Southern California Fine Art Wedding Photographer - SherriJ » los angeles

Christina and Jason: Culver City Engagement Session

sjphoto — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 17:54:03 +0000

Christina and Jason are an outgoing pair who love the theater (among many other things). Christina is a real Opera singer and Jason is a graphic designer who love acting. They met many years ago when they were both in their teens, during a stage performance of Guys and Dolls. About 7 years ago they reconnected and have been inseparable ever since! They’ve been spending the past few years in NYC and recently moved back to California. Christina first contact me back at the beginning of this year saying “Yours are the first wedding photos that I have not rolled my eyes at! I love how they are candid, tasteful, and beautiful.” I knew then she was Awesome, with a capitol A! We soon met and they shared with me their plans of a beautiful November wedding. This weekend, I had the great pleasure of capturing Christina and Jason’s engagement pictures at their old stomping grounds… The Pacific Theaters in Culver City!

Another fun fact about Christina, she is an avid knitter. She made a jumbo red scarf just for her engagement session!

I love when my couples make their photo shoots personal. When Christina told me about her and Jason’s new “bat-mobile” purchase, we both agreed it would be awesome to have it as a prop for the session! We took these last few images on a parking structure’s rooftop. From there we had beautiful views of Culver City and a beautiful sunset.

More to come of these two lovers on this date…

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!

Kristin and Jordan: Married at the Victorian, Santa Monica

sjphoto — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 18:20:25 +0000

Kristin and Jordan tied the knot this past weekend at the Victorian, Santa Monica. I met them both back in June as they started the planning process; you might remember their fun engagement session at Manhattan Beach back in July. Even then, they had a clear vision of what they wanted their wedding to be like: candlelit, romantic, and vintage were just some of the key words. Jordan is really into football, so they actually chose their wedding date for late February so it wouldn’t conflict with the football season. It was awesome seeing their vision come together in a celebration with their close friends and family.

Vendors who made it all happen:
Photography: SherriJ Photography, SherriJ and Brian Leahy
Wedding Coordinator: formmula Dina Morales C.W.C
Ceremony and Reception Location: The Victorian, Santa Monica
Ceremony and Reception Music: Good Times Entertainment
Officiant: Dr. Trott
Videographer: New Classic Films
Florals: Flowers by Karen, Karen Donovan

UPDATE 5/8/12: Kristin + Jordan have been published on Project Wedding!

Surprise Proposal

sjphoto — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 17:35:32 +0000

I met Rynxes and Mylene on August 22, 2010 when I photographed a wedding they both attended as a guest. Mylene was a bridesmaid and sang a song during the reception, and Rynxes played the piano for her. Their relationship was just starting to bloom when I captured these pictures of them.

Since then, their love has been growing and Rynxes contacted me a couple weeks ago with his plans for a surprise proposal! It seems like fate that these two met at church, where Mylene was on her way to become a nun. Rynxes chose to propose at the historic Cathedral of Our Lady of Angles.

On the day of the proposal (Sunday), the church had a gathering of 1000+ choir singers. The acoustics was amazing and it made the day even more special! For the past 2 weeks leading up to the proposal, Ryxnes made daily prayers and wrote notes in a book to share with Mylene. If you personally know these two, ask for the story about the book and what happened to it. =)

Rynxes wanted to have the proposal documented at the exact moment it happened, which meant I had to be in stealth ninja mode until then. When they first arrived, I found them having a quite moment together in prayer. I was hiding behind the pillars. Thankfully the Cathedral of Our Lady of Angles is a popular tourist destination, so there were tons of other people everywhere with cameras. I hope I blended in well and didn’t look like a creeper!

Then, they walked to a bench in the courtyard and had a short chat. Soon after, he got down on one knee!

She was so surprised and emotional… and I was so excited for both of them! Her answer was “okay!!” I snapped some pictures as they were both glowing! This was so fun, and I’m totally honored to be able to document this moment in their lives.

After some pictures, we said adieu… but little did Mylene know that Rynxes had another huge surprise waiting for her. He invited 60 of their closest friends and family to a surprise dinner at Miceli’s Italian Resturant in Studio City.

This was the look on her face when she first entered and saw everyone!

Near the end of the night, we took a family pictures with their parents, and some of the guests.

How romantic is this story~!? I want to say a big congratulations to Rynxes and Mylene!! Here’s to many more moments to come. =)

Smog Shoppe Wedding

sjphoto — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 05:19:46 +0000

A few times a year, I have the pleasure of second shooting a wedding for my fellow photo buddies… which can be really cool because I have freedom to take fun pictures and get a different perspective than I normally experience on a wedding day. Here’s some pictures of a wedding I shot back in September with the talented Dana Grant at the Smog Shoppe in Culver City. The location is pretty unique in a few ways… like keeping the original charm and architecture of the building including rolling garage doors and parking markings on the cement, to adding unique touches like the full wall of succulents both inside and out! The Smog Shoppe is definitely a venue for someone looking for a place that is both memorable and unique.

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)

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.”)

Michael + Adrian: Engagement at Griffith Observatory

sjphoto — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 06:11:40 +0000

Adrian and Michael met during college and have been together for the past 9 years. Tonight, we met up at the Griffith Observatory to capture their love during a fun engagement session with a beautiful sunset. And of course we did just that…. definitely in style!

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!

Bianca + Eric’s Engagement at The Happiest Place on Earth

sjphoto — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 21:20:13 +0000

I am so lucky to have the coolest clients! Today, I want to share a little love for Bianca and Eric. I met them both a few months ago back in July, as they started planning their intimate beach wedding at the Hilton Waterfront Beach Resort in Huntington Beach. During our initial consultation they shared details about their lives, some plans about their wedding, and desires to have an engagement session at Disneyland! Deep in my heart I knew we were a perfect match, and I just hoped that they felt the same way. I was beyond thrilled with the news when they chose me! This past weekend, as the kids were back in school and the weather was cool, we found the perfect chance to explore the happiest place on Earth!

We first started in California Adventure, where we found a sea themed carousel with dolphins and a vineyard.

The sun started setting fast, so we hopped over to Disneyland for the rest of the session. First on our list was a place Bianca scouted online… the “Snow White Bridge.” It was right next to the castle and has cute pink hearts along the sides. Behind the bridge was a wishing well where you can hear Snow White echoing, “I’m wishing, for the one I love, to find me.” So romantic!