Gavin and I are happy to announce that we are now ENGAGED!!!  He officially proposed on June 27, 2009.  We will be having two weddings:  a traditional Vietnamese/Chinese wedding in Vietnam (for my family) and an American/Western wedding in the States.  Yay… I’m so excited!!!

I want to take this opportunity to thank our good friends, Vivian Tran (owner and lead make up artist of AllMadeUpTeam)  and Doug of Furious Photographers for everything!

Gavin and I had the pleasure of working with Vivian and her girls a number of times now and each time, her team does an absolutely amazing job.  She is highly recommended on my list for make-up and hair.  As for Doug… he never ceases to amaze me with his photographs.  Not only is he an awesome wedding photographer, but he’s also an excellent fashion photographer!  We are honored to have him as a close friend and as our wedding photographer.  I can’t wait till our big day!  Thank you sooooo much guys for doing such a kick-ass job!!!

For our engagement shoot, Gavin and I decided that we’re going to wear our actual wedding attires.  Here are pictures of me getting ready for the shoot.  Hehehe… after taking pictures of so many brides getting ready, it feels kinda weird being on the other end of the camera and seeing pictures of me getting ready.

While Vivian was doing my make up, Gavin and Doug were playing around and taking silly pictures of each other. Looks like they are having lots of fun with all the hats!  Looks good on you boys!!!

Doug is constantly on automatic pose for the camera.

We started our engagement shoot at the Orange County Performing Arts Center.

After the Performing Arts Center, we headed over to Table Rock in Laguna Beach for some sunset pictures!  Here are some of my favorites.

Check out the waves on this one:

It was so romantic! I had such a great time hanging out with my life-long best friend.  I love you Gavin!!!

We now finally have professional pictures of us where we can actually see our whole body and the background at once (without Gavin’s arm being in every single shot).  Gavin and I have so many picture of just our heads!

I love this picture of us! We look like happy little kids…so happy to be sitting on the life guard stand.  Look at Gavin…

Click here to see our entire engagement shoot here.

To all my brides out there… “I am in the same boat as all of you.  I feel the excitement and stress that comes with planning for a wedding.  Please feel free to contact me if you have any question at all regarding photography or wedding plannings in general.  Having been in the industry for 2 years now, I am more than happy to spread the knowledge.”

Cheers!!!

-judy

I had such a great time photographying Angel and Jimmy’s wedding.  They’re such a wonderful couple… so sweet and down to earth!  Angel and I totally hit it off  minute I walked into the salon where she got her hair and make up done.  We chatted on and on about grad school and about life in general.  Angel is PA (Physician’s Assistant) that graduated from Western University in Pomona (the school where I want to go for my Pharm.D).  She gave my lots of helpful tips regarding grad school!

Angel’s rock is just simply beautful!  And for those who don’t know… I go gaga over rings!!! I don’t know when or how it started, but I am just fascinated with how beautiful and unique every ring looks.  Here are my two favorites of Angel and Jimmy’s symbol of love!

Here’s our lovely bride sipping away at her Starbucks’s as she gets ready for her big day.

LOVE the lashes!!!

After the salon, Angel went to the SLS hotel in Beverly Hill (formerly known as Le Meridien) where she and her girls got ready.

Angel was so kind and sweet that she offered to lend me her wedding dress for my engagement shoot this coming Friday.  I was blown away with her generosity.  Her name totally suits her…  inside and out!

Being a tad behind schedule,  Angel and her girls rushed to the car so that they can go back to the salon and get her veil in before going to Church.  In the car, I suddenly realized they had forgotten their flowers in the room.  Being the only not in heels and can move around faster, Angel asked me to go to the room and grab the box with all the flowers. Unfortunately the key was also left behind in the room! I had to wait in line at the front desk to get another key.  The funny thing is… there was another person in front of the line that kept talking and talking and talking.  I couldn’t wait any longer so I had to reach up and tap this 6 feet 9 individual on the shoulder (I am 5 feet 2).  “Excuse me sir but I have a bride in the car who’s running late and she needs to speak with the clerk to get a key into her room because she forgot something. I don’t mean to be rude, but could I go first and you continue your chat after?”  He was cool about it, but he had a look on his face which probably reads “do you even know who i am…”  Well… I ran into this man again while in the elevator. I don’t know why but it always happens that when you’re running late, the elevator has to stop at every floor before you can get to yours.  The door opens; he steps out.  His friend held the the elevator door opens as they talked some more once he was already out.  I once again had to speak up.

So… are you wondering who this man is???  Well… I found out later that he a professional basketball player for the Miami Heat.  He’s Michael Beasley! Jimmy (our groom) is a hugh fan of Michael Beasley.  In fact, the groom and his boys took some pictures with Michael earlier in the day.

I felt really stupid!

Angel and Jimmy’s exchange their vows at St. Brendan Church in Los Angeles.  This church was beautiful.  It was very well lit; perfect for photos.  Their Priest was very nice and what’s even better is that he’s a man of humor.

