Heather and Corey - Wedding

Heather and Corey kicked off the wedding season in style! They were married at the Steele Canyon Golf Course. The DJ was from San Diego Wedding DJs - and also happened to be a longtime friend who went to high school (and knew both of them there!), so the DJing was extra fabulous!

Getting ready:

Some flower details (after the flowers were fixed following a flower disaster!):
Heather and Corey elected to do a First Look. As i've said to so many brides... its AWESOME to do pictures beforehand, so you can enjoy your cocktail hour, we aren't rushed and because it gives a little downtime for the two after the ceremony. Unfortunately, due to some miscommunications at the club, we didn't get as much time as we had planned... but to make up for it, Heather worked it.

The first look:

See? Working it!




The kids in the bridal party were adorable!


We had a little time before the ceremony... which is when Heather became a bundle of nerves. The traffic getting out to the golf course was really bad, so there was a bit longer of 'downtime' than we had anticipated.

The most emotional ceremony I have ever seen!
First kiss!



Mr. and Mrs. Steele... escaping from the ceremony.

Cake details:
First Dance... we had this awesome backlighting from the setting sun - I just love how the whole bridal party is lined up and everything (throughout the reception) was lit so warmly.
Not surprisingly, the speeches were also really emotional.
Father/Daughter dance:


And one more shot of the two of them to close things off...

Congratulations to the newleyweds! And thanks for helping me have so much fun and kicking my wedding season off in style!

Learning to Let Go

As summer arrives and I have become insanely busy, i'm really struggling with keeping on top of everything. I want to outsource... but have a hard time giving up control of my product. I guess part of being a workaholic perfectionist is that I can't get past the mentality that I am the only person who can do it right. I'm also not a person who will ever clamor for the 4-hour workweek - i'm just bored working that little. Idle hands and all that. I need to be challenged, need to keep busy, in order to push my creativity and keep forward progress in my business.

But I have come to a decision: its time to cede some of my workflow to others. I am responsible for my product and my vision, but I think that others can do certain parts of my job much better than I. And quicker. So, I will retain quality control, but in a supervisory manner. Ultimately, I think this will be a good business decision, because all of my clients will get everything much quicker!

Now... implementation is another story, but one that will come with time (and a solid plan).

Belinda & Elijah - Engagement

Elijah looked across his church during services, saw Belinda standing there engaged in worship, and felt an instant attraction, without even knowing who she was. Belinda saw Elijah walking during a church camp getaway, and thought that she needed to meet the unknown man. In an unusual show of bravery, Belinda asked Elijah to dinner to get to know him better. They had dinner. And then another. And then, their relationship, bolstered by their faith, grew into something more than dinners. Sometimes, Belinda told me, you just know. They each knew that they belonged together, and before they knew it, a simple informal dinner turned into an impending wedding.

We met for their engagement session at one of my favorite places in Southern California, the Mission Inn. After sneaking around security for a bit, we ventured out to a nearby park. Although slightly uncomfortable at first, the two blossomed in front of the camera, and by the end, they were giving us posing lessons!

Belinda and Elijah, congratulations, and I can't wait to shoot your wedding!

After seeing Belinda just standing around, I instantly knew she was a dancer... yay ballet feet!

Matt and Jourdan: Day After

Matt and Jourdan graciously donned their wedding attire (right after celebrating their one year anniversary) and participated in a wild and crazy group 'day after' session. Remember the gorgeous couple, Brian and Stephanie, from last month? These two also came along for an afternoon of shooting at a beautiful home in Rancho Santa Fe.

In addition to being incredible photogenic, Matt and Jourdan had this amazing vibe... you could just feel the love between them emmanating out, making for the most awesome shoot ever! Thanks so much, you two, for partcipating and being so wonderful! Also, thanks again to Jeff for organizing everything!

I had so many incredible pictures that I couldn't narrow it down. ShowIt would be awesome here (hubby: hint hint), but instead you readers will have to deal with a deluge of photos. Trying to make up for my lack of posting lately and all!





I love this picture so much, I just ordered a 16x24 canvas of it!