I had the great pleasure of photographing my first wedding of the season with one of my favorite photographers of all time, Stephanie of This Modern Romance. The wedding took place at The French Estate in Orange, CA. The estate is a private home with tons of vintage charm, big palm trees, and a beautiful draped back yard patio for an outdoor ceremony. The weather was amazing, and perfect for a spring wedding for Sean and Cheryl!
My focus during the wedding was lots of pictures of the groom Sean, and detail shots.
Before the ceremony, Stephanie arranged for them to have a first look… which allowed us plenty of time to head over to the Arboretum for some romantic pictures.
Cheryl’s flowers was a soft white/purple combination of calla lilies, hydrangea, orchids, and roses.
Favors for the guests included planted succulents.
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. =)
Valerie is an independent woman who loves golfing, dancing, her family, and socializing with her friends. She has great confidence and poise that helped her rock her boudoir photoshoot! We did the session in the comfort of her own apartment with bright natural lighting that poured through her big windows. Here’s a little celebration of hotness for today’s Vday, (and I’m not talking about Valentines!)
DoIf you’re looking for something special to give your Valentine this Vday, it’s still not too late to schedule your boudoir/portrait photoshoot for yourself for someone special! Contact me asap for more information and to get scheduled this week! sherri@sherrijphotography.com
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.
I’ve kinda been MIA this past month, with the wedding season slowing down. I didn’t realized how long it’s been, until I saw my last post was in early November! Well, I’m still around, working on some personal projects and revamping my camera bag and skills. I’ve spent about $3,800 for new gear! (A very merry christmas to self!!) I’ll post an update on exactly what I got later…
But for now, I want to take this time to share some recent news from TheKnot. We’ve been voted “Best of Weddings” for 2012! Thank you sooo much for everyone who voted! I’m really grateful for the new friends/clients I met in 2011, and I’m really looking forward to a wonderful New Year in 2012. If you’re recently engaged and looking for vendors, I highly recommend checking out one of my favorite wedding planning sites, TheKnot.com!
