Have Your Proposal Photographed!

It is a moment you will never forget, a story that will be repeated over and over to your family, friends and coworkers. Why not capture the joy, surprise, and love with photographs? I offer proposal photography and will inconspicuously capture the moment he asks, the joy on your face as you accept, and the ensuing happiness. Contact me today to set up an unforgettable session!

Palo Alto benefit this Weekend

The Annual Palo Alto Black and White Ball is this weekend. There will be delicious food and drinks and incredible entertainment. My brother's band, The Bayonics are the entertainment headliners. A very poplular SF based band, they are a "10 piece hip hop group spiced with Latin flavor, funk, and reggae, combining live instruments and hot beats with melodic singing and rapping to create an urban soundscape that will make your hips move and your soul surrender." The food is sure to be amazing- check out the participating restaurants! They also have a raflle and auction. Should be a great time!

A Little Contest

So I came across this and I thought it might interest a few of you brides-to-be out there. David's Bridal is having a One Love Contest. Essentially, you create a dream wedding collage using your 6 favorite David's Bridal options (wedding gown, bridesmaid dress, bridal accessory, wedding band, tuxedo, and bridal party gift). Then you submit a story of when you knew that your honey was your "one love". People vote on your entry, and if you are the big winner, you win all items in your collage. Who doesn't love free stuff??? Don't wait too long to enter- there are only 19 days left!

5 Years

This past weekend JD and I celebrated our 5 year anniversary. 5 years- I can't believe how fast it has gone! Lots of good times and two little ones have made for a wonderful marriage thus far. We celebrated by spending the afternoon at Byington Winery in Los Gatos. What a beautiful site for a wedding- and the wine was delicious! If you haven't chosen a site yet, it really is incredible. The ceremony site is up the hill from the winery and offers views of Monterey Bay.

Afterwards, we headed to The Wine Cellar for dinner. It was absolutely delicious! A movie afterward made for a perfect night out!

Happy Anniversary Sweets! Here's to many many more!

Geniuses and Rockstars

Geniuses

Thank you to the geniuses at the Apple bar for fixing my computer! My screen on my laptop was shattered last week. I went into the Apple store expecting to have to shell out the big bucks to buy a new MacBook Pro. Instead, Chris at the bar said, no problem, they could replace the whole top section of my laptop!! So I have been out a computer for a bit, but now it is good as new. Thank you Apple!!!

Rockstars

Of the photography world that is.... Tomorrow I am so excited to get to spend the day with two of the Top 10 Wedding Photographers in the world. I will attend a workshop with Jose Villa and Gene Higa in the city. I am so excited to get to pick their brains and learn from the best in the industry! I'll be sure to post some pics from our shoot!

Wedding at Quail Hollow

This past weekend, I was lucky enough to photograph the wedding of David and Felicia at Quail Hollow in Felton in the Santa Cruz mountains. It was such a beautifully glorious day! The sun was shining, a cool breeze blowing through the trees. This wonderful couple is blessed with amazingly kind and very funny family and friends. This made for such a fun, emotion filled wedding, complete with a kazoo send off! Sneak Peak of some images coming soon!

Green Wedding Album

Yes, that's right- green as in environmentally friendly- and beautiful at the same time! These books feature:

• 100% Post Consumer recycled paper
• Environmentally sensitive cover materials like hemp, recycled kraft paper and lotka paper
• Green E-certified windpower and carbon neutral
• 5% of the proceeds go to replanting and reforesting as well as purchasing offsetting carbon credits

Contact me if you would like me to help you put together an album from this green line or a regular album.

Wedding Wire

Have you checked out Wedding Wire yet? It is a great site that has teamed with Martha Stewart to provide an outstanding resource for brides. You can find vendors in your area as well as use any of their easy to use and FREE wedding planning tools. You can build a website as well as track your budget, seating, guest list, checklist and timeline. They even have a binder tool where you can store all of your contracts, websites, images and proposals. What a great way to keep everything neat, organized and accessible anywhere you have an Internet connection.

Jaime and Jimmy Part 2

I just love so many of the photos from this shoot last month I thought I would post some more. Aren't they adorable?

A New Trend???

So I came across something I had never heard of today.... apparently a bride sold a spot as a bridesmaid in her wedding on EBAY! How crazy is that? According to the auction, the winner got a spot as bridesmaid including a dress, shoes, and an invite (with a guest) to the reception. Kelly Gray from Virginia Beach, VA was just hoping to raise a little cash for her wedding. She had no idea the auction would fetch $10,000 in the end! Who was the lucky winner? Turns out it is a representative from Dr Pepper Snapple group. The group will be setting up a website to help pick a bridesmaid for Kelly's April 19th wedding. Hey, that's cheap advertising for them and Kelly and her fiance are thrilled because now they can afford a honeymoon! Dr Pepper Snapple will provide drinks for the wedding as well- of course!

Of course that has spawned copycats... I didn't see any takers on the current spots up for sale.

Photo M&Ms

Ummm, maybe I have been completely in the dark on this one- but did you know you can now print photos on M&Ms? Brilliant! What a great idea for personalized favors!

Lilly and Billy Part 2

I think the best word to describe this bride is joyous. She was so lovely, happy and not stressed at all which is what made this wedding one of the most relaxed weddings that I have ever photographed. Here are a few more images from the day and there will be a few more to come. Enjoy!


I love this photograph- there is so much emotion in this embrace- a quiet moment alone.


Just in case...

