Paul and Laurel got married on a lovely, sunny day in downtown Los Angeles.  They opted for two tea ceremonies in lieu of a wedding ceremony, with a big reception to follow.  I arrived at Laurel's house in the morning to find everything festively decorated and bustling with activity.  I love big family celebrations because of the way it pulls everyone together, and this wedding was no exception.





Even dogs get a little love on the wedding day, in the form of a matching purple lei.



Paul arrived to find a small army of Laurel's relatives blocking his entry.





He eventually managed to buy entry with a song and dance (well, maybe just a dance and a few helpful red envelopes).













Though I couldn't understand much of what was said, the sentiment was loud and clear.





The jokes also translated pretty well.

Yesterday, a friend send me an email titled "Saw you in a blog."  Eyebrows were raised, "huh??"  The only blog I knew that mentioned me was my own rambling one.  But lo and behold, I got some blog love from Miss Tortolita on her website. 

I know this is cheesy, but it totally warmed the cockles of my heart to read about someone who is as excited as I am about shooting their wedding, as well as reading all the kind words they had to say ("funky fresh cool" indeed!).  Claudia and Felipe are an adorable couple, I knew it as soon as I walked through the doors of Coffee Bean and saw them beaming at me (yes, beaming, they both have infectious smiles, my jaw was hurting a little when I left from grinning).  Anyway, I am enjoying reading about the details of their wedding (I love the humorous shot of the vase invasion, that's what my place looked like right before I got married), and am looking forward to capturing their wedding in November with lovely Kelly Nicole from the Sunset House. :)

A couple days ago I met with lovely bride-to-be Yeri, to do a bridal photoshoot at her old stomping grounds.  She was adventurous and sweet throughout our entire shoot, so not only did we get some lovely photos but we also had a lot of fun.  I must say, I have been really lucky with the people I work with!

We also got to chatting, and it turns out she had been to some places that I am keen to see (like Angkor Wat and several other places in asia).  Apparently her job is not only rewarding and altruistic, but it also allows her to travel occasionally!  Can we say dream job? :)

Her sister Sarah was also along for the ride, for which I was really thankful.  She was absolutely vital in helping preserve Yeri's gorgeous dress for her wedding day and also for posing tips.  Plus she made Yeri laugh, which is always a plus.






How many brides are willing to sit here with their wedding dress before their wedding?  I'd say very few.  But she sat and smiled (almost) the whole way through.



Sarah did an amazing job with Yeri's hair and makeup.
















I love the splash of color from Yeri's red shoes.




That shoot was a lot of fun.  If this portrait session is any indicator, Yeri is going to make a gorgeous bride.  :)

** no wedding dress was harmed during the course of this session

Ok folks, this is going to be a slightly longer one since this is my first wedding ever. It was a really wonderful experience, and Kelly and I both had a lot of fun. More than any wedding I've been to, Jen and Gustavo's wedding really symbolized more than just the joining of two people, but the love of two families. It was a really heartfelt affair, and the whole family pitched in in a myriad of ways from cooking the wonderful meal (for that, thank you!) to decorating the gazebo. The wedding was located in Palmdale, CA, at the Chimbole Cultural Center. The prep photos (of course) start with the shoes. Heels are my waterloo, I can't wear them without tripping and falling on my face. But Jen rocked it out with these, and willingly went all over the place for pictures. What a trooper. :)





 

Their first meeting was very shy and sweet.



 



 

We also took Jen and Gustavo's portrait session before the ceremony. But more on that later in this entry (no peeking!). Not only was this my first wedding, but it was also conducted entirely in Spanish. Talk about a tough rite of passage! But actions speak louder than words.



 

Like this (I love Jen's dad's expression on the far left).

  And let's not forget this. :)

In lieu of a recessional, they had a receiving line at the ceremony, and people came up to greet them for the first time as husband and wife.





And some of the little ones amused themselves while the adults were greeting Jen and Gustavo.

 

We were able to squeeze in a few more portraits between the ceremony and reception.

 

The staircase of the cultural center is lovely. I love how much variety Jen and Gustavo were giving in their pictures. They are relaxed in this shot.

 

But then can turn it up at the drop of a hat. Love it!

 

The reception was awesome. These people know how to party and eat! That's my favorite combination. The horchata and pineapple juice were really tasty, and Jen's brother-in-law made some really amazing food. I was totally dorky and gave him a thumbs up when my mouth was full of food. I blame Tony for the thumbs up impulses. Throughout the reception their family kept asking us if we were ok, if we had enough food, and we even had a table setting with our names on it. It was all very kind, and Kelly and I were very touched at the way they were so inclusive of everyone.

 

The parent dances were cute. You could tell the whole family was bursting with pride and love at this joyous occasion.



Jen and Gustavo's first dance

 

Jen and Gustavo are very sweet together, too sweet to smush cake in each other's faces or engage in other such silliness. But that's ok, because that would've been a waste of cake. The array of desserts they had at their wedding was amazing. :)





And of course, I can't forget the dancing. These families definitely know how to celebrate.

 

I'm going to backtrack a bit and talk about my personal favorite part to shoot, which was the couple shoot. The area of Palmdale is full of fascinating locations, and though some spots were sadly out of reach (read: private property + guard dogs), we managed to find a few to shoot at.

 

I love the intimate shot that Kelly was able to capture between the two.

 

We were all scorched from shooting outside in the sun (desert sun is definitely quite different from coastal sun!). As we were shooting, an ice cream truck rolled up. What were the odds...? But it made us all very very happy.

  The desert landscape is very striking, here is one of my favorite pictures of the day.

Congratulations Jen and Gustavo! Thanks for letting us photograph your special day!