Tag Archives: personal

Griffith Park engagement // Peter & Karen

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We had talked a lot about marriage in the year leading up to the proposal and had even gone shopping to look at rings. I started to watch for hints from Peter…perhaps a weekend getaway trip, a date night at a special restaurant…as it turns out, the day that Peter proposed was a typical lazy wear-pajamas-all-day Saturday for us.

Peter had been nursing me through a terrible cold that week and I was still feeling too miserable to go out. I did, however, need to take my car to get it serviced that afternoon. Peter offered to pick up takeout for lunch from one of our usual restaurants, so I stayed home with my DayQuil to rest. 45 minutes later and he wasn’t home yet…I was starting to get hungry…1 hour later and I was starting to worry, but also I was Hangry! Finally, he came home with food and groceries and a story about how the credit card machine at the restaurant was broken. I believed his story because all I wanted to do was dive into my lunch and eat! I only found out later that he used that time to pick up flowers for the proposal!

Fast forward an couple hours later and I came home from getting my car serviced. I was fumbling to find keys to the front door when Peter opened it. I heard John Legend’s “All of Me” playing in the background with rose petals leading up to a bouquet of roses on the table. On it had a card that read “From me and Mocha, now go give Mocha a kiss!” (Mocha is our little dachshund). I stooped down to give Mocha a kiss and Peter said “do you notice any new bling on her?” I was looking for a ring, but couldn’t find it! Mocha had a new dog tag that read “Will you & Mocha marry me”. I stood up with tears in my eyes and that’s when Peter proposed. Of course I said yes! We are so excited to be starting this new chapter of our lives together.
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Holiday mini sessions at The Eucalyptus Forest

MINI SESSIONS AT SAINT FRANCIS EPISCOPAL – Fields, trees & light

We are hosting a portion of our annual holiday mini sessions in Palos Verdes at Saint Francis Episcopal! We believe that every family should have a professional portrait at the end of each year. It’s a great way to remember who you are in the most beautiful way possible. If you are looking to take your family photos, call us to schedule your family session! We are so excited to see all of our friends and families!

Saint Francis is known for it’s beautiful eucalyptus and open air feel. We most love the glorious ivy covered walls and the beautiful trees that make every photo feel like a fairytale. There is a spectacular view of the ocean and hiking trails all close together. This location is perfect for those looking for that grassy whimsical look for their holiday mini session! We are very excited to take photos of your family at Saint Francis Episcopal!

MINI SESSIONS INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING:

• 20 minutes of photography

• Sessions can be couples, families, individuals, high school seniors, maternity, puppies, or any other fun combo you can think of!

• Maximum of 7 people per session (larger groups must book two consecutive sessions)

• 20 High Resolution images delivered via digital download (includes a print release)

• $200 deposit is due at the time of booking to secure your date (by PayPal)

• Remaining balance is due on the date of the shoot (cash or PayPal)

• Images will be delivered within seven days from your session

• All CDC and Covid guidelines will be adhered to.

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP ONLINE & SEE ALL AVAILABLE SPOTS | All available times will be on the sign up page HERE

For ease of booking, please review your favorite location. Click on the link at your favorite location, then you may choose the date and time that works best for you.

Back to the main MINI SESSION page

Questions? VISIT THE FAQ PAGE HERE

2 comments

Edith sanchezDecember 6, 2016 - 5:04 am
Hello,
Are the weekend dates for the mini sessions still available? If so, what is available?
Thank you,
Edith SanchezReplyCancel

Palace of Fine Arts engagement in San Francisco // Blake & Kristen

san francisco romantic engagement

how he asked-torrance wedding-photography We set off on a two week vacation to visit Budapest, Vienna, Salzberg, Munich for Oktoberfest, and finishing off in Prague.

We had visited Budapest, Vienna and then headed over to Salzberg. That night Blake surprises me and tells me the following afternoon we are going to a Chateau in Schloss Fussi overlooking a serene lake where we are going to stay the night. I thought this rather interesting because we rarely treat ourselves to nice hotels so I thought something was up. That night I get all dressed up and we head to dinner, nothing..totally thought if something was going to happen it would have happened there. In the morning, it is pouring! so we head to breakfast and then make our way out of Schloss and onto another little town outside of Munich. We head to Oktoberfest and then make our way to Prague where we have three days! On the 2nd night there we are craving some normal food and we LOVE mexican food. A girl we had met at Oktoberfest was studying abroad in Prague and told us about this Mexican restaurant that was the best she’s ever had, so we decided to try it out. (Definitely not even close to the best we had, but she was from Providence and we live in CA – enough said). Anyway Blake is acting a bit funny all night and is SO sweaty. I really didn’t think much of it to be honest…we ate dinner and then after every meal we always try and get lost in the streets to make our way back tot he hotel and Blake always leads…so he leads me over to this small little bridge that is a love lock bridge. I LOVE love luck bridges – I fell in love with them when we went to Paris and even in Budapest, and Vienna they had them as well. Well he surprised me with a lock! how romantic! so we put the lock on, threw the key in the little stream and took a few pictures. Little did I know that when I was putting the lock on he had pulled out the ring, after pictures..he got down on his knee and the rest is history!! That night I found out that this was only a plan B. His plan A was actually at the Chateau and he had organized for us in the morning to take a paddle boat out to the middle of the lake where he would propose there and the hotel had already planned to have strawberries and champagne for when we returned however that morning it POURED – it was the ONLY day the entire trip it rained. But to be honest I liked the last minute Plan B better anyway. More us 🙂

That’s our LONG story!! 🙂 And we are celebrating 6 years together in a few weeks!

