Mai & John were married last month in beautiful Dana Point. For most weddings, we do portraits at the venue, but we were lucky enough to squeeze some time into the schedule to visit one of my favorite rustic backdrops in the OC! Mai & John (and their super fun bridal party) were so laidback and wonderful and we loved photographing their intimate wedding!

It was an extra fun weekend, since we were working two back-to-back weddings with the superwoman Uyen of Sassy Girl Weddings. We all soaked in Mai & John’s amazing day and then woke up the next morning to hang out all over again! :)

I love the moment right after the bride & groom recess and exit, when the wedding party & the guests are all still inside… such a sweet intimate moment:

Love the whimsical details & the subtle bird theme…

In this {quite fantastic} line of work, I get to witness lots and lots of love. Couples who can’t stop looking into each others eyes, who make sacrifices so their relationship can grow, who experience life’s trials and happiest moments side by side. So as hard as it is to say *this* love is special, or *that* love is special {because they’re all special}, I do want to say that Deb & David’s love is truly something special :) I’m pretty sure that part of it has to do with the fact that they are amazing as individuals – there are very few kinder, warmer and more genuine people in this world. And when two people like that come together, you sort of get this urge to exclaim, YAY! YOU FOUND EACH OTHER!! because that’s how witnessing this kind of love makes you feel :)

They were married last month in San Francisco, in a quaint chapel at the Presidio, and Scott & I were so honored to photograph their day. After the ceremony, they rented a bus to take bride + groom + wedding party + photographers all over the city for photos. So much fun!

I loved this moment! Deb planned to pin David’s boutonniere on before the ceremony, but since they weren’t doing a first look, on went the blindfold…

Something about this shot totally reminds me of the movie Catch Me if You Can… something about airports (even though this is not an airport) & a 1960s feel (even though this wasn’t the 1960s). Anyone??

The wedding had a creative “Flight 717” travel theme that spoke closely to the many plane trips they made to see each other during their relationship (a theme they incorporated into their engagement session as well!)

I left my very first meeting with Liz mentally crossing all my fingers (and toes) that we could work together. She was so super sweet, so excited about her big day, and planning the most beautiful & intimate wedding {see the proof in the pudding below}. At our meeting, she spoke adoringly about Adam & their relationship and when I met him at their engagement session I saw that her words rang true – they are honestly SO perfect for each other and so in love!

They were married last month at the stunning La Venta Inn in Palos Verdes. I love shooting in PV – the views are spectacular and it always feels a bit like home (probably due to all the Saturday mornings we’d drive up there from Torrance for ice skating lessons.. 7 years baby!) The La Venta Inn is probably one of the most beautiful on the hill with amazing architecture, gorgeous grounds, and the loveliest bride’s room – I most definitely have a soft spot for pale pink walls! They matched perfectly with the blush color palette that was expressed in all the elegant details of the wedding, including what were some of prettiest & most stylish bridesmaid dresses I’ve seen {from J.crew!}.

A big thank you to Tim at La Venta, one of the best on-site coordinators we’ve ever worked with! And of course to Liz & Adam… thank you for choosing us to document your beautiful July wedding & for just being you – I’m still in a bit of a tizzy that we get to work with such kind & amazing people!

The photo below was taken in Liz & Adam’s home – I was slightly obsessed with their pastel vintage piano which turned out to be a Valentine’s gift from Adam. Can we say best V-day gift ever?

On the way to meet Adam for their first look…

Partybooths provided lots of photobooth fun and was a hit among the guests!