Sarah + Hanan’s Wedding: 3/22/2009 – Where do I even begin describing how memorable Sarah and Hanan‘s wedding was this past Sunday at Kyoto Grand Hotel in Little Tokyo. I’ve been waiting forever for their big day, knowing it would be filled with some amazing people, special moments, and beautifully decorated/coordinated by Betty of Type A Planning (more on the details and decorations of the wedding in another post). Driving to the venue Sunday morning, I noticed the sky was very gloomy and looked like it was going to rain any minute. Betty and I were checking out the weather forecast last week and we’re praying the wedding heavens would be kind to Sarah and Hanan and grant us a sunny Sunday. Luck would be on all our side, as we saw the sun throughout the whole day, although it did decide to hide behind the clouds at times ;).
More important than the beautiful weather on Sunday was the celebration of Sarah and Hanan getting married and having their closest family and friends around. The whole day was truly magical. From the moment I started snapping away during the getting ready session until the end of the reception, there was not a shortage of beautiful moments to capture. As a wedding storyteller, I saw Sarah and Hanan’s story unfold photo by photo. From the bridesmaids helping Sarah into her dress and the signing of the Ketubah to Hanan and Sarah seeing each other for the first time that day and the unbelievable dancing at the reception…I was truly in a sea of excitement, happiness, and love cast by Sarah and Hanan.
To Sarah and Hanan, as well as your family and friends, I can’t thank you enough for treating me like a guest on Sunday. I hope you know how much it means to me that I got to be your wedding photographer. Please enjoy some of my favorite images from the day; I had a tough time picking them out but here’s a small sample of the many wonderful moments of your special day. Have a safe time traveling the world together :).
Ceremony and reception location: Kyoto Grand Hotel in Los Angeles, CA
Wedding coordinator: Type A Planning
Make-up artist: Beauty by Solana
Hair stylist: True Beauty Pro
MC/DJ/Band: Skye Michaels Orchestras
Florist: FlorUnique
Second photographer: Gavin Wade Photographers
Assistant: Jen Berry Photography
And just for kicks, here are a few shots of my crew on Sunday: Gavin and Jen working hard :). Thanks again guys for all your help!
Elizabeth + Dat’s Wedding: 12/20/2008 – This post is long overdue so I must apologize to Elizabeth and Dat for taking forever to post a sneak peak of their wedding images and thank them for their patience :). Their wedding was the last one I shot in 2008 before heading oversea to Europe. I just want to thank Elizabeth and Dat for welcoming myself, my second photographer Miguel Torres, and assistant Jen Berry into their lives on such a special, beautiful, and unforgettable day.
Elizabeth looked absolutely stunning in her dress and Dat was his usual GQ-like all day. They brought so much happiness, excitement, and love to their family and friends, which all rubbed off on me while I documented their special day. I loved how they had the traditional tea ceremony in the morning and then a Catholic ceremony at Holy Spirit Catholic Church afterwards. We had a good amount of time for the bridal and couple portraits and even got to reinact the getting ready scene at the Doubletree Hotel, which was also where the reception took place. The reception hall was incredible! Check out some of the decorations and lighting images below.
I just want to thank Elizabeth and Dat again for having me as their photographer. I loved the slideshow Elizabeth put together of their e-session images, which was one of my favorites of last year. They also had a really nice 20×30” canvas of one of their favorite images at the reception entrance…very cool as it was one of those “I can’t believe my work is being shown to hundreds of people” feeling :). Here’s a selection of some of my favorite images. I’d thought I post them right before I start designing their yummy album!
Ceremony location: Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Fountain Valley, CA
Reception location: Doubletree Hotel in Santa Ana, CA
Wedding coordinator: Lifetime Weddings and Events
Make-up artist and hair stylist: Khuc Lan
MC/DJ: Platinum Peaks
Anna + Lonngren’s Wedding: 1/3/2009 – What a perfect way to start the new year! I’ve been looking forward to Anna and Lonngren‘s wedding ever since I met them last summer. Boy does time sure fly! This wonderful couple will always hold a special place in my wedding photography journey and heart, as their e-session took place at a location were I started my photography hobby and they were the first couple whom I made a video about. And whoever said nice guys finish last has obviously not met Lonngren. He is one of the most sincere, kind, and heartfelt guys I’ve ever met. Lonngren definitely finished first on the nice guy race in my books and won the most precious prize: Anna’s heart.
