This wedding a was a little more traditional than the ones we normally shoot, but we just love this couple so much. We got to do their school bus engagement shoot {because they’re both teachers} and instantly hit it off. They’re just so dang nice!!! Also, their last name is Miles and our sons name is Myles, small world! haha. We had so much fun with them all day. We also got to work with our friends over at Shade Tree Films again, always a pleasure :] The only bad note left of the day was from THE craziest church coordinator {NOT the wedding day coordinator, she was great} we have ever had the displeasure of coming in contact with. We were warned by the bridal party that this woman was crazy, she tried to kick the flower girl out of the wedding for walking too slow during the rehersal. I thought it would be nothing I hadn’t seen but I was SO wrong. I’ve never met a coordinator that could make me shake in anger within 10 minutes of meeting. I won’t go into crazy detail {all the details are crazy} but lets just say she threatened to kick us out numerous times and I told her to go ahead and try it…. haha.

I CANT STAND coordinators who think they are there to run {ruin} the couples day. Stop being so bossy and yelling at everyone, it’s not about you, it’s about them. Rule after rule after dirty look after threat. I’d love to see her try to kick out the photographers {and videographers who she also threatened} in the middle of the ceremony when her main fear is us making any noise or being noticed in any way, haha.

AAAANNYYYWWAAAY, sorry about the tangent… I just can’t stand unprofessional people that forget what the wedding is about. Here is Brandon and Malia’s awesome day! They were married at the Mission Basilica in San Juan Capistrano.

This was the moment when they were doing a first… hand hold. They didn’t want to see each other before the ceremony but they wanted to say hi! It was quickly ruined by the church coordinator from hell who yelled at them for being late and said it’s too late to take photos. She then stood in front of my camera to keep me from shooting the moment. I wanted to kick her in the face…. so bad. So did the entire bridal party, haha.

I love this shot!

smores!!!

Whenever we work with Shade Tree Films it tends to end in a dance party with borderline inappropriate moves too close to each other, haha.

and abuse of the photo booth.

Looks like they needed to squat down a bit, haha

You might remember one of my best friends Jason and April from their engagement shoot or their maternity shoot, but they just had her first little baby and I am SO SO SO excited! I was bummed that I wouldn’t get to meet her until she was close to a month old, but we booked a very last minute wedding down in California so we headed down there last weekend. They were our first stop and right when we walked through the door she handed me little Eisley. This is one of the prettiest little babies I have ever seen, she looks just like her mama. There was no planned photo shoot, I just brought along my camera in case it came up. The second I saw that baby I couldn’t resist photographing her! She’s just so flippin cute!

April had a 69 HOUR labor!!!! WHAT the crap… I thought my 30 was intense. She was actually there for my home birth, well, part of it. It took so long and he came so many days late that she ended up having to fly home in the middle of it {after pushing her flight back 3 times} and she missed it by 12 hours! She didn’t get to meet Myles until he was 11 weeks old, it was a bummer. I’m so glad I got to meet little Eisley when she was just 2 weeks old.

On a side note, our new blog/website is so close to being done!!! We are so excited for our very needed update! I can’t wait for it to go live!

I asked April to share a quick version of her birth story, here it is:

A few months back we were down in CA for a few shoots and one day decided to take Myles to the beach for the first time. He was finally old enough not to just sit there and eat sand or fall face first into it. It was such a fun and perfect day. We got there and it was overcast but so warm out. Our hair got instantly puffy from the salty air and humidity and we took a ferry ride across to Balboa Island. Gray and I love Balboa island, we both grew up coming there, eating frozen bananas and playing in the arcade along the ocean. It’s one of the best places for a kid to explore. Myles loves to ocean. Whenever we take him to see to ocean at home and gets giddy and squeals uncontrollably, so we knew he’d be in his happy place with an ocean he can actually play in and enjoy. The first time he tocuhed the sand he was hooked. He slowly dug his little hands down into the cool sand and just analyzed it for a while. At home in WA we have rock beaches, not soft sand. Soon he let loose and ran to the water, playing and exploring.

We chased waves, ran after seagulls and he was just giddy the entire time. It was the perfect day.

Touching sand for the first time was just fascinating to little  hands

As soon as we got to the big beach he got down to his diaper and a shirt,  got on all fours and slowly slid onto his tummy, digging his little hands and feet into the sand. He was so happy.

