Tag Archives: beach

andi & nick | dream inn | aquarius | santa cruz wedding

I could seriously write a short novel full of positive adjectives to describe this beach wedding…but if I was forced to narrow it down, I would have to say that this wedding was pure joy. The look and feel of the day was definitely inspired by the organic beauty of the coast, and by their personalities with all of the exuberance in Andi and all of the the calmness in Nick. They both did such an amazing job coming up with so many creative ideas for their wedding from the handmade structure for the ceremony decorated with hanging balls of glass, shells and flowers, to the stunning centerpieces for the reception that were the most imaginative and beautiful I think I’ve ever seen. Some of the highlights of the day included me taking my shoes off together with all the rest of their wedding guests to photograph their beach ceremony barefoot, watching them wipe each other’s tears and then walk down to the waterfront in the middle of the ceremony to throw their message in a bottle into the ocean, the father and daughter dance that busted into a full on hip-hop performance, and the speeches that only confirmed my suspicion that these two are both incredibly kind and loving people who could not be a more perfect fit together. I’m happy to say that these two live in my hometown and I know what beach they live near, so I’m hoping to crash a few of their beach bonfires in the future and reminisce about this awesome day.

florals: Sarah and team at Fionna floral

paper products: Kimlyn design by Kimberly Bernardi

dj: Sonja Brunner aka:”dj sparkle ‘

guitarist: Eric Jarmie

hair: Eric Gomez

makeup: Jacquetta Sorensen

cake: The Buttery

wedding co-ordinator: Aunt “D”

design & signage: the bride!

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emily & zac | santa cruz engagement session

I know that this is a ridiculously long post for an engagement session, but these two looked so good in every single frame, so I had to share them all. Emily and Zac flew from Boston for this session so I knew that there wouldn’t be any re-scheduling if the weather didn’t co-operate, but thankfully  it turned out to be one of those amazing fall days in California full of lovely light. The second I saw these two, with all of their chemistry together and their awesome outfits, I knew that it was going to be an amazing afternoon. Indiana at The Makeup Dolls did a beautiful job with Emily’s hair and makeup and I loved that they brought a vintage Corvette too add some Mad Men inspired sexy to the shoot. We had so much fun at each of the locations, but I think my favorite was our last stop when we got to witness the most beautiful sunset on a beach that we had all to ourselves. I’m beyond excited to document their wedding day at Hans Fahden Winery in Calistoga next year, and I’m preparing myself now for the painful process of choosing favorites when a couple is as photogenic as these two are.

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jackie & matt | santa cruz engagement session

Jackie and Matt live in Memphis, but are getting married at the Hollins House at the Pasatiempo Golf Club next year so they wanted their engagement photos to show the coastal beauty of the area. I’m happy to report that California co-operated perfectly that day with its warm weather and amazing golden light. All we needed was one camera, two people in love and 3 locations with three outfit changes (minus two pairs of shoes that were accidentally forgotten, but thankfully bare feet look best at the beach and my shoes looked great with Jackie’s last look.) This was one of those days that made me feel so thankful to live in such a beautiful town, and thankful that I chose a job that often doesn’t feel like work. Jackie and Matt, I had a blast with you both and I can’t wait to document your big day next year!

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katrina & robbie | la selva beach wedding | santa cruz

Gabe and I would gladly adopt Katrina and Robbie into our family if we could, they are honestly two of the nicest people you could hope to meet, let alone have the honor of documenting their wedding day. This was a wedding so full of soul and personality, from the bouquets and boutonnieres made by Katrina’s mom and the hand-crafted origami cranes, to the home-brewed beer and the vintage film camera that recorded greetings from all of the guests. All of the thoughtful and creative details made the day feel so atmospheric, intimate and warm despite the unexpected rain in June. The wedding was planned to be out on a bluff overlooking the ocean, but when the rain showed no sign of letting up it was moved into a nearby church at the very last minute. Katrina and Robbie gracefully went with the flow of the changes, and their laid back spirits set the mood for all of their guests. I’m pretty sure that they also manifested the clearing of the stormy skies at exactly the time we had scheduled to do some sunset pictures and I’m so thankful that they were both able to get out to that bluff to enjoy the beautiful light as husband and wife that day.

