Crystal and David were married on October 10th in the Cross Church in Fresno, California. This church holds a very special history for Crystal…her grandparents were married here and this is the church that she has attended since she was a child. Apparently this was the last wedding in the sanctuary before they remodel. I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know David and Crystal over this past year and they are such genuine, loving people. Crystal is quite a character and there is always smiles and laughter when she is around. This wedding had so many wonderful little touches that brought special meaning to their day. My favorite speciality of the day was when Crystal walked down the aisle. She started her walk alone and halfway down the aisle, David came and met her. The necklace she was wearing was engraved with….”may you never again walk alone”. I hope to stay in touch with Crystal as she is planning on starting her own wedding planner service. This couple is honeymooning in Jamaica. Congratulations!
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Okay, so Erica and Tory proved it…you can have a perfect wedding. Of course it requires that you spend countless days making, creating, collecting and continually searching for the perfect inspiration. Erica is an artist/designer…Tory is a teacher and together, with their own unique sense of style, they created a perfect wedding day at Newcastle Gardens in Newcastle, California. The venue in itself is muse-like–rustic, country charm mixed with an elegance from yesteryear. The entire day felt as if I were on a movie set of a 1940’s movie–it was fabulous. The details of this wedding are worthy of being featured in a magazine so I’ve included lots of pics and a little commentary. Erica and Tory are two incredibly delightful people and I’m thrilled they included me in their very special day.
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Erica designed the invitations and save the date cards. The save the date cards were so adorable and such a cool surprise when you pulled them out of the envelope. I can only imagine the time that went into these. Even the coolest of guests were invited to this event!
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Pretty much everything you see in this photo was designed or made by Erica and Tory. I especially loved the handmade books that were given to each guest. The thought and time commitment put into each book was mind blowing. Every little detail was intentional and well thought out. There was a Beattles theme running deep throughout the wedding day…music, quotes–even the way the guys walked into the ceremony reminded me of the Abbey Road album cover. Loved it.
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Erica was so stunning, I could have photographed her all day. Newcastle Gardens has a beautiful brides room and the lighting is magnificent.
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Gorgeous flowers everywhere! Check out the flower garland over the wedding arbor…it was the most beautiful I had ever seen. Flowers were done by Martha Andrews, Blooms (bloomsbymarthaandrews.com). The brooch in the bouquet was Erica’s great grandmothers.
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The old barn at Newcastle Gardens has been converted into this amazing room with an ambiance that is hard to beat. Everywhere I turned there was great lighting and wonderful backdrops.
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Okay, so let’s talk about this cake…oh my goodness! So I know fondant is the thing of the day but this cake was the real deal. Thick, yummy, chocolate frosting and decorated to perfection. I was too busy to eat a piece…so bummed. The cake was made by Ginger Elizabeth.
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Nicole and Bryan are getting married in two weeks! I know it seems a little late for engagement pictures but Bryan is a fire fighter and has been very busy this season. Nicole is an Ag Teacher and so we went for the somewhat ‘western’ theme for the pics. You can just tell that Fall is in the air by looking at these photos–so nice to have an engagement session where it wasn’t 100 degrees outside. I’m looking forward to their wedding at Ritchie’s Barn in Visalia. Stay tuned for wedding pics really soon!
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September evenings at Bass Lake are glorious. Sunsets, water, mountain air, drinks on the patio–a perfect place for a relaxing and intimate wedding. I had been looking forward to seeing Erika and Jason again. I knew Erika had been working hard to make the details of this wedding extra special. She literally hand made all of the decorations, place cards and a mermaid cake topper. My favorite detail that she and her father crafted was this amazing arbor made out of bamboo and used during the ceremony. One of the couples close friends from France officiated the ceremony and along with his wonderful accent was a terrific sense of humor which kept the guests smiling. Erika has a wild affinity for mermaids and actually walked down the aisle to the theme song from “The Little Mermaid” which was so fun. The couple wrote their own wedding vows…I love that, it is so personal and relevant. Guests dined on the patio overlooking the lake while listening to a fabulous local jazz band. It was really a perfect evening. I was so taken by this couples chemistry together…it’s as if they are seeing each other for the first time each and every time they look at one another. Sweet love. The couple is honeymooning in New Zealand…lucky dogs. Cheers!
