ENGAGEMENT SPOTLIGHT: Deanna and Rich

Some 5 years ago, Deanna started work at John Lenore & Co.  She quickly moved up and became the Executive Sales Assistant, where she got to be closer with Rich.  They worked hours upon hours next to each other and always joked about ordering in for the long haul.  They were quickly labeled as the "work husband and wife."   They became great friends.

Deanna always had a secret crush on Rich.  She always dreamed of being with a red head.  After 2 years, they finally decided to try it out as a couple.  She took him on an interview and told him he did alright, but he was on a 90 day probation.  Obviously he passed with flying colors and Deanna landed her "ginger."  And as a couple, they decided they were the "Essence of Awesome."  After a few months, they introduced the pups.  To their disbelief, Leona and Oreo actually got along.  They knew it was meant to be!  Their motto was to always have fun.  They loved being in public together.  They enjoyed several epic trips to Vegas with friends and family.  A trip to Puerto Vallarta, that became Deanna's first stamp on a passport!  Great concerts!  Long hikes with the girls on the weekend!  They realized a great life is all about the experiences and the ones you get to share them with.  And they were thrilled to have found each other.

In January 2012 they decided to move to Arizona to start a new life, new careers, and start to plan for a better future.   After 2 weeks of settling in AZ, Deanna and Rich did a typical weekend hike with the pups.   They got to the halfway mark, as far as the dogs could go, and took a breather.   Rich kept saying Oreo had something stuck on her paw.  As Deanna kneeled down to where Rich was "checking Oreo out" Rich looked at Deanna and asked if she wanted to get married.  She laughed hysterically and started to walk away as she said, "Haha real funny, liar."  As he called her back, and she turned around, there he was on one knee with the most perfect ring she had ever seen.  As she could barely get yes out of her mouth, she jumped on him and hugged him and went from laughing hysterically to crying.  She couldn't believe it.   She had never been more surprised or happier in her life. And on May 17, 2013 they will be husband and wife.

ENGAGEMENT SPOTLIGHT: Danielle & David

David and I do not have a fairy tale story.  It's pretty obvious that when you find out we met last June and then you meet our handsome 8 month old son and then start subtracting gestational dates for a female and then plus or minus a few days and add a full moon cycle......  You get the picture lol..  But we have a happy, busy life where we are always kept on our toes by our little guy Mason and our very playful Golden Retriever Shock Top aka Shockey. 

 

We met through mutual roommates.  His roommate was dating mine at the time and all four of us were in the Navy.  I'm the only one who is currently out of the Navy actually.  David and I had an instant connection that was almost ruined by a falling beer but I'm sure he'd tell the story differently.  We didn't get too much time together as just an "us" couple before we became the "pregnant" couple and then that pretty much sums up our dating experience.  You want to know if you can live with someone the rest of your life?  Survive a very hormonal pregnancy with them lol!  I knew he had to be the one if he could stand me by the end of it.  That or he was legally insane.  

 

Having our son was the big coming together moment for us.  There's no question about that.   On Feb 20th, 2012 at midnight of all times my water broke.  I knocked Dave on the arm to tell him and he said, "that's nice."  Men....  He was quickly redirected and we started the labor process and 11 and a half hours later my son was born all natural at Best Start Birth Center.  It was a tiring, grueling, mentally draining, beautiful, challening, bonding, greatest thing I ever did experience!!  And I had David right there to stare at as they put Mason on my chest for the first time and we both just cried like babies.  Mason sealed the deal for us.  We were instantly a family and I knew then that I wanted to be with him for forever.  It was so cute watching Dave take Mason around the Birth Center showing him off to everyone.  There were appointments going on downstairs and he was showing him off to all the pregnant moms and staff. 