I captured Jimmy’s reaction as he saw Angel for the first time as she’s walking down the aisle with her parents.  I thought it was soooooo cute how he started crying the moment the doors open and he saw his bride!

The reception was held a Empress Pavillion in LA.  They served a delicious 10 course meal for their guests. After dinner was night filled with lots of entertainment.

Jimmy drove right into her dress for the garter… no hesitations! You go boy!!!

This group was definitely a dancing crowd! WOW!!!  Breaking dance, to getting down low low low with each other, and doing a dance off!

Watch out!!!  He’s downing Hennessy Cognac!!!  Be careful there because you might and drunk…

…and when you get drunk… I have the opportunity to take photos of you!  Dancing like this!!!

Angel & Jimmy, thank you again for having us at your wedding! Gavin and I had a wonderful time.  Hope you both have lots of fun in Maui!

We’ll definitely have to grab dinner together and hang out again soon!

Hello All,

Our venture starts off at Monterey’s Fish House in Carmel where Gavin and I stuffed ourselves with excellent seafood for Lunch!  We started with 3 dozens of oysters (raw and grilled), and a bowl of shrimp bisque.  For the main course, I had the best crab cake and crab ravoli ever.  Gavin had grill Sea Bass which was also very yummy.  We left that place with our stomachs ready to explode!  I highly recommend those who like seafood to try Monterey’s Fish House if they are ever in Carmel.

This was our first stop through the beautiful 17-Mile Drive.  Once again… I strike-a-pose for the camera.  Every since I was little, I love to be in front of the camera.  As an adult, I just love love love being a photographer and being behind the camera photographying others!

This is pebble beach.

oh… and if you’re wondering, that’s me playing dead from falling off one of the cliffs.

Silly Gavin… what are you doing???  Are you imitating a crab again? 

LOL… I love this picture!

Here is the famous Lone Cypress Tree!!!  The view is just gorgeous… I can’t even find the words to describe how beautiful everything looks!

We made many frequent stops as we drove through the 17-Mile Drive.  Here are some of my favorite spots where we stopped for photos.  Isn’t it breathtakingly beautiful???  The one on the upper left hand corner is called the “ghost tree”.  The one the lower left hand corner is the Bixby Bridge.  The two right images are coastal scenes that were just too good to pass up while driving through.  I love it there!!!

Finally, we stopped by Pismo Beach in time for the romantic sunset.

We then had dinner at Mo’s Smokehouse BBQ.  After having so much seafood, Gavin knew I would totally appreciate meat!  I am a total carnivore and can’t be too long without meat!  Here we had excellent ribs and pull-pork!  This place is also very highly recommended on my list!

Thank you everyone for taking your time to look through my blog and get to know me and my photojournalistic style as a photographer.  I’ll try my best to keep you all posted with the latest and greatest of all my life ventures.

Hello Everyone,

I hope you all had a chance to check out my galleries and blog entries.  Please feel free to leave comments and critiques… I am very open when it comes to feedback (good and bad).

After Caitlin and Sudheer’s wedding in Northern California, Gavin and I decided that we are gonna take a small vacation and enjoy Northern California.  We were suppose to hit up Yosemite National Park, but was not able to find any hotel vacanies. It’s alright though; it’ll give us an excuse to go in November when it’s less crowded.  Before we head out to San Francisco from San Ramon, Gavin and I stopped to have our Sunday brunch at a nice little restuarant called “The Peasant and the Pear.”  Their Pear Martinis are to die for!!!  The food was good and the service was excellent.  I got the Peasant Scramble which is angus ground beef sauteed with caramelized onions, baby spinach, mozzarella & two eggs, served with seasoned breakfast potatoes.  Gavin got the Monte Cristo Sandwich… and he thought it was alright (a little to dry for his taste).  Because it was our first with the restuarant, the server hooked us up with some strawberry crepes.  Yummy!!!

Oh yeah… Gavin and I loooooooooooove to eat!!! We love trying out new restuarants and dishes.  Don’t be surprised if you see blog entries with just food!  A couple years ago, when we were in Seattle, Washington, we ate clam chowder a six different restaurant… in A DAY!  We’re both such chowder heads!

Here are some pics of our drive into San Francisco.  I just thought the structure on these bridges are pretty cool looking so I took a few snapshoots as we drove through.

We stayed two nights at the Petite Auberge. It’s a cute little French Hotel in the heart of San Francisco.

I love it there; it’s so cute and comfortable. We got a petite suite and so we had the whole lower level of the hotel to ourselves. Looks like a doll house doesn’t it?

This is where we had our complimentary breakfast with all the other guests.  I love the comfort level while staying in this hotel!

This is where we lounged for our complimentary cocktail hours.

After a few glasses of wine, Gavin and I walked around SF as we decide what we want for dinner.  Gavin wanted a picture where the building looks like it’s slanted, and as for me… I had to strike-a-pose for the camera.

After climbing hills after hills, we finally decided we were gonna eat at the R & G Lounge.  It’s overpriced Chinese food!  To start, we ordered Salmon avacado eggrolls and shark fin soup.  For our main dishes we ordered Live Crab with salt and pepper (signature dish) and R & G Special Beef (secret recipe).  The lightly battered Crab with Salt and Pepper was awesome!!!  The Beef was awful.  It was super duper sweet.  I guess their secret sauce was SUGAR!!!

