Blog

Featured ::: 100 Layer Cake, Our Wedding!

2012-02-16T23:03:49Z

I'm so thrilled 100 Layer Cake featured our wedding earlier this week. I had so much fun planning our day, working on all the details and making sure everything was just right. I wish I could plan other weddings too, sorta ;) It's interesting how having my own wedding has changed the dynamic between my relationship with my clients. Sometimes it takes really being able to say "I know how you feel.." to help better connect with my brides. It's changing the way we communicate and also how I shoot at weddings.

There were so many helping hands during the entire process and on the big day. Our friend Angi gave us the gift of gorgeous photos and all of our vendors worked so hard to make sure our vision came together -- and it did!

I think my favorite part of being engaged was seeing and hearing how many people really cared about us and wanted to help in whatever way they could. So, so, so much love was showered on us during our 6 month engagement, it's one of the best feelings I have ever experienced.

I have a couple tips for you brides to be :::

1. It's all overwhelming, but it doesn't have to be crazy, mind-boggling overwhelming. Don't be afraid to delegate to others. If you're on a tight budget, stop looking at things you can't afford! There's always another way and it's usually better because it took a little more time, thought, and creativity to come up with. There are so many options, styles, and themes but do your best to narrow it down so everything is coherent. Pick a couple things that are your favorite and build around that. For us it was the color gold, a love for balloons, and simplicity. Also, do your homework and price check. I'm sure my bridesmaids might have thought I was going a little crazy, but hopefully I was manageable and seeing everything come together was well worth it.

2. The simplier, the better. Don't get caught up in complicated processes - - pick and choose your battles. I chose to be complicated with our invitations, but everything else was really simple, although specific. We did our own flowers, centerpieces, and other decor. Most things were DIY which gave me the freedom to decide on how much I wanted to spend. It's easy to get caught up in wedding trends when you're looking at blogs, but ask yourself, will this still be relevant in 20 years or will it just seem silly or frivilous. Beautiful doesn't mean extravagant or hip.

3. Set priorities & stay organized. Allow yourself to have a couple big non-negotiables, but for the rest, you have to be a little flexible knowing that not every detail will work out perfectly. For us it was our venue, Hawaiian breakfast meal, and our photographer. Also, we went on a more low-key honeymoon which gave us more room in our wedding day budget. Also, after your wedding day, you are SOOOO tired. Don't plan a trip to a destination that will keep you on the go. You don't want to feel pressured to go see everything, you will want some rest and relaxation. As for organization, keep a folder of all your expenses, receipts, and contact information for each vendor. Also print out photos of your inspiration boards, so when you reference things, such as "gold letters" your vendors will know exactly what you mean. Print off a couple copies to leave with each vendor. This will keep your mind at ease knowing everyone is on board.

4. If possible, get married outdoors or with a venue that allows for a bit of both. This is definitely a personal preference and I realize a lot of indoor venues are gorgeous, but if you want creamy, God-given well-lit photos, outdoors it is! Plus, your guests can feel free to roam, enjoy the scenery and get fresh air. There's just something magical about the outdoors that indoor venues have a difficult time trying to replicate.

5. Last and not least, at the end of the day, it's about marriage, not colors, flowers, or your dress. It's about a celebratory union between you and yours and the merging of families. Don't let the things take precedence over the relationships you are building. As long as you keep that in mind, your day will be filled with joy regardless of any unforeseen hiccups that may occur. It will be wonderful knowing your family and friends are surrounding you in full support as you take your biggest steps yet.

Happy Valentine's Day ::: Year 1

2012-02-15T00:40:51Z

Happy Valentine's Day to my one and only! Looking forward to many many more and seeing our love grow! And also Happy Valentine's Day to all of my past and current clients, wishing you all a splendid day with the ones you love --- I'm thankful to be a snippet in your story.

