I knew Stephanie and Bruce would be amazing to work with from our initial Skype meeting, which was basically filled with laughter from beginning to end. This was reinforced when I flew to nor cal for their engagement session {they are huge foodies and picked the ultimate foodie location… coming to the blog soon!} and of course on their wedding day, which was packed with beautiful emotion. One of my favorite moments was during the ceremony when letters that Steph and Bruce had written to their parents were read aloud. Both families have experienced health-related hardships in the recent years, and for their parents to be present there to celebrate with them was so so special and meaningful.

I almost can’t even being to express how thankful and blessed I feel to have been a part of their wedding day, and the journey leading up to it. As Steph and Bruce had also sweetly expressed in a note they slipped to me at the end of the wedding, I feel like I’ve gained not just wonderful past clients, but wonderful friends along the way :)

I remember meeting with Mio & Dave for coffee on a cozy winter evening in Brentwood. It wasn’t our first time meeting – her sister-in-law (hi Joyce!) is one of my closest friends and Mio and I were bridesmaids together in Joyce’s wedding. Knowing how awesome Mio & Dave are, I walked into the meeting with all my mental fingers crossed – as they described their dreamy venue {Ponte Winery in Temecula} and vision for the day {an elegant “French country” theme}, I crossed my fingers a little tighter, when she expressed that her mom would be doing the flowers and that the wedding would be a labor of love, I was practically bouncing off the cafe walls in hopes they would book me.

At the end of the meeting, Mio and Dave smiled widely and finally exclaimed, “okay the meeting was just a formality, we knew we wanted to book you from the beginning!” Insert lots of laughter and cheering and happy coffee toasting :)

Their wedding truly was as lovely as they described to me. Mio & her mother worked closely to pull together the rustic theme with bird cages, mossy letters, and opulent florals. They utilized a red and green color scheme that was impressively non-Christmas-y (which I love – you can see another geniusly executed red-and-green wedding here!). They incorporated cultural traditions (like a sake ceremony), but also threw in their own traditions, like having a pie bar (PIE! BAR! THAT’S A BAR OF PIES!) in lieu of traditional wedding cake.

It was a beautiful day and I felt so honored to be there to document it!

{ Thank you to Elizabeth Anne Designs for featuring this wedding! }

I’d like to say, for the record, that Tiffany and Jeremy have been dating for ten wonderful years. But in every little moment together – the way they look at each other, the way they kiss, the way they laugh together – it’s like that exciting beginning butterflies/honeymoon/giddiness phase never left. I think it’s a wonderful thing to settle into comfortableness, the feeling of warmth, of quiet, of home. But it’s also a pretty amazing thing to see a couple who has spent so much time together be so enamored, so inspired by their love for each other, that they seem to see each other in every moment as if it’s the very first time.

The last time I was at Fogarty was in the fall {you can see that lovely wedding here!}, and it was fun to see the contrast between the bright golden leaves I had seen then and the pretty green vines that greeted us this time. I so love the rustic feel of vineyard weddings & Fogarty was such the perfect backdrop for Tiffany & Jeremy’s day! :)

Special thanks to William Kim for coming along & shooting with me!

Tiffany read a sweet poem to her mother before the ceremony, thanking her for all her years of love & support – it was such a touching moment –