We met with Trish & Sammy during one of the hottest days of the summer. The beach was an endless sea of people, of colorful umbrellas and striped beach towels, spilling over into the neighboring shops and cafes in search of a cool spot of shade. But Trish & Sammy brought the breeze. They both share the most laidback and down-to-earth personalities, and ran around Laguna with us to create the impression of them being on a private beach, in a quaint quiet neighborhood, with practically no one around at all :) They braved the soaring temps like no other and then walked right down to the shoreline and braved the waves. I absolutely cannot wait for their wedding this fall at the Renaissance Hotel in Long Beach!

When I’m editing an image I usually can decide pretty quickly whether I prefer it in color or black and white, but for this one I just.couldn’t.decide! I was wracking my brain and probably driving Scott crazy with my incessant “this one? or this one?” so I’ll let you choose…

After we finished up at the beach, we dusted the sand off our toes and headed to Hennessey’s. Trish & Sammy both love beer so we rounded up the session with some snaps of them with a couple of cold ones…

I’ve been meaning to get this post up for awhile, but I just wanted to share a couple recent online features!

A big thank you to Rock n Roll Bride for featuring Clair & Paul’s vintage-inspired downtown LA engagement session! Her blog is just overflowing with inspiring weddings and shoots and it’s a total honor and joy to have the session featured there!

Also, I recently discovered that Bride Sophisticate by Ashley Kohler Events featured an image from Christina & Rick’s UCI engagement session. The entry she wrote has an adorable balloon theme – I loved seeing all the different ways they can be incorporated into a session!

Lots of weddings and engagement sessions in the blogging queue! Stay tuned! :)

I love how every aspect of a wedding serves as a reflection of a couple’s personalities. The color palettes that adorn the day, the choice of food to be served, the selection of dance music at the end of the night. And one of the biggest expressions is undoubtedly the choice of venue – the backdrop against which all the evening’s memories will be created. I LOVE both seeing new venues and revisiting ones I’ve photographed at before, since every couple puts their own spin on the location!

If M & P’s venue choice were to speak for them, it would describe them as modern, fashion-forward, considerate and conscientious. The Seven Degrees in Laguna Beach perfectly mirrored their style and personalities and it was a joy to share in their wedding day! A big thank you to the lovely and talented Bonnie Tsang, who invited me to come along. I adore working with my clients as the main photographer, but love second-shooting as well – it’s such a great opportunity to take chances and flex my creative muscles sans the usual responsibilities of being the main photographer!

We started off at one of the bridesmaid’s homes, which was absolutely stunning. The fresh and clutter-free location made for some great photos!

We then headed to Seven Degrees for a sweet first look and some relaxed portraits inspired by the venue and the surrounding architecture:

Laughing photos are my absolute favorite!!

Sparkly-sweet lighting? Coming right up!

Some peeks at the artistically modern decor of Seven Degrees. How utterly fabulous are the hanging mobiles?

The beautiful & touching ceremony. Like always (it never fails, never!) I found myself blinking through tears a few times:

I love how the quintessential Southern California hills frame the venue on all sides. They really play up the contrasting sharp and modern vibe of the venue!

Now before we go on please take a deep breath, hold onto your seats, and prepare yourself for these details. The purpley-pink goodness was just breathtaking!!

Dancing the night away…