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jessica & tim | seattle engagement session | discovery park

I have to thank Jessica and Tim for having me come up to Seattle to shoot their engagement session, and basically forcing me to take an amazing and much needed mini-vacation in one of my favorites places in the US. I always seem to avoid the rain that everyone complains about, leaving me wondering why we don’t all move to Seattle to enjoy the waterfront living, the woods, and the beautiful light there that remind me of my old home in Sydney. Jessica and Tim recently moved up that way for Tim to finish his studies, and so together we explored the unchartered and inspiring new territory around the aptly named Discovery Park. It was hard to lay my camera to rest that evening, and as we headed home I even made them pull the car over on the side of the road to pick it up again and catch the very last drop of sunlight before it set into the low clouds on the horizon. Jessica and Tim, I can’t wait to see you guys again when you’re back in California for your wedding at Cornerstone Gardens in less than two weeks!

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lisa & max | engagement | santa cruz photographer

A good friend of mine used to work with fashion designers Lisa and Max when they all worked together at O’Neill down in LA, and when she heard that these two were planning on getting married in Santa Cruz she sent them my way. The moment I met Lisa and Max I knew that I had to photograph their wedding, as they seemed so down to earth and obviously in love, they had amazing taste in music and fashion and their garden wedding sounded like it was going to be both beautiful and a whole lot of fun. We planned to do their engagement session when they were visiting for a few days, all of which were rainy and cold, but thankfully the weather co-operated with us just long enough to capture some great shots and the misty rain only made the beach feel even more atmospheric and intimate, which is exactly how I imagine their wedding will feel too.

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andi & nick | e-session | santa cruz photographer

These are two of my new favorite people and this is the beach that they live a block away from. Andi is a first grade teacher and she’s so full of joy and great big genuine smiles but she said that she also wanted to show her soft side too…so Andi this post is for you, to show you how you completely rocked all of the beautiful sides of yourself beside your incredibly kind and loving man. The light was perfect that afternoon and the connection between these two felt so natural and real. I’m sure that’s why I loved every second this shoot, and why I can’t wait to photograph their wedding at The Dream Inn later this year.

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anne & ganesh | e-session | carmel photographer

My neglected little blog is still missing many a post, but seeing as wedding season is rapidly approaching, I thought that I’d start to catch up with a beautiful Carmel engagement session.  I had never actually met Anne and Ganesh before this shoot, but the minute we met and starting talking, I knew that I was going to be one lucky girl to document the story of these two kind and interesting people. Anne told me about how she re-designed the dress she was wearing from an old dress that her mom used to wear, and that she had an Indian sari to change into to honor Ganesh’s Indian heritage. Anne continued to impress me as she managed to remain radiant and smiling in both of those outfits despite the intensely cold weather in Carmel that day. Ganesh talked about how he was born in Jamaica, raised with Indian traditions, and later received his higher education in the States. It was when he was living on the east coast that he met Anne and together they have now made California their home. I love that they will be celebrating both of their heritages on their wedding day by including both a traditional Indian ceremony followed by a western ceremony at the beautiful and unique Cornerstone Gardens later this spring.

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tiffany & joey | san francisco engagement session

I may be more than 10 blog posts behind, but it’s a brand new year, so I thought I’d start playing catch up with a lovely little engagement session. This was such a fun shoot, one that really reflected this couple’s love for San Francisco. We had Joey’s sister and his mom chauffeur us all over the city so that we could fit in as many iconic San Francisco locations as possible in one 2 hour session. We visit pier 7, Grace Cathedral, and even made it to Baker Beach for sunset despite the crazy traffic. During the car rides in between I got to know Tiffany and Joey and their family, and I got to see how kind and affectionate they are with each other. Then we would arrive at our destination, jump out of the car and immediately start shooting while Joey’s sister pulled off crazy parallel parks or just circled the neighborhood until we were done….and that’s how we dominated the city together in record time!

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