As Jaenee and I drove to the lake by her home, where she would be meeting A for their very first look on their wedding day, she smiled and explained to me how she wasn’t feeling as nervous as she expected. She said, “the fact that I’m so calm makes me realize how excited I am for the marriage – that it’s the marriage, not the wedding, that is so important to me.”

I photograph amazing weddings of all shapes and sizes, and Jaenee & A’s wedding was a perfect reminder that you don’t need to spend lavishly to make a wedding wonderful – it is the moments that fill the day and the fact that you make it yours. Their backyard wedding was low-key and intimate, but was unbelievably rich with beautiful, warm, and emotion-filled moments (not to mention stunning personal details that Jaenee lovingly crafted by hand). From the first time I met with Jaenee, she explained the importance of family to her and A, and their wedding was indeed a collection of efforts from all of their family members. The happiness and love exuded by everyone that day was overwhelming and it was an incredible experience to be a part of such an event. I believe I was the only vendor there that day; everything else – the location, the flowers, the centerpieces, the food & drinks, the music – was a collaboration of Jaenee & A’s efforts and the work of their family members. At the end of the night, Jaenee and A walked us to the door and we exchanged hugs – my heart was brimming with joy as we left as I truly felt we had witnessed the wedding of not clients, but friends.

Jaenee & A – Thank you so much for welcoming us so warmly into your home and giving us the opportunity to be a part of your incredible wedding. We feel so blessed to have gotten to know you and share in your celebration and to witness your amazing and inspirational love. I know you will have a lifetime of happiness to come! :)

The lovely bouquets, all assembled by Jaenee herself…

Her veil was adorned with lace from her mother’s wedding dress:

Jaenee’s bridesmaids were her sister and her cousins, her best friends since childhood…

A first glance in the mirror and writing down the last of her vows…

Their first look was so touching. I often recommend first looks to couples and Jaenee & A really showed how special that time together can be…

Love these identical childhood photos of them!

The programs were again works of art by Jaenee:

After the ceremony, we walked right across the street for some more photos…

The centerpieces continued with the tissue flower motif and were beautiful! I can’t imagine how long it must have taken Jaenee to put together each one:

A lovely alternative to paper place cards…

The night ended with tons of dancing!

And a quick shot with the happy couple! Congrats Jaenee & A and thank you so much for the chance to share in your special day with you!

After Gloria & Ed’s beautiful morning wedding, we headed just minutes down the road for photos at the school where they had met and fallen in love. Although it was a scorching hot afternoon and they had already had a morning full of excitement, Ed & Gloria happily showed us around the Cal State Fullerton campus and maintained a contagiously fun energy. We circled many spots on campus – including an air-conditioned building every now and then :) – and although we generally do bride & groom portraits during the wedding, I loved this unique post-wedding setup, being able to work without the constraints of time, and getting to know this fantastic couple better!

Enjoy our little tour!

I was so excited when they suggested the library! Love the rows of colorful books set in those perfect yellow shelves. Gloria & Ed informed us that this section is said to be haunted.. I haven’t spotted any ghosts, but do you see any looming around in the photos?

As we were walking back to the car, I turned and spotted this nook with the most perfect light…

Even though it is now officially autumn, wedding season for us is still in full swing. In fact, it almost seems that autumn will be busier than summer, as we have weddings straight through to December (there are going to be some fantastic ones – so excited!) But as I mentioned in a previous post, taking a moment to refresh always does wonders, and last week Scott managed to tear me from my death grip on my laptop and we hopped over to the neighborhood theater. I’ve been raving about Julie & Julia before it even hit theaters and was SO excited to finally see it. It basically combines all my most favorite things in the world (food! Paris! blogging!) and I couldn’t imagine not loving it immensely.

And I so did. It was funny and sweet and inspirational, and the whole movie gives you a warm cozy homey feeling, like a big plate of beef bourguignon for dinner. But I loved it most because the characters are all so relatable, and the situations all so real: the hopelessness of not knowing your purpose in life, the joy of finding something you’re passionate about, the frustrations of bumps you encounter along the way. But most of all, the impact of the support of someone close to you.

I saw bits and pieces of Scott in both Julie & Julia’s husbands and my heart sunk a bit in shame of my unthankfulness. Because I would not be here, writing this entry to you, working with amazing people, photographing these beautiful weddings, if it weren’t for his support from the very start. Because for Julie it was “I want to start a blog” and for Julia it was “I want to take a cooking class” – but for me it was “I want to be a photographer”, and that very night Scott brought over a handful of Canon catalogues and leafed through the pages with me to help me choose my equipment. And though I have had dozens more breakdowns than Julie had and at times act INFINITELY more unlovable than Julie ever did, his faith in me has not once wavered.

So in the middle of this busy season and to usher in this exciting fall, I just want to say two things: (1) go see this fabulous movie and (2) don’t forget to thank the Paul Childs & Eric Powells in your life.

{ photos: Columbia | Sony }