I love when all the components of a wedding come together just perfectly!

It maybe begins with an intimate seaside venue {the Long Beach Museum of Art}. It includes a darling first look, the kind with lots of smiles and perhaps a few tears. There is a ton of time for fun portraits. There might be pretty diffuse light, and definitely a warm & relaxed atmosphere. Overjoyed family and friends abound, laughter fills every corner of the venue. Maybe a fantastic sweets bar, filled with treats from Sweet and Saucy? :) And of course, a couple that shares a deeply-rooted love, the kind of people that are warm & sweet & beautiful on their own, but, even better together.

Before the crazy photo barrage ensues {there are something like 50 of them!}, I would like to give a special shoutout to Mai of Bunch Studio, who not only created the florals for this wedding, but designed this wedding in its entirety. She took Deena’s visions of bold pinks, black & white, damask, and added her own Bunch Studio flair (the peonies! the feathers! I die!) that is immensely creative, full of style, and always unmatched. If you don’t yet have a florist, you really do need to give this girl a ring :)

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One of the most wonderful things about a wedding? It can be whatever you want it to be. It’s of course fun when weddings are big loud occasions, full of extended family & friends, bustling cocktail hours, boisterous receptions, packed dance floors.

But I’ve found that this here? This type of wedding speaks just as loudly as it’s bigger counterparts. It is filled with just as much joy. It resonates with just as much emotion. It shouts just as proudly from the rooftops that today, today we celebrate our love.

Crystal and Marc were married in an intimate courthouse ceremony, with just close family in attendance. I’ve known Crystal for a couple years now, and it was a true honor to be able to be there to capture these sweet moments & witness the joy and immediate connection between their two families. Afterwards, we stepped across the street to do some portraits on a sunny strip of park that lines Santa Monica Blvd. in Beverly Hills. I loved the whole relaxed and intimate feel of the day and am so so happy for this amazing couple!

As Crystal said herself, this is my ideal wedding. And that’s undoubtedly the best kind of wedding to have :)

I love that Crystal & Marc’s grandmothers were BFFs by the end of the afternoon! :)

Isn’t Crystal gorgeous? I always thought she looked like Scarlett Johansson :) {her hair and make-up were done by the wonderful Susie Chhuor!}

It was an overcast day in November. I was sitting cross-legged on my bed in my San Francisco hotel room, laptop by my side, on the phone with the sweetest writer who was putting together an article for Professional Photographer magazine. When I hung up the phone I’m pretty sure a fervent pinching session ensued. Because seriously? Phone interview? Really? Me?

I absolutely love engagement sessions and it is an honor to be included in an article in the February issue, regarding ways to keep sessions fun and unique. I get asked from time to time regarding using props to personalize sessions – who brings them, how we decide what to use, etc. and I was excited to share a little about my experiences in this article. You can download the full story here. A very big thank you to to Rebecca Zoumberos for passing my name along initially, and to Stephanie Boozer for chatting with me, putting my rambly rambly thoughts into coherent sentences, and conveying what I meant to say so eloquently :)