They lined the table in perfect rows. Bags of coffee – wonderfully fragrant and of two distinct varieties. One set read “Vietnamese Coffee”, the other was labeled “Guatemalan Coffee”. And you see, I could not have been more excited about these bags of coffee. Because they symbolized so much of what a marriage is, of two people of distinct backgrounds coming together, the union of two families, the collection of different cultures to create a unique culture of your own. And as someone who is biracial myself, it warmed my heart to see both of their cultures celebrated side by side, with toasts given in two different languages, with two different sets of customs honored.

Batzy & Nguyen are both such kind-hearted and warm people and it was an honor to witness such an important day in their lives. I had so much fun shooting alongside Tracy Kumono again as well!

Could not get enough of these perfect pink petals!

The ceremony and reception were held at the fabulous Rococo Room in Pasadena:

A moment of laughter during the slideshow:

I’m sitting here working on pictures from last night’s wedding, sipping green tea and munching on a slice of pound cake, thinking really, life doesn’t get much better than this, when I come across the email Mary sent me earlier this week. I just wanted to post this because it honestly is such a meaningful reminder of why I am SO blessed to do what I do:

I finished viewing all the photos …. and I have to say WOW!!! I have never liked so many shots that I have taken! If Larry likes these shots as much as I do, we will be ordering a LOT of these shots. They are WONDERFUL!!! Before I get too carried away, complimenting your work, please thank your boyfriend as well. THANK YOU, THANK YOU,THANK YOU! I’ve never been happier with pictures that I have taken.

A bit of a backstory: when I first met with Mary, she explained how she was often self-conscious in photos and wasn’t always happy with the way they turned out (which is so hard to believe because she’s GORGEOUS!) so to hear that she liked the photos really meant so much to me. Why are my clients so awesome??

And just for good measure, here’s a semi-terrifying shot of Scott from last night’s wedding, when we were testing out our flashes:

A couple weeks ago I had the opportunity to photograph a couple that HAS to be a top contender for Most Photogenic Couple in the World. They put Demi & Ashton to shame. Bradgelina (Angelinad? what was it?) has got nothing on them. Even before I put my camera up to my face they would be smiling and hugging and making my job wayyy too easy to be legal. I think that part of it is that they’ve already gotten married and now have some experience in front of the camera (that’s why I feel engagement sessions are so important for getting comfortable in front of the big ole lens), but I could tell that so much of it is just that they’re just SO fantastically in love and couldn’t hide it if they tried!

When Lauren first contacted me she explained a bit about their wedding day. They had planned to get married in their church’s sanctuary and although it was estimated to be completed by the date of their wedding, it unfortunately was not. Now that it was done, just shy of their one year anniversary, they wanted a few pictures in the sanctuary of the church where they first met, became friends, and fell in love. After snapping a few pictures there, we headed up to the Pointe Vicente Interpretive Center in Palos Verdes for some more shots. Here are a few of my favorites!