Liz and Kyle are seriously cool. For starters, they are constantly chill and happy and loving towards everyone around them. They also gave us a ton of time for portraits, which included a moment when Liz asked (THE BRIDE ASKED!) if she could lay down on the ground, in her dress, all for the sake of an awesome shot. They’re also both all sorts of talented, and put on a guitar performance for all their guests at the reception, followed by a surprise song Kyle performed for Liz :)

I was also especially excited to shoot their wedding because it took place at the Higashi Honganji Temple in Little Tokyo, a place I used to frequent twice a week for taiko practice. It was so wonderful witnessing a beautiful Buddhist ceremony inside the gold-laden temple, and seeing so many of the other cultural elements Liz & Kyle tied into their wedding!

Xinlei and Matt. I noticed it during our first Skype meeting, where we were all giggles. And during our windy engagement session, where you kept smiling despite the frigid wind and crazy cold. And during our emails, where you excitedly shared about the secret surprise dances {best gangnam style I’ve seen yet!} and late night cookie bar and other lovely plans for the wedding. That at the end of the night of your most amazing day, I asked if you’d like any other photos? And you said, yes, one more photo, with you :)

I know I rave about the couples I get to work with all the frickin’ time. But I really want everyone to know how ridiculously awesome people like Xinlei and Matt are. That with their smiles, and their warm silly personalities, and their trust, and their hugs – I never felt like this was my “job”. And for them to be that wonderful and gracious to someone they just met less than a year ago, I can’t imagine how much love they share with their family and friends. Or perhaps I can, thanks to having the honor of being there on their wedding day.

It was love, everywhere, all the time.

When I try to begin writing this post about Tanya & Marcus’s wedding, the first thoughts that come to mind are thankful, thankful, thankful. Thankful that Uyen introduced us months ago. Thankful to have photographed their engagement session. Thankful to have been a part of their beautiful brunch time wedding. But most of all thankful to have met such amazing people. I don’t know if you can see it in these pictures, but Tanya and Marcus are some of the kindest, warmest people I’ve ever met – not as clients, or through my work, or this job – but EVER, IN LIFE.

I often express on this blog how much I do love pretty details and gorgeous locations, but this wedding really reminded me; nevermind that their venue was in fact beautiful, or that their flowers were the prettiest shades of purple, or their dessert bar was just the right balance of lovely and delicious – in the end, it’s all about the people. And with people as amazing as Tanya and Marcus, I could have shot any level-of-fancy wedding of theirs, anywhere on earth, and it’d be the most awesome thing ever.