Kelly McCord Photography Blog

Jamie and Jonathan's Wedding

 

It's a rare treat to get to shoot my friends' weddings, and I was privileged enough to do so when I shot Jamie and Jonathan's big day recently.  I have known them both for a long time; I don't even know how many years I've known Jamie (and her family), but definitely an awfully long time (20+ years?), since we were very young, and I've known Jonathan (and his family) for about 10 years now, and so I was thrilled when they asked me to shoot their wedding. 

Jamie and Jonathan are fun silly, sweet and kind and so clearly adorable together (and separately!), which makes them not only great to simply be around, but also very fun to take pictures of. I loved getting to be part of their wedding, and taking pictures of shooting them. Like I said, they (and their wedding party/family) are silly (in the best possible way), and were willing, ready and able to pretty much anything I asked them to do, in fact, they suggested some of the wilder shots  we took that day, and in doing so, created some incredible shots. There are very few people as committed to photography as to design and paint special backdrops just to take pictures in front of, but they did(!) and we have some great (if I do so obnoxiously say so myself) photos because of it. In fact, Jonathan loves photography like I do, and has worked as my assistant on more than one occasion.

Not only was I excited to photograph their wedding because they're friends, and super-cute friends at that, and because I knew they would be be willing (and wanting) to do pretty much anything photographically, but I knew the day (and the pictures that resulted) would be great (visually), simply because Jamie has great taste, and as we'd talked at length about her wedding before-hand, I knew it would be wonderful; bright, colorful and well-thought-out and I was right on all accounts, much to my delight. =)

It was apparent that everything had been considered; the colors, the candy bar, the button cake, the stunning flowers [by Katie Gonzales], and it was so obvious how much care, thought and time they had put into everything, down to the tiniest things, like the label on a cookie jar, and being such a fan of details, I was not disappointed (and could of course, not stop taking pictures!).

But besides the aesthetic, and most important, it was a wedding of friends (not just Jamie and Jonathan, their wedding party and their families, but their guests, too) which is always fun; to be in the midst of people who know me, and aren't afraid to be just as crazy and silly (or sillier in some cases) as the bride and groom.  And not only that, but a bunch of them went above and beyond, surprising Jamie and Jonathan with a 'Thriller' dance during the reception (it was so fantastic, and so funny it was hard to believe they'd only had a few practices before the reception).

The day was full of joy from the first to the last. When I arrived at the Jordans, everyone was stress-free, laughing and joking while they got their makeup and hair done, then right as the ceremony began, and I caught Jonathan dancing a jig with his brother immediately before he walked down the aisle to get married, to the ending of the reception, when masses of colorful confetti rained down on the dance floor, to all their friends lining up and creating a gauntlet for them to run through, to get to their car. It was a beautiful, special day and I was thrilled and honored to be asked to take part and record it.

And while shooting their wedding was admittedly a blast, even more so, I loved getting to see Jamie and Jonathan together on their  special day. They (and their families) are both very dear to me, and I wanted to bless them, and hopefully give them photos they will love and cherish, and more than anything else, and to be able to capture who they are together through the lens as clearly as I see them with my eyes.  I hope I've done that.

If you'd like to see more of their uber fun wedding, you can check out the slideshow, with a bunch of my favorite photos from the day, you can do so by clicking here.  And as usual, I've included a few of my favorites within this post if you don't want to go through the (admittedly longer than normal slideshow [because-they're-my-friends-an- it's-nearly-impossible-not-to-include-more-than-usual, because they are friends and I do know so many of the players]).  So feel free to check out the slideshow, if you want to see a bunch of the aforementioned adorableness, or if you just want a quick sample of the festivities, you can click on continue reading below, to see even more of my favorites...

Guest Book Engagement Albums

 

I get asked by brides all the time if I do guest book engagement albums (or rather, if I can create a guest book using photos from their engagement shoot), and the answer to that is a resounding YES!!! In fact, I LOVE it!!  I think it's such a fun, creative way to feature your engagement photo session, in a way that you'll actually keep out, and look at.  Not only is it a unique way to display your engagement photos, (along with being archival; so it will last for your children's children to see), but it's something you can keep out and actually have on your coffee table, to look at and read your family and friend's wishes, blessing, and congratulations again and again.  It's such a dear thing to have, especially to be able to read the loving messages left by those family members who are no longer with you, years after the wedding day.

