“A girl should be two things: classy and fabulous.”  - Coco Chanel

That just about sums up Jordan….a very sweet and gorgeous girl who is as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside.  She’s smart and funny too.  With her bright blonde hair and big beautiful brown eyes, she was a dream to photograph.   But sorry, boys…Jordan has a boyfriend whom she loves very much….

We met up one Saturday morning in downtown for a very short shoot.  I wish I could have had more than an hour with her because she was so fun and sassy, I could have shot for hours and hours.

Classy and fabulous is exactly what we came up with.   And here a few from that morning…

“Do I love you? My God, if your love were a grain of sand, mine would be a universe of beaches.” – William Goldman – The Princess Bride

I met up with Kaydee and Steve at a  Malibu beach on one typical, spring, california beach afternoon….overcast with the sun popping in and out  as if it were winking at us with overwhelming approval.

I love these two – so mellow and easy-going and it really showed through in their pictures.  So did the love they obviously have for each other.  Effortless is the only way to describe it – they make no effort to forcefully adore each other  and yet it is was so exquisite to see what naturally occurred between these two.  Absolute adoration – the type of stuff that might make any man or woman feel a little jealous over. In a good way, of course….

These two will be beginning their life together in August in Long Beach and I am honored that they chose me to be a part of their day.

Here are a few pictures from our afternoon in Malibu…

“We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.”  - Maya Angelou

Stacey has definitely gone through some changes.  Here in about another week, she will be giving birth to Romey – a little girl who will soon meet two older brothers, Brodey and Gradey, at home.  She’ll definitely be a beautiful child.  Just look at her mother.  Absolutely glowing.  Stunning.  Beautiful.  I was honored when Stacey asked me to take a few photos of her before Romey gets here.   She showed up with one of her husbands shirts that she loves to wear and a cute robe.  It was perfect….Hopefully by the time I post this, Romey hasn’t been born yet.  And I can’t wait for Romey to get here…because I want to take her picture too….

Here a just a few from the session.

Gravitation is not responsible for people falling in love.”  - Albert Einstein.

But you wouldn’t know it with Michelle and Berto.  Gravity has nothing on the force that draws these two together.

I met these two on a gorgeous day last month to shoot their engagement in Los Angeles.  And Michelle is definitely my kind of girl:   black nail polish, Christian Louboutin peep-toe pumps (I have a major shoe fetish) and a man who adores her.  A girl really doesn’t need much else….The day was beautiful.  They were beautiful.  Michelle sort of has this Zooey Dechanel look to her and I couldn’t help  staring at these two even when I wasn’t looking at them through the viewfinder of my camera… And it was a beautiful thing to watch these two cuddle, laugh, and have fun.     And love each other.   And it’s going to be a beautiful thing to shoot their wedding in September.   I am looking forward to being a part of the day and being a part of the ‘history of Michelle and Berto’.

Thank you, Michelle and Berto for being so great and easy to  photograph….here are a few from the day.

“Spread love everywhere you go: first of all in your own house. Give love to your children, to your wife or husband, to a next door neighbor… Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier.” – Mother Teresa

I have to say, after spending an afternoon with this beautiful family, I left better and happier.

It was a beautiful afternoon when I met up the Reitsma Family  for a short but sweet session in the wildflowers….Rylee and Russell were happy.  Mom and Dad were happy.  I was happy.  It’s obvious this family shares lots and lots of love at home because you couldn’t help but feel it once we started to shoot….and look!  I have pictures to prove it!!  :)

Here are a few from the day….

“No human relation gives one possession in another—every two souls are absolutely different. In friendship or in love, the two side by side raise hands together to find what one cannot reach alone.”  - Kahlil Gibran

Melissa and Cole have been friends for a very very long time.  And they still are.  Probably best friends if you ask me .   And after spending time with them, I realized that they epitomize what people hope for in their life when it comes to their relationship – friendship and love.   I was in awe watching these two interact. Different but connected by their love  for one another…Cole is a sweet soul who you can tell treasures Melissa.  And it’s obvious that there’s no other human being on earth that Melissa probably loves more.  They laughed, kissed and cuddled  (JUST the stuff I love to shoot).  I watched them thinking to myself, ‘this is exactly what it’s supposed to be like.”  I am really looking forward to shooting their wedding this fall…and being there for the beginning of their life together.  Here’s a few from the day…

…”There is never a time or place for true love. It happens accidentally, in a heartbeat, in a single flashing, throbbing moment.” – Sarah Dressen….

And sometimes, it can happen at a punk rock show.  Jessica and Joe met at a punk show.  Somehow, after I found this out, I totally understood it.  Jessica and Joe are perfect for each other.   Jessica and Joe balance each other perfectly – Jessica is an extrovert and Joe is subtle…and together, they are perfect.  Jessica likes a bit of a bad boy and I think Joe fit the ticket too…(he’s in a band! Jessica couldn’t resist!)

