Jeannette and Hoover, Wayfarer's Chapel, Rancho Palos Verdes and Alegria Restaurant, Long Beach

(Click the image above to see the slideshow)

Oh, I am so excited to share Jeannette and Hoover's wedding photos! These two were unbelievably sweet, adorable, in love, and welcoming. Seriously, you guys... thank you! Thank you for hiring me (and my sister-in-law/ assistant Alyssa) to fly down to Long Beach for your wedding, thank you for having a beautiful daytime wedding ceremony on the coast, thank you for the shockingly sunny and clear SoCal weather in January, thank you for the delicious meals... At the end of the day, I was exhausted, full of tasty food, and so happy!

The ceremony took place at the beautiful Wayfarer's Chapel, a glass Swedenborgian Church in Rancho Palos Verdes. It was stunning, and I quickly realized that some of the characters from the O.C. were married there! OK, yes, it is embarrassing that I know that, and I hope that didn't ruin any of the wonderful memories of your day, J&H! :)

Anywhere, the day was crystal clear and blue (and sunny and HOT), so we had a perfect view of the ocean. So lovely.



Here's Jeannette about to get married - getting final, finishing touches from her sisters:



The ceremony:



The Newlyweds! (This image was shot on b/w 120/ medium format film, on the bride and groom's request. You can see the beautiful depth of detail from the film on their faces... I've added the beginnings of a "Film/ Alternative Processes" portfolio on my updated site.)







Don't you love Jeannette's simple but elegant bouquet? I thought it went really well with her vintage-y white dress. And I was glad it wasn't too fussy, since when we stopped to do portraits in the hot sun on our way to the reception, the bouquet got a little wilty...



A couple more medium format shots:





And color film taken with my Holga!





The ceremony was on the coast in Orange County, and the lunch reception was at a restaurant in downtown Long Beach. On our way to the reception, we stopped for a good chunk of time to do more portraits on the coast. It was a challenge, since it was so bright that we could all barely see, but it was great fun to play with the light. I can always do very quick portraits at weddings - and realize that that's often all we have time for - but it's always an extra treat for me when the bride and groom set aside an hour just for portraits! I will never turn that down :)















Just a couple of Jeannette only - loved the dress, loved the veil, and look at how lovely and enigmatic she looks!





I must admit, I get a little nervous asking for the brand new wedding rings, to arrange them on a rock in a patch of weeds - but these guys were totally into it, and I'm really happy with how the shot turned out.



Next we drove into Long Beach to the restaurant, Alegria (which was very tasty, friendly, and colorful. And right in downtown Long Beach, which reminded me of downtown San Jose a bit).

Jeannette's mom made Mexican wedding cookies as favors, resulting in three desserts after an already hearty lunch! It was all delicious, though (and the restaurant was even nice enough to create a bit of a gourmet vegan meal for Alyssa). The yummy cupcakes were from Sprinkles.







Jeannette told me I was going to enjoy photographing all of the color at the reception, and I did! She designed the save-the-dates, invitations, and menus with a simple but fabulous look.



There was lots of happy toasting and affection!





And these cuties!





I know everyone there would agree that it was one of the loveliest weddings they've ever been to! Thanks again so much for having me there. I loved the opportunity to travel, to meet and photograph you two, to get a slice of LA summer in January,... and to go to Disneyland with Alyssa the next day! :) Jeannette and Hoover, please let me know if you ever find yourselves coming up to the Bay Area, I'd love to meet up for tea and to say hello. Happy Marriage!

LA, CA, USA

In mid February Devon and I took a road trip to visit friends in the Los Angeles area. We want to continue getting more familiar and comfortable with the area as I work towards expanding my wedding repetoire to include Destination and West Coast weddings (more on that soon!). Plus we have friends we don't get to see enough all over the place, so we are trying to get better at going to visit them.



I forget sometimes that the drive is only a few hundred miles. LA and Southern California always seemed like a different state to me, but more and more I am growing to love it. The martian landscape of the mountains and 12 lane freeways; millions of people in every direction hoping for fame, wealth or just to be noticed. There is a lot of natural beauty there that I love - the oceans, Griffith Park, and those strange craggy mountains all around. It's fun to keep your camera shutter open for a bit longer than normal to get an abstract painting type of photo. I did that towards hour 6 on I5.




Of course, there is also smog, insane traffic at all hours, and a cutthroat industry scene. But there's something so exciting to me about Hollywood - not so much the glamour in front of the cameras, but the thousands of people behind the scenes who do the artistic creation to bring the television, movies, and music to life.



Anyway. It was a very short trip (down on Friday, up on Monday) and we mostly visited with friends so I didn't take many photos cause we just couldn't stop gabbing! But here are a few shots of the drive down, our friend Daniel and Devon in their awesome sunglasses getting ready for Venice Beach, Daniel's apartment, and the drive back up with a million bugs across the windshield. Our trip involved Magic Mountain/ 6 Flags, seeing snow on the mountains, walking for hours around Venice Beach and Santa Monica in perfect 80 degree weather, staying with my cousins in Yorba Linda the last night (birthplace of Richard M. Nixon, they also have a Jessamine Park!), eating amazing Italian Food at a hole in the wall in a strip mall, and lots of catching up and chit chat. Oh and I squeezed a client meeting in there somewhere too. Phew!

Santa Rosa - through the East Bay - to the I5 - down to Burbank - Hollywood - Downtown LA - Orange County - and home. The still-green hills of Sonoma and Marin counties were like a crazy beacon calling us home after the parched mountains of the LA area and the boring, flat I5 drive.

I can't wait to go again!

Even during visiting, the boys have to be on their computers in separate rooms for a few minutes:


What on earth is this flower?!



Anyway, here's the slideshow, although I just watched it and realized there are no actual photos of the city of LA other than through my friend's loft window.




Imagine that - I actually took a weekend off (almost) from taking photos!

Well, almost.


It's a strange place but I love my state.