 

Ross and I did the (also fun) mat-to-sign around our favorite engagement picture (which is another fun, keepsake-y way to feature your engagement photo, but the only bummer is, you can only do one or a couple photos -- this way you get to have MANY favorites).  We've got our mat/photo framed in our bedroom, and I still (even almost 10-years past)  read people's messages to us all the time. Unfortunately, since the wedding, two of my grandmas have since passed, but I treasure and love looking at what they had to say, in their own hand. I think the guest book engagement album encourages your guests to do more than just sign their name (as you would with a regular guest book. It asks them to pause and write something (hopefully) meaningful or funny (or both), that you can look at again and again.  That's why I love these albums; because it turns into a dynamic memory from your wedding day. And like I said, instead of throwing it in a box, to rarely be seen again (as I would guess most traditional guest books are), it's a beautiful, photo-filled time-capsule from your wedding day.

I wanted to show you one of the more fun and whimsical guest book albums I've done recently. In fact, I just finished it and I'm so happy with it -- I can't wait to show my bride and groom, Shari and Austin.  They asked for something fun and artistic, with specific colors that will be featured on their wedding day. I tried to make it exactly what they asked for, and I'm thrilled with the results of this latest guest book engagement album.  If you'd like to see it in its entirety, you can do so by clicking here to be taken to their guest book album.

And I hope you all are enjoying the beautiful summer weather we've been having!!  I've been looking at it longingly out the window while I've been working at the computer!! =) (Also, if you'd like to see the pages I've included here a little larger, just click on them to see them bigger).

 

V-B-S is F-U-N

Every year for the last at least 20+ years of my life, (with a break of a few years when I was away at college), basically since sixth grade, I've been volunteering at our church's Vacation Bible School. Specifically for the last 4-5 (or six?) years, I've volunteered as the VBS Photography Director, and have had the privilege of shooting the 250+ kids for the entire week; every day, all day. It's exhilerating, exhausting and SO fantastic that I get a chance to volunteer for (and serve) the kids every year. I love it so much, and it's an ongoing debate whether we (the adult volunteers), or the kids (at the camp) have more fun , and I'd say it's a wash -- we all have a great time. It really is something very near and dear to my heart, and we eargerly anticipate the week-long fun every year. In fact, it doesn't feel like summer until we've experienced VBS.

The Santa Cruz Sentinel comes every year, to document and write about all the F-U-N that we have, and this year was no exception. What's kind of fun (for me, anyway) is that the picture they in the paper this year was of me!  So, if you've been wondering where I've been, this photo is a good illustration of what I get to do all week.  And while VBS is D-U-N, =) wedding season has ramped up, so while I've been very bad at updating my blog, I'll try and do better, despite being in the midst of my busiest time of year. I still haven't told you about so many of the fun weddings and cool portrait sessions I've shot; so stay tuned for lots more photographic phun! =)

Kristen & Brian's Seascape Resort Wedding

I have been so crazy-busy lately, that I haven't posted in AGES, and for that I'm super-sorry. I have so m any gorgeous weddings to get caught up with on here, so please bear with me if I start cranking out posts in the next few weeks; I'm feeling super-remiss in not telling you all about these beautiful weddings I've been shooting this season. However, the reason I haven't been able to blog is BECAUSE of all those awesome weddings, so I suppose that's a bit of a catch-22... =)

Okay, enough of my apology, and on to Brian and Kristin's beautiful Seascape wedding!  The wedding was gorgeous, and the day was crazy, weather-wise:  while the day started out beautiful, (in fact, it was really hot and muggy at the beginning of the day -- you can even see a shot of Kristen with her dress practically up and around the fan while getting ready it was so hot), but then it quickly (during formal portrait time, of course!),  morphed into a down-pour, and finally, during the ceremony, back into blue skies again.So it was a strange day weather-wise, but it was a wonderful day, wedding-wise.

Kristen and Brian are both really fun, outgoing, silly (Kristen is especially silly, which is a positive personality trait in my book), and they seem like such a good match for one another. They're one of those couples who you can just tell really love one another to peices, and while I get to shoot those couples in love on a weekly basis, the way they felt about one another was evident whenever I was with them, which is a wonderful thing to be around (especially for a sentimental sap like me!).

