Remember Andy & Karen?  Well this past Saturday was their wedding.  If you live in Southern California, remember how it was pouring rain Saturday morning.  Yeah, me too.  I had checked the weather the day before and it said Saturday- Chance of rain… 100%.  That’s a lot of percent.  It might as well have said 110% but that would be ridiculous because 100% is all there is.  My friend Heidi hates it when people say that they’re committed to something 110% because that’s impossible.  Heidi, here is my effort to put a stop to this world-wide phenomenon.

But back to Saturday.

The rain woke me up at 5:00 am, so I started to pray.  Both the ceremony and reception were indoors, so I prayed this:             “Dear God.  I only need a little dry spell during the day.  From about 1:30 to 3:00 would be perfect.  It doesn’t even need to be sunny, just as long as it’s mostly dry.  I know from experience that you can do this, so I just trust You that this is gonna be a great day!”  Then I fell back asleep.  A few hours later, when I was sitting in bed, drinking my tea and preparing myself for the day, the rain stopped.  I made note of that and when back to what I was doing, thinking that if I got too excited it would start raining again.  Epic display of faith, huh?  A few minutes later the sun started peeping in and out from behind the clouds.  I looked over to the window and smirked, “Lord, you’re gonna give us sun, aren’t you?”  So all of you other photographers that had weddings that day, that was a pretty little package wrapped up for us and signed, “Love, God.”  My friend Jess would call that a “little Jesus hug.”  Mmmmm hmmmmm.

My new friend Nellie from Pleasant Surprise Events did an amazing job coordinating the entire day.  Check out these cool details put together by Nellie and her team as well as Karen and her friends.  Because Karen & Andy are avid backpackers, they had a rustic theme using lots of wood.

Karen & her friend made all of the candied apples themselves!  And the sticks in the apples are from the apple tree in Nellie’s backyard!

I love these images of Andy that Chris, my second shooter, caught.  These are SOOOO Andy!  You excited, Andy?

How cute is this?  It’s just like Woody’s boot from Toy Story.  They walked down the aisle to “You’ve Got a Friend in Me”.  So cute!

And now for the beautiful bride.  See that light?  Jesus hug!

Karen, I’m glad you think I’m funny!  You look amazing!

Now for my favorite moment of a wedding day!  The first look.  Just so happened to find a log cabin.  In Fullerton.  Awesome.

Andy, I love the pure joy in your eyes.

I love how silly you two are together.

Does anyone else see that ” I LOVE U”  behind them?  I didn’t see that until I was editing the photos.  Jesus hug!

Perfection.

Anyone who says that the first look takes away from this moment…. check out the looks on their faces.

Six years in the making.  Doug, our pastor, said that that was the loudest hoop and holler he’d ever heard at a wedding!  Even before the kiss!

Adorable.

Karen, I LOVE this photo.  This is totally something I would do.

So much emotion.  You two are so loved.

Our church recently put up some magic lights, so you know we had to get a photo.

Andy & Karen, I don’t even have words to describe my excitement for you!  Two people were never so perfect for each other.

Ceremony & Reception Venue: First Evangelical Free Church Fullerton

Catering: The Well

Coordination: Pleasant Surprise Events

Cake: Amazing Cakes

Flowers: M’s Flowers

Hair: Unity Salon

Make up: Amy Niles

I’ve already shown you photos of the beautiful bride, but I need to show you the rest!

This wedding took place in the beautiful backyard in the Palos Verdes area.

Desiree’s dress was the teeny tiniest wedding dress I’ve ever seen.  I mean… she’s almost 6 feet tall and wears a size 2.  A size 2!  Can you say model?

She was determined to not have her feet hurt at the end of the day.

Gorgeous.  Stop it.

Even the guys were stylin’ in their personalized “Carolina blue” kicks.

Rarely do we see shoe shots of the GROOM’S shoes.  But when he has Personalized Jordans… are you kidding me?  How rad is that?

Jeremiah picked the right guys for his wedding party.  I mean, they ironed for him and everything!

These two are just adorable and excited to be getting married.

And now for one of my favorite moments of a wedding day.  The first look.

This never gets old.

I love these two photos.  I think this is when Jeremiah told Des, “You are wearin’ that dress!”

Jeremiah is such a quality guy.  He’s driven, successful, a godly man, full of integrity and has a heart for the youth of Hollywood.  BTW, if you’re in Hollywood, stop by Chick fil-a.  That’s his restaurant.

