A little Laughter and A Lot of Love

On a magical day, 11.11.11 Meagan and Heath were married in a beautiful and intimate ceremony at the lovely Harrah's Resort and Casino in North County.

Now, like all brides and grooms, Meagan and Heath went to great lengths to ensure that their day went off without a hitch and was enjoyable for all of their special family and friends in attendance.  It was enjoyable... did it go off without a hitch?  You decide! Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, things don't always go according to plan on a wedding day, and that is perfectly okay.  In fact, it might make for a great story and probably some great photos as well...

Meagan and Heath insisted on not seeing each other before the ceremony.  They worked it out so that the bride's suite and the groom's suite were separated by several floors.  When it came time to head down to the ceremony location, Meagan and her entourage headed down the hall and to the elevator bay.  As someone reached to push the elevator button, Meagan said out-loud to no one in particular, "Hm... maybe we should have called to see where the guys are right now"  At that exact moment, the elevator door opened and Meagan let out a little yelp.  Of course, there was Heath, also on the way down to the ceremony site!  He quickly covered his eyes while Meagan jumped behind another elevator's entry-way. Soon enough Heath was on his way.  Meagan laughed it off and carried on.

The ceremony is another fun and cute story.  The bride and groom stood before their family and friends as the officiant spoke repeatedly  of the love between Meagan and Keith.  The problem?  The groom's name was HEATH!  The officiant made the mistake several times, and luckily, the bride and groom, their friends and family, all found it added a humorous component to the ceremony. There was plenty of laughter and smiles throughout the ceremony.

In spite of the mishaps, Meagan and Heath said their "I-Do's" and ended the day in wedded bliss and just like all weddings should end, they lived happily ever after.

Congratulations Meagan and Heath, may your years together continue to be filled with lots of laughter and lots of love!

The First Year...

I can't really say when Iliana Morton Photography started... I've been doing photography and getting paid for it (and sometimes not) for a long time.  What I do know is that recently Brian (my husband/controller of all things technology) mentioned that he renewed my domain (http://www.ilianaphoto.com/) registration. So what that meant to me is that I have been opporating officially as Iliana Morton Photography for somewhere around a year...

Looking back, I must say, this year has been kick-a$$ in all sorts of ways.  To be honest, I was somewhat miserable before starting this business.  I had graduated college,  I felt frustrated because I didn't feel I was doing whatever it was I was "supposed" to be doing, and I couldn't figure out what that was.  I cried a lot because I felt unpurposed, lost, and more than anything, exhausted.  Somewhat broken, even. Luckily I have the best husband in the world, because he was finally able to get me to answer honestly when he asked me the question "what do you do that makes you happy?"  The answer was easy, but I told him I couldn't do it.  He told me to stop being a baby and that I could if I really wanted to and worked really hard. "It's not going to come easily, and it won't happen overnight, but you CAN do it." is what he told me.  So eventually I did.  I eventually snapped myself out of the mid-mid life crisis I was having, put hours and hours and every ounce of extra energy I had into what I needed to do to start Iliana Morton Photography, and I took a giant leap of faith.  I am so glad I did.

It has not been an easy first year.  As most people will tell you, it's often rough being the "new kid."  But It has been an amazing journey so far.  This year has been full of learning.  I've gained so much valuable knowledge, and I'm sure that in itself is a neverending process. I've met so many people, a few who I am happy to call very good friends now.  I've been given amazing opportunities to do things I never imagined.  I've had the opportunity to meet and work with absolutely wonderful couples and individuals and have shared in their most joyous moments in life.   This, above all, is what I love the most and why I feel so priveledged to do what I am doing now.

So I'm going to "cheers" myself and buy myself a tasty glass of wine tonight and celebrate my first Iliana Morton Photography birthday. I'll extend the cheers to you too, because you've supported me through all of this and have provided me with whatever I've needed, whether it be words of encouragement, advice, constructive criticism, or a much needed break.  So thank you thank you thank you!  I can't wait to see what comes next...

xoxo
Iliana Morton

Dreams Running Wild

Last night I had a crazy crazy dream.  In my dream I was doing a photo shoot that involved pink flamingos (both the real ones and the on-a-stick-in-your-lawn variety) and horrible, awful, ugly gold lounge furniture...

Weird right?  Only a little, because I know where this came from. Yesterday my best friend Erika and my good friend and Inspired Events partner in crime Melissa and I went to the Wedding Party Bridal Show.  Among the many great things we saw, we noticed on exhibor had incorporated some of Lounge Appeal's new collection into their display.  Among them was this set...



Honestly, I am not a fan of gold.  I just don't like it.  But I do love this set of furniture together! 

