You might have been able to tell through this blog, but I photograph quite a few mixed race couples. I don’t market towards it or anything, it just happened to be this way, maybe because I come from a biracial background and they can sense my hapa vibes through the interwebs? :) I love it though, and I feel like in certain ways my upbringing has made me extra sensitive to these things – to merging cultural traditions, to celebrating this diversity in your household, to the feeling that when two backgrounds come together, the result is not half of each, but double.

And so, one of my favorite aspects of Sara & Tri‘s wedding was the way they wove their cultural traditions elegantly into the day. A cozy Vietnamese tea ceremony, a sunset Jewish ceremony under the chuppah, signing of the ketubah, multiple-course banquet meal, and tons of dancing (which is basically wonderful tradition in every culture :) It made me overjoyed to see how their families from both sides completely embraced and enthusiastically participated in every cultural aspect of the day, whether it was their own or otherwise.

And to tie this all together, Sara & Tri chose a beautiful venue and filled it up with the loveliest details. How yummy are those bouquets? Kim of Art with Nature somehow gathered all the prettiest, petaliest flowers in the world (peonies! ranunculus! dahlias! garden roses!) and put them together beautifully…

Cake from Susina Bakery!

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 :)

* please contact us prior to reposting these images elsewhere on the web :) *

You may remember Pat & Eugene from their super sweet engagement session last year? I’m so excited to now share their beautiful wedding with you as well! It took place on a lovely Sunday afternoon at the Nixon Library last month and was full of the most elegant details and tons of special moments – including a surprise song performed by Eugene {with the help of his sure-footed groomsmen} for Pat :)

A big thank you to this amazing couple for allowing me to tag along and capture these moments – as well as to my dear friend Lydia for introducing me to them! And also for sharing these images on her blog, Ever Ours! :) Be sure to visit her blog for more, including a video(!) of Eugene’s performance of the year (his voice is seriously amazing/Michael Buble ain’t got nothing on him)!

I believe my jaw hit the floor when I walked into this room. I find I’m often a fan of outdoor receptions compared to ballrooms, but this is seriously one of the prettiest ballrooms I’ve ever laid eyes upon. So elegant & classy, and even more amazing when adorned with peonies…

And the song!