You may remember Diana & Marvin from their wonderfully windy engagement session, where I was first able to really witness their relationship. This happens after many of my engagement sessions & weddings, but I left feeling especially inspired, inspired by their love for each other and how it outwardly manifests. There is a certain kindness and patience with which they treat each other that I feel we often take for granted in the hustle & bustle of every day life. Their first look on their wedding day was such a perfect example of this – I instantly saw a somewhat nervous Marvin turn joyfully calm and comforted in Diana’s arms. I saw her whispering reassuring words into his ear. I saw their ear-to-ear smiles light up the entire venue. I know I always encourage first looks, but watching them laugh together & share how excited they were for the day really reaffirmed this, and was such a wonderful thing to witness.

The rest of their day at the stunning Vibiana {think 19th century cathedral restored into a dreamy airy event venue} unfolded perfectly, hugely in part to the work of Fresh Events Company, one of the best wedding planning teams I know. I was so happy to have been a part of it and hope you enjoyed this peek into their day!

This was one of my last few weddings of 2013 and I can tell you that I was looking forward to it the whole year! For one, their wedding would be at the gorgeous Rancho Las Lomas, a zoological garden tucked in the hills of Orange County. It would be planned and coordinated by Nancy and her team at So Happi Together – seriously some of the sweetest & most organized girls you’ll ever meet, who put together impeccably beautiful and creative events.

And of course – it was in celebration of this amazing couple, who stole my heart at our very first video meeting with their clever one-take save the date, who I had the best time running around San Francisco with, and who are some of the kindest, most genuine people you’ll ever meet. Their wedding day was a pure reflection of them, and I was overjoyed to have been there to document it!

One thing that has been really really amazing about this job is being able to reconnect with childhood friends. They somehow catch wind {through facebook? a catch-up email?} that this is now what I do, and it works out that I get to photograph one of the happiest days of their lives. These are often friends I’ve fallen a bit out of touch with over the years, but who I share some of my most fond childhood memories with. So there is something extra special & heartwarming about getting to be a part of their wedding day, of meeting & getting to know the loves of their lives, of seeing their parents (who cooked me dinners and watched over us during sleepovers) again there, and ultimately, rekindling a friendship that feels like it literally picked up right from collecting Lisa Frank stickers and making up dance routines, as if no time passed at all :)

Natalie is such a friend, and I keep counting my lucky stars we were able to reconnect this year! I really hoped I captured a piece of her personality in these photos – on her wedding day she was all smiles, beautiful, warm, and caring towards every single person around her, the exact same Natalie I knew when we were just little kids. And although I’ve only met Jeff this year, he seems like the greatest guy, and together they are just so perfect. They had an intimate ceremony at the Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden in Long Beach {yay for shooting weddings in my own neighborhood!} and I love the pretty peacock theme they tied into their day.

I hope you enjoy this peek into a wedding that is so dear to my heart :)