There are the big grand moments in a wedding – the bride walking down the aisle, the first kiss, the first dance – but I’ve found that so many of the smaller moments in between can touch your heart as well. A quiet moment between the couple in the middle of a busy dance floor, that second right after the ceremony when they are alone & embracing & brimming with joy – in this wedding there was another unique moment that I loved. Kat’s mother wasn’t physically in attendance at the wedding, but was able to observe it & be a part of it via Skype on an iPad (OH TECHMOLOGY), and I love the moment towards the end of this post, where Kat is conversing with her during the reception. It made me so happy to see that her mom could be a part of this day with them from way across the ocean…

On another note, you may need to take a swoon break mid-post as Kat’s dress is seriously to die for. I immediately fell in love with the flowy design & ethereal layers. Couple this with a room full of light (my favorite!) and I felt compelled to snap a billion photos just during the getting-ready portion of the day :)

Everything about this wedding was so beautiful, effortless, relaxed. I know I’ve probably said this quite a few times before, but my most favorite weddings always seem to be the ones that feel like home. That are brimming with emotion, beautiful in their simplicity, wrapped in a cozy, intimate kind of love. The whimsical Inn of the Seventh Ray, tucked up and away in the woodsy hills of Topanga Canyon, provided the perfect backdrop for this type of occasion, and it was adorned in lovely blooms courtesy of Fleuretica (so happy we could finally work together! :) The day was coordinated by Angelica Weihs who ensured that everything came together beautifully!

Random sidenote, Julie and Alex are quite the creative couple – together they wrote a children’s show that was picked up by Canadian television and is now going into its second season!

The day after new years, I headed to my first wedding of 2010. It was the perfect way to start off the year (and coincidentally spend my big 2-7!) — despite rainy weather the week before, the sun smiled down all day and Erika and Stephen held a perfectly cozy and lively occasion. There was a warm & laidback joy that filled the day, the kind that makes for my absolute favorite kind of wedding and had us leaving at the end all smiles!

An exciting bonus: their reception was held at the Inn of the Seventh Ray, a whimsical and rustic venue I’ve been aching to shoot at ever since I first came across it on the interwebs. By day it is a restaurant, tucked away in the woodsy hills of Topanga Canyon {how awesome is Topanga Canyon by the way? you’re just driving along the mountain and then BAM! a surprise magical little community} It features refreshing outdoor dining under trees and along a babbling brook, and that day it served as the perfect backdrop for their casual cocktail reception. When I met with Erika she explained how she loved how the backdrop in itself provided so many details – fun chandeliers, flowering shrubs, dainty vases with a single rose.

The afternoon consisted of lots of dancing, happy conversations around lovely white tables, and laughter & toasts in the prettiest natural surroundings. Erika & Stephen – thank you so much for allowing us to share in your beautiful new years wedding!

Loved the bouquets, which were created by Sada’s Flowers, just a hop away from our home in Culver City! I adore bouquets that add in textural non-floral elements like berries, pods, twigs… makes for such an organic and beautiful arrangement:

These amazing cupcakes were all lovingly baked by Erika’s friend, April of Eat Pretty Cake!

The white-framed photo is of Erika’s grandparents on their wedding day {pictured to the right}. Her grandmother fondly explained to me that it rained that day and was drizzling as they got into the car – I love how you can see the excitement in their faces! And of course all the photos made me wonder if one day Erika & Stephen’s would be lined up at their own grandchildren’s wedding :)