Favorite Vendor Spotlight: Just Wenderful

sjphoto Portrait Engagement Photography, nautral light, wedding planning 2 Comments

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!

los angeles wedding planner

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.

los angeles wedding planner

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!

los angeles wedding planner

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!

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

Aurora + James: Engagement Long Beach

sjphoto Engagement beach, Engagement Photography, travel, wedding planning 2 Comments

I met Aurora and James last month as they began planning their September 2012 wedding at a villa in San Juan Capistranio. They had only been engaged a month, and I was so thrilled photography was a high priority on their list of things to book first! Their ideas for an intimate wedding with lots of handmade details, made my heart happy. Aurora and James met in Long Beach and are planning to relocate at the end of the month to be closer to James’ new office. To celebrate this time in their life and how they met, they chose to have their engagement session at the Queen Mary and a nearby lighthouse!

long beach engagement session

I actually photographed the Queen Mary a couple of month ago for one of my architectural projects… during that shoot I learned the hotel was recently the location of choice of a Victoria Secret Campaign. CLICK HERE to watch the behind the scenes video of that. As we walked around the ship, we found so many great locations! The following 2 shots below was one of my favorite location finds… angel wings!

long beach engagement session

We were about to leave the Queen Mary and head over to our second location, when James found this amazing photo spot! I love how you can see the sign, boats, and the lighting on their faces is just beautiful!

Queen Mary, Long Beach

Location #2 was across the river at a lighthouse. There were lots of people around, so we had to wait for just the right moment to get these shots.

long beach engagement session lighthouse

long beach engagement session

long beach engagement session lighthouse

Melissa + Jeff: Sunset Engagement

sjphoto Engagement beach, Engagement Photography, Malibu, nautral light, wedding planning 0 Comments

Every once in a while, I get a couple who decide to book me as their wedding photographer, without ever meeting in person. They’re usually referrals from a friend’s wedding I’ve photographed. I’m actually super flattered in these cases, but also a really nervous! Last night, I met one of my 2012 clients in person for the first time, Melissa and Jeff. They were giggly and loving right from the start, which always makes my job super easy. They chose to have their engagement session during sunset at one of their favorite spots in Malibu, Paradise Cove!

Malibu Engagement Photography