Meghan & Travis: Old Poway Park

It's been a little while since I photographed an engagement session at Old Poway Park, but did I sure have fun!  This park is amazing with it's beautiful redwood (or is it cedar?) buildings, the train tracks, bridges, and much more.

Meghan and Travis met me there and were smart enough to bring a change of clothing so we could get two looks out of the session.  Loved both!  There are just some photographs that look better when the bride is wearing jeans and other that work best with a dress.

And getting to know Meghan and Travis was a treat.  They are so darling together, and those little moments inbetween the posed shots were priceless.  We tried doing my "after shave commercial" shot where the groom looks into the camera with a poised and confident look while his bride embraces his face with her hand, and smiles as she looks into his eyes.  Each time Travis gave me that great look, he would start to crack up when I had Meghan lean in closer.  I think that photo was one of my favorite from the session; it showed who they truly are.  I can't wait to be part of their big day in October at The Country Club of Rancho Bernardo!

Enough said, here's a collection of my favorites:  (click to view larger)

Alice in Wonderland Engagement Session

When I first spoke with Breana, she was actually working for Cox Communications and taking my order to upgrade to a whole house DVR.  She was so kind, patient, and funny that I instantly knew she was a really awesome person.  We chatted for a while and I explained that I had a in-home photography studio.  She then went on to tell me that she was getting married next year so she looked up my website and loved the work.  Funny how paths cross in life, right?

Breana and James are getting married at the Mt. Woodson Castle in Ramona.  What a great venue for a fairytale wedding!  They will have a "Wonderland" theme for their nuptials and so they wanted to do an Alice in Wonderland theme for their Save The Dates too.  I knew exactly the spot for these incredible photographs and with their savvy thrift store shopping, we were able to recreate an atmosphere perfect for their needs.  All we needed was a white rabbit!!  I'm highlighting a few of my favs below.

30% Off Newest Wedding Albums!

Yup, you read it right.  30% off our newest line of albums during the months of August and September!  And trust me, they are bea-u-ti-ful!!!  I found an amazing company that offers modern, yet still classic, albums that are high end.  But I am able to offer this huge savings because the company also offers their own design team to retouch and create your images and turn them into masterpieces.  Anyone who knows me knows how picky I am when it comes to album design.  Having won San Diego Wedding Album Photographer of the Year for so many years has made me shy to let anyone else tell the story.  But I finally found a company that is all about quality, not quantity.

So to introduce them to my wedding couples, I am offering a two month period where you can get a 10x10 album with 100 images for only $1250!  And you can get one matching 8x8 album for your parents for only $250 more!  Want something fancier for the cover?  How about a crystal inset for only $50 more?  Here's a sample...

Okay, so now that I have your attention, please mark down the end of July to call me and set up a time to meet and discuss your album.  Again, this special is only taking place in August & September so don't let it pass you by.  There are so many beautiful colors and materials to choose for your album and don't forget, your wedding album is your first family heirloom.  Make sure it's worth passing on generation to generation.  And if you've got any questions, just give me a call!

Amy & Chris: Little Italy Engagement Session

I just love going to new spots for my engagement sessions!!  And yes, shooting in Little Italy has been done over and over again...but just not by me.  So when Amy and Chris suggested doing their session down there, I was so happy to try out something new and exciting.

There are some great buildings, murals, a fire station, and of course a host of restaurants to work with.  Amy and Chris happened to meet at the Mona Lisa Italian Restaurant, so we definitely had to capture a few in front of that building.  And of course with all those amazing planes flying overhead as they approach Lindberg Field, I had to snap a few shots of that also.

We spent almost 3 hours walking around finding some great spots, but I happened to bring along a box of sparklers and we ended our evening under the Little Italy sign with the two of them kissing and holding these cute little fireworks ablaze.  You can definitely say there were more fireworks in my photo than just the two sparklers!!  Definitely one of my top favorite sessions in a long time.  Thanks Amy and Chris for getting me outside my box and introducing me to a new area!

William and Noriko - Hotel Del Coronado

This was one of my favorite weddings for a long time.  Not only is the couple so amazing and fun to work with, but I knew just about every vendor they selected, and they were San Diego's Best of the Best!  Their wedding co-ordinator was Julie of The Best Wedding for You, their minister was Rev. Christopher Tuttle from Vows From The Heart, their DJ was Bob of Artistic Productions, the cake made by Shirley The Cake Lady, and video by Darryl of Epic Affair.

It was an early ceremony starting at 11am, which meant I had to get up at 6am to be there by 8am.  But alas, when we were done by 4:15pm, it was really nice to still have time left that day to do whatever.  Plus, I really like working with more available light at the receptions unlike evening weddings where flash is a necessity, not an option.  Of course that also meant no sunset photos at the beach...but with all that cloud cover coming in, I doubt there would have been a sunset we could have seen.

I think the highlight of the day was when William and Noriko did their first dance as Husband & Wife.  It started with a traditional slow song, the record "screeched," and then they went into 17 different songs with different dance styles -- one after the other.  It included disco, gangnam style, hip hop, swing, country, "Thriller," just to name a few.  Awesome you two!!

Samantha and Aaron - Rancho Bernardo Inn

Have you ever met a couple and just knew it had to be?  That's how I feel about Samantha and Aaron!  I think that Samantha's love story tells it best...

"Aaron and I knew we wanted to marry one another about a year into dating. We had been very intentional right from the start about figuring out if we were in fact “the one” for one another and sure enough everything we learned about one another only made it more clear that it was meant to be. He was still in school and I had only been out for a short time, just trying to get by in the world, post college. So we decided to wait until Aaron was done with school and had a job. Unfortunately it took longer than we’d hoped for Aaron to find a job with the economy in its current state, so it was a year and half later that we were finally engaged! And boy, did it seem like forever!

We’d been best friends and dating for almost two and a half years when Aaron asked me to be his wife. He disguised the moment by making me believe that we were headed to the Jonathan Club in Santa Monica for a friend’s engagement party. Knowing the little detective in me, Aaron even created a false invitation to the “engagement party” just in case I asked, and I did. When we arrive to the beach, it was just before sunset. He had coordinated the whole things with management at the club so that even the valets directed us to where the “party” was being held. Following the signs that pointed in the direction of the party, we made our way to the upper floor of one of the restaurants. We walked through the door toward an empty balcony overlooking the ocean. There was only one table though… a party for two, to my surprise. Red roses, candle light, and the sun setting on the horizon –before I could even turn to Aaron and mutter anything, he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. Shaking with nervousness, still trying to wrap my mind around what was actually happening, I just grabbed him and hugged him for the longest and tightest hug we’ve ever had. THEN I looked at this fiery, gorgeous ring, he put it on my, still, trembling hand and then I believe we hugged again.  Who knows how long it lasted.  A waiter came, sat us at the table, brought our each of the three courses Aaron had already ordered and were ready for us. We ate our dinner. Smiling and giggling, reeling in the feeling that this moment was actually happening. We finished our meal and headed out.

I thought that we were headed to his brother’s house to share the exciting news and show them the lovely ring, but there were more surprises waiting. When we entered the house, there stood all of our closest friends and some family! I was so shocked –my reaction was first that of surprise followed by an overwhelming amount happiness with a few tears of joy. We visited with everyone, ate some dessert and shared what had unfolded in the hours before.

It was truly something out of a fairytale. He did such a wonderful job. Lord knows I did not make it easy as I had been on the lookout for quite some time, wanting to be engaged for a year and a half can really make a lady nutty… cut me some slack! All I know, is that right now, days away from marrying my best friend in the world, is that it was WELL worth the wait!!"