 

The day Dave proposed......  Gosh I'm still surprised that he got me.  We went on our first night out after having Mason to my favorite restaurant, The Melting Pot.  Mason was 6 weeks old at this point so it had been awhile but I was still so nervous about leaving him with someone.  I almost ruined the proposal so many times and frankly I kind of did.  The camera ended up not being there because he was unable to sneak it into the car because I decided to make us take pictures.  I kept asking him why was he rubbing his leg.  He kept wanting to go to the bar to get another drink when I told him to just wait for the waitor.  I should have just relaxed lol.  Finally he told me he was going to the bathroom.  When he came back from the restroom he sat back in the booth across from me and the waitor sat another drink in front of me.  I started to say something and then I noticed a bright shiny thing sitting on top of the fruit of the drink.  I was shocked at first that there was a ring but then I realized that it was my dream ring.  And then I started to panic.  How did he pull this off?  I'm coming up with every scenario in my head of how he paid for this and I just can't imagine how he remembered this exact ring.  I barely hear him say, "Will you marry me?"  The whole time I'm saying, "How did you do this? How did you know?"  lol.  Again, I need to learn how to relax.  The whole time our waitor is videoing with his phone cause he couldn't sneak the camera.  I of course said yes and the rest is history. 

 

Oh, P.S. he knew which ring was my dream ring because he snuck into my phone one day after I had shown him as a joke and he emailed it to himself.  So he got MAJOR brownie points for thats!

 

Dustin & Caroline: Scripps Seaside Forum

Talk about a long distance romance!  Dustin & Caroline met while Caroline was visiting in the USA to learn English.  Through a bible study group, they met and soon were best of friends.  Their friendship turned to love and then it was time for Caroline to return to her home in Switzerland.  But with the sheer force of love and a modern convenience called Skype, they stayed in touch and visited each other as often as they could.

On Sunday, July 29th, Dustin and Caroline finally tied the knot and started their life as newlyweds, never to be parted by oceans and continents again.  About 30 family members and friends flew in from Switzerland, many making a one or two week vacation out of the journey to San Diego.

The wedding took place at Scripp's Seaside Forum in La Jolla.  It was a gorgeous day and the wedding colors of turquoise and white looked stunning in this venue.  And I have to say the cupcakes were just divine!!  I couldn't believe all the flavors and colors.  Hey, the bakery even competed (and won!) in Cupcake Wars on The Food Network.  Click on any of the images to view them larger.

Catering:  Continental Catering
Cake/Cupcakes:  Little Cakes Cupcake Kitchen
Flowers:  Bride's Mom
DJ/Entertainment:  Techturret Productions

Colette and Shane: Vista Valley Country Club

It was about one year ago that I got a phone call from Colette.  I had photographed her sister's wedding a few years ago and Colette called to let me know that she was engaged and was super excited to have me be her wedding photographer too!  Awwwwww!  (my heart just started melting right then and there!)

Her fiance, Shane, is a super fun and funny guy and I just fell in love with him when they came in to meet me.  He and Colette make such a great couple and I was counting down the days till their wedding on June 30th, 2012.  They chose the Vista Valley Country Club in Vista, California, as their venue.  VVCC was doing some major renovations and theirs was the first official wedding to showcase all their hard (and expensive) work.  The wedding site is just incredible and I really do love everything that they upgraded for future couples.

Oh, and did I mention that Shane's groomsmen were just a hoot?  OMG, one came dressed with a top hat and cane (paging Mr. Peanut) and another with a multi colored spiked hair.  Hey, the colors matched the wedding!  I just loved it and had so much fun with these guys.

Congratulations Mr. & Mrs. Andrews!!!

Shari and Nelson: South Coast Winery

Who doesn't love the romance of a winery for a wedding venue?  Temecula is famous for it's wineries but my favorite hands down is South Coast Winery.  The architecture, the ambiance, the food and of course the wine all make for a beautiful site and lovely wedding day.  I was privileged to have Shari and Nelson drive all the way from Rancho Cucamonga to meet with me and hire me as their photographer.  That was probably over an hour drive time!

Here are some of my favorite images from the day.  I love shadow play and this site has some wonderful nooks and crannies for that type of imagery.  And Shari and Nelson are so great looking that any photo of them is beautiful.  Don't you agree?

Wedding Guest Request Cards: No Cameras Please!

We've added a new product for our couples who want to find a nice way to let their guests know that it's okay for them to relax and enjoy their wedding day instead of trying to copy everything the pro photographer does and become a distraction.  Heidi will customize your cards with wedding colors and your choice of engagement photograph.  Check out the info below...

