Vanessa & Monte: Wedding – Hummingbird Ranch

May 16, 2013April 6, 2014Leave a comment

With each wedding I get to shoot, I become more appreciative in times when I get to be “just a guest.” On this awesomely special day in May, I got to be one at my high school friend, Vanessa’s wedding.

We attended a private, all-girl, Catholic high school, and while we were there, I strengthened my foundation of female friendships. We were all about the girl power back then; the power of our minds, the power of our voices, but most of all, the power of our hearts. Vanessa was the quintessential power gal. She was always one of those girlfriends who I could depend on for help with schoolwork, a good laugh, and best of all, honest, yet heartfelt advice.

Graduation forced our separation (off to UCLA she went, and down to UCIrvine I went), but each time we get together for dinner or a celebration, it’s like no time has passed between us. She has the same joyful smile and laugh she did when we were 16, her sarcasm is ever present and that gorgeous heart of hers is still there.

Monte is one lucky man to have stolen my friend’s heart, and I’m so happy Vanessa has found a lifelong companion in him. Their wedding was beautiful. No amount of drizzle or chilly wind could dampen such a blessing of a day.

Amanda & Paolo: Wedding – San Diego, CA

April 2, 2013August 24, 20131 Comment

“I’m engaged, Ate!” he said. (For anyone who doesn’t speak Tagalog, “Ate” pronounced Ah-teh, is how Filipinos address older sisters and older female cousins.)

*crickets*

“Ate? Hello? Say something!”

It had only been 2013 for about five days, and I was sitting in traffic on my way home from work when my cousin, PJ called to tell me the news. He was engaged…to someone I’d never met, because they’d only been dating a short while. Would “shock” be an appropriate word to describe how I felt when he told me? Sure, but I’d call it more of an understatement because I literally, in those five seconds after hearing his news, couldn’t talk.

I’d always thought of PJ as a little brother, and because each of us grew up as an only child for so many years (until my sister was born), it was an easy relationship to categorize. I worried like an older sister when he joined the air force, celebrated when he became a nurse, and now that he was engaged, the first thing I wanted to say was, “It’s too soon and you’re too young.” But I realized, eventually, that love has its own unique timeline for everyone and at 30, he wasn’t too young at all; just to me, who still saw him as a little boy.

The two months after that phone call whizzed by, because PJ and his fiancé, Amanda, didn’t feel it necessary to use an entire year to plan a huge wedding, when all they wanted was to be husband and wife, and have their family and friends there to celebrate. So on a beautiful March Friday in San Diego, PJ donned his air force uniform, Amanda wore a cute dress and skirt bottom from H&M (who knew they could dress a bride so beautifully?!) and my little cousin became someone’s husband.

The ceremony was held on the front lawn of the San Diego Downtown Courthouse, a hearty lunch was had at a nearby restaurant and a casual, fun-filled cocktail reception on the rooftop of the W Hotel concluded the celebration.

Happy Marriage Wishes, you two!!

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Angelina & Jesse: Wedding – San Luis Obispo, CA

March 7, 2013August 24, 20132 Comments

Having basically a girls’ weekend up in beautiful San Luis Obispo with my buddy, Tam, isn’t exactly what I’d call “work,” but we did manage to get in some labor of sorts to shoot my awesome co-worker, Jesse’s, wedding to his beautiful bride, Angelina.

I’d been battling an awful flu that week, but with the help of antibiotics, good ol’ dependable NyQuil and a lot of prayers, I won in the end. Actually, I have Angelina to thank for giving me the extra boost of health in the end, because when I walked into her room and saw her getting ready with her mom, sister, soon-to-be mom-in-law and sister-in-law, excitement for her and Jesse took over.

Jesse and Angelina didn’t have the typical 12-hour long wedding day. It actually wasn’t a “day” at all. To make the most out of their weekend with friends and family who were visiting from out of town, Jesse and Angelina made their happy day a happy 2-days at the lovely Sycamore Springs Mineral Resort.

Their intimate ceremony of 15 felt like 150, with the amount of love you just couldn’t help but feel, especially from their parents and sisters. The bride and groom each come from such close-knit families, and after that morning, they created a new one. After some alone time at one of their favorite places, Laeticia Vineyard & Winery (alone time with their photographers, that is), they hosted a happy hour that same evening with friends and relatives who were in town, and the next day, they hosted a cocktail lunch with all the reception trimmings, including speeches that had everyone laughing as well as crying.

Thanks so much, Jesse and Angelina, for letting us be part of such a fun and special weekend!

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