Hope everyone had a great Valentine’s weekend! It was a double-wedding weekend for Scott & I, so we celebrated Friday with a homemade dinner & some relaxation. I pretty much cause some sort of mini-disaster everytime I enter the kitchen (today I ruined toast, TOAST!), but together we put together a delish Valentine’s meal. He also surprised me with a couple home design books which, as much as I love candy/flowers, were the BEST Valentine’s gifts ever. They pretty much had “I actually listen to you every time you start raving about a new design blog you’ve discovered” written all over them :)

I posted these up on Twitter today as well, but I’ll leave you with a sneak peek from the two amazing weddings we had the honor of documenting this weekend! They were both filled with such emotion & love – can’t wait to share more!

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 :)

I first met Gina & Chris at Andrea and Taro’s rehearsal dinner. In between capturing shots of the festivities, we chomped on delectable Mexican food and engaged in conversation with our table mates. Gina and Chris sat next to us with their two beautiful children and as dinner progressed, shared a bit with us about their own wedding. “We got married along a windy cliff,” Gina explained. “There were 4 of us {Chris, Gina, her daughter, and the officiant}. It was really cold.. we might have been wearing windbreakers.” Gina laughed as she recalled their casual and intimate ceremony.

Fast forward a month and I opened my inbox to find a note from Gina. She shared with me their wish to renew their vows, this time in a ceremony in front of their closest family and friends. And so, on a very rainy day in December, Scott and I packed up our gear and headed to The Raymond, a lovely cottage-turned-restaurant in Pasadena. With it’s small warm rooms, dark wooden floors, and twinkle lights at every turn, it was THE absolute perfect place to be cozied up on a drizzly evening!

A wedding is a wonderful celebration of a new life together, but the experience that comes from years of marriage, of raising children together, of experiencing the ups & downs – brought a whole other level of emotion to the day. The gratitude and love that flowed through their words during the ceremony was palpable. After the dinner that followed, Chris surprised Gina with a slideshow of photos from her childhood, including those of her father who had passed away earlier this year. This was followed by a “father-daughter” dance that involved Chris lifting up and dancing with their daughter Jade. And just as they ended, Gina slipped off her shoes for her surprise to Chris, an amazing Hawaiian dance with beautiful flowing movements that spoke of her love.

Gina and Chris – thank you so much for allowing us to be a part of your beautiful & intimate celebration!

The gorgeous arrangements & bouquets were all done by Gina’s sister. Love the blooms tucked into teapots and sugar bowls! Each table included a photo that spelled out “love” in a different language – simple, creative, and perfect.

The beautiful figurines were gifts given by Chris to Gina on their 1st and 2nd anniversaries: