Heather & Joe were married in a beautiful wedding on Valentine’s Day, set against the backdrop of the Fallbrook hills. Although the holiday itself is already bundled up in an air of romance, it was an extra special day for them, since it marked the anniversary of their very first date a couple years back. The day was filled to the brim with love & emotion – I got a peek of it at their engagement session, but the love Heather & Joe share is truly something beautiful & special!

The details were perfectly inspired by the holiday – a playful pink palette, nostalgic boxed Valentine cards for guests to write messages on, “love” in different languages adorning the tables. The cherry on top was THE most amazing dessert table – heart-shaped donuts, lollipops, white-chocolate covered pretzels, teensy confetti heart candies – it was a feast for both the eyes & tummy!

A big shout out to the fabulous Alicia of In the Now – the day flowed absolutely perfectly & effortlessly thanks to her & her team! Having a good coordinator on your day is invaluable, and I could see how she covered every detail so Heather & Joe could relax 100% & enjoy the day :)

And Heather & Joe – thank you for allowing us to share in such an absolutely amazing occasion. I’m so happy our paths have crossed & feel so blessed to have witnessed your amazing love! Wishing you all the best for years to come!

Venue: Pala Mesa Resorts
Coordinator: Alicia Harnden of In The Now Weddings
Florals: Commerce Flowers
Hair & Makeup: Beauty & the Beach
Videographer: 1Acerex1
DJ: Props FX
Lounge: Lounge Appeal

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My very first meeting with Dawn over tea at Novel Cafe had me crossing all my fingers & toes that I would get to work with her & photograph her wedding. She excitedly described her vision for the day – a vintage-inspired December wedding that was wintery without being Christmas-y, with tons of details that were infused with Dawn & Craig’s backgrounds & personalities.

But during that initial meeting {which may or may not have lasted an excess of 2 hours}, Dawn also shared with me more about herself on a deeper level – about Craig, about their story, the 17 bicycles they had in their garage, their love of food & travel, their battle & triumph over cancer. I could feel her love for Craig resonate in her words, and I knew the day would be a true celebration & beautiful on every level. Dawn shared the below story on her blog, and I’m sharing a part of it here, as I feel it so sums up their inspiring relationship:

I remember the exact moment I knew that we would be together forever, the moment I realized we were already one. It was the day I was diagnosed with breast cancer. When I called Craig to tell him the diagnosis his response was a simple “Oh my God, we have cancer”. It was that “we” that has been the foundation for every moment since then.

Though Dawn painted me a beautiful picture of her wedding plans during our first meeting & I watched her ideas unfold via her blog, I was still taken aback by the sheer amazingness of their wedding day. Every aspect was filled to the brim with Dawn & Craig’s personality – there were colorful shoes, tables named after bicycles, vintage books, birch details, and all sorts of wintery genius brought to life by the insanely talented Shawna Yamamoto. And of course there was laughter, there were sweet glances, lots of spontaneous clapping (Dawn’s trademark expression of excitement ;), and above all, an overabundance of love.

Dawn & Craig – Thank you so much for giving us the opportunity to share in this exciting time in your lives & capture your most beautiful day. I feel so blessed to have met such kind & amazing people, and to walk away from this with new friends. So excited for you & your many more years of experiencing life as a “we” to come :)

I was pretty much madly in love with Dawn’s birdcage veil & stole, so elegant & stylish:

Love this one of them with their cameras! :)

And the reception. I think I literally forgot to breathe when I entered the room – it was a total & complete winter wonderland, shining bark-laden centerpieces, birch branches, sparkly “snow” – every inch was absolutely magical.

The escort card table alone was a wintery masterpiece:

With the help of a few friends, Dawn folded 1000 cranes, a Japanese tradition for good luck. Cranes are said to mate for life, so this tradition represents longevity & devotion in marriage. Every crane I have ever folded in my life has come out to be an amorphous non-crane catastrophe, so I have IMMENSE respect for Dawn who folded so many, especially out of such tiny paper. She found someone in Hawaii to assemble the cranes into a birch tree and the result was stunning.

Dawn wanted something unique for the guestbooks. She found a handful of vintage upcycled books on Etsy and filled them with lovely marriage quotes (suggested by her blog readers) & their engagement photos. Guests then filled the pages with photos from the photobooth accompanied by sweet messages.

A tradition of jade necklaces from Craig’s mother & aunts:

Venue: Our Lady Queen of Angels + SeaCliff Country Club in Orange County, CA
Florals & Event Design: Shawna Yamamoto Event Design
Lighting: Amber Event Design
Videography: Garner Films
Photobooth: Capital Photo Booth Co (these guys are awesome, they do custom color photobooths!)
DJ: Battleson Entertainment

The day after new years, I headed to my first wedding of 2010. It was the perfect way to start off the year (and coincidentally spend my big 2-7!) — despite rainy weather the week before, the sun smiled down all day and Erika and Stephen held a perfectly cozy and lively occasion. There was a warm & laidback joy that filled the day, the kind that makes for my absolute favorite kind of wedding and had us leaving at the end all smiles!

An exciting bonus: their reception was held at the Inn of the Seventh Ray, a whimsical and rustic venue I’ve been aching to shoot at ever since I first came across it on the interwebs. By day it is a restaurant, tucked away in the woodsy hills of Topanga Canyon {how awesome is Topanga Canyon by the way? you’re just driving along the mountain and then BAM! a surprise magical little community} It features refreshing outdoor dining under trees and along a babbling brook, and that day it served as the perfect backdrop for their casual cocktail reception. When I met with Erika she explained how she loved how the backdrop in itself provided so many details – fun chandeliers, flowering shrubs, dainty vases with a single rose.

The afternoon consisted of lots of dancing, happy conversations around lovely white tables, and laughter & toasts in the prettiest natural surroundings. Erika & Stephen – thank you so much for allowing us to share in your beautiful new years wedding!

Loved the bouquets, which were created by Sada’s Flowers, just a hop away from our home in Culver City! I adore bouquets that add in textural non-floral elements like berries, pods, twigs… makes for such an organic and beautiful arrangement:

These amazing cupcakes were all lovingly baked by Erika’s friend, April of Eat Pretty Cake!

The white-framed photo is of Erika’s grandparents on their wedding day {pictured to the right}. Her grandmother fondly explained to me that it rained that day and was drizzling as they got into the car – I love how you can see the excitement in their faces! And of course all the photos made me wonder if one day Erika & Stephen’s would be lined up at their own grandchildren’s wedding :)