Sakura and Nathan have been together for almost a decade… They met while working at the same video game store way back when. I actually met Sakura a couple of years ago at a wedding and was pretty stoked to hear she wanted to hire me for her own backyard wedding! Sakura describes herself as “non-traditional” and creative, and their wedding will have a lot of fun alternative ideas with a great color scheme and details! I can’t divulge too much right now, but maybe their engagement sessions has some hints for what’s to come? Sakura and Nathan both share a passion for movies. For their engagement session, they wanted to reenact some of their favorite movie scenes. This first set is inspired by “Shaun of the Dead” zombie scene, riffling through some records.
These two love their dogs Halo and Rambo!
These two birds are from the movie Dumb and Dumber.
Can you guess what movie the last shot represents?
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 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!
As a wedding photographer, I have the opportunity to work with lots of great wedding vendors in the wedding industry. I love to refer my clients to professionals I know who can truly do an amazing job for them on their wedding day! Something new for 2012, I have a dedicated a section in my blog for my favorite vendors. I thought it’d be cool to feature some of them more in depth, so today we’re going to kick it off featuring Wendy of Just Wenderful! She can be described as “…an event planning and design company based out of Southern California specializing in weddings of all flavors with a soft spot for homespun!”
Here’s some Q&A to help us get to know Wendy a little better.
1) There are a million and 2 reasons to hire a wedding consultant. If you could only give one to a bride & groom, what would it be?
You should a hire a wedding consultant for peace of mind. From budgets to time lines and dented cakes to drunk bridesmaids, we’ll deal with it all.
2) How long have you been in business?
Officially, since 2009.
3) What got you interested in working in the wedding industry?
I had always done events as part of a UCLA group I was part of during my undergrad years and it wasn’t until 2007 that I took part of my first one and I loved it. By the time my own wedding came along in 2009 and I was full into weddings!
4) What type of clients do you find yourself most working with?
I find myself working with lots of multi-cutural, intelligent, fun crafters. From a wedding that’s $15,000 to a wedding that’s $75,000, our couples have allways had a soft spot for homespun and I love that. It makes the whole event much more personal and fun.
5) What is the #1 quality you possess that makes you uniquely suited for wedding consulting?
Flexibility. I tell my couples that there isn’t one thing that can’t be done. Of course if it’s out of budget, there are other similar alternatives. If it’s far fetched, it doesn’t matter unless it not far fetched to you.
6) What is your favorite part of the wedding planning process?
My favorite part of the planning process are the details. That’s the creative and most fun part. It’s definitely loads better than logistics!
7) What is your favorite part of the wedding day?
The exchange of the vows! I always love hearing the personal vows or just the “I do’s”. They’re so different but always so touching.
8) Any other Q&As you’d like to add for readers to know about you?
Remember that although it seems like you’re forking out a lot of money to host a party for your family, in the end it’s a celebration of your love and the beginning if a new chapter where the only that should matter are the vows, the kiss, the “I do”s and the happily ever after!
And for the last shot (above) an outtake from one of the poses we did in the grass. A couple of dogs were loving our idea and wanted to come over to play! How cute is that?! Thanks a bunch to Wendy for sharing some insights, and for Jess and Lola being awesome sidekicks. =) If you were wondering where this session took place: Silverlake Dog Park!
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. =)