I don’t know when, I don’t know how, But I know something’s starting right now, Watch and you’ll see, Some day I’ll be, Part of your world…
From the lyrics to Part of Your World, “The Little Mermaid”
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So every once in awhile, I take a break on a weekend and don’t shoot a wedding. On labor day, my husband and I spent the weekend at our home away from home, Carmel, CA. Carmel’s white sand beaches and quaint village are just two reasons to experience this little piece of heaven. This trip, we ventured out to Point Lobos and hiked the entire perimeter of the state park. Those six miles were packed with so much beauty and serenity…the park wesite says it best, “Walk gently. Breathe deeply. Reflect.”. In case you would like to make plans to visit, here is the website and some pics we took along the way.
http://pt-lobos.parks.state.ca.us/
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I fell in love with downtown Clovis last night. I forget how adorable this little town is…a little trip down the American dream. Julianna and Daniel chose to have their engagement pictures taken here because this is where they live and play. It was perfect. When we arrived, much to my surprise there were classic old cars parked along the main street…woo hoo! Naturally, I took advantage of this and used them in the pics. We had a great time visiting a park (with the couples darling little dog, Charlie), and stopping by the laundry mat just for fun. Julianna and Daniel make taking pictures so much fun! They cuddle, play and aren’t afraid to turn on the charm in front of the camera. I was in heaven. Looking forward to their Wolf Lakes wedding next June!
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Baby Natalie was born on August 23, 2009. I had the pleasure of being the photographer at Earl and Mandy’s wedding last November…and ta-da, nine months later here is their precious little girl. Natalie was only 8 days old when we took these pictures. She was so good during the shoot and put up with all of my camera silliness. Congratulations to this beautiful family!
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Oh how I love La Selva Beach, California. Just a hop, skip and a jump from Santa Cruz yet feels so far away from the hustle and bustle. La Selva Beach is a place that seems untouched by time where 1960’s style homes stand proud and the surf motto is “old guys rule”. Melinda and Chris exchanged marriage vows on the sandy shores of this very special place. I was so happy to finish my summer 2009 wedding season here in La Selva with this beautiful couple. Chris’ parents have a lovely home just a rocks throw from the beach which made it very convenient to have the reception in their backyard. The evening was flawless. Guests dined under white lanterns while listening to a fabulous local band. Party favors lined the front entrance of the home…personalized flip flops for everyone. Although our time for couple pictures was limited, thankfully we were able to get some fabulous sunset pictures. Melinda is stunning and her golden hair was a perfect compliment to the sunlit pictures. Since Melinda took the bar exam only weeks ago, she and Chris are well deserving of their Hawaiian honeymoon. Melinda, Chris and Haley are now a family and I am so happy for all of you! Congratulations!
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Melanie and Tony’s wedding is just around the corner and I am so happy to be their wedding photographer. We took the engagement pictures yesterday evening at Quail Lakes in Clovis. As always this time of year, the sun is still hot and intense at 6:30pm but it makes for some great photos. Tony and Melanie are not only passionate about one another, they share a common interest in a non-profit organization that Melanie started while a student at Fresno Pacific. It’s called Russian Impact and it’s focus is on orphan care. Definitely check out there website at: http://russianimpact.org.
I can’t wait for their wedding! The Dotted Apron is catering….yum!
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Usually when I start editing a wedding, I can pick the great shots right off the bat. But, every once in awhile there is a picture that sneaks up on me like I’m seeing it for the first time. The image below is one of those. I just love this picture of Casi…it seems to capture the essence of her beauty and grace so perfectly. So…thought I’d let you in on it and post it to the blog. To see more of Casi and Alex, look at the post: Casi and Alex get Married.
