Afternoon Lunch Wedding : Los Angeles Wedding Photographer

How did I get so lucky to have such amazing clientele? I fell in love with these two the day we met and was so excited to be able to have shared in a part of their wedding day! CJ and Dustin tied the knot at the ever-fabulous Wayfarer's Chapel in Racho Palos Verdes with a luncheon immediately following at Il Fornaio in Irvine. You can read more about the details of this event on Elizabeth Anne Designs- The lovely Ami, with CJs help, also shared a little how-to on putting together their adorable Smore's kits! (All CJs truly talented vendors can be found listed at the bottom of this post.)

This next one was shot of the boutonnieres done by my super-talented 2nd shooter Ally!

Oh the first look..

Ceremony Location: Wayfarer’s Chapel

Florals: Peony and Plum

Gown: Jenny Yoo

Reception Venue: Il Fornaio

Paper Pom Poms: Pom Love

Custom Wood Sign: Roberto Sand

Wedding Certificate: Anna Bond of Rifle Design

Cake: Vanilla Bake Shop

Invitations: Wiley Valentine

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A ranch wedding in Malibu at Rancho del Cielo : Mindy and Dave

Been sitting on this wedding for awhile for publishing reasons but finally decided I just couldn't wait any longer to share it! No rules against posting images on your own blog, right???? Actually, I have been sitting on these images so long that Mindy is now almost 8 months pregnant!!!! It's pretty amazing being able to watching a family grow! Mindy and Dave had a beautiful ranch style wedding in Malibu. They tied the knot at the lovely Malibu wedding venue, Rancho del Cielo back in June. Mindy and Dave are both in the art scene here in Los Angeles and put together such a creative wedding with unique table centerpeices crafted by Mindy herself.... I really think these images speak for themselves and I am not feeling particularly poetic tonight. Seriously, just awesome awesome clients and a beautiful outdoor wedding!

Oh yeah..... and a polka dot Oscar de la Renta wedding dress....!!!!!

Location: Rancho del Cielo Malibu, CA

Dress: Oscar de la Renta

Shoes: Valentino

Planner: Avesta Carrera w/ Malibu Events

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Anne and Scott : A Wedding at City Hall in Santa Barbara

Hope you guys all had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend!!! Happy Monday! Anne and Scott hired me as their wedding photographer all the way from Boston without ever even meeting me! We chatted on the phone about the trials and tribulations of planning a Santa Barbara wedding from 3000 miles away and shared emails full of wedding inspiration. Obviously, showing up to someones wedding without ever having met them is not ideal, so I was so excited when they planned a quick trip to Los Angeles for lunch the week before their big day! Immediately I loved them! Not to mention their amazing planners Dana and Marni Haber of Haber Event Group (they work out of both Los Angeles and Aspen). They had their ceremony at the gorgeous Santa Barbara Courthouse, some portraits at the Santa Barbara Mission and their reception at The Santa Barbara Women's Club, which has some really amazing traditional Spanish Santa Barbara details.

Onward!

Throughout the booking process Anne talked a lot about her sister Ellen and how Ellen is a photographer and that she had helped weigh in on the decision making process. I was nervous because it's always hard to know you're being judged by fellow photographers and I LOVED Ellen's portrait work which you can see here so I really want her to like me. :)

Oh the first look... :)

Took my breath away..

I asked Scott and Anne to give me their, "I just got married!" face...

With the help of her mom Anne grew all of these succulents during the year she was engaged. Amazing!

Thanks so  much for having me as your wedding photographer, guys! You are no longer clients, you are truly truly friends. xoxo

Dress | BCBG

Shoes |  Monolo Blahnik

Ceremony | Santa Barbara Courthouse

Reception | Santa Barbara Womens Club

Additional Locations | Santa Barbara Mission

Coordinator | Dana Haber of Haber Events Group

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Chris and Carly : A Vintage Wedding in Palm Springs : The Orbit In

I said it once and I will most definitely say it again, I love Chris and Carly!! :) Not only did they put Heather and I up in a super swanky, totally stylish room at their location, Orbit In, but their family and friends opened their hearts to us so quickly and made us feel like we were really part of the family! Being a part of someones wedding day is such a personal thing and it's always wonderful when you leave the wedding and know in your heart that you've made friends for life. Like I said in their rehearsal dinner post- Chris and Carly really spent a good amount of time thinking about their wedding photography goals and clearly communicating them to me so I was able to really think about style, posing, etc. beforehand to make their photo time run smoothly!

