θρησκευτικός γάμος or church wedding is exactly what happened last Sunday at St. Anthony’s Greek Orthodox Church, where all present witnessed the marriage of Theoni & Pete. I couldn’t help but be jealous of all the wonderful Greek traditions that accompanied this superb wedding day. Every moment was savored and treasured by all and I cried more than once watching Theoni & Pete celebrate their love with their closest family and friends.

This was my first time photographing a Greek Orthodox wedding ceremony and reception so Theoni thought it was only fitting that I start the day off with a shot of Ouzo…woo hoo…so tasty, if you like anise (black licorice), which I adore! I stopped at one shot, which I think was wise, because the videographer looked at me like I was about to get lost in an Ouzo haze and not resurface until the next day. His reaction actually made me a little nervous, but truthfully I never did feel any effect from it…phew - typically I don’t drink a drop on wedding days!! Soon after this, the dancing began…and they danced, and danced, and danced - it was fantastic. Take a look at the slideshow, this was an action packed day: drinks, details, dancing, clarino, ceremony traditions, photo booth, amazing florals & decor, a fantastic reception, lots of guests, lots of money throwing, tons of family, and more dancing!!

Thank you so much Theoni & Pete, I adore you both and hope your lives are as rich with tradition and love as your wedding day was. Thank you also to all the lovely people that made such an amazing day possible:

My team: Meredith and Camilla
Ceremony Site: St. Anthony’s Greek Orthodox Church
Reception Site: Langham Huntington Hotel and Spa
Coordination: Hellenic Designs - Georgia Covell
Florals: Design by Ashley
Invitation: KC Hopper
Hair: Daphne from Salon Sessions - Pasadena
Makeup: Monique Powers

Lynda reminded me last Saturday, during her getting-ready shots, that we had known each other for almost 10 years…I couldn’t believe it!  Had we really started our photography careers 10 years ago at Brooks, wow time flies?  Lynda is an incredibly talented fine art photographer in Los Angeles and has had an amazing post-graduation life, which includes a successful career, a beautiful baby girl, and now a wonderful and loving husband.

It was my first time meeting Jerry that day and I was absolutely blown away by the love between them, it is what I wish for all of my friends and family…a tender, caring, and passionate love.  The whole day was incredible, from the first detail to the last moment.   Thank you so much for including me in such a special day, I hope your trip is fantastic!

A couple of weeks ago I got to spend an afternoon with the Hart girls, it was fantastic!  Rachel is just about to graduate and her Mom thought it would be great to get some portraits done before she heads off to college.  During our shoot I couldn’t help but reflect back to when my sisters and I were still in high school and how much we had ahead of us.  Even though these girls were very mature, there was something really sweet and innocent about them and I missed being in my teen years for a couple of hours. I wouldn’t trade my life now to go back, I love my life now, but I remember my high school days fondly and feel lucky I had such a wonderful childhood.  Thanks for a wonderful shoot girls!

Thanks to Perlette & Jake’s wedding centerpieces, I went home April 25th with a pet fish for my son.  I always wondered what happened with those centerpieces at the end of the night!!  I was hesitant at first, because I have about all the responsibility I can handle right now with a business, a toddler, and trying to sell my house…but I was guilt tripped by one of the wedding guests about how much my son would love a fish.  As it turns out, he was right and we have had many a morning of precious memories together taking care of “Chelsea” fish.  Just thought I should introduce you guys to the newest member of the family!

I have had a great week and have had a lot of fun doing some secret Mother’s Day shoots of Dads and kids.  Way to go Dads…great thinking, the ladies in your life will love the planning and photos of the ones they love most!  Make sure you show the Moms in your life how much you appreciate all that they do next weekend and it doesn’t take a lot of money…remember that in these hard times!

After a very strange hot and cold week, the weather gods presented us with the perfect wedding day for Perlette & Jake yesterday.  I have been excited about this wedding for months, I had a stunning couple and an absolutely awe-inspiring location to work with, I was in photography heaven.  They had some super cute details, like their dogs being the ring bearer and flower girl and donations to fight animal cruelty for favors! All of this and guess who else showed up; the most talented florist around: Lisa and Craig Cardella of Ixora Florist and my favorite wedding planner: Camilla Danison of Your Lovely Event - I was pinching myself all day!

So the location, the location, the location - this wedding was held at the courthouse in Pasadena, but not just any courthouse and not city hall like most people might be thinking, but the Richard H. Chambers Courthouse, also known as the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.  You know that amazing building you see coming into Pasadena on the 134 East, just on the other side of the gorgeous Colorado Street Bridge!  Amazing! Perlette happens to be an incredibly talented lawyer and worked there fresh out of law school so she had the honorable Judge Rymer marry them, it was a fantastic service.

Thank you to everyone involved for putting on such a stunning event for us to capture, it was incredible from beginning to end!  Here are a few of my many many favorites!

I am so lucky!! That’s what I kept thinking Monday afternoon!  I was in Dallas visiting family and got the opportunity to do an engagement session in Historic Carrollton for an amazing couple, Don and Emily.  Don is a great friend and talented photographer himself, based in the Dallas area so it was great to talk shop as we went along! I got there early and was able to scout out some interesting areas just outside of Downtown, I had fun getting lost and doing a little off-roading! I found this great colored siding, railroad bridge, and field which was right next to a gun range we found out half way through the session when the gunfire started…only in TEXAS!! Heehee! I can’t wait for Don and Emily’s Santa Barbara wedding this summer, I’m sure you can see why!!  Amazing couple, gorgeous, and couldn’t be nicer!  Thanks for spending the afternoon with me guys!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JACE!

I know everyone says things like “it seems like you were just born” and “it seems like yesterday you were so tiny” but it doesn’t to me.  We have soaked up every day of the past two years with you and watching you go from a tiny helpless baby into a strong, loud, and proud little man makes time seem longer than normal.  I can just barely remember how unsure we were as first time parents and how fragile you seemed those first weeks. It feels like you have been with us forever.  We love you so much and can’t wait to see what life has in store for all of us. We are in no rush for you to grow up, you are an amazing 2 year old, so much better and more than we could have ever expected!

I know, I know I will never really give Martha Stewart a run for her money, but I can try right?  Our little man just had his 2nd birthday and we threw a little something together for him at the last minute.  I got a little ridiculous and made everything instead of just buying prepared but it was fun!  Here’s my first attempt at a decorated three tiered cake!  We all got a giggle because instead of eating it with his hands Jace bent down to the cake with his mouth and tried all three layers - he looked like he was bobbing for M&Ms!  Here’s a couple of  detail pics, party pics to come!

For those of you who haven’t been introduced to her yet…this is one of my loves - my niece Maddie!  I have been gathering up fun new backdrops and props for kids and I thought today was a great day to steal her away from my sister to test some of them out!  We had a blast, she was a fantastic and cooperative little LA Model!  Isn’t she great?!