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!

Ian & Charise's Wedding

Here's a little something you may not know about me... I studied history in college... and on that journey I learned a lot about the world and the people that have inhabited it over time.  I have always been especially interested in different religions, and have spent a lot of time studying the basic principals of several.  So I was so excited when Ian and Charise contacted me to shoot their wedding photos.  Ian and Charise are LDS,  so they wanted to start their day with shooting their formal portraits at the LDS Temple in La Jolla.  I was so excited to hear this.  I've driven by the gorgeous temple so many times, and have always been curious about the beautiful white building.  I guess I didn't realize that anyone can go visit the gorgeous gardeny grounds! And me being the curious gal I am, they were happy to answer my questions as best as they were able to! Awesome!  It's refreshing to find a couple who genuinely knows about their religion, and it's something that is important to the pair, so it creates a strong bond between them, which is just beautiful.

Anyway... Ian and Charise had their official marriage ceremony within the temple, and then were greeted by a handful of select family and friends (and me!) as they exited the temple as a newly married couple.  They looked so happy exiting the temple as husband and wife for the first time!  Ooh... also the dress Charise is wearing is the same dress her aunt was married in... a special "something borrowed!"

Their cutie-patootie puppy was a guest of honor!

After a few photos at the Temple, Ian and Charise left with their immediate families and wedding party for a luncheon.  I met up with them later that day at Marina Village for their ring ceremony.  The ring ceremony was a chance for Ian and Charise to share their vows with the important  people in their lives who were unable to attend their temple ceremony.  The couple wrote a few words to say to each other as their vows, and let me tell you, I don't think I've heard sweeter personalized vows EVER.  Both had slight tears in their eyes.  Adorable.

The reception was awesome as well... Ian's stepmom made the five-tier wedding cake herself!  Ian's bandmates seranaded the couple for their first dance, and later Ian joined them and performed a special song just for Charise.  So lovely.



Thank you, Ian and Charise, for including me in on this very important and special day!  You two have a bright future ahead!

Christine & Brandon's Wedding

I was so lucky to be a part of Christine and Brandon's wedding day on April 9th.  Their wedding was so beautiful, and one of my favorite kind of weddings... every element was very meaningful, and her closest family and friends had so much involvement.  Oh, and fun!

Their wedding day began with Christine's walk down the "aisle" {{over the Park Blvd. bridge connecting Balboa Park to the Rose Garden}} to the very spot where Brandon had proposed to her.  How awesome is that?  I don't think too many people can say their wedding ceremony took place in the same spot where they became engaged.  They were surrounded by a small handful of only their most important family and friends.  It was a short, intimate, and sweet ceremony... perfection!

Christine and Brandon pulled up to their reception in a gorgeous GORGEOUS classic car owned by the bride's family. Their brunch reception was held on the patio of  Gio Bistro and Wine Bar in downtown La Mesa... which is owned by Christine's  sister and her brother-in-law.  Brandon is an airline pilot and Christine is a flight attendant, so their tables were all named after important destinations, which was a very cute detail.  The patio was filled with about a hundred friends and family members, all so happy to be a part of Christine and Brandon's day.  And I do believe the newlyweds did not leave each other's sides for a single minute.  Aww...

Here are a few of my favorites from the day:


Beautiful wedding.   Congratulations to Christine and Brandon!

{{For more please visit the facebook page}}

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Ceremony Location: Inez Grant Parker Memorial Rose Garden

Reception Location: Gio Bistro & Wine Bar

Christine's Hairpiece: Sparrow Bridal

A Little Vintage Fun...

I'm so glad it's raining today.  I say this only because this past saturday was absolutely gorgeous.  The skies were clear, the sun was bright and cheerful and I had a photo-shoot scheduled for the day!  Lucky me!  I had the opportunity to work with a few very talented local wedding vendors on a collaborative photo project.

You may not have heard of some of these vendors... yet!  A couple of them (myself included) are in the first years of owning their own businesses.   Keep an eye out for them as they continue to grow and provide amazing services with a passion!  Each of the people I worked with on Saturday seems to pour their hearts and energy into what they are creating and providing for the couples they work with.  It makes me want to get married all over again so that I can work with them too!

Here are a few of the images that came out of our little Pro Play-Date on Saturday...























Gowns/Accessories:  Sparrow Bridal

Hair and Make-up:  Louanne Tamagni

Florals:  Trendee Flowers

Coordination Assistance:  Affairs by Amy

** To view the full collection of photos from this shoot visit my facebook page!**

Oh, and stay tuned for part 2... when things get a bit more modern.  :)