At-home engagement sessions are definitely one of my most favorite kinds – you are in an environment that is at once relaxed, calm, quiet, and filled by dear memories. Add in a blooming garden, a hammock, an ocean view, and a couple furry friends and you have the dreamiest engagement photos like the ones you see below. Jackie and Keith have the most beautiful home, and I’m so so glad to they chose to do their engagement photos there!

P.S. More favorite things – Jackie’s sweet updo, the wall of her art creations, and the fact that she chose to go barefoot for the session… love!

How amazing is all the color in this wedding?? Proof that you don’t have to pick just one or two colors to base your day around, and that a rainbow of hues photographs amazingly! I had such a blast with Viviana and Michael at their engagement session that I knew their wedding would be just the same – relaxed, fun, and so about the love. They chose a Mexican theme for their day and executed it in a completely fresh and beautiful way, also making sure to incorporate traditional elements like the mariachi and a most delicious Mexican dinner buffet! I especially loved the papel picado that was strung overhead in both the indoor and outdoor spaces – so gorgeous!

I could seriously go on and on about this wedding, but I will let the images tell the story…

A wedding on a calm Thursday during the week. With 15 of the bride and groom’s closest family and friends, along with their two beautiful children. A small quiet garden tucked in the corner of LA’s prettiest nature. Colorful arrangements of blooms DIY-ed by the bride. A ceremony officiated by a friend. Refreshments of lemonade, champagne, and delicious little sandwiches.

I so so loved photographing this wedding. Because it is not about the fanciness and frills – because all kinds of weddings are beautiful, when it is about the love :)

You don’t need a lot of fanciness and frills for a pretty engagement session – perhaps just an open beach, a little (or a lot!) of wind, a pop of color in a skirt and a bouquet of bright blooms… and of course a couple who can let loose and just enjoy their love for each other :) I’m loving the outfits they chose and Diana’s gorgeous flowy beachy hair in all these photos! It was crazy windy that day but her hair seemed to fly in all the right directions every time (can’t say the same for this photographer!)

I seriously had so much fun with them both and also found inspiration in their love – Diana and Marvin have a very distinct sweetness to their interaction. Even just in the two hours we spent together, I could see how they were always considerate of how the other was doing or feeling, that they were so patient, loving, and kind toward each other in every moment. They have huge hearts and it makes me overjoyed that they’ve found one another :) So excited for their big day this fall…

Michael found a ladybug! That has to be good luck :)

These photos were taken not long after Viviana and Michael flew in from their home in Australia in preparation for their LA wedding. It was my first time meeting them in person and I was so happy we could fit this session in, and even more happy to find Viviana & Michael are just as chill and awesome as our email exchanges & video meeting suggested!

Pair that with some of the prettiest nature Orange County has to offer, and you have a most happy photographer and a lovely little session. Those fields of yellow flowers? Pretty sure I could shoot in them all day every day and not get tired.

It was supposed to rain this day – something like an 80% chance, all throughout the bay area. And even though we had been planning this session for weeks (with clear weather and pretty outdoor locations in mind) Vicky and Brian didn’t let the forecast dampen their spirits, instead opting to collect a bunch of colorful cute umbrellas, brainstorm some backup ideas, and roll with it.

But what do you know? I arrive at the airport, step outside, and not a raindrop in sight. As we drove over to Stanford for the session, the sun even began to peek through. The umbrellas stayed in the car, and these pretty springtime images are what we got :)

I do my best to blog most of what I shoot, but I sadly find there are busy times when it’s impossible to post everything, especially since my priority is always to deliver the images to my clients on time :) This is one of those such cases – a most beautiful wedding that somehow never saw the blog-light of day. I happened across these images the other day and seriously couldn’t believe I had never shared them! A vintage-inspired wedding set perfectly against the backdrop of the historical Oviatt Penthouse & Cicada Restaurant in downtown, adorned with art deco accents. A fabulously stylish couple. Sweet personal touches like a brisk swing dance in place of a more traditional first dance, and a painting (see the final photo!) created by the bride’s sister that was displayed at the reception and adorned their programs.

The portraits we did on the rooftop of the building are perhaps some of my most favorite portraits to this day. Thank you for taking a peek into this wedding that I’ve been wanting to share from the moment I photographed it :)

(I believe this was also the first wedding I worked with Shana and Kelly Zhang, both amazing girls & wedding professionals I’ve since formed friendships with and had the opportunity to work with lots :) )

You may remember Mara and John from their stylish Palm Springs engagement party. I was so overjoyed when they asked me to photograph their wedding as well! They were married at the Beverly Hills Courthouse {always love shooting there!}, in an intimate ceremony shared just amongst their family and closest friends. After some portraits, the celebration continued at Caufield’s with mingling amongst cocktails and hors d’oeuvres. Their wedding was the perfect example of a day that is low-key and relaxed, while still being beautifully elegant and classy.

To top it all off, their special day was announced in the New York Times! You can read their sweet story (and see a little photo feature! :) in the article here!

I always love photographing at the Pasadena City Hall and this time of year was especially perfect, with pretty flowers in bloom around every corner! Frances and Andrew are super laidback and happily went along with my every whim (“can you hold this flower?” “LET’S THROW PETALS!”) and I adore how soft and romantic this session came out. They also have the sweetest and most fun chemistry together, which just added to all the wonderful romanticky-ness of this session :)

Their wedding at the Walt Disney Concert Hall next month {coordinated by my dear dear friend Jenn Yamauchi} is sure to be amazing!

P.S. Frances’s beautiful make-up is by Kelly Zhang, whose studio is right down the street in Pasadena! :)

During a client meeting once, there was a groom who told me he enjoyed my photos because they made him like the people in them. Something about the way the people were photographed made him see them as fun, as kind, as people he’d want to be friends with. It was a wonderful compliment and the words warmed my heart, but the truth is, the people I photograph really are that wonderful. And Jenny and Randall are one of the very first couples who come to mind when I say this.

Their wedding day was 12 hours long from beginning to end, but I can tell you that I literally stood there at the end of the reception wondering how it flew by so quickly. Part of it is of course the gorgeous Happy Trails ceremony (is it not everyone’s dream to get married under a giant tree?), the fantastic DIY details, the lively reception… but what really made it so special was just the two of them being them. It is not everyday you come across such kind, down to earth, funny, generous, creative and wonderful people. Their trust in my work and general support (not just in business, but in life!) has meant the world to me. In just one example, literally a week before their wedding (when I knew they were running around with a million last minute wedding-y things to do) they secretly messaged my boyfriend to ask him what kind of gift I might like. !!! Their thoughtfulness is seriously mindblowing. In their vows to one another they spoke heartfelt words, of how beautiful, warm-hearted, selfless the other was, and I couldn’t help but tear up, because every line rang so true.

And on top of all that, please see Exhibit ALL THE PHOTOS BELOW, for just how creative this couple is. They are both graphic designers and came up with a colorful bird + birdhouse themed wedding – as you scroll down through the images, you will see literally hundreds of handpainted birdhouses, beautiful cloth pennants, sweet fabric bird favors, each and every one created lovingly by them.

This was my first wedding of 2013, and I couldn’t imagine a better way to start the year.