Blessed Child: Natalia’s Baptism

February 18, 2012May 15, 2012Leave a comment

Baptisms are probably one of my favorite celebrations. Surrounded by family and friends, a little baby is welcomed officially into his/her Catholic faith. What a wonderful moment to witness!

On this special day, at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Downtown L.A., little Natalia had her turn. Her mom is my awesome friend, Grace, who I met through a retreat a few years ago. Though we don’t see each other that often, it’s always such a heartwarming time when we do meet, and I was more than honored she asked me to help document Natalia’s baptism.

She and her husband, Jorge, their older daughter, Olivia aka Livie and little Natalia are this wonderful, loving family and I feel so privileged to have helped keep this unique day a memorable one.

Nice & Sweet: Hiyas & Jerald

February 15, 2012May 15, 2012Leave a comment

So nice. So sweet. So made for each other. I can’t think of any words to better describe Hiyas and Jerald.

Like I’ve said many times before, I love second shooting for someone, and a few months ago, I had the honor of doing so for my very talented friend, Quoc Ngo. And like I always do when I’m assisting, I cover any and everything that the primary photographer asks. On this special day, Quoc entrusted me to cover the groom and the groomsmen.

I’m not an expert at posing guys, especially a group of them. But Jerald and his groomsmen were so nice and so funny, that I barely had to do any directing. And the groom, well, let’s just say what you see in a photo is what you would get in person. Jerald is such a nice guy and it’s only fitting for someone like him to be paired with a sweetie pie like Hiyas.

After a beautiful ceremony at St. Charles Borromeo in North Hollywood, they celebrated at Calimigos Equestrian in Burbank.

Happy days ahead to you, Hiyas and Jerald!

For the Girls: Cecile’s Bridal Shower Weekend

February 11, 2012May 3, 2012Leave a comment

We had spent a few days on the lovely island of O’ahu just a couple of weeks before, but for my dear friend Cecile, one celebration before her wedding simply wasn’t enough. During a gorgeous weekend in February, we rented a house in Hollywood and threw the bride-to-be a small bridal shower, followed by a Harry Potter themed pre-party, followed by a bachelorette evening partying at nearby Crown Bar.

All the gals dressed in their Sunday best that lovely Saturday afternoon, we played games, ate, watched Cile open gift bags and boxes galore of lingerie and other fun stuff…and then we ate some more, courtesy of the culinary wiles of Riann, Bev, Rachey, Leia, Porto’s Bakery and our talented friend, Jenn, who made all the sweet treats.

It was a tiring weekend but our bride had a memorable time, which made all the preparation totally worth it. Love you lots, Cile!!!