What a gorgeous couple.

Three of these bridesmaids, Amy & Emily (the twins) and Jeanette (Des’s sister to the right of the bride) were also in the same youth group that I worked with.  They all made the day even more special for me.

What a beautiful spot for a wedding.  The light was CRAZY amazing!

Woo hoo!  They’re married!

Taking advantage of the last bit of beautiful light and the first few moments of being husband & wife.

I can’t even tell you how many photos I took of these two guys.  They were so hilarious.

One of the coolest DJ’s I’ve heard in a long time.

These two were in the youth group I worked with.  I remember when Josh & Amy started dating.  They were in high school.  Now they have 2 kids.  Crazy!  Time flies.

Magic lights always make it…. well…. magical.

Jeremiah & Desiree, thank you so much for allowing me to be a part of such a special day.  I can’t even tell you what an honor it was for me.  I know that God is going to use you in powerful ways.  May He bless you richly.

My last wedding of 2011 was special in a different way.

The bride, Desiree, was in the youth group I worked with when I was in college.  This is what she looked like then.  (she’s the one on the left)

To say that Des is beautiful would be a huge understatement.  She oozes beauty.  She is marked by grace.  She is poised yet silly.  Tough, yet tender.  She cares deeply for people and it’s obvious the amount of love and respect they have for her.

It was no surprise to me that Des was a stunning bride, but it didn’t stop me from tearing up when I saw her.  I took so many beautiful photos of her I thought she deserved her own post.

I love this girl! (and my camera does too)

I love so much about this wedding.  I love this couple.  I love how they care for each other.  I love how much they love their family and friends and how they are so obviously loved in return.  I love the color palette, the flowers, the bridesmaid dresses and the amazing sweets table!  Beautiful and classy… just like them!

Yasmin’s family, who are from the Philippines, were staying at a beautiful beach house, so that’s where the girls got ready.

Mark & his guys “getting ready”.

After the ceremony we headed over to downtown Laguna for a few photos.

Aren’t they sweet?

Adorable!

They couldn’t have their wedding this close to the beach and not get at least a few photos by the water.

Uuummmm…… yes please.

Special shout out to my friend the seagull.  Thanks for workin’ with me and for flyin’ in at just the right time.  I appreciate it.

Jus’ a little nap before the reception.Over to Cannon’s Restaurant for the reception.

Mark said the sweetest things about Yasmin, bringing tears to her eyes and just about everyone in the place…. including me.

Sweet and Saucy does it again!

Carrie Goff, the funnest coordinator ever, helped make it a beautiful day.  Check out more details from the day on her blog.

Karey and I were laughing so hard as Mark busted out his mad breakdancing skills!

Such a magical evening.

Mark & Yasmin, you are such wonderful people.  Thank you so much for allowing me to be a part of your day!

Ceremony: St. Catherine’s

Reception: Cannon’s Restaurant

Coordinator: Carrie Goff- Exquisite!

Flowers: The Flower Stand

DJ: Steve Burdick Events

Make-up: Make Me Up

Hair: Primp by Christine Irene

That’s why I love Mike & Aimee’s story.  They met on the Metrolink!  How great is that!  Every day each of them would board the train on their commute to work.  They both noticed each other long before they actually met.  Don’t let the fact that Mike is a detective fool you… Mike’s a shy guy.   But eventually he mustered up enough courage to talk to the cute blonde girl with the great smile.  Once he did, they started dating soon thereafter.

And you can see why.  Isn’t she beautiful?

I had met Aimee  a couple of times at church years ago.  I had taken a photo of her daughter when she was little at a church event in the park and had given her the photo.  When she called me about shooting her wedding she reminded me of that photo, saying that was one of her favorite photos of her daughter.  She’s not so little anymore though!

The handsome groom and his guys.

I always love this moment.

You can just see the excitement all over their faces.

Dear Lord, thank you for amazing light.  Amen.

Um… how awesome is this vintage cop car?  Pretty awesome indeed!  And Mike & Aimee make it look even better!

This was Aimee’s parents cake topper from their wedding.  And each of the tables were named after the stops on the Orange Country Metrolink line.

Such a beautiful day and one of the most fun receptions I’ve been to in a long time.  I laughed until my belly hurt!  Thank you so much for allowing me to share your day!

