Part of what makes my job so insanely awesome is getting to experience stories in the making and then saving those stories in my camera. The other part is getting to hear stories from way before I ever even came along. One of my favorites is the “how we met” story – over the phone or email or a hot cup of coffee, I have heard tons of hopelessly romantic & wonderful versions. Christin & Andrew’s story, however, might have reached a whole new level of romantic, I believe my exact words when she told it to me were, “it’s like out of a movie!”

They met on a plane from DC to LA – Andrew, who was sitting a row or two behind Christin, sent her a sweet message thanks to Virgin America’s high-tech futuristic seat-to-seat messaging system. They spent the remainder of the flight talking, which turned into numerous trips cross-country, and now, an engagement. Christin wanted to tie their romantic beginnings into the session and we eventually came up with the idea of paper airplanes. We folded a couple larger ones and tons of teensy colorful ones (out of origami, which is my crafting nemesis – I’m positive all those nose-diving airplanes were mine).

Christin & Andrew – we had such a fun afternoon with you! Thank you for allowing us to share a bit of your story :)

P.S. This session was featured on the ever-lovely & inspirational Ever Ours blog! Thank you Lydia!

On the right they’re making “infinity hearts” – a cute symbol of their own creation!

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 :)

For the second half of their engagement session, Hana & Toshi chose the stunning Griffith Observatory {see Part I of their session here}  As we brainstormed ideas, Hana googled some past sessions that were done there, and came across some lovely photos that my friend Caroline Tran had done, sending a couple to me as her inspiration. Hana loved the concept of a pink balloon and decided to double the fun with two, as well as some adorable handmade cards which you will see below.

I loved shooting at the observatory! The combo of the whimsical balloons, the glittery city lights, the watercolor sunset, and an absolutely sweet & down-for-anything couple made for the dreamiest session.

** On a side note, just discovered last night that we were nominated for the Poppytalk awards! I was so excited as I love their beautiful design blog! Would be so honored if you would vote for us here! **