Such a joy-filled day! Ayumi & Brian are those type of people who radiate positivity & warmth at all times, and their wedding was a perfect reflection of that – the bright pops of color everywhere, the cheerful table settings, the labor-of-love DIY goodness {check out those handpainted signs! the cool toolbox! the invites! the pocket squares!}. Even the retro print fabric that made appearances throughout the day exclaimed, “happy!” Even more cheer – as an alternative to petals or bubbles, they had guests blow up Japanese paper balloons (just like the ones that made appearances in their engagement session!) and toss those during the recessional. The Smog Shoppe, with its quirky backdrops & always intimate vibe, provided the perfect nook to house all this joy :)

As I always say, the most beautiful weddings to me are not necessarily the grandiose ones, with the ginormous budget, or the opulent decor – they are the ones that are by default unique & creative because they incorporate the pieces of who you are, that are naturally stylish because they celebrate your personalities, that can’t help but be meaningful & fun because they focus on your very own special type of love :)

I can’t thank Ayumi & Brian enough for giving me the chance to be a part of this day, and to All You Need is Love Events for coordinating everything perfectly behind the scenes (and designing all the amazing florals!)

{And thank you to Style Me Pretty as well for featuring this wedding! You can see the post & read more about the details straight from the bride here!}

You may remember Kelley & Edmund from their colorful Up-themed engagement session! Now imagine this theme being sweetly carried over to their wedding. Add some pinwheels. A couple hundred of them perhaps. (Handmade one-by-one by Kelley and her mom! Check out the altar! They made them ALL! MIND=BLOWN!) Then add some pretty patterned dresses. A casual & artsy venue (I’ve been wanting to shoot at the Smog Shoppe for eons). A stack of books here, a cluster of milk glass vases there, and an ice cream cart, filled to the brim with salted caramel & strawberry buttermilk, to round out the evening.

With a setup like this, and dozens of excited family and friends in attendance, this wedding was just as magical as the movie it was themed after :) It was such an honor to share in their joyous day!

A wonderful thank you to Wedding Chicks for featuring Kelley & Edmund’s wedding on their blog! Be sure to check out the post with additional eye candy here…

Cinematography: 618studios
Floral Design: Flower Allie
Event Design: White Lilac Inc.
Makeup + Hair: Kelly Zhang
Cake: Vanilla Bake Shop
Bridesmaids’ dresses: J. Crew
Invitiations: Ello There

When I first met with Joy & Richard over a year ago, in just the baby stages of their wedding plans, they excitedly described to me their vision for their wedding. A hip and stylish urban venue. Lush and modern details. Joy explained that she wanted her wedding to be completely unique, a sensory delight for the guests, and laden with personal touches. When she explained that she was looking for a photographer who shared an equal love for details and would be able to capture every last bit, I nodded knowingly, even though I secretly wanted to throw my hand up in the air, wave it wildy, and shriek “me! me!! ooh! pick me!!” :) I was of course, more than a bit excited when they booked us, and loved having the opportunity to get to know this amazing couple and see their visions come to fruition!

They ultimately chose Box Eight as the backdrop for their special day, a downtown LA loft which was transformed into a metropolitan paradise. Lush florals were draped in the most unique and inspired ways, courtesy of Le Petit Gardenia’s creative genius. All of the above was coordinated by Amanda of Fresh Events Company, who brought Joy and Richard’s ideas to life and put on one of the most smooth-sailing and artistic weddings I’ve seen to date.

Joy & Richard -thank you so much for the chance to be a part of your amazing wedding!  You both radiated so much love and happiness the entire time and it was such an honor to capture the moments that filled your day!

After a sweet first look, we headed to Cal Tech for some portraits!

In case you couldn’t guess, I was absolutely infatuated with Joy’s dress. I’m a sucker for dresses with loads of soft airy layers!

And then it was on to Box Eight. It has a feel similar to the Marvimon House and is definitely one of the most hip and modern venues we’ve shot at to date. Alison of Le Petit Gardenia did a beyond amazing job creating floral art pieces that fit perfectly with the vibe of the venue.

A couple more portraits just after the ceremony…

And now.. *deep breath*… the details! Not a corner was left undone! I was especially giddy about the birdcage coupled with this beautiful arrangement…

The tables were named after various wines and a beautiful and mod seating chart was created to guide the guests to their seats:

The girls taking a quick breather right before the grand entrance…

As a special surprise for the guests, Joy & Richard had a taco truck arrive at the end of the night! Coolest (and yummiest) idea ever!

** please contact us prior to reposting the images elsewhere on the web… thanks! :) **