It’s so exciting that a quiet little venue like this, placed just off a windy, tree-lined road, was just 15 minutes away from the bustle of the the surrounding cities. Karen and her bridesmaids got ready in the cottage that greeted you upon entering, their laughs echoing against the hardwood floors and gracefully papered walls. There was a sweet first look, there were pretty paper parasols, touches of autumn, an intimate ceremony, a cozy reception.

And the color! The vibrant yellows & reds – I really love how Karen took a super unique {and seemingly difficult} color theme, and executed it in a way that was romantic, soft, classy. It was such an honor to photograph this beautiful day!

Thank you to Alice Hu for shooting with me that day! :)

There’s always that extra element of excitement when the day starts off a bit sprinkly, but clears up beautifully in time for the wedding. The morning of Kathy & Jon’s big day (set up for both an outdoor ceremony & reception, and a marathon of fun outdoor portraits) it was raining on and off, but the sky cleared up just when I arrived to begin shooting! And as a consequence of this type of weather, we were blessed with killer Hawaii-light (you know, that ridiculous diffuse light, that exists throughout Hawaii) all day that day, and I couldn’t get enough of it! Kathy and Jon {photo enthusiasts themselves} had explained how important photos were to them, so we had tons of portrait time built into the schedule and it was so much fun exploring the shore by the beach house they got ready in, and then all the spots around the stunning Adamson House in Malibu.

Kathy & Jon have been dating since 2001, so this amazing day has been a long time coming :) So so happy for them both!

Love this moment of Kathy walking down to the beach with the help of her dad. So sweet! :)

This day was filled with an overwhelming amount of love.

My guess is that as you go through these images, you might not be able to tell who is whose father, mother, grandmother – because the connection between these two families is so beautiful and strong. As much as this wedding was about Rachel & Chris coming together, you could really see both families embracing the other as their own, celebrating wholeheartedly together. It was an amazing thing to witness.

Rachel is currently getting her PhD in East Asian studies, and she incorporated a lovely subtle Asian theme into the day. The girls of Fleuretica did a wonderful job as usual creating lush florals to match this vision – I literally could have shot Rachel’s bouquet all day! To add to the fantastic team of vendors, one of my favorite DJs/MCs, Jason of 11H Entertainment was on hand to keep the fantastic party going!

Thank you to Ayumi Pantell for shooting with me that day!