This whole thing came about when I met Jackie. I met her at a bridal show when she stopped at my booth and I instantly LOVED her. She had the cutest personality and sense of style. Apparently the feeling was mutual and soon we were meeting over coffee and talking weddings and photography. Jackie told me how she is getting married in her hometown of Chicago this fall and (bummer) had already hired a local photographer to shoot it. Though she is crazy excited for her Chicago wedding, she was an avid Style Me Pretty, Green Wedding Shoes, and Once Wed reader and had just been dreaming and swooning over the idea of a California wedding. She even had some dream vendors lined up for it, like florals by Honey and Poppies. She knew two full blown weddings weren’t in the budget…but perhaps a styled Mr. & Mrs love shoot could work!

Jackie and her charming fiance Tony are uber hip and stylish. They look like modern hippies and ooze that relaxed cool vibe. I helped them translate that vibe into a lovely Hippie inspired shoot out in the desert…Joshua Tree to be exact! And since it was to be a mini, California dream wedding, we HAD to have Jackie’s dream florist make the arrangements. As usual, Megan of Honey and Poppies knocked it out of the park and created some swoon worth florals!

My love, Amber, of Pitbulls and Posies created some amazing stationery for the shoot! Hope Stanley chose the perfect look for Jackie to wear. And Jackie’s headband was made by the always breath-taking Lo Boheme!! The talented Susie Chhuor Studio completed Jackie’s look with amazing hair & make up (though the desert wind sure did seem determine to mess up Jackie’s hair all day!). Lastly, I asked my friend Candice to come along and help me style the shoot! All in all it was a dream team, and Jackie’s reaction to the final set up was one of pure joy! She told me it was all she wanted and more and that she was so happy to be getting her dream California wedding! Hooray!!!!

I’m so excited to share these photos with y’all! They are some of my faves to date! Hugeeee thank you to all the amazing vendors who worked on this shoot!

Floral Design: Honey and Poppies – http://honeyandpoppies.com/
Stationery: Pitbulls & Posies – http://pitbullsandposies.com/
Wardrobe Styling: Hope Stanley – http://hsbridalstylist.blogspot.com/
Dress: Mary Me Bridal – http://marymebridal.com/
Hair Adornments: Lo Boheme  – www.loboheme.com
Hair + Make-up: Susie Chhuor Studio -  http://www.susiechhuor.com/
Set Styling: Candice Benjamin – http://candicebenjamin.com/

The sweetheart table was TO DIE FOR!!!!!

The stationery Amber made had the CUTEST motifs! Feathers & cactus! LOVE!

I loved the brass containers Megan used to show off the different blooms and succulents! So lovely! Brides hoping to create a similar look should ask their florist if they can provide such containers and/or start going to flea markets and thrift stores throughout wedding planning to collect the goodies!

These details?? SWOON!!!! I LOVE that Tony wore a light colored suit! And I loved Jackie’s look of layered necklaces and bangle bracelets! While traditional diamonds and pearls make lovely wedding day accessories, I think it’s really fun to see colored stones (turquoise!!) and a funkier approach to jewelry!

Jackie, you are GORGEOUS!!!!!!!

There are literally a MILLION reasons why I love Megan’s floral arrangements. Reason #18976? She wrapped this bouquet with crepe paper streamers!!

Ahhhh! Jackie & Tony you are too cute for words!!!!!!! I’m literally SPEECHLESS!

ADORE!

These two are so flirty cute together! LOVES it!

We DIY’d ribbon wands for this shoot! (Which takes like two seconds and basically involves tying ribbon to a stick just fyi). They really made for some FUN photos!

Puttin’ that desert wind to good use!

In addition to a sweetheart table, we created this little lounge area so the two could just relax and enjoy each other. This is Jackie + Tony being themselves! Laughing and just living in the moment!

Adorable right?!!!

Check out all the photos from this shoot on Style Me Pretty!

Maria is from Argentina and Nick is from Turkey, so when they married stateside so far from both their families, they chose to just have a low-key courthouse ceremony. And that meant they never got any wedding photos. So I was thrilled to hear that they fell in love with Zoe & Nima’s wedding images and they wanted me to capture some anniversary images for them! It may be several years late, but now Maria & Nick have some GORGEOUS wedding photos they can proudly display and share! And that makes me so happy!!!

Maria & Nick chose to do their session at El Matador Beach in Malibu! The location fit them perfectly– relaxed, natural, warm, beautiful. I am just in love with the photos!! And I’m also in love with Maria & Nick! They were so sweet, so interesting, and so much fun to hang out with!!! I’m telling you this session was everything I love about my job and more!! And now… the pictures…

We started the session on the bluffs above the beach…

These two worked it out like super models and did it SO effortlessly! I’m gonna say it has to do with their innate international flair!

That light! Swoon!!!!

I love this photo! It really shows how much FUN these two have together!

Laughter and Love are my favorite.

Love the warm sunset light!!!!

Maria, you are adorable!!!!

GORGEOUS!