I had a blast getting to know the family of both Anna and Lonngren, especially Anna’s mom Angie whom I’ve been in touch with over the phone for several months now and Anna’s brother Carlos. If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t have ever met Anna and Lonngren. The funny story is Carlos likes taking photos and was looking to purchase a flash bounce card. He stumbled across my website via the Demb Flash Flip-it! site and told Anna about me. So thank you Carlos for introducing Anna and Lonngren to me. You have a beautiful family and I commend you for chasing all your dreams in your life :).
Back to the wedding…it took place at gorgeous Spanish Hills Country Club in Camarillo, CA. The sun peaked between the clouds at just the right hours to give us a beautifully-lit ceremony. Anna got ready at her aunt’s house not too far away. I covered the ladies getting ready while my second photographer Gavin Wade headed over to the country club to capture Lonngren and the fellows getting into their flashy suits. Thanks GW and Heidi Rider, who assisted me, for all your help :). Be sure to check out their blogs in the next few days for more images from this wedding!
Ceremony and reception location: Spanish Hills Country Club in Camarillo, CA
MC/DJ: Bill Lovelace
Cake: Jamaica’s Cake
Words can’t describe how amazing Allison and Josh‘s wedding was. I promised Allison I’ll get a sneak peak of the images up by Sunday night (sorry I’m late, it’s currently Monday 12:30AM :P). Their wedding was filled with so many close and loving family and friends. Being a USC alumni and fan, Allison chose red and orange as her wedding theme color. For Josh, who plays and teaches baseball, that very sport filled the wedding day: from the baseball bats and homeplate at the cermonial site to trading cards, a Miranda jersey for the guests to sign on, and a baseball on top of the cake at the reception, Allison and Josh’s wedding was unique in more ways than anyone could’ve ever imagined. Add to that the heart-felt, emotional, and teary-eyed toasts given by Allison and Josh’s family and friends, the “Team Alli” shirts for the bridesmaids, a special marital message from Dodger legend Tommy Lasorda, and a groomsman that really loves coke :P, well…we’ll have to let the pictures do all the explaining.
There were so many memorable moments that I want to share with you all: the expression on Josh’s face when he saw Allison for the first time that day and in her wedding dress – I knew he was holding in the tears but wow, what a powerful moment. Then there was the father-daughter dance, with a photo of Allison’s dad holding her seconds after she was born shown on a projector. Her mom was in the background, crying her heart out, while watching her baby girl dance with her husband. Or how about listening a young man, Josh’s nephew Mikey, give a speech (youngest speech ever!), telling Josh how much he means to him as a role model, uncle, and friend. Earlier that day, I had the pleasure of riding from the getting ready location to the ceremony and reception site with Allison’s mom and dad, and listening to them tell me how much Allison means to them and how happy they were for her and Josh.
As the night ended, Allison’s mom came up to me and gave me a big hug and a kiss on the cheek, thanking me for everything that day. She has followed my blog for a while now and actually told me to say hi to my mom for her lol. Anywho, I just want to thank The Urias and Miranda family again for being so wonderful to me this past Friday, and a extra big thank you to Allison and Josh for sharing the best day of your life with me. As I wrap up the year with a few more weddings and e-sessions before heading out to Europe, I’m always reminded at how lucky I am to be a wedding photographer, all thanks to wonderful individuals in love, like Allison and Josh. It’s pretty scary yet exciting to realize this is what I want to do for a very, very long time.
Ceremony and reception location: Kelly’s Garden in Santa Clarita, CA
Wedding coordinator: JayCee Productions
Make-up artist: My Cosmo Lady
Videographer: Matrimony Pictures