*photo from our wedding day via Angi Welsch

Hawaii Wedding at the Hale Koa ::: Chris + Mel

2012-02-06T22:26:08Z

Wow, this wedding was back in September and is finally making it's way to the blog. My, my. Shooting this wedding meant a lot to me personally and professionally. Chris, the groom, has been a friend for many years. He's quite literally the nicest guy you'll meet. I'm sure he's tired of hearing it, but I think it really says a lot when kindess is the first thing people say about someone's character. I was so excited to hear that Chris was engaged but knew I probably wouldn't be able to attend the wedding since I'm in LA and it was taking place in Hawaii. Luckily for me Chris' fiancé Mel really loved my work! We were able to work out a trade since Chris and his brother shoot wedding videography and were available to capture our wedding day footage back in May. I had a great time shooting their lovely wedding with the help of my friend and assistant, Amber. Their day was really special to me, I know that sounds corny, but their story was a decade in the making and it was surreal to see them take the next step of marriage. Love to you both :)
P.S. Stay on the lookout for some "day-after" photos!

Portraits ::: Tara

2012-01-26T19:23:30Z

Tara is one of my nearest and dearest here in LA. We met the summer David and I started dating and we get togther almost every week to hang out, make crafts or cocktails (or both), watch movies and SHOP. She and her husband, another David, have become great friends these past couple of years. Tara does background work and has been on many tv shows, commercials, and movie sets - - I love spotting her in How I Met Your Mother, specifically the "Woo Girls" episode :) We did some portraits a while back for her portfolio and had a lot of fun traipsing around Silver Lake. Love to you my friend :)

Santa Monica Engagement ::: Tanya + Morten

2012-01-20T17:18:46Z

It's been a pleasure working with Tanya and Morten thus far and I'm so excited for their wedding in just a few short months - it is going to be amazing - I cannot wait to see how everything comes together. It's been a great experience from the beginning, meeting up at the Alcove for brunch (two of my favorite things) to talk about photos (three of my favorite things), although much of our conversation revolved around our food obsession and my upcoming trip to Austin, where Morten is from and different places to check out in LA.

For their engagement session we went to the Santa Monica Pier, ate some cotton candy, explored under the pier and rode the ferris wheel. I loved watching them interact together through the camera. It's easy to tell how in love they are and how their playfulness "plays" a big role in their relationship. I'm not sure how to explain it exactly, but they felt almost effortless with one another, comfortable. It was a pleasure to be a part of. Much love to you both, can't wait for the big day!

And the Holidays are officially over

2012-01-17T09:10:10Z

David and I just got back from an 8-day trip to Hawaii. I shot a wedding there for a dear friend, did a couples session in North Shore and a family session in Ko Olina - - - I really loved shooting in Hawaii! I haven't done much work there so it was really nice to be able to do what I do here in LA, back home in Hawaii for a change. We got to spend quality with all of our ohana, but we are definitely tired! But, I'm really looking forward to going over new images and showing ya'll a bit of my Hawaii Nei. Hope you all have a good short week ahead!

*Photo from the couples session in North Shore in the pineapple fields, I got about 25 mosquito bites trekking through the red dirt but it was worth it :)

Hau'oli makahiki hou ::: Happy New Year!

2012-01-04T08:51:30Z

One pro to working at a University is getting a week off between Christmas day and New Years, thank you academic calendar. David and I spent our first married Christmas here in LA and decided we should establish a few of our own Christmas traditions :::

1. First being, Christmas Eve candlelight service at our church.

2. Present on Christmas Eve. We could each open 1 present, but no stockings. David said Santa brings the stocking gifts, even though neither of us ever believed in Santa. Too logical for our own good.

3. Sleeping by the tree. On Christmas Eve we slept in the living room with the tree lights on and watched a holiday-ish movie, which ended up being "The Holiday" which we both fell asleep through.

and lastly, but definitely NOT least...

4. Hawaiian breakfast Christmas morning :) Eggs, rice, portuguese sausage, spam, taro pancakes and guava juice - - heaven!

We also started one New Year's tradition - - - making mochi! It's a japanese tradition to ring in the New Year and I am all for anything Japanese, and well, doughy and delicious.