Awwww….I just loooove this one! All the pretty colors!

The sunset looks good on Maria & Nick!!

We trashed the dress little by little. First, they walked on the shoreline as the water lapped up on their feet.

A little bit of fun dancing…

And then BAM! Water! In wedding clothes!! Fabulous!!! See what I mean about fun and liberating?!

Vanessa worked it in the water like nobody’s business! Fierce, I tell you! FIERCE!

Trashing the dress doesn’t have to only mean being in the water you know! Not at all! For example, you can get sexy in the sand!

REAL sexy!!!

Oh. Em. Gee. I am in total love with the fabulousness here. The sky! The light! The water! The most gorgeous and ferosh couple ever! Love. Love. LOVE!

And back in the water! ‘Cause, really, being in the water is SO FUN!

Work it out you two! Work it oooooouuutttttt!

I love this!!

This shot was the PERFECT way to end the session! I just LOVE it!

My fab photog friend Pinky agreed to shoot with me, and being a Oahu local, made all the arrangements! She got her good friends Vanessa and Pat to model for us! Vanessa and Pat have been married for eight years! So this kind of worked out to be an anniversary session for them!!

What struck me the most about Vanessa and Pat was that they acted like newlyweds all day. They were in young, puppy-love!! I love that they were having so much fun together, and how Pat can make Vanessa laugh so easily! And I loved that these two were in their own little world and pranced on the beach like it was just the two of them! I really couldn’t have asked for a more perfect couple to photograph on the most perfect beach. It was truly an incredible experience and I am just in love with how the photos turned out!

So in love that I will be posting more from their session later this week! So stay tuned for that! But for now, please check out round one of Vanessa and Pat’s Mr. and Mrs. session on Lani Kai!

We started the session off on the sand. We wanted to work our way up to getting them in the water! So first they rocked it out on the dry parts of the beach! hehe

Vanessa has the best laugh!! Her face totally lights up and it’s totally contagious! When she starts laughing, everything gets brighter! Love it!

Aughhhh! Vanessa! You are GORGEOUS!

I love how these two can just  let loose and be themselves in front of the camera!

Vibrant. Fabulous and Fierce. Totally my style. Totally in LOVE!

Pat you are pretty handsome yourself!!

Vanessa! Work it out mama!!! You are so stunning!!! Pat is a lucky man!!

There’s that laugh again! This photo is so fun and joyful! I just love it!!

Ahhh! That light!!! Swoon!!!!

Aren’t these two just gorgeous?! Stay tuned later this week for Part 2 of this session! You will see how Vanessa TOTALLY trashed her dress! It was pretty amazing!!! You don’t wanna miss it!!

Dani and Tony have a dynamic to their relationship which reminds me of me and AJ. Dani is such a fun girl! She has an amazing sense of style and knows how to rock the camera. I love how confident and outgoing she is. Tony is more the quiet, shy type. But he is so caring and strong and always watching out for Dani. He gives his hand when she needs it, he has a strong shoulder for her to lean on, and gives her tender kisses on the cheek just to show his love. It is so very sweet and I was so giddy to get to document this exciting phase in their relationship! I am so happy I got to meet such a stylish, sweet and fun couple and I cannot wait to see where the future takes them! I know there is a lot of excitement ahead!!!

And now, photos!!!

Dani brought cute little props which I LOVE LOVE LOVE! It’s the little things that can really add some extra fun flavor to a session!

You two are STUNNING!!!

Dani, you are GORGEOUS girl!!!

Mmmmhmmm. These two are steamy! Yep it’s true!

Tony you are not so bad on the eyes yourself!

To view more of this fun Griffith Observatory Mr. and Mrs. session, check out the slide show below!!

I have to thank these two for still rocking the shoot despite all the madness with the Lakers finals! But when you get an opportunity to shoot at the Viceroy, well sports has got to wait! LOL!! I also want to give major thanks to Megan Gray of Honey & Poppies for ROCKING Susannah’s bouquet &  Justin’s boutonniere. I’ve said before but Megan is INSANELY talented and designs some of the most stylish and unique florals ever. It’s always fresh & exciting with Megan, and if I got to work with her at every wedding that would be a dream come true! Seriously brides, RUN don’t walk! I also gotta thank Kristin Brancaleone of The Treasured Petal (who by the way also designs amazing florals) for providing Susannah’s *FABULOUS* birdcage veil/cocktail hat! Seriously stunning! And also Miss Annie May for providing the beautiful jewelry that Susannah wore! Simply gorgeous!!! Lastly, gotta holla to my friend Elena Galaviz & her friend Liz for rocking the hair & make up!!!!

I love laughter. I think people are prettiest when they are genuinely laughing!

Susannah you are FIERCE. And Justin ain’t bad on the eyes either!

And be sure to check out the SLIDESHOW below! It’s set to the tune of one of my fav songs ever! “Love Today” by Mika.

