Okay, you may want to settle in; this is going to be a long post.

Ginny and Dave's wedding this past Saturday at The Grand Del Mar in San Diego was pretty much the perfect storm of beauty, class, fun, amazing bride and groom and their respective families & friends, exquisite location, band, food... and did I mention FUN? Suffice to say, I was in wedding photography heaven. Rebecca Gaffney and her team at Red Letter Days Events, together with Ginny and her mom Terry, pulled together a truly wonderful event. But even as beautiful as the venue and details were, it would not have been as much fun without Ginny and Dave. They are one of the cutest, nicest, coolest couples I have ever had the privilege of photographing. And that is saying A LOT for me, because I really do love 97% of my clients.

Dave is my friend Sarah's brother, so I first met him and Ginny a few years ago before they were even engaged. I photograph their family throughout the year and told Sarah when I first met Ginny, "If they ever get married, I would LOVE to photograph their wedding! She is literally the cutest, sweetest person ever, and your brother is just so cool!" Sarah of course agreed and said she thought they would. So I was thrilled when they eventually did get engaged and decided to hire me. I was also excited it would be out in San Diego where Ginny grew up.

Ginny and Dave both went to UCLA, but did not really meet and fall in love until they both ended up in New York City for different jobs and reasons. As their Priest said during their full-mass ceremony, they were definitely destined to be together. I cannot say enough about their respective families and friends; it was literally one of the most enjoyable days I've had because everyone in the bridal party was so kind, welcoming and fun.

The talented Jeff Youngren, wedding photographer & Pictage User Group leader in San Diego, had the day off and came over to second shoot with me. He was great to work with - thanks again Jeff! Together with my sister Shannon, who also helped shoot, the three of us had several moments during the evening where we looked at each other, shook our heads and said, "That was awesome!" (Most specifically when Ginny & Dave got up on stage with the killer band and sang "Honky Tonk Woman" with as much gusto as any professional singer might.)

So I won't go on forever, I'll just get to the nitty gritty...




Her gorgeous Monique Lhuillier gown



Who can beat a classic pair of Manolo Blahnik shoes


I love this shot Jeff captured of Dave getting ready





Some of the beautiful details


Taking the vintage Rolls Royce to the church


I love this shot Shannon took of Ginny below



Fighting back the tears


A fisheye shot of the church that Jeff took




There were two in the series of Dave with his Mom that literally made me cry.


I mean, does the expression of pure joy get any better than this!





I like this shot my sister Shannon took because they are clearly not primping for the camera!


We all arrive at the Grand Del Mar, which has some pretty extranordinary staircases









An above-angle that Jeff captured of them on the staircase






A couple I quickly took in the bathroom before heading out for some more pictures


More beautiful reception details...


A super wide ballroom shot by Jeff. Love it!


Let the festivities begin... Dave's brother-in-laws (and my friend Ted Churchill in blue), playing "Dumb and Dumber" as part of the grand introductions. "And now, Ladies and Gentlemen, the moment you have all been waiting for..."


Some moments during the awesome toasts (funny, touching...they both hit all the right notes)



Dave and Ginny ROCKING it during their rendition of "Honky Tonk Woman" with the awesome Stellar Show Band. They had the entire crowd going - it was awesome!


Some more reception moments...

My friend Sarah with Ted's brother




Congratulations Ginny and Dave! You guys are the best and we loved being there to capture your day and share in the celebration. Have fun in Bora Bora :)

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Homeward Bound!
Sunday, August 24, 2008

We are officially hitting the road back for Phoenix today! While I am very ready to get home, I am most definitely going to miss the amazing weather here. I wish I could bottle it up and bring it with me. Check back this week for lots of posts and updates, including images from Ginny & Dave's A-M-A-Z-I-N-G wedding yesterday at The Grand Del Mar here in San Diego.

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San Diego Bound
Wednesday, August 20, 2008

I'm so excited to head down to San Diego today. I have a big wedding at the ultra-gorgeous Grand Del Mar this weekend with a killer couple that I am very excited to photograph, plus a little more down time before that with my Mom, sister, niece and daughter. It's a girls fest for a few days!

I also have SO MANY exciting things in the works. I can't wait to start sharing some of the good news in the coming weeks... a potential new partnership that I am stoked about, some exciting personal news, fun and rewarding contests and much more! Stay tuned over the next month for several announcements and lots of pictures (including the four shoots from this past week).


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The Place of a Million Dreams
Monday, August 18, 2008

That is what they tell you when you park your car, when you first enter the gates, and when you walk through the park: The Place of a Million Dreams. For a child, and even as an adult experiencing it through their child's eyes, that is indeed what it is. From the smells of freshly baked sweets making you feel right at home, to the sights and sounds, to the very-well-oiled-machine that is Disneyland and how they run the park, it was still as fun a place now as it was at 11--albiet fun in a different way. Chris and I got to experience it as parents of a 3 1/2 year old, who found herself in constant shock and awe (the good kind) and it was as much fun for us watching her as it was for her experiencing it.

We felt like we waited until the perfect time to take her. No, she was no longer free (2 and under get in free) and it was an expensive day, but she was also old enough and tall enough to ride most of the rides, and past the "scared of people dressed up like characters" stage and just appreciated it in general. Plus she was a perfect angel all day since she was #1) in Princess heaven and #2) mainly past her toddler tantrum stage that used to pop up even in the most unlikely of places. Suffice to say, we had an absolute blast last Thursday at Disneyland!

I didn't want to lug my big camera, so I only brought the point-and-shoot. Here are some shots from our fun day::


Dad and Jordan on the flying dumbos. Mom avoids any rides that spin in a constant circle so as not to throw up.



In line for Autopia, the "race cars." This was the only thing that we could have done without. Man, these cars seemed so much faster as a kid! They are painfully slow now and the line was LONG.


Showing off our drivers licenses. Note the difference between posing with boring-old-Mom, and...


A REAL, LIVE PRINCESS. I think all you parents with little girls can appreciate exactly what this means for them to meet a PRINCESS, especially like Aurora and Jasmine, who soon came out to tell a story...



This is probably what my face would look like if Brad Pitt and George Clooney walked on stage to tell me a story.



Sitting on the same throne where Princesses Aurora and Jasmine actually SAT!


Meeting Mickey, another big celebrity, after touring his house in Toontown.


Are we having fun yet?!?! Oh yes!


And finally the parade at the end of the day, which we just happened to catch the last 15 minutes of, and where we saw Princess Ariel, the Lion King, Cinderella (CINDERELLA!), Alice in Wonderland, and so many more. I wish I could have bottled up her laughter and giggles of delight at how cool this was for her, which in turn made it pretty darn cool for us. 

Here is to being a parent on days like this. :)

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