There are SO many things I LOVE about this wedding… from the cool as ever bride & groom to the joyous tears &  heartfelt laughters to the perfectly BEAUTIFUL summer day!!  Jenn and Matt are both from Seattle, so when they flew in and we met for the first time over coffee, we instantly clicked.  After talking with them for a while, I knew they were gonna be a great couple to work with.  Jenn and Matt are super sweet!!  Photographing them couldn’t be easier because they are always genuinely smiling and laughing!!  I feel so happy and so blessed to have so many wonderful clients.  Photographing weddings never feels like work (to me) because really… my clients are that AWESOME!! =)  I’m grateful to have the opportunity to share so many sweet moments and I am thrilled to capture and transform those sweet moments into everlasting memories.  It means so much to me when my bride and groom smile as they flip through their pictures.

Jenn and Matt have been together since the 8th grade (YES… you read correctly… 8th grade) and on July 17th, 2010, they finally tied the knot.  Both, their wedding ceremony and wedding reception, were held at Jennifer’s Uncle’s estate in Simi Valley.  Look toward the end of the blog posting to see some beautiful sunset pictures in a field of wild sunflowers…

I love this candid picture of Jenn and one of her bridesmaid.

Nice lashes…

Introducing “The Mrs.” and her “Maid”.  heheheeee

Jenn and Matt had a very intimate and emotion first meeting.  Jenn started crying the moment she walked towards Matt.

So cute…

After their first glance, Jenn’s uncle took us around the estate for the bride and groom portrait session in a tractor!!  It was so cool riding one of those…

Jenn is such a cool cool bride!!  Even before the wedding ceremony, she was totally down for walking through dry weeds and dirt roads for pictures!!  That’s my kinda girl!!!

LOL…

Jenn and Matt really want to hang out and mingle with their guests during cocktail hours, so they asked to have ALL pictures taken before the ceremony.

This little flower girl is adorable…

Jenn had 3 bridesmaids and all three wore a different color (of the same style dress).  Oh… and the blue one is EXACTLY the same as the one that my girls will be wearing for my wedding.  I LOVE how its got pockets too!!!

“Show them sexy legs girls”!!  LOL… Jenn, what are you doing?!??!?!

Introducing the bridal party…

You know… I can’t tell if he’s really biting her toe!!  Hmmmm….

Their wedding ceremony started at around 6:00pm and oh boy was it still super bright!!  Thanks Gavin for setting up the lights so we can shoot against the sun!!

I love it how Jenn and Matt wanted their guests to show up in comfortable summer attire.  The groom himself was in Tommy Bahamas.

Jenn and Matt’s wedding ceremony was a mixture of laughters and tears and MORE laughters and tears!!! I’ve photographed weddings where I’ve teared up, but this is the first wedding where I was actually crying… crying!!

I started to tear up and when I looked up to find Jenn crying… I couldn’t hold it!!  One of the guests took a candid picture of me (the photographer) crying!!  It was hilarious when she showed me.

And this is when it got really emotional for everyone (including myself).  Jenn’s brother and cousins performed a song and dedicated it to Jenn and Matt.  It’s one of my favorites… “Lucky” by Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat.  This song is definitely a must-play at our wedding.

Great job with the performance guys!!!

The Mr and Mrs…

You know it’s a party when the bridal party takes a shot immediately after the ceremony!!!  Shot shot shots shots shots shots shots…. everybody!!!

In the middle of the reception dinner, I pulled Jenn and Matt out for another bride and groom session!!  I couldn’t pass on the beautiful lighting as the sun begins to set!!

Right outside the house was a field of wild sunflowers!!  The lighting… the couple… the setting… **sigh** …  a photographer’s dream!!  Couldn’t ask for better…

Speaking of dreams… Jenn’s a dream!!  Isn’t she beautiful?!??!!

Here are some of my favorites!!!

Thank you SO much Jenn and Matt!! It was awesome!!  Enjoy your one month honeymoon in Europe.  I wish you both all the best!!!  We’ll hang out again when Gavin and I visit Seattle! =)

You may recall Amber and Jeff’s LA Arboretum engagement photography session in my May’s posting.  Well… here’s Amber and Jeff’s big day!!!  They got married at the Davidson’s Estate (Jeff’s parent’s house) in Santa Clarita.  Jeff’s parents own a really big lot of land in Santa Clarita and rents it out for weddings here and there throughout the year.  However, this wedding in particular is very special, in that it’s their own son’s wedding.  Amber and Jeff have been together for 9 years now and their love for each other is so genuine and absolutely shows in their eyes.  Amber is a sweet school teacher and Jeff is a handsome, goofy soon-to-be firefighter.  It was such a pleasure working with this sweet couple and being their wedding photographer (Santa Clarita).

I decided to photograph their wedding rings on a chess piece to symbolize them being the queen and king of the day (and in each other’s hearts).

And here it is… make-up is all done!! Just kidding.  I have never seen it before; Amber’s make-up artist used a white eye liner to highlight around her eyes and brows, and then slowly blending it into her skin.

Notes were required for Amber to get into her wedding dress, which by the way is absolutely gorgeous on her!!  They pulled out the notes that were taken during their fitting to properly lace up Amber’s dress.

Oh dear… starting kinda young… don’t cha think?!?!?!  heheheeee…

A quick glance at the boys before the start of the ceremony

Here are a few of my favorites from their bride and groom portrait session.

The reception was filled with LOTS of dancing!!

The start of a conga line…

that lead to a huge line…

Thank you Amber and Jeff (aka April and David — inside joke) for having me there and being a part of your big day!! Best wishes to you both as you start a new family together.  Jeff, good luck to you with the firefighter thing as well.

Also, thanks to my brother Steven, who is an aspiring photographer for coming along to help.

Lisa and James were one of the clients that booked me when I first started leading my own weddings.  When I met with Lisa over some awesome sangrias, I knew they would be a great couple to work with… and indeed they were!!! I had a great time being a part of Lisa and Jame’s big day.  So here it is… sit back and enjoy this super long post!! There were sooooo many keepers that I feel bad leaving them out (of my blog).

Lisa works as a professional hair-stylist, so needless to say, her hair was just incredible.

I absolutely LOVE the make-up!!

Lisa did a great job picking out her bridesmaids’ dresses.  It’s perfect for a summer wedding…

Believe it or not, but this picture was taken candidly.

Lisa and James had both their wedding ceremony and wedding reception at the Newland House in Huntington Beach.  When possible, I really enjoy learning the history behind each location that I photograph at.   The Newland House is a Victorian farmhouse that was build in 1898 by William and Mary Newland (Huntington Beach Pioneers). The original ranch had 500+ acres of land that was used to plant lima beans, sugar beets, celery and later chili peppers.  It is now a historic landmark (the oldest still-standing house) in the beautiful city of Huntington Beach.

I love capturing the look on the groom’s face when he sees his bride for the first time.  The “wow” expression is just all-so priceless!!

Cute…

After their ceremony, we walked out to an open field right behind the Newland House for the bride and groom portrait session.

Isn’t it amazing how beautiful dry grass can look in pictures???

And of course… pictures in front of the Newland house.  It’s too bad that we don’t have access to the inside of the home.

I love, love, LOVE this picture!!

Congratulations Lisa and James!!  Hope you both had a wonderful time in Hawaii…