One of the most significant moments for a newlywed couple is the first time they see their wedding photos...that is of course unless their images have already been tainted by all the amateur photographers and ‘facebook posters’ at the event. Solve the issues surrounding and avoid the camera-happy ‘Uncle Bobs’ by sending out Wedding Request Cards with your invitations.

Perfectly and politely phrased, the bride and groom’s request that all of the photography taken on their wedding day remain in the hands of the photographer. With the well-worded, elegantly designed card, you can eliminate distracted guests and spoiled photos.

ELIMINATE CONCERNS BEFORE THEY ARISE:
• Have your photographer capture guests enjoying themselves instead of fumbling with technology
• Help avoid unflattering images surfacing on social media platforms
• Preserve the excitement for all of the special images captured on the day
• Avoid "eye dodging" and have the photographer's total attention of your subjects during formals and other important moments of the day

TESTIMONIAL: "I loved that at the end of the day there were no hideous camera phone images of my wedding floating around on Facebook or any other social media sites. We were so excited to receive our images because we had no idea what anything looked like except from memory. It was great to see everyone's faces in the photos I did receive instead of a bunch of cameras and flashes waving around, and we didn’t have to worry about posing for hours so every guest could get their shot." -Lauren C. (Happy Bride)

Gillian and Gareth: San Clemente Historic Cottage

Did you know that the San Clemente State Park had a historical cottage that can be used for special events?  I didn't either!  But I was so surprised and pleased by the great venue on the ocean and was able to take some amazing images of Gillian and Gareth on June 16, 2012.

And what can I say about Gillian's dress?  It was fabulous and stunning, just like her.  I was also quite pleased by the site design and catering of Veronica Medrano from Summit Event Catering, www.summitevents.com.  Loved what Veronica did with the open tent and chandelier for the dance floor area!  And I can't forget Tim Espinosa of The Electric Violinist for his amazing music during the ceremony and excellent DJ'ing for the reception.  Tim has been primarily an Orange County musician and DJ but now lives in San Diego, so please check him out at www.theelectricviolinist.com.

Okay, enough said about how great everything was!  Here are some of my favorite images...

Anna and Mark: Rancho Magdelena

Anna and Mark chose to do a destination wedding since her family lived in the state of Wyoming and his family all lived in Australia. So the San Diego area of California seemed like a great half way mark. They had their event at the Rancho Magdelena in Valley Center and loved it since it was a huge privately rented home that everyone could stay at as well as have the ceremony & reception there.

I ❤ This Dress!

Anyone who knows me, knows how much I am fascinated by wedding dresses and how my favorite moment on a wedding day is when I see the bride's dress for the first time.  I ran across this beautiful gown on Pinterest and just had to share it.  Kudos to the designer, and to all your guests during the ceremony if you wear this amazing dress on your wedding day.  It gives them something wonderful to look at from their point of view when you and your hubby are tying the knot!

Looking For The Right Couple!

I ran across this Save The Date photo and just loved it!!  I think I may need to see if any of my future wedding couples might want to try it for their engagement session.  It would be an investment in the balloons, but if they used their wedding colors it would be such a great tie in.  I even love what they're wearing.  What do you think?

Source: sincerelyyoursonline.blogspot.com via Heidi on Pinterest

I Love Feathers!

Follow my pins at http://pinterest.com/asliceoflife/pins/

Source: Uploaded by user via Heidi on Pinterest

Great Party Favor for Vineyard Weddings...

Loved these charms when I saw them and thought they might be a cute favor for wedding guests when your wedding venue is a winery or has a wine theme.  And the price is great, especially if you're ordering a lot of them.  Here's the link to purchase them...http://www.myweddingfavorsetc.com

When Wedding Planning Takes It's Toll, Find Time to Laugh!

I ran across this hysterical YouTube video and thought I would share it.  Having been a bride before, I totally related to so many of these little quips and found myself laughing out loud.  So, take a break from all your worries and enjoy the next two minutes.  And a big thanks to The Wedding Channel for putting this one out there!