This weekend one of my best friends in the whole world married her high school sweetheart… finally! I went to high school with both Donna and John– they went to our Senior Prom together and a couple years ago they moved to Long Beach where, at CSULB, Donna and I reunited as friends… and it’s been nothing but good times ever since.

I feel like we’ve been talking about this wedding for a very long time, and it actually happened on Saturday! I was so honored to be a bridesmaid and to be part of this amazing day. Because I was actually in the wedding, I obviously wasn’t able to shoot so I made arrangements to have my very good friend Meg Perotti be the main photographer. Meg did an absolutely wonderful job — no surprise! It was also really great to be able spend time with her. You can check out her images from the day on her blog.

It started out to be a very interesting Wedding day with just a few random errands to run (Wal-Mart anyone?) and a spontaneous rain storm, but thankfully the storm cleared just in time to start taking photos! The rest of the day was just beautiful from then on. The ceremony was so touching– a perfect mix of sentimental and funny — and the party was so fun with all our friends around.

It felt so strange to go to a wedding and not be the photographer. Brooke, the other bridesmaid, had to keep telling me to put my camera down so that I could just relax and enjoy the night. I just couldn’t help myself!

Here are my favorite photos from the day… there were so many great moments to choose from so there are quite a few here.
Donna in the midst of getting her make-up done… Check out those amazing eyes!

Her absolutely gorgeous gown. Simple, sexy and sophisticated– what every bride’s dress should be.

Getting dressed in the beautiful window light…

…with Nicole, the lovely sister-of-the-bride and Maid of Honor

Donna’s brother Alex … looking very handsome!

Meg workin’ it.

Nicole– finally not looking scared (:-P) — and the parents of the bride.

Some relaxed portraits of the bride.

Experimenting with some really harsh backlight.

Married!

From the moment I saw this venue months ago on a visit with Donna, I envisioned doing a series of portraits in front of these great antique-looking elevators. I loved the colors, the chandelier, everything! And Donna and John were the perfect models to make my vision a reality. Thanks guys!

The QHHS Alumni! Greg, Me, Donna, John, Sam and Brooke. Thanks to Meg for snapping this one for us!

Nicole and Evan. Lookin’ mighty good!

First dance. Check out those sparkly sneakers she wore at the reception! Love them.

Cutting the cake… The cake topper was kind of an inside joke, but as Donna said, “They don’t make our kind of cake-toppers…” The last two photos of this series are Donna’s reaction to John knocking the topper completely off the cake. I love those expressions!

Because I wanted to be able to participate in the bouquet tossing and Meg had left for the evening, I had Alex stand in as my temporary assistant– and check him out! He did such an amazing job! He had never touched this kind of camera before and his focus was dead on! You’ll be a pro in no time!

I caught the bouquet!! — and check out how well Alex caught the reaction shot!

A few of the friends hanging out around one of the tables.

Congratulations Donna and John! You guys are truly one of the most inspiring couples I know. I love you guys so much and hope you’re having a blast in Hawaii! Can’t wait to see you when you get back!

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It’s been quite a while since I photographed my last wedding (relatively speaking), but this weekend I finally got back into the swing of things assisting Kim Fox in shooting Recel and Bryan’s wedding in Orange County. The ceremony took place at the Crystal Cathedral… what an awesome church! Not only is the architecture totally unique, but it’s completely make of windows creating the best church light I’ve ever seen. Though it was quite a trek to Orange County, it was so great to shoot this wedding because Recel and Bryan are two of the nicest people ever. Though Bryan was a little stressed about all of the details of the day before the ceremony began, he soon was able to relax and it turned out to be a great party in the end… as it always does! “Are all weddings like this?” he asked me in between cell phone calls in which he tried to resolve the last minute problems of the day. Of course! It wouldn’t be a proper wedding without at least some last minute stress. That’s what makes each wedding unique and memorable.

Here are my favorite photos from the day. As you will see, I had so much fun shooting the kids at this wedding!

Here’s Bryan hanging out in the hotel before heading over to the ceremony.

Bryan and his guys in the lobby of the hotel. Isn’t that a cool mural?

Evidence of the great Crystal Cathedral lighting…

The beautiful bride and her ladies…

Another one of the lovely Recel…

This little boy was so cute! He was having so much fun jumping around at the cocktail hour… So full of personality.

And he absolutely loved the camera…

Recel’s great reaction to the best man’s speech

I guess not everyone was so amused by the toasts…

This little girl was so adorable the entire day. She was so excited to be dancing with the groom during the Money Dance, but the some of the adults standing around were trying to get her to dance with this little boy… She was not having it… and neither was he.

Congratulations Recel and Bryan! Have a great time in Italy! I’m so jealous…

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 The Signet Ring had their first show at the Trilogy Theatre on September 2. It was so great to see this finally happen as the band has been preparing for a moment like this for more than a year and a half! They were awesome. … and of course I brought my camera along to document as usual.

Inside the venue right before sound check.

Matt. aka Ninja. aka Ninja-berry. Right before the show… always with “Starbucks” in hand.

Large. Caught in a spontaneously happy moment.

Ryan on Guitar.

… and backup vocals. Love this one.

Josh. Vocals and harsh center-stage light.

Toph. Bass.

Kyle on Drums.

Camille on Keys. Hidden in the background, though a lovely lady.

As much of the band that can be  seen in one shot. Sorry Kyle.

Rocking out.

Right before the show, Hayley took advantage of the couch at the back of the room. The focus is off, but I just love the colors and the chaos of this photo… though Hayley looks totally relaxed. I have never seen a couch at a venue before…

After the show, a few of us were hanging out in the alley behind the venue. Here’s some spontaneous shots of Anthony in the dramatic alley light.

Congratulations guys! Can’t wait for the next show!

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A few weeks back (actually many weeks back) I did another photo shoot with Ryan’s band The Signet Ring. A couple weeks after our last session, the band added a new member — Toph on the bass — therefore, new photos were needed! Though we didn’t have a lot of time because of individual schedules, we managed to get some great shots. I can’t wait until I can schedule a longer/more planned shoot with them… album cover shoot perhaps?

If you haven’t checked them out yet, check out their myspace to hear some songs and add them to your friends (if you’re a myspace kind of person).

Here are my favorites from the very quick shoot:

This one is currently the band’s main photo.

Being creative with very little light and a boring fence.

Under the freeway…

I normally don’t go for the “part black and white, part color” look, but for some reason I really like it here.

On a side note, The Signet Ring had their first show back on September 2 with a few other indie bands. A lot of friends and family showed up to support them and they totally rocked. It was so awesome to finally see Ryan up on stage singing and playing his music as it’s something he’s thought about his entire life. The show was really great, especially for their first show! I can’t wait for more shows… Check back soon for some photos from the night.

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