Here’s my silly Gavin posing like a dead crab. hehehe…

After dinner, we took a stroll through Union Square, which was only a few blocks for our hotel (Petite Auberge… also known as the White Swan).

I love this picture of Gavin pretending to lean on the column!  He’s actually a good distance away, but it looks so real!

Today is our second day in SF!  We wanted to be like the locals and take mass transit everywhere, so here we are… bored out of our minds waiting for the bus to come

Our goal today is to visit King Tut’s exhibit located inside of the De Young Museum at the Golden Gate Park.  It’s been 30 years since this exhibit was in California.  Unfortunately, when we got there, the exhibit was closed.  Out of all days, it had to be closed on the one day we decided to go!  While we were there, we visited the Science Center instead.

The Science Center was fascinating!  They had many exhibits ranging from the deep ocean to the hot African Savannas to the humid Rain Forest!

Here are some pictures that Gavin took while we were exploring the aquarium.  I love this picture… so color… so crowded… yet so peaceful.

Check out the dragon sea horse thingy… and the albino crocadile.  Pretty cool huh?

These are my attempts to look like the skull next to me.

Random pictures of us… hehehe

We took the bus to San Francisco’s Chinatown.  From there, we walked through Chinatown to get to Fisherman’s Wharf.

Along the way, I saw this bench and had to sit down for a picture~!  This is my favorite picture from the day! I love it!!!  From left to right:  Speak no evil, (Boob grabbing), See no evil, and Hear no Evil!!!

At Fisherman’s Wharf, we ate at the Crab House (in Pier 39).  To start, we had a bowl of clam chowder and crab cakes!  The clam chowder was not at all to our standards.  The crab cake was alright… we’ve had better ones.  Our main dish was their famous Dungeness Killer Crab roasted in their secret garlic sauce.  It was delicious!!! You can never go wrong with butter and garlic!

Today is third and last day in SF for us.  Our first stop… Mama’s!  This was our second time eating at Mama’s.  There is always a line out the door at this place.  I’d have to say that it’s the best breakfast I’ve ever had… so worth the wait!  Their eggs benedict and omelettes are my favorites!!!

After breakfast, we drove to Golden Gate Park again… I had to see King Tut’s exhibit!  Too bad they don’t allow photography inside.  It would have been amazing to capture the findings that were there! I learned so much about King Tutankhamun and the previous Pharaohs of Egypt.

On our way out of SF to Carmel, we stoped for some quick pictures of the Golden Gate Bridge!

Caitlin and Sudheer had so much fun at their first wedding (at Los Verdes Golf Course in Rancho Palos Verdes);  they decided to do it AGAIN… “Indian Style” this time! With great pleasure, Gavin and I traveled to the Marriott in San Ramon (in Northern California) to capture their big day.

Let’s take a sneak peak in Caitlin’s room and see what’s she’s doing.

And here she is again… getting ready for her man. I love photographing Indian weddings. It’s always filled with beautiful vibrant colors, ornate jewelery… and delicious food! Yup… can’t forget the food!

Here are some of my favorites during Cait’s prep.

Before we see more of Cait, let’s peak in Sud’s room and see what he’s up to. Of course… what else could he be doing?  …Chillin with a beer in his hand! The groom always has it so easy… just slip on the clothes and they’re ready to go! I’m so jealous.

Meanwhile… the bride has to put on make-up, get her hair done……….and in Caitlin’s case, struggle to put on jewelery. This is not posed… she is seriously making faces while putting the bracelets on. Silly Caity!

I’ve always found it amazing how a Sari is worn.  It’s a 9 yard long piece of elaborate cloth that is wrapped around a female. I got to see for the first time how it was done and I thought: “Wow…” Lots of folding, tucking, and pinning!

Not only is Cait a lovely Western bride, but she also makes a stunning traditional Indian bride.  By the way, I LOVE the Henna tattoos. For those who are interested: Mehendi is a small tropical shrub, whose leaves when dried and ground into a paste, give out a rusty-red pigment. This is suitable for making intricate designs on the palms and feet.

Lastly, Cait puts on her Bindi and she is ready to go!

The traditional ceremony lasted about 1 hour.  I thought it was very interesting ceremony. There were lots of chanting and rituals involved.

There is a curtain that blocks the groom from seeing his bride as she walks down the aisle and approaches him. Once she is on “stage” the curtain is lowered and they meet for the first time during the day.

Great Ceremony… I was intrigued with everything!

The Reception was filled great toasted.  Sudheer’s sister’s toast was so touching it made him cry while others brought back memories that got him constantly laughing.  During the toasts, Sudheer’s mom also found out things that mothers were suppose to never know!

And here is their first dance.

Ok… let’s get the party started:

Thank you Caitlin and Sudheer for a wonderful experience! Congratulations and may your future together be filled with lots of love, warmth and happiness!!!