So… happy

David and Brittany were a shy, cute little couple that we dragged {willingly} to an old parking structure in Fullerton. I sort of have a weak spot for really industrial looking spaces with amazing light, I can’t help it. We just ran around causing a ruckus and going to town with some parking cones. Yep… that was this shoot. Enjoy.

My best friend is {well, was, she had him already} having a baby! Sara has been my best bud since I was 17 and we got to be each others maid of honor for our weddings and be back to back pregnant! Sadly she lives in California and we now live in Washington, but we still get to visit pretty often when we’re down for weddings. We just love this family so much and love any excuse to take photos for them. We got to shoot their engagement as well! Hudson was super excited to be a big brother {as you can tell} and we were so excited to meet that baby!!!!!

We shot around my old stomping grounds of Corona, CA. I’s been coming up to these hills with my dad and brother to hike since I was probably 3 years old and love this place. It was nice to shoot some of my favorite people here too.

We had the pleasure of shooting these two again, once before in a giant tulip field for their engagement shoot. Rick and Nicole {who won my heart by buying me fudge and bringing along an adorable pup} got married at Salish  Lodge in Snoqualmie, WA. One of the awesome things about shooting in Washington is we get to explore the amazing state we live in. We’d never been here but heard all kinds of fuss about it. It’s bea-u-tiful! Their ceremony site overlooked this huge, awesome waterfall as did their balcony reception. These two are awesome, same as they were last time.. and just a hoot all around.

This first photo is the view from the room Nicole got ready in… not too shabby.

Mr. Snazzy Socks

uuummm….whose that guy on the end? Is that one of the photographers? :]

Little Pennington got to lead the way back down the isle

Do you remember that AMAZING Super Hero Wedding we shot a couple years back?  Well, Alex and James had a kid and he is a little stud.  We had the pleasure of getting to shoot them again and it was a good time to say the least. We love when we get to see our couples from past years grow.  We took a little trip down to LA and spent the day in their stomping grounds.  Enjoy!!!

Traditionally we tend to shoot out in the woods, in barns, etc. (and we LOVE it!).  But every once in a while we get to shoot in a more modern setting and have a BLAST.  Mitch + Michelle got married at the SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills and let us tell you… this place is NIIIICE!  We met M + M a while back while doing their engagement shoot and immediately saw that they loved having fun.  Just up our alley Lina Wallace of A Stunning Affair and her amazing crew did a fantastic job planning everything (she is the best of the best!).

We LOVE the tradition of Jewish Weddings.

Mitch is a dentist, so of course there will be toothbrushes if candy is present.

Surprise flash mob during the first dance!

Just happened to be Mitch’s mom’s birthday too.

Mitch is definitely a ham.  He told us that he would be our model whenever we needed him.  We’ll keep you in mind Mitch.

Chairs UP!

April and Jason are pregnant!!!! These two have been my friends for years and years. I met April at a dance club when we were 19, our eyes met across the dance floor.. hahaha. We got to shoot their engagement and  I was a brides maid in their wedding {as she was in mine}. AAANNDD they met at our wedding!!! WWWHHATT! So now they’re making a friend for Myles, little Eisley Helen  Paul.

Gray and I spent the morning running to thrift stores all over Orange County to collect pretty sheets for the idea I wanted to do for this shoot. They came over and we just hung out and took some photos, it was a good time. I CANT WAIT to meet this baby!!!

We used some of the bottled they used to decorate their wedding, picked some flowers around the yard!

I met the Smith’s long, long ago back when we were all wee teens at a bible study. Aaron and I were good friends and Jen and I took some college classes together. A while later, Jen Smith and Aaron Smith got married.. making a new and improved bunch of Smiths! I even shot their wedding years ago!! Now they have a little bean.. although he’s not so little, haha. Little 3 month old Elliot weights 15 pounds! In our family, that’s really big. Myles is 14 months and weighs 19/20 pounds, haha.

Anyway, we decided it was time for a family shoot so we got together and took some photos! Jen went out and got this beautiful quilt for the shoot and I was instantly in love! I’ve been doing  lot of sewing, making quilts and I just love them. I search endlessly for them in antique stores with no luck. We hiked up a big hill overlooking the city and shot away. It was such a fun shoot. There is something about mamas and babies that just gets me every time. I LOVE shooting new families, they’re always so excited and babies are just too dang cute! We caught up while shooting, talked about what we’re all doing now and just had an easy, fun time. After the shoot Jen and Aaron GAVE me this amazing quilt! I was speechless and so thankful! That was so sweet of them! We just did this shoot last weekend but I loved it so much I wanted to see it up on the blog now.