Rachel + Austin were married on July 19th, 2008 in Newport Beach at the LDS Temple. I’m not sure if anyone has noticed that we get to shoot there often (and not that we’re complaining, it’s a beautiful location), but we get super excited when a couple getting married there options to go to a second location for something unique. In Rachel + Austin’s case we went to a fun location just a few miles away from their reception that was being held at a residence in Corona. This amazing location is called Dos Lagos!!!! We had WAY too much fun working with the lines and shadows!

I want to touch upon the selection process for blog images for just a second. I think image selection for your portfolio or blog is very important. Many times we’re tempted to put up a ton of pictures because the shoot was great. Photographers feel the need to mix in the mediocre/standard images with the cool avant garde/edgy images to balance things out. That’s a pressure that brings down the impact of the set as a whole. We’re guilty of that too. Images are powerful. They stick to your brain and leave their mark for days if not months. Why water down the impact of those few powerful images with bland white rice?
With that said, Candice and Burton’s shoot was chock full of great images that were hard to whittle down. they were definitely ready for their shoot. Candice in her cute black dress with pockets and Burton decked out in something his fashion forward sister picked out for him. We had so much fun goofing around and playing around like kids. Can’t believe how lucky we are to be working with them in Baltimore for their wedding!

I don’t even know where to start with Mary and Andy’s wedding. It was such a great day! They hired me a looong time ago so there has been a lot of anticipation for me leading up to this wedding. Mary is just the sweetest gal ever! Over the past year+ she would just send me random emails that said things like - We’re just so happy to have you at our wedding. I mean for no reason at all. She’s such a generous and genuine person. Andy’s not too shabby either.
But on to the wedding day. Mary and Andy worked with Kevin Covey to create an awesome atmosphere. It was perfect. No detail left out. It was my second wedding last year with Kevin and he always exceeds my expectations. One of my favorite things about the entire wedding was the art. All the pieces hanging in the gallery on the wedding day were from Andy’s grandfather. Isn’t that amazing! Such a special, personal touch. My favorite was a nude hanging over the sofa (see below) and I hope one day maybe there will be a print available of that painting for purchase - hint, hint! If you’d like to see their wedding highlight video go over and check out Curtis Heyne of Living Cinema’s Blog. Curtis is definitely one of my favorite videographers to work with, a blast and total professional.
Mary and Andy, thank YOU for letting me be a part of your wedding day. I know you will have years and years of happiness!
Awesome People:
Coordinator - Kevin Covey
Florals - Nisies Enchanted Florist
Venue - Seven Degrees
Cake - The Cake Studio
Videographer - Living Cinema
Coffee and Chocolate Fountain - Coffee Divas
And a great big thank you to Jen Rau for shooting with me!
There is the most amazing shop called Normandy, located just around the corner from our studio, and I JUST visited it for the first time the other day. They specialize in antiques, and metal refinishing and the place is jam packed with inspirational delights.
From day one we have completely enjoyed Jean + Austin’s company. They really are such a sweet and stylish couple; they even brought a little presents for our boys at the first consultation! When planning their engagement session they gave us complete rights to the location and creativity, so we took the opportunity and decided to schedule their sitting at a location that we had been eyeing for quite some time. It was a parking garage off of the 5 freeway in Tustin, and it sits right up against a beautiful glass building. We didn’t know exactly where to tell them to go, so we met up in a random parking lot nearby and found this amazing little cove of vines that jumpstarted the shoot. To make the long story short, this stands as one of our favorite engagement sessions to date! Enjoy!

Shelley and I met at church a few years ago and hit it off right away. What is not to love about this humble, sweet, soft-spoken, compassionate girl? She always had her Bible Study homework neatly typed out in pretty colored ink, and mine was always scrawled on a napkin with coffee stains on it. She was always on time and perfectly put together after a long day of teaching Special Education classes. Yes, I have much to learn from this amazing woman.
Here are some breathtaking images from her nature-inspired Rancho Las Lomas wedding, captured by the one and only Jasmine Star. This wedding is a classic, and was featured on The Bride’s Cafe (my favorite blog) and covered thoroughly in Jasmine Star’s blog (also a daily read!). The adorable and incredible Courtney of Joyful Weddings And Events executed this event flawlessly and calmly, even through the drizzle. We used a soothing palette of soft pink, sage and cream. Our repeating elements were curly willow, fiddle fern, and lots of candlelight.

Beautiful Shelley in her stunning lace gown.
Read more…
I finally had the pleasure of visiting the store that Emily bought those wallpaper press stamps, Eikon, located in Old Town Orange. Let me just tell you what a find. This store was packed with the most adorable gifts and finds. John, the owner and an ex-graphic designer, has taken great care to choose the most unique and beautiful items. This is obvious from the moment you enter the store.
Emily bought us each one of these amazing vintage wallpaper press stamps the other day from an antique store. They are hand carved from Switzerland, and they even still have the ink on them which I LOVE! They are uneven on the sides so as to allow the pattern to match when stamping.
Read more…
Christmas is all about the cozy! Candlelight, comfy fabrics, winter dream tea in big, fat mugs- those are things that fill me with Christmas cheer.
I wanted to use items that I have around the house to create some charming arrangements for our condo that I could later give away to neighbors or use to decorate our church.
Thanks to my wonderful hubby for snapping some pics!

I chose festive, affordable flowers- snow white ranunculus and hydrangea, red carnations and freedom roses, real holly with berries, chartreuse spider mums, and fragrant Christmas greens, arranged loosely in vases.
Read more…
This past Friday we had our annual holiday party at the most amazing restaurant that Emily had discovered in old town Orange. The restaurant is called Gabbi’s Mexican Kitchen and we were in a private dining room downstairs. It was had a very dark, gothic feel to it, sitting among the wine and tequila cellar, the lamps draped in red fabric, and a long dining table. There was so much that was visually inspiring to me that evening, that I ended up taking a ton of pictures.
| Visit our sister sites | eHarmony Online Dating |
eHarmony Advice Dating Advice |
Project Wedding Wedding Songs |
JustMommies Pregnancy Calendar |