A quick kiss right after the ceremony.


The bridal party and their significant others.


The rings.

Lilly and Billy's Wedding Part 1

Lilly and Billy got married at the Sand Rock Farm in Aptos on June 28th. I was fortunate enough to photograph this event with the lovely and talented Loren of Loren Weltsch Photography. The weather, venue and couple were so perfect! Their love for each other and the earth is obvious. From the favors (tree saplings and soap bars) to the shawls available for guests to borrow as the night got chilly- there was thoughtfulness behind every detail. They had a large Italian contingency, and every one's love for the couple was quite apparent- this was such a fun wedding! Here are a few photos from the day, and I will post more soon!

Day After Session

Last weekend I photographed this really fun and loving couple in the Mill Valley area. These images were not taken on their wedding day, but after their wedding. This made for such a relaxed portrait session, it was a great day!

I offer this sort of session (called a "Day After Session") to all of my brides and grooms. It is a great way to get beautiful portraits in settings that may not be at or near your wedding site. I love doing these kinds of sessions for newlyweds- they are so relaxed and still in honeymoon mode.

Here are a few images of Jimmy and Jaime, I will share a few more later this week. Jaime and Jimmy, Congrats to you both- you are so much fun and your love for each other shines. Enjoy!

Budget Minded Ideas

I came across a great article on MSNBC about a New York couple that decided to keep their wedding budget at $20,000.00. Apparently the average cost for a New York Wedding is $46,000.00! One idea that I thought was great was renting a cake. I know- renting? Really? Apparently they rent Styrofoam cakes with little cutouts so you can put a real piece in for the traditional cake cutting. Then you can have the cake taken back to the kitchen and have your caterer serve slices of sheet cake purchased from your local bakery. If you need a suggestion for that- try Icing on the Cake in Los Gatos- they will not disappoint!

CakeRental.com's price for a 3-layer cake is $150. Every additional layer is $75. They also allow you to design your own cake, I think the fee for this is $250. So check it out, it could be a great way to save some dough!

Here are a couple designs from their site...

Need a gift for your out of town guests?

How about a bottle of wine with a custom label waiting for your guests when they arrive at their hotel? Stoney Creek Wine Press offers personalized and custom wine labels. They offer many services, you can buy one of their pre-designed text labels where all you have to do is edit the text. Or, say you LOVE one of the engagement photos that I took of you and you want that featured on the label, you can upload the image and use one of their pre-designed image labels. Another option, if you are a design superstar, is to design and upload your own label that they will then print for you. The forth option for those of you that know what you want, but can't design it yourself is to have the very capable staff do it for you.

They offer all sorts of wine ranging in price from $10- $50 per bottle. From Pinot Grigio to Pinot Noir and Sparkling Wine, they have a good range.

I love this idea. So much so that JD and I used it years ago when we got married up at Edgewood in Lake Tahoe. JD and I got our wine at a Half Moon Bay Winery that has now changed it's name. It is now known as La Nebbia Winery and still offers bottle and cork days. We got to watch as our bottles were filled and corked. The price has gone up since we did it, but it is still reasonable at $4.95 for a 750ml pour. You can provide your own clean bottles. I made my own labels- they were fine, but not nearly as cute and professional looking as those done by Stoney Creek Wine Press. It was nice to have that day with JD- who doesn't enjoy a beautiful day at a winery in Half Moon Bay?

When your guest arrives after their long journey to their hotel room, and see a lovely, personalized bottle of wine, you know their wheels will start turning and they will get so excited for the festivities that are ahead. They will feel welcome and thankful that you thought of them. What a nice way to show your appreciation for them coming from afar to celebrate with you!

Need a Break?

Everyone needs a break from their normal websites from time to time. Be it while you are perusing the internet for brilliant ideas for you wedding, working at the office, or reading about all the wonderful or tragic things going in the world- we all need some sites to check out that give that brain a break!

When I am in need of some zone out time the first place I head to is Perez Hilton. I know it is trashy, I realize there is really nothing to gain by visiting this site- but it is so darn addicting. I need to keep tabs on Amy Winehouse's health and Lindsay and Samantha's romance. You know Perez will be the first to tell us when those gorgeous Jolie- Pitt twins arrive. I just like to keep tabs on my peeps, ya know?

Oh, and then, every Sunday, my other favorite guilty pleasure is Post Secret. It is a community art project where you can send in your anonymous secret on the back of a postcard.

So if you haven't checked out those sites, and you need a break from what you are doing, give 'em a try.

Rent Your Wedding Jewelry!

So, if you have seen Sex in the City, you are well aware that you can rent- yes that is right- rent a lovely Louis Vuitton purse for a week, month or longer. But, did you know you can also rent jewelry? Bag Borrow or Steal offers gorgeous jewelry, perfect for weddings in their Wedding Shop on their site.

Wouldn't this Myka Vintage Inspired Necklace and Earring Set be perfect for your outdoor garden style wedding?
They also have super cute special occasion handbags and sunglasses. Just what you need to finish off your look! If you sign up soon, you get 1 week free and are entered to win a stylish purse featured in the SATC movie.

Or, if you are still looking for the perfect gift for your bridesmaids, why not get them a gift card from Bag Borrow or Steal? Then your best girlfriends can look stylish all summer with a Betsey Johnson Tote or Jimmy Choo Sunglasses.

Oh, one more thing, did I mention they are having they are having their semi annual outlet sale? You can save up to 50% on carried jewelry and handbags!