MAKE SURE TO SHARE HOW MUCH YOU LOVE BLAKE & KRISTEN BY COMMENTING BELOW!

san francisco romantic engagement s an francisco romantic engagement

MAKE SURE TO SHARE HOW MUCH YOU LOVE BLAKE & KRISTEN BY COMMENTING BELOW!

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Fairytale wedding at Calamigos Ranch // Joey & Mariah

Click on the logo below to see the full feature!!!

FROM THE BRIDE

Thinking back about the day still gives me joy. I did not sleep much the night before my wedding day, because there were so many thoughts and emotions running through my head. From the moment I woke up we began checking things off my list, and it became clearer that my moment was almost here. Hair, makeup, photos, dress, all were being checked off my list, one by one. While everything moved around me I remember feeling an inner peace. It was as if someone whispered, “everything would be perfect”. Everything felt right in that moment.

Butterflies filled my stomach, and on came my song. My brother walked our dogs Sadie-Rae and Scout down first, and then my father escorted me down the aisle, handed me off to my “husband” and our ceremony began. I remember seeing him for the first time, waiting for me at the end of the aisle. It’s a difficult moment to describe, but when you see forever waiting for you it is overwhelming. In that moment, we held hands. Holding Joeys hands and looking into his eyes was one of the happiest moments in my life.

We finished the ceremony, had our first kiss as Mr. and Mrs! For the first time we were announced as husband and wife! I couldn’t believe it! We had decided early on that we wanted a more intimate to do communion after the ceremony, with only us and the pastor. We felt this was our vow before the Lord. It gave us time to let everything set in and a moment of silence to thank God for all that He has given us.

Not long after our vows and the pictures, the party began! We started our party with an amazing dinner, speeches, dancing, dessert bars, photo booth fun and a late night espresso bar! Before my wedding I was given great advice from my sister-in-law to just enjoy and take in every moment (anticipated or not), because it is over in a blink. I love being a wife and, looking back, would not have changed a thing about our wedding! I am so appreciative to everyone who helped our fairytale wedding play out.

What was your favorite moment from your wedding day? // Walking down the aisle and seeing Joey for the first time. We both felt strongly that we wanted the first time seeing each other to be when I walked down the aisle. And Joey’s only request was that the aisle be long enough for him to take the moment in.

What inspired you while planning your wedding & decor? // I wanted simple timeless elements, lace, pearls, roses, and diamonds combined with the natural rustic elements in the venue.

MY VENDORS:

Venue: Calamigos Ranch, Redwood Room www.calamigos.com // Coordinator: Kylie Raache from Wish Wonder Dream wishwonderdream.com // Photographer: Sun & Sparrow www.sunandsparrow.com // Videographer: Rayne Films www.raynefilms.com // Florals: White House Florals www.whitehouseflower.com // Invitations: William Arthur from Nantucket Press nantucketcrossing.com // Desserts: Vanilla Bakeshop www.vanillabakeshop.com // Wedding Gown Designer: Stella York www.stellasbridal.com // Wedding dress boutique: Bridal Elegance www.bridalelegancesalon.com // Ring: Robbins Brothers, Simon G www.robbinsbrothers.com // Hair & Makeup: Kelly Zhang kellyzhang.com // Bride Shoes: Badgley Mischka www.badgleymischka.com // Groom Suit: Men’s Warehouse www.menswearhouse.com // Groom Details: Rolex // Groom shoes: Magnanni // Bridesmaids dresses: Bari Jay www.barijay.com // Groomsmen suits: Men’s Warehouse www.menswearhouse.com

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To see more photography from Calamigos Ranch venues, click on any of the links below.

The Oak Room | The Redwood Room | The Pavillion | The Birchwood Room

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Rob & Sandy // Fairytale wedding at Oak Canyon Nature Center

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FROM THE BRIDE // I was actually surprised at how calm and aware I was. When I saw Robert for our first look, I thought it was so funny that he looked more nervous than me! I was super blessed to have a great wedding coordinator, my mom, my maid of honor and my bridesmaids (and bridesmen) who took care of me and made sure I had nothing to worry about. Robert and I loved that so many of our friends and family could be there, especially since a lot of them are from out of town. We can’t imagine a better day.

One thing that I remember best was our first dance. I absolutely loved that moment of pure bliss. All of the stress of the wedding had completely melted away and it was just us for that moment. I sigh just thinking about how special it was. Robert says that our first look did the same for him… But I beg to differ. 🙂

When considering my wedding day, I wanted all of my decor to have a whimsical and woodland feel. I’m from New Jersey originally, where there are lots and lots of trees. When I showed some Californians my hometown on Google Earth, they said, “you lived in a FOREST!!” I would have never called it that myself, but I guess that explains why I like trees! I guess that’s what I loved about this venue – all the greenery and the way it plays with the light. Robert and I also got to know each other in the beginning while hiking and biking in a lot of Orange County’s parks, so the park scene was very meaningful to us in that way.

If I could offer brides one bit of advice, I would love to offer one thing, definitely go with your gut, and stick with it. Don’t go on Pinterest late at night. And make sure you carve out time for just you and your new husband on the Big Day! We are so thankful for our first look and our private limo ride!

MY VENDORS:

Ceremony Venue: Oak Canyon Nature Center

Reception Venue: Orange Hill Restaurant

Coordinator: Kimi Wislocki of Perfect Planning

Photographer: Sun & Sparrow @sunandsparrow

Videographer: Michael Khein with One of a Khein videography, @oneofakheinmedia

Florals: Kevin Reeder @kevinreeder

Invitations: vintagesweetdesign on Etsy

Calligraphy: Michelle Shaw, @michelleshaw

Desserts: Patty’s cakes, @pattys.cakes

sweetheart cake by Patrick Reese of @patthebakerman

Wedding Gown: Ferndales Bridal, @ferndalesbridal