A big way to ensure rockin' photos is to really consider your location options. Chris and Carly chose the best and most convenient option- everything took place in one location! Wahoo!!! Obviously, some people choose to get married at a church w/ an additional location as the reception venue but I can't stress enough how much more smoothly weddings run if there is no travel time involved. Just another tip to get the best out of your photography dollars!

Chris and Carly opted for a first look before their ceremony which also allowed them to get the most out of their photography. We were able to do their family group photos, bridal party photos, and some photos of them alone while there was plenty of light and before people were dying to start partying!

This was by far the smartest thing Chris and Carly did that made our job easier. They scheduled their ceremony just as the sun set behind the mountains. There was still plenty of light left but it was all shaded and beautifully even. Don't want racoon eyes? Consider the light! By far the biggest thing I will be thinking about when scheduling the days events on my wedding day!

Now, Chris and Carly were into photos more than most- so not only did we get a bunch of great shots before the ceremony but they allotted an additional hour after their ceremony to head over to the other hotel they rented to take more photos there. Here's where things got fun. :)

Chris and Carly also added a Guest Gallery to their reception coverage to ensure that all their guests were properly documented. Those images coming later this week! XoXo

Chris and Carly : The Parker Palm Springs Rehearsal Dinner Portraits

Where do I start with these two??????? Chris and Carly started out as really cool clients now they are really really cool friends. When we met over coffee a little less than a year ago I felt an instant connection- the wedding they were planning sounded completely fantastic, renting out The Orbit In in Palm Springs to bring all their friends and family together in one place for a fabulous weekend of celebration. Chris and Carly pulled out all the stops w/ their decor- they used the feel of the Orbin In to create a really cohesive aesthetic which led to some amazing photographs! This was one of those weddings where I wanted to run up onto the roof and scream, "Is this seriously  my  job??!??!??" :) The post that is going to follow this is going to have a lot of tips for getting great photos in it (because I truly think Chris and Carly did everything right)- but the one I am going to include in this is COMMUNICATE WITH YOUR PHOTOGRAPHER.

Chris, Carly, and I were on the exact same page since the day we met. They described the type of photographs they wanted- they were creative and had detailed thoughts about their engagement session images and how they wanted their photographs to really reflect the feeling of the day. They sent me pictures of the venue, explained what their inspiration was, showed me the vintage postcards they used for their Save the Dates, Heather and I had dinner with them before to further chat about wedding things and life things, so that on their wedding day we would all know exactly what our goals were. They trusted me and set a scene for me that was impossible to not feel inspired by!

Now, I realize that some clients don't necessarily set out to have wedding photos like Chris and Carly's- some clients would rather quickly take a few portraits in a beautiful vineyard or grassy area overlooking the ocean and then get on with their party. To some, photos aren't the end all (GASP!) ... but that's a good thing to communicate to your photographer too- that way we know that you want to get in and get out and we can talk and communicate about the best way to get great photos in that case too! So - biggest lesson today.. photographers are not mind readers, we have to click the shutter to get the shot, so share and communicate information w/ your photographer so you can both put your best foot forward on your big day!

Chris and Carly invited me to stay at the hotel where the wedding was taking place and Heather, who came out to assist for the weekend, and I quickly felt like part of their family. We arrived on Friday and photographed their rehearsal dinner which took place at The Parker. Because Chris and Carly are awesome and truly put importance on portraits we were able to make a little time to do some shots of them at the hotel before dinner.

Some details of The Orbin In

The Parker

Wedding day photos to follow soon!!