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More photos from the Palm Springs outing… there were probably 10 or 11 model brides but I really only stuck with two or three…. they were just too gorgeous to move on 
! I wish I would have had time to photograph more of the girls, but here are some more of my favorites from the models I did get to spend some time with!
This weekend was my first one without a wedding or engagement shoot in quite some time so I decided to take my “free” weekend and gather up the husband and dog and meet up with my family in Palm Springs for some much needed rest and relaxation. Unfortunately since I’m such a photo-junkie I just couldn’t put down my camera for the whole weekend and instead decided to meet up with a bunch of other photographers in the middle of nowhere for a group “trash the dress” session.
I’m going to post a couple of teasers (more to come later) but first a little note on “trash the dress” photos - I love the idea of a bride putting on her gorgeous gown and heading out again after her wedding to take more photos. There is no doubt that a bride is less nervous about getting a little bit of dirt on her dress once the “big day” is over, and who wouldn’t love a chance to get all dolled up again? I absolutely LOVE doing “day after” bridal sessions however I have a hard time calling them “trash the dress” sessions (even though they’re all the rage) because I’d really rather you donate your dress to a worthy cause (like brides against breast cancer) than roll around in the mud and ruin it. That being said, there’s no reason we can’t have a great time, get some gorgeous photos AND save your dress! So if you’re interested in a “trash the dress” where you don’t get trashed give me a call.
Ok… whew… now that that’s out of the way here are the first two shots from Sunday afternoon… what gorgeous models!!
Laura and Mark have such a cute story I just have to share it with you quickly .Laura is actually one of Mark’s sister’s good friends…. which is how they met and now they’re getting married!! How cute is that? I guess I just really relate since my brother is about to marry one of my good friends and I am SO excited about it! Anyhow, they both grew up in Claremont so we decided to do their engagement session in their “home town”. I’d never been to Claremont and boy was I pleasantly surprised! It is a fabulous college town (home to the Claremont colleges) with lots of amazing shops and restaurants, as well as the Santa Ana Botanic Gardens, which is where Laura and Mark are having their wedding. We decided to start out at the gardens just to take a sneak peek around so that I’d know what to expect on the wedding day. The gardens are absolutely gorgeous! I think I may have gone a little overboard on the favorites this round, but we just had so much fun it was impossible to choose
So cute! It was quite bright (think glaring afternoon sun) when we were in the gardens but we took some shade under a tree and got some nice backlight. Lovely
I don’t know why but I was feeling the square crop on this one.
After the botanic gardens we headed over to the Claremont colleges to scout out a couple of locations…. I do love white walls!
When we found this door we just had to stop for a couple quick shots!
After playing around at the colleges we headed to downtown, which was great because we could just wander around and find so many cute spots to shoot at. Believe it or not I’m not going to show you most of the locations we stopped at because this post would go on forever I’ll just tease you with a few choice locations.
I’m not sure why but this is one of my absolute favorites! Aren’t they just SO cute?!
And one more for the road just because it has a funny story… to get this shot I was desperately seeking something to stand on but there were no benches to be found so instead I climbed on Ben’s shoulders to get a higher vantage point (thanks Ben ) Sometimes you just need to get the right angle!
On Saturday I was fortunate enough to be invited by my friend Tracy Kumono to come along with her and help document the wedding of Carly & Pat. Their wedding took place in the gorgeous Neighborhood Church in Palos Verdes which is situated right on the ocean in an absolutely gorgeous setting. We met up with Carly as she was getting ready for the “big day” along with her mother. The big windows in the “getting ready” room made for some beautiful light!
The gorgeous bride ready to go!
The absolutely gorgeous bouquets were provided by Cynthia from flower art. I loved the vibrant colors!
The groom putting some finishing touches on before the ceremony…
All of the groomsmen… looking quite dapper!
Pat’s father told me that this coin has been carried by every bride in his family for generations. How amazing is that?! It is so touching when families incorporate their own traditions into the wedding day!
The ceremony was extremely touching, with a hint of humor. They are both poker players so they slipped a little poker reference (all-in) into the ceremony.
The happy couple after the ceremony!
Some of the gorgeous reception details!
Pat’s brother prepared a photo presentation featuring photos of the couple from birth through the milestone of marriage. It was an incredibly touching video and definitely got the bride tearing up a bit.
And last but not least… a little dancing fun after all of the toasts and formality… this group knows how to have a party!
Congratulations Carly & Pat! I wish you many years of happiness in your lives together. Your special day was so beautiful and full of love, and I am so glad that I was able to be a part of it! Thank you to Tracy of course for inviting me to come along!
**edited to add** I can’t believe I forgot to include the ring shot.. I LOVE ring shots Both Carly & Pat were sporting a little bling!
Life as a photographer is sometimes like living in a little bubble. Much of my time is spent in front of my computer by my lonesome (ok, well with my dog Herbie) editing photos. That’s why it is SO great when I can finally get out and spend time with other photographers in the area, and particularly fun young female photographers like myself. Last night Crissy Farah, Sarah K Chen, Jonilyn, Kim Le and myself decided to meet up for an early dinner before heading out to a little soirée at Victor Sizemore’s place. Serena was supposed to join us but was roped in to jury duty, luckily she was able to meet up with us later at the party!
Crissy was nice enough to bring us all cupcakes to dinner.. yum!
While at the party we were stopped by Becker for a quick photo (this one was taken off of his blog)
And what photographer party is complete without a photobooth?