Having time off gave us more time to walk the dog together around our neighborhood and decide which streets we liked best, which houses we wished we could live in, which neighbor really needed to clean up their yard... those kinds of things. We were also able to go to the dog park and socialize our crazy pup. If there's one thing that vacation teaches you is that time = money. Having time to rest and spend with family and friends is pretty priceless.

All in all, weeks off should be more frequent. I took naps, everyday. I slept for four hours after breakfast on Christmas morning and kind of kept the tradition going throughout the week. My body was so grateful, my mind was rested, and I'm thankful for the time I was able to spend with my little family.

Mele Kalikimaka!

2011-12-24T19:00:42Z

Merry Christmas everyone! This has been a year of Thanksgiving for me personally, celebrating my marriage, starting a new life with someone, a successful year of work doing freelance and also designing for Biola. I have so much to be thankful this year and I'm so lucky to say I have family and friends who care about us and love us deeply. This is my first Christmas away from family and Hawaii, which feels a little weird, but it'll be fun to start some new traditions and enjoy a stress-free Christmas, as it should be right?! I hope all of my newlyweds have a great first married Christmas and we will too!

Bed Post

2011-12-19T04:06:04Z

This isn't something I'd typically post about but I'm just really excited :)

For those of you who don't know me, I can be am most definitely, picky (I prefer particular), but to sum it up, I pretty much just CARE about everything a little more than the average person, INFJ anyone? Sometimes the hard work of finding that perfect whatever it is, pays off, although usually it doesn't and stress ensues, but this is not one of those stories.

For the past few years I've been sleeping on "the mattress you get in college" (literally, the one they give you freshmen year) and graduated to "the futon your friends mom gives you because they feel bad that you don't have a bed."

Being a newlywed, I knew this would have to change, but not of course without getting a good deal and getting the bed I knew I'd love for years to come. We were married in May and waited until the 4th of July mattress sales to buy a mattress. I'm a sucker for a good deal and need the satisfication of knowing I didn't overpay. Now that we had a mattress all need is a bedframe, easy right??? NO.

There are so many different kinds of beds, who knew? At first I wanted to go the Mad Men route and get a tufted headboard, but decided it was too feminine and wouldn't be as allergy-friendly. Then I thought a salvaged wood bed was they way to go, and then I saw the prices and decided that was not an option, plus we have hard wood floors and it just might be a little too much. Then I saw this beauty on Pinterest, and I knew, this was my, our bed.

I did some digging and apparently this bed is somewhere in Europe and who knows where I could find one similar. I did tons of research looking into wrought iron beds made here in America, reproductions and originals and nothing came close. Most beds were too ornate or the bars were really thick and it gave the bed a different look. Finally, I found a local company in Malibu, only 45 minutes away that restores wrought iron frames. I sent the owner a photo of this bed asking if they had any similar in their inventory. A few days later I received a response that they just picked up a bed in Pittsburg dating back to 1840. Sold!

This bed looked very similar to the one I had sent and it was the lowest priced bed in the inventory (extra points). I was excited but also thought "It looks really rusty.. I'm not sure if my tentanus shots are up to date". I spoke to the owner and he talked me through the entire process of sandblasting, refinishing, painting, distressing and all these other foreign options involving crackling. We decided to paint the bed a smokey grey to match our dresser and added on brass finials like the one in the photo I had originally sent. Basically folks, this is my bedframe dream come true - - - antique, CUSTOM, and affordable. We couldn't be happier. If you'd like something similar, check out Cathouse Antique Beds and ask for Craig, their Facebook page shows many before and after photos. It's pretty fascinating, seeing the twin beds converted to king size beds. I know I must sound like a wrought-iron bedframe nerd but I will sleep soundly tonight, knowing I have our perfect bed, at a great deal of course :)

Sweet dreams all,

Last wedding of the year ::: Gina & Charlton

2011-12-12T00:56:52Z

Congratulations to Gina and Charlton! Hope your first day of marriage has been delightful!