Ceremony: St. Paul’s Lutheran Church

Reception: Westridge Golf Club

Everything about this day was magical.  Maravilla Gardens might have just become my favorite place to shoot a wedding.  The garden setting is beautiful. Erin, their on-site coordinator was wonderful to work with.  One of the best on-site coordinators I’ve ever met, really.  There was just something about the light there that was amazing, and as the sun went down, the place was covered with magic lights (that’s what I call bistro lighting, or globe lights because seriously… they’re magical!).  AND…. they’ve got a barn.  I mean… c’mon!

It was kinda like being at a backyard wedding, everyone felt so at home.

As I said goodbye to Vanessa’s dad that evening he said, “Wasn’t it just like a fairytale?”  It was.  It definitely was.

Vanessa’s mom started to get choked up as she helped her beautiful daughter into her gown.

Oh my gosh, you’re a bride!

Simply gorgeous, inside and out.

Katie O, bridesmaid first in from the right, is the one who gave Vanessa my name.  She’s also a photographer and thought that Vanessa and I would get along great.  Thank you Katie!

Oh the light.

And the dudes!

Scott was so ready to see his bride.

LOVE this moment just before walking down the aisle.

Vanessa told me that there’s a photo of her mom with the exact same look on her face.  Oh, the emotion in this shot.

Vanessa’s uncle performed the ceremony.  So special.

I love this shot Karey got.  Gorgeous!

Ahhh…. finally some time alone.

Can you even believe the ridiculously beautiful light here?  I mean, stop it!  No, don’t.  Give me more!

This whole place has been landscaped by the owners themselves.  Crazy beautiful.

The escort cards were attached to jars of homemade jam, made by Vanessa and her mom.

That cake!  And one more time… the light!  It doesn’t get much better than that.

This ring bearer was hilarious.  He was cuttin’ a rug, indeed.

In case you were wondering what love and pride look like, here it is.

And that’s why they’re called “magic lights”!

Who said the photo booth props shouldn’t also be dancing props?

I believe this was some Bon Jovi.  Livin’ on a Prayer, perhaps?

Shut up and stop it with your gorgeousness, you guys.

What a fantastical and magical day.  Thank you, Vanessa and Scott, for allowing me to be a part of it.  Let’s get some gelato soon!

Sadly, two weeks before the wedding, Brian’s mom lost her battle with cancer.

So there were tears shed at this wedding, sad that a very important family member was absent from this celebration.  But there was lots of joy, knowing that she is free from suffering and with Jesus.  So when I saw this little bird they had, it struck me, knowing that these two really meant it.  They had already lived it.

That’s beautiful.  That’s something to celebrate!

Michelle’s bouquet was gorgeous!

Look at those eyes!

OK… their kids are going to have THE MOST BEAUTIFUL eyes!

Their first look was so touching.

Here are a couple of favorites so far from this wonderful day.

Haylee & Adam were no exception.  These two are just extraordinary.  They’ve seen their share of adversity but it’s obvious that it has strengthened the bond and love between them.  They’re just great people who surround themselves with great people, so their wedding at the Hacienda was awesome!  Karey Michelle, my 2nd shooter, even said, “I love these people!  I wish we could do their wedding again!  Which of their friends is getting married next?”

Haylee was actually a bridesmaid in Ashley and Matt’s wedding.  You might recognize her below.

Haylee is just stunning.

Their first look was so sweet.

Adam just kept saying, “You look amazing!”

I LOVE this shot that Karey got.

Handsome groom!

A little prayer before they head down the aisle.  The pastor, Doug, is one of the pastors at my church and we went to Rwanda on the same team.

If you ever thought that the first look takes away from the emotions of this moment…. well… see for yourself.

Adam & Haylee, thank you for allowing me to be a part of your day.  I think you’re amazing.

Their engagement shoot was awesome so their wedding was sure to be a blast.

It was!

I love that Stephanie chose a short dress.  She looked so sassy!

Sassy all the way down to her toes!

Stephanie had a slip up while saying her vows.  It was pretty funny!  I love this girl!

There’s something I just love about this.

Handsome guy and beautiful girl.

Stephanie is always laughing and making others laugh.  She and Brandon are just a blast to be around.

And I think she might hold the record for the most bouquet tosses at a single wedding.  I think she tossed it 4 times.  One time a young boy caught it.  Someone married caught it.  I don’t remember the rest.  It was just a lot.

See…. always laughing!

Brandon & Stephanie love music, so it’s not a surprise that the band they picked could rock it!

Stephanie & Brandon, thank you so much for allowing me to share your day with you.  The love the two of you share is so evident and the joy you bring to others around you is priceless.