Christina and Jason: Culver City Engagement Session

sjphoto Engagement Engagement Photography, los angeles, natural light, night photography 21 Comments

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!

culver city engagement photography

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

culver city engagement photography

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.

culver city engagement photography

More to come of these two lovers on this date…

culver city engagement photography

Kristin and Jordan: Married at the Victorian, Santa Monica

sjphoto Wedding los angeles, natural light, night photography, Santa Monica, strobe, wedding photography 1 Comment

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. The Victorian Santa Monica Wedding Photography

The Victorian Santa Monica Wedding Photography

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!

Surprise Proposal

sjphoto Event Engagement Photography, los angeles, wedding planning 24 Comments

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.

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. =)

surprise proposal engagement

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!

surprise proposal engagement

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

surprise proposal engagement

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 Wedding los angeles, nautral light, wedding photography, wedding planning 0 Comments

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.

Smog Shoppe Wedding photography

Michael + Adrian: Engagement at Griffith Observatory

sjphoto Engagement Engagement Photography, gay wedding, los angeles, nautral light 2 Comments

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!

Griffith Observatory engagement photography