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Melissa and Miguel are so sweet with each other. We shot on a rainy day, and Miguel was so careful to carry Melissa’s train, and make sure she didn’t step in puddles, and when her necklace broke (yes, her necklace broke…sad!!) he made sure to collect the beads up in a hurry! That’s a good man right there folks! A man who cares about your jewelry But really, these two are just so sweet together, so tender, so loving. I can tell it’s a timeless love. A love that will go down in history. And for a timeless love, what better than an Old Hollywood themed Mr. and Mrs. session?!? I loved shooting these two, and loved the images we created

Melissa and Miguel, thanks for everything!! And again thanks to Elena for making Melissa looks extra gorgeous, and thanks to Emalou’s Stuff For Do’s for providing the hair flower! And thanks to my girl Christina for inviting me to join her give away, and for picking such a fabulous couple!!

I love this picture! Its so steamy!!!

Melissa, you are too gorgeous for words!

1. Gummy Vitamins for Adults. Yes, you read that right. This week I bought myself some gummy multi-vitamins made for adults. For years I had been lamenting the fact that when I was child all we had were nasty chewables, and these new kiddos get gummy bears for vitamins, and now I have to buy adult swallowables. How UNFAIR. Apparently I’m not the only one who feels this way, because One A Day now makes adult gummy vites, or as I like to call them “vita-yums!” Unfortunately they are more like a fruit snack taste than a true gummy bear taste…but you gotta take what you can get I guess. Now if only calcium came in gummies! I’d be all up on that!! Come on One Day, make me some calci-yums!!! You know you want to
2. Project Runway. This show never gets old. I LOVE it. My favorite part is obviously…Tim Gunn!!! I LOVE TIM GUNN. I wish he would follow me around in life and advise me on my fashion choices. We could be bff and shop at Fred Segal and go see musicals together and maybe enjoy high tea. Yes, that’s the kinda life we’d live, Tim and I. But I also love Project Runway for the fashion, the drama, and that one dude who is always hilarious. This season that dude is Anthony. His designs are a bit hit-or-miss, but oooh honey-child! I love me some Anthony! I will cry if he gets kicked off because he is life of the season!
3. Washington DC. This week I bought our tickets to DC !! I was lucky enough to book a wedding there this summer, which is SOOO COOL! I LOVE traveling and love shooting outside of SoCal. It’s really a treat. AJ and I decided to get into town a bit early to celebrate what will be our one year anniversary, so that will be really cool! I’m looking forward to going to the Space Museum (the highlight of my DC trip when I was a kid)..but what I’m really really looking forward to is eating at Ben’s Chili Bowl, Horace & Dickie’s, and Granville Moore’s. Yum yum.
4. Sleeping In. To say I am not a morning person would be an understatement. If I am up before 10:00am stay out of my way, because I am very evil before that time. Well, evil might be extreme. But grumpy certainly is not. My favorite part of working from home is no alarms and getting up when I want.  If I can make this a full time reality I will be the happiest girl ever!!!
5. Cream and Cheese. You want to know how to make something taste a whole lot better? Add cream and cheese. Case in point- last week we tried cooking Collard Greens from our CSA box. We did a traditional southern recipe and it was an epic failure. Not sure if it was our fault and we did something wrong, or if its just not a taste I like. But I gagged and was nauseated the whole evening. The collards brought me down! So needless to say, when they were in our box again we were a bit fearful. We hate to waste food and are so proud of our seasonal, local, organic, veggie-lovin’ selves. This collard green thing had to be conquered. So what did we do? We smothered those green babies in CREAM and RICOTTA CHEESE. And the result? DELICIOUS! Just goes to prove that cheese & cream fix everything! Amen!

And now here is a teaser from this weekend’s Mr. & Mrs session! More coming soon!

That’s why “Day After” ( be it Trash-The-Dress or Mr. & Mrs) sessions are so fun! You get the opportunity to let loose in your fancy wedding clothes– this time without a strict time-line or worrying about dirtying up your dress. You can also try out some fun accessories that you didn’t get to wear on your big day! I get asked to distinguish what the difference is between Trash-The-Dress and Mr. & Mrs… They are both very similar style shoots, so here’s how I approach the two: Trash The Dress can be done with just the bride, or with bride and groom, but the implication is that you are really going to be fearless when it comes to getting your dress dirty. There are different ways to dirty up the dress– in the ocean, in a grungy urban area, in the forest, or hoping in a fountain! The options are endless and make for truly edgy pictures! A Mr. & Mrs. session is more a couples shoot for the bride & groom– the point being to get a few more extra fun & romantic pictures in your wedding attire. Sure the dress might get a bit dirty, but you aren’t going for the “let’s soak it or roll around in the mud” vibe.

Now that I’ve cleared that up, let’s look at the Mr. & Mrs!

The other fabulous thing about this shoot was that Czrena was up for anything! We went down to the Ballona Creek bike path, up to a playground, and then into a water fountain! Yep, we pretty much covered our bases. And the results? Well just take a look…

Also– special thanks to Susie Chhuor for doing Czrena’s hair & make up! Susie does fabulous work! Check her out asap!