Jenny & Jerry had the loveliest yellow-hued wedding last month! June gloom kindly stepped aside for a sunny day that matched the vibrant color palette they chose for the wedding. The whole occasion had a warm relaxed feel that perfectly ushered in summer!

I looooved working with the team of vendors they put together – the day was beautifully coordinated by Ryann of Hustle and Bustle Events, the lush florals were designed by LV Florals, and stunning video was captured by Joe of Today’s the Day Weddings {I always love working with Joe, he’s a great videographer and his unobtrusive style meshes so well with ours!}

Jenny looked gorgeous in her lace gown, which she had altered to a beautiful custom design of her liking…

Love the sweet sachets of lavender they gave as favors & the lovebird cake topper! The amazing cake was created by Jeseca Creations.

For the reception, Jenny changed into THE most amazing dress – I love the soft green color & whimsical feel!

Near the end of the reception, Jerry surprised Jenny with a sweet rendition of “Wonderful Tonight” that he had been practicing on the guitar. It was such a heartfelt moment:

As the slideshow images flashed across the screen, you could hear the oohs, the aahs, the laughter spread across the room. Baby pictures, pictures with family, with friends, pictures of them together. At the end of the last section, there were photos of Peggy & Ben in Guatemala, working alongside one another and using their medical and optometry skills to do their part in making this world a better place. Those photos seemed to give such a deep glimpse into who Peggy & Ben are and what their relationship is like – warm, giving, and working as the most perfectly-paired team. As the day unfolded, it was strikingly evident that there could not be a more perfect counterpart to Peggy’s warm laughter than Ben. Or a sweeter complement to Ben’s caring persona than Peggy. It’s always such a pleasure to witness the union of two people who are just so perfect for each other!

Peggy & Ben – it was such an honor sharing in the joy of your day with your family and friends. Thank you so much for giving us the opportunity to get to know you these past few months and to document your beautiful wedding! Also, a big thanks to Ayumi Pantell for coming along and shooting with us that day!

Peggy’s dresses (she had two more she wore during the reception) were all lovingly handmade by her mother. They were all amazing!

Love these final moments Scott captured of Ben & his groomsmen before the ceremony:

Peggy & Ben had allotted plenty of time for portraits which really allowed us to make use of the gorgeous grounds of the Pacific Palms Hotel!

The guys got quite a bit of air…

But the girls were not to be beat!

As the bridal party headed back to the cocktail hour we spent some more time with Peggy & Ben as they soaked in some quiet moments together…

Quite possibly my favorite image from the day…

When I saw the jacarandas I just knew we had to make use of the perfect purple blooms!

Fresh and elegant details at the reception. Kim of Papeterie did an amazing job with all of the table numbers, placecards, and programs!

Love the expression on Ben’s father’s face as he looked on during the first dance…

When I first became interested in wedding photography, there were a few things I did.

I upgraded to a shiny new camera. I researched and bought lenses (and freaked out about how they were more expensive than the camera itself). I read books. I blog-stalked wedding photographers whose work I loved. I contacted some of those photographers, and prayed that they would spare a few moments of their spectacular wedding photography lives to grab my flailing newbie hand out of the sea of photography jargon & post-processing techniques & business practices and point me a bit in the right direction.

The Furious Photographers were the first to come to my rescue and my first real contact within the wedding photography realm. It just so happens that they were planning their very first workshop right when I emailed them. It was an awesome workshop filled with a bunch of priceless tips and the chance to shadow a real live engagement session.

Which is basically how I found myself, camera in hand, at my first real live wedding 2 weeks ago, shadowing Lawrence & Doug of FP. The wedding couple Sharon & Derek were in fact the same couple at the engagement session back in January and are both amazing amazing people. They were so kind for letting me come along and so sweet and easy to get along with. Their wedding had an adorable Disney theme – I especially loved how the tables were labeled after Disneyland rides (a la “Splash Mountain” and “Matterhorn”) and included a nostalgic picture of Sharon & Derek in front of the ride. And seriously, as they celebrated their amazing love among their closest family & friends it really did feel like – you guessed it – the Happiest Place on Earth :)

A big thank you to Sharon & Derek for allowing me to share their day with them. And of course a huge thank you to Lawrence & Doug for inviting me to tag along, for being so patient, and for giving me useful tips throughout the day!

A few shots…

Mirror mirror on the wall…



Mirror mirror off the wall (thanks to Lawrence’s quick thinking)

And while the mirror’s off the wall…

Bridesmaids at work…

Sharon is all smiles (and so stress-free – I was in awe!!)

Sharon’s adorable niece all dolled up!

With her mom right before stepping out of the limo (into the blistering heat… it was like 85!!)

Doug & Derek are rebels.

Some portraits before the reception…

One thing I love about Sharon & Derek is the way they interact with each other. I love love LOVE couples who are silly together!!

Tell me this cake isn’t rad:

Can you guess who caught the bouquet?

At the end of the day, after the bouquet was tossed, thanks were given, dances were danced, Lawrence & Doug had a final treat for the couple. We all went into the parking lot and did some light painting! The bridal party got really into it and we tried all sorts of different things – hearts, blown kisses, lightsaber battles, hadouken balls – it was such a cool idea and so much fun to execute. Here’s a little sample from the FP blog: