.

One afternoon, we drove around the whole island and ran into this giant holding a pineapple. As legend has it, the statue is designed to be life-size of a man who lived on the island many years ago. They say he was so big, that if he wanted to travel from island to island he would just swim across.

During our whale excursion, we came across a documentary crew filming the new IMAX movie about the humpback whales. I learned a lot about whales that morning… like how mother whales give birth to their calves neat Tahiti in the warm waters. During the time they are with their babies, they don’t eat anything for months, since their food source is only the plankton that is found in the Arctic. They end up loosing a lot of their body weight. Our guide drove us around the waters all morning, and after about 3 hours, we finally saw the whales surfacing. I had my camera with me and got one lucky shot of a whale breaching out of the water! At the end of our boatride, we got to get into the water and swim with the whales! We were about 30 feet away from them at one point. It was so surreal to see them swim, but it was over faster than I could even comprehend what was going on! Thankfully we were able to get some shots of it on video. =)

Many things were checked off my “Life’s To-Do” adventures list during my honeymoon. It was really an amazing trip!

Our Wedding: Personal

sjphoto — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 02:57:44 +0000

If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you may know that I’ve been planning my own wedding for the past 10 months. Our wedding finally took place on October 2nd, 2011 at Calamigos Ranch in Malibu (exactly one week before our 3 year anniversary!) Now, looking back at our wedding day, I can definitely say it was awesome and really everything I could have hope for. I’m really looking forward to the new chapter in my life as a Mrs. =)

Our vendors
Venue: Calamigos Ranch, Malibu
Photography: Alison Yin
Florist: Exotic Green Garden
Hair/Makeup: Kelly Zhang
Dessert: Sprinkles Cupcakes
Graphic Design (all paper goods): Manami and Nick Leebert
Music: DJ Celeste Lear (Processional: Nick Drake “Cello Song,” Priscilla Ahn “Dream.” Post ceremony: The Who “Cant Explain.” First Dance Bride/ Groom: Chuck Barry “You Never Can Tell” (choreographed first dance from Pulp Fiction). Father/Daughter: Rascal Flatts “My Wish”, Mother/Son: Harry Connick Jr “It Had to be You.”)

Our Engagement Pictures: Personal

sjphoto — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 05:25:11 +0000

By nature, I am a huge procrastinator. It seems like, the less time I have to do something, the more I get done! With only one month left before our wedding day, we are on a mission to overcome the “Wedding-To-Do” list. One of the things on the list was finally getting our engagement picture taken, so the other day Mat and I went out to Western Town in Malibu. I love the sunset light, ranch vibe, and beautiful hills covered in tall grass. I have to admit, it did feel a little awkward being on the other side of the camera, but I definitely believe everyone should have their portrait professionally taken at least once a year! It’s a great way to document your life, and remember the good times; where you lived, what stylin cloths you rocked, and how in love you were. Well, at least I hope that’s what I think of when looking back at these pictures. I want to thank my lovely photographer Dana Grant!

Personal: Wedding Planning Update

sjphoto — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 07:42:51 +0000

What happens when you start wedding planning 10 months before your wedding? You have way too much time to think about details! I’ve been in wedding planning mode since my engagement in December. Almost immediately after deciding on the venue, I got a wedding dress, and started planning some of the fun details. It turns out I wasn’t completely focused on a vision, so 2 weeks ago, I bought a 2nd wedding dress and now everything has changed! I’ve had some time to think about it, and what I’ve come up with is a new inspiration board with a couple of details of the colors of our wedding: navy, nude, blush. Those colors together have a nice balance of both feminine and masculine. It’s not too far off from my original color scheme, but the overall feel is now more elegant and less whimsy. The style of the wedding is officially “Romantic Rustic Ranch.”

(ABOVE: Bridesmaid image by: Kelly is Nice from my favorite wedding blog, Ruffled! Veil image by: Jose Villa). Yes, I’m newly obsessed with lace and veils. Next, here’s a sneak peek at our custom wedding invitations designed by one of my past brides Manami!

