Scott and I are currently in New York prepping for a wedding this Saturday! We flew in earlier tonight, dropped off our stuff at the hotel, and strolled around outside, coming across this cozy late night gem where we refueled on French onion soup & bacon burgers. We’ll be here until Tuesday so email correspondence might be a bit sporadic until then, but be sure to follow us on Twitter to keep up with all our big city shenanigans!

I leave you with a quick photo from a recent photoshoot I did with some photographer friends at the beautiful Condor’s Nest Ranch. More to come soon {including some film}!

Elizabeth & Dennis held a beautiful wedding along the harbor in San Pedro last month. From our very first meeting, they expressed really wanting to personalize their day – tying in elements of cars (Dennis’s passion), naming the tables after inside jokes & meaningful aspects of their relationship (some of my faves were “Monica & Chandler” and “Chicken McNuggets”) and creating an overflowing candy bar that their guests went crazy over! Elizabeth kindly shared all their different ideas with me as their planning process unfolded, which made seeing everything come to life on the day of even more exciting! She was a great planner & super organized bride, but she wisely brought on the fantastic Kristeen Labrot & her team for the day of, to ensure every moment unfolded without a hitch :)

I feel so blessed to have met such a sweet couple who trusted us so fully to document their amazing wedding day. It was the perfect blend of beautiful, touching, & outrageously fun!

LOVE her purple shoes. And the purple-hued pompoms she had strewn all about the getting-ready room! It was my first time arriving in the morning & seeing a room decorated in such a cute way!

Love this moment Scott captured of Dennis & his mom…

Was so excited that we stumbled upon this gorgeous field of wildflowers…

If you look closely, you can see all the kites being flown from the top of the hill that day…

Venue: Mary Star of the Sea Catholic Church, Doubletree Hotel in San Pedro
Coordinator: Kristeen Labrot
Make Up Artist: Christina Yi
DJ/MC: DJ James Lee
Photobooth: Instabooths

A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie. – Tenneva Jordan

This post is a bit belated but I didn’t want to pass up the opportunity to give thanks to my mother, the single most strong, kind, & positive-minded woman I know. The person who drove me to countless music lessons, ice skating lessons, orchestra practices, tennis games – who never missed a single recital or awards ceremony. The person who filled our home with laughter and the sound of her singing voice {she was always singing} wafting over from the kitchen. My mother who always found the time to be silly, and to relax, and to thoroughly enjoy life.

And most importantly, to never let the little things (or the big things) get you down. There have been times in my life when I was down about things that seemed monstrous to me, and though it’s wonderful when people sympathize with you, my mother always took a slightly different role. She always somehow, someway, turned it into no big deal at all. There was always another chance. There was always some other path I could take. There was always a bright shiny side to the situation. If I didn’t like something, I could change it or I could walk away, and that was fine. Everything always turns out okay. Life is too short to be unhappy.

And this meant the absolute world to me. I didn’t always have a carefree, adaptive, & endlessly positive attitude, but my mother did. And this turned me into someone who could pursue my dreams & chase after my goals. Who never felt pressured to be someone I wasn’t, and who felt that no matter what I pursued, I could have a 100% successful and happy life. And a mother who supported me no matter what.

And every time I see her now (including yesterday), she tells me how happy she is that I am pursuing something I enjoy, how my “job” seems filled with creativity & love & new experiences (which it is :)

I love her dearly and am so thankful for this life she has given me.