I couldn’t have had more fun with one group of people ever!…The day was fantastic planned with bagpipes accompanying the bride and her father down the aisle, to the fun trip to the old-school Las Vegas sign on Las Vegas Boulevard, to the Go-Go dancers Joe and Jessica hired to escort them into their grande entrance to the tune of “Girls, Girls, Girls” playing in the background.  (The girls stuck around for the entire reception so that made a few people very very happy)….there was a tall guy in a little coat, there was a Dance-off (that the Bride and Groom judged)….and even more than a few games of Twister.  And it I swear, it was perfect….I had so much fun that even I was too tired to do anything else that night.  Jessica and Joe – living proof that sometimes what happens in Vegas, doesn’t always stay in Vegas…..Here is a sneak peek and a few from the day….Thank you, Jessica and Joe, I had so much fun!!  XOXOXO

“I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where. I love you straightforwardly, without complexities or pride; so I love you because I know no other way.” — Pablo Neruda

It was a beautiful fall day  and the weather couldn’t have been more perfect in Pismo Beach, California as family and friends came together to witness the very intimate and beautiful wedding of Michelle and Vincent at Guiseppe’s garden.   I have never had a bride who was so calm and collected all day….like she knew this was her destiny and she was going forward with all the confidence in the world.  And I have to say Vincent was the same way.  It was a beautiful peaceful synergy and it was incredible to see.  And an absolute dream to shoot.  Their happiness shows…

Michelle’s best girlfriends (who were an absolute riot) from grade-school did not miss the event and we even took a few fun photos of these childhood friends.  Michelle and Vince’s family and friends were gracious.  The night flowed perfectly.  I can’t really  explain the peace, love, happiness and absolute joy that enveloped these two all day long except in these 5 words:  there was no other way.

And at the end of this night when I was putting away my gear and I began to feel tired, I took a deep breath and thought to myself, ” Wow. I really am a lucky girl.”  It never ceases to amaze me at that I get to be a part of the beginning of a couple’s life together.  This day was not an exception….Thank you, Michelle and Vincent.  It truly was an honor.   Here are a few from the day….

There isn’t much I can’t say about Megan and Jared….wonderful, beautiful, sweet, in love, and most importantly – MARRIED!  Finally…Megan and Jared met at Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego, California and I had the pleasure of being a part of memorializing the most important day in this couple’s life.  If you remember, I shot Megan and Jared’s engagement last year in San Diego at Point Loma and Coronado.   After their wedding, they will call Florida home as Jared is a professional baseball player playing for the Marlins.

Nothing but love all day long flowed…from the moment I showed up at the hotel room that morning and Megan sweetly did her mother’s make-up; to the tears in her father’s eyes as he danced his dance with his daughter; to the way all the children just flocked to both Megan and Jared; the way Jared’s brothers looked at their girlfriends; the way Jared’s dad held Jared’s Mom; the way a small, cute guest pointed out that he and I were wearing the same shoes….I was just overwhelmed by all the love – which is exactly what every wedding should feel like.

Megan looked absolutely stunning, and Jared looked gorgeous.  I know this is going to sound cliche but these two really did glow all day. Maybe “glow” isn’t the right word.  They radiated.  And never left each other’s side.  Like two little dancing fireflies.  These two had the most perfect day….and then flew off into the evening, just the two of them, still glowing,  with the light of each other to help them guide their way….

Another instant where I’m reminded how lucky I am to be a part of all it.  Thanks to Kenny Hyatt and Marsha Zepeda Walker for their help that beautiful day…Here are a few from the day…

“It is in love that religion exists and not in ceremony-in the pure and sincere love in the heart.” – Vivekananda

It was a beautiful fall day.  It couldn’t have been a more breathtaking setting.  And it couldn’t have been a more beautiful ceremony… Seema and Raghav, surrounded by hundreds of family and friends, married each other and received blessings from all who attended this incredible Hindu ceremony.  Many, many blessings.   Even I was blessed – blessed to have been a part of their day and honored as well.  Their families and friends were so gracious that it really was hard to remember that I actually was working that day….The ceremony was incredible and finished with songs of the Beatles, starting with ‘Here Comes the Sun’, playing in the background as Seema and Raghav were greeted and blessed by every single person who attended.

The day started with the gorgeous ceremony, and ended with a western reception at Bakersfield Country Club.  The crowd was unsurpassed when it came to celebrating their marriage.  And all that set aside, watching ( as I usually do from the dark corners of the reception venue) Seema and Raghav look at each other and hold each other, I was reminded that pure and sincere love does exist.  And I was reminded about how blessed I was to be there to witness it.

Here are a few from that unforgettable day…