Pura Vida Costa Rica!

sjphoto — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 16:13:42 +0000

This past week, I traveled to Costa Rica to capture event coverage for Playstation during their annual conference. It was an amazing experience traveling out of the country, eating some amazing food, and lots of fun adventures! On the first morning, we woke up at 5:30am to see the monkeys, but couldn’t find them. Instead I took this photo of a pretty butterfly.

My favorite lunch, sea-bass ceviche. Desserts were also amazing!

Cigar Rolling demonstration.

Debi Nova. (The Costa Rican “Shakira”)

Relaxing Weekend at Pismo Beach

sjphoto — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 16:11:22 +0000

Pismo Beach is a seaside town just halfway between Los Angeles and San Fransisco, featuring miles of pristine sand and surf, perfect climate, with small town charm. It was also this weekend’s destination getaway for Mat and I! We decided to stay at Seaventure Resort because #1) They had rooms overlooking the ocean, #2) Fireplace in the room, #3) Private jacuzzi on the balcony, and not that I need more than 3 good reasons, but #4) Would be the fact they have a restaurant-bar in the hotel. I wasn’t really sure how I felt about the forest green walls when we entered the room, but I think by the end of the trip it kinda grew on me.

On our hotel balcony overlooking the ocean. (taken with camera phone) Oh yeah, and these are my new glasses! What do you think? I love how they have a slight rim of blue in the frames. It’s not really noticeable from the front angle. And Mat is sporting his new favorite hoodie; you can barely make out the “DMC” on the front. He’s so proud of his new car.

View from our hotel balcony right after sunset. I put the camera on the ledge and set a timer, so I would be able to get a long exposure without any blur. I gotta use a tripod more often because it came out perfect! This is my favorite image from the trip. I love the colors, clarity of the moon, and pier in the background.

We visited Hearst Castle, I’ve been wanting to visit this place for years! They have 4 different tours that take you though different parts of the Castle. Visitors aren’t allowed to use a flash and tripod during the tour, because the artwork could fade and “it might disturb other guests” so did my best with a higher ISO and holding my breath with a slow shutter. (All of these were taken with Canon 5MD2 and 14mm 2.8L lens, ideal for low light and interior shots.)

Indoor pool, lined in 24k gold tiles on the bottom, the pool is 10 ft deep through the whole main area but in the center of the image shows the women’s pool at 3ft deep.

I’m looking forward to the next time we’ll be able to make it up that way. Hopefully, that will be a trip to San Fransisco to see the Mystery Spot!

Wedding Planning: Month 3

sjphoto — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 09:29:33 +0000

It’s my 3rd month of wedding planning and things are coming along really well. I haven’t really posted a “favorite things” or updated anything about my own wedding since the venue was picked, so I figured it might be a good time to share what I’ve been working on! I’ve been keeping organized with help from a wedding planning checklist on mywedding.com; it allows me to set the budget and check off things as they are completed. They also have a section to customize a personal wedding website, so guests can easily see what’s going on and get more information about our wedding details. I love it! We’ve included some of our favorite places to dine in LA when they’re in town visiting. Most of the places are right around the Santa Monica area, with the exception of Ahi Sushi in the Valley.

1) Enterprise Fish Co: Great seafood and happy hour. We recommend getting the steamed muscles!
2) Ahi Sushi: Best sushi restaurant in Los Angeles.
3) Newest find of great BBQ on the Westside: Mr. Cecil’s Ribs. How awesome is that architecture? The building looks like a tub-o-ribs!
4) The Palace Seafood & Dim Sum: Great Chinese food including Dim-sum in the morning/afternoons and the twice served Peeking Duck is heaven.
5) El Cholo Mexican: Great combination plates. Be sure to try one with one of their signature enchiladas and save room for dessert! They only offer one choice… Flan. It’s the best!
6) C & O Trattoria: Italian Food. Fun atmosphere and casual dining. You will NOT leave here hungry!