Anyway, after the show, we headed over to Ocean Beach, had some lunch and browsed around the antique shops. I saw so many pink flamingos and I really really wanted one.  I don't know where I'd put it or what I'd do with it, but I've never had tacky lawn furniture.  I mean, I don't even have a lawn since I live in an apartment downtown. I truly have absolutely NO USE for a plastic flamingo.  But i still would love to have one. So that's where the dream came from!

Now that i've told you this horrible anticlamatic story, let me tell you something else... I realized, about an hour ago actually, that my tacky photo shoot in my dream could be real and could potentially be awesome.  Thanks to doing a quick search on google images, I found a bunch of lovely images that incorporated great use of flamingo pink and gold in a beautiful, completely classy way... 











Pretty, right? So here is the lesson I re-learned today.  Your thoughts and dreams, although seemingly a little crazy at times, might be your creative bug trying to get out!  Just because you come up with a completly nutty idea does not mean it's impossible!  Maybe the idea needs to be refined, and maybe you need the help of a true professional (I'll let you intepret that as you please!) to do that, but your crazy dream ideas can be great!  And I have to say, sometimes the ideas that are a tad off the wall end up being the unique and personable little things that I love to photograph at your wedding :)

Cheers and happy dreams!

...and one more flamingo for the road.



(ok seriously... where can I get a hat like that??)

Michelle & Danny's Oceanside Engagement Session

I loved this couple from the first time I met them for our initial consultation together.  In that half hour we spent together I could tell that they had a special connection.  And they were just all sorts of fun to talk to.  They are the type of couple you'd want to hang out with.  When Michelle sent in their engagement questionnaire, she mentioned that she and Danny like to go to concerts and other shows and are fans of The Shout House.  In my head while reading through that questionnaire I kept saying "hey, me too!" again and again.  So I was stoked for their engagement session, and a chance to get to know them both a little better.

Not being from San Diego, Micelle and Danny were open to any location for their engagement photos as long as it included the beach.  The beach is always gorgeous, but I felt that they also needed to have a dose of color and fun because they are such a vibrant, fun couple.  I suggested the Oceanside Pier area because not only do you have a great beach setting, but also because it is one of the more colorful beach areas in San Diego.  I had a great time with them.  They weren't afraid to walk a bit further into the water than most couples were for the sake of my... vision?  They humored me, and were great sports about a few (not so small) splashes.  Here are some of my favorites...























I'm so excited for their wedding, which is coming up in just a few months.  I can't wait to work with them again!

Heather & Tim's Wedding

Remember Heather & Tim? (Take a peek at their engagement session here)  Well, now they are Mr. and Mrs. Heather&Tim!

Heather and Tim were married at a the shore-front Oceanside Marina Suites.  It was a great location at the end of the Oceanside Harbor.  The grassy area jets out and you're surrounded by the Pacific Ocean on three sides.  The views are great!

Aside from the location, there were so many details that made their day incredibly heartwarming.  I loved the personalized Chuck Taylors.  The hand-made bouquet was gorgeous.  The "something borrowed" and "something blue" garter with anniversary dates of Heather's family sewn in was sweet.  But I think what made this wedding so special was the emphasis on family.  Heather and Tim each came into their union with their own children.  The day placed emphasis on the fact that a marriage is truly a combining of families.  Those moments where Tim asked his boys to help him put on his suit were touching.  Heather's daughter reaching out and touching Heather's face telling her she was beautiful moments before walking down the aisle nearly brought a tear to my eye too!

Heather wore these sweet custom Chucks.  They had their wedding date sewn in.  The guys all wore converse as well, but theirs were brown with pink laces.  Very fun.

It became apparent after my very first meeting with Heather and Tim that family is more important to both of them than anything.  I think some of the most special moments throughout the day were shared between each of them with their kids.  They took care to involve each of them in the day's events, which is great, because that's what weddings are at the root... the joining of families.









So here's something cool.  A lot of brides use their garter as an opportunity to check of their "something blue" requirement.  Heather did too.  But Heather's blue garter was quite special.  Her mom had sewn in the anniversary dates of  the married women in her family.  So it was also something shared... which should be a requirement too, I think.  :)









I love the emotion here where Heather first took Tim's arm as they proceeded to be married.





































I don't think I've ever shot a wedding where there wasn't at least a little bit of face-cake-smashing going on.  What does this mean?  That the couples I work with are AWESOME?  That must be it.











It was truly a beautiful day and a day filled with love.  Congratulations to Tim & Heather

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Shout-Outs:

Venue: Oceanside Marina Suites

Coordination/Planning: Affairs by Amy

Catering: The Flavor Chef

Bartending: Kevin's Bartending Services