Quite awhile back (coughJulycough) I had the pleasure of heading back down to Los Angeles to photograph Julie and Mark’s wedding at The Bel-Air Bay Club. I usually have a lot of time to meet with my clients before their wedding and spend some time really getting to know them through emails, a dinner, and their engagement session but since we weren’t living very close to each other Julie and Mark had never met me before their wedding day! I always get nervous before weddings, no matter the couple, but not knowing the bride and groom adds a little bit more pressure than normal… so I was pretty excited and relieved when I stepped into Julie’s getting ready suite and was greeted by one of the warmest smiles ever!

Thanks to miss Em for making the trip to LA to shoot with me and for being not only a great friend but an awesome second photographer too! We had both had pretty long months of shooting already and it was really nice to have such a friendly face by my side that weekend.

Onward!

So many weddings to share with you .. so happy to be spending so much time in my office this past week or two. Playing catch up is serious therapy for me … checking things off of my todo lists never felt better. I talk a lot about finding balance in life while being a business owner and as much as I know I need to practice what I preach it is really easy to just work. all. the. time. when it is you and only you who can create your income. It’s important to know when to pull back and spend some time cultivating your craft rather than executing it. Since I shot my last wedding of 2011 last week I fully intend to spend time on some house projects, design lots and lots of albums, finally send images to patient vendors (more on this later), and enjoy decorating for the holiday season!

We are having new stairs installed today … hopefully this:

will look more like this soon….What?! A girl can dream.. right?

Lets talk wedding photography….

Erica and Derek had a lovely outdoor wedding at Creekside earlier this year surrounded by not only friends and family but beautiful towering redwoods. Weddings in the Santa Cruz Mountains always hold a special place in my heart .. I always pictured myself getting married surrounded by redwood trees .. there is nothing like that fresh smell of the woods. Alas, we tied the knot in November so redwoods would have meant freezing evening temperatures but in May the mountains were in beautiful form and the sun peeked through the tree boughs for perfect light on their big day.

Onward!

Mandy and Jason tied the knot this morning at City Hall in San Francisco. It was unbelievably romantic, refreshing, intimate, and completely lovely! More from this day soon

Lisa and Hans are too cute for words … Their love really melts my heart and their wedding was just a perfect summer day up at Fogarty Winery in Woodside. Coordinated by one of my favorite ladies, Janece Shellooe of Every Elegant Detail, it was no surprise that their day went off without a hitch. I’ll never forget during dinner turning around to a little tap on my shoulder and hearing Lisa’s little voice softly ask, “Can we go take more pictures..?” She needed a break from the whirlwind of the day and I was more than happy to oblige. Give me ample time to let creativity flow (and time to hike down a hill in your photographers flats) and you’ll find images like this one below in your gallery

I am sorry for the long delay on posting these images you two, it’s been a busy blog-free summer but I want to thank you for being so inspiring and for your complete trust in my ability to document you love. xoxo

Cake: Studio Cake
Catering: Thomas John Events
Coordinator: Every Elegant Detail
DJ/Band: Big Fun DJ
Florist: Amy Burke Designs
Make-up and Hair: Hair Day
Music: Nob Hill Strings
Officiant: John Sullivan
Paper Goods: Hello Lucky