So after the gorgeous (if somewhat puddly, in the beginning) ceremony on the bluff of Seascape Resort, (which for those of you who are local, know is a beautiful place to get married in town; arguably one of the prettiest spots in town to have a ceremony), after some family portraits on the bluff, swung inside to get  the party started. And what a party it was!!! It seems this year I've been inordinately blessed with really super-fun receptions, and this one was no exception.  Their family and friends were more than game to hit the dance floor and it seemed that from the moment they opened the dancing, to the very end, the dance floor was PACKED with people, which not only makes it more fun, as a photographer, because there is always SO much action on the dance floor, but fun for everybody there - to  have so many people singing and dancing along with the music -- it was just really fun to get to capture.

In particular, Kristen's uncle (I think that was how they were related...?)  was just going for it, and dancing like there was no tomorrow, and it was SO hilariously funny, because he was this somewhat staid (at first glance) looking guy, yet when he got on that dance floor he was yelling and dancing and shaking to "I Like Big Butts," louder and more enthusiastically than almost everyone there.  I am almost embarrassed by how many shots there are of Kristen and her uncle dancing.  I even had a hard time, at one point, holding the camera steady, because I was laughing so hard, I had to practically slap myself to stop from shaking from laughter.  In general, I'm not a big fan of 'The Circle,' (you know what I'm talking about: where everybody makes a big circle on the dance floor, and people take turns -- or not  -- dancing in the middle  while everyone was watching). However, I was grateful for the circle, because it made it so much easier to take shot after shot of everybody busting moves on the dance floor (particularly Kristen and her uncle).    

First dance...

And finally, after the reception and all the crazy moves on the dance floor,we whisked Kristen and Brian out of Seascape and took the golf cart down to Seascape's private beach to shoot their wedding portraits. And despite having shivered through the rain in the morning, and sweat through the muggy afternoon, eaten dinner and danced the day away, I couldn't believe how beautiful they both still looked, after waiting for the end of their big day to shoot their portraits. And as the weather had earlier, when we were trying to do family and bridal party portraits, it interfered again, this time on the other end of the spectrum.

The above shot is a good example of the crazily intense bright light -- look at how crisp and dark their shadows are on the sand, and how strongly backlit they both are; they're practically glowing. 

The light on the beach was so insanely bright that it either completely blinded them, or they were in total dark if their backs were to it, even using all my photo tricks, so we decided that while the beach is beautiful, it wasn't worth searing their retinas any longer, so we went back up to the resort and took the remainder of their photos on the grass. And I'm so glad we did, because I absolutely LOVE the photos we took at Seascape, and while the beach is always lovely, these were some of a series of some of my favorite wedding portraits in awhile, so I'm grateful they were up for scrapping the beach, and the grass ended up working out better all around (and they were able to avoid permanent eye damage! A win-win, for sure!). =) 

So I know I'm going on and on (how unusual, I know!), but I just want to convey how much fun I had at their wedding.  I always enjoy myself shooting weddings, but their wedding in particular had such a high level of revelry that I've seldom seen matched in reception-goers, and that, combined with Kristen and Brian' obvious 'right-ness' together made for a really wonderful, joyous celebration. I was (and am) delighted that they chose me to shoot their wedding day, and hopefully some of my favorite photos (below, after the jump, click on 'continue reading...') and the slideshow are able to convey, in a small way, a sense of their beautiful, joy-filled day.

 

Monica and Brandon's Aptos Beach and Train Tracks Engagement Shoot

I was thrilled when Monica decided to have me shoot her wedding, because I actually know her family fairly well, and she'd nannied for us for about as month last summer, when Megs was on vacation, but I knew her sisters Allegra and Emilia (and her mom Yolanda),  better than I knew her, , because we all go to church together (and Monica and Brandon go to Coastlands as well, but we have been going to different services, so only ran into each other once or twice.  So not knowing them as well as I'd like,  I was really looking forward to getting to know Monica and Brandon better, and I wasn't disappointed. We ended up having a super-long conversation after the shoot, which I'll tell you about more below.  (And as always, if you want to see these photos larger, just click on them, and they'll pop open larger!).

Despite the light being rough on the beach, it was ultimately a good thing, because look at how gorgeous it made this photo!!   

 

So we met at their house in Aptos, and went just a little ways down the road and got onto the train tracks in Aptos.  I've never shot an engagement session in a location like that, so it was really fun for me to shoot in a whole new place, especially wtih Monica and Brandon, who were so fun to get to know.  So we played around on the train tracks (and it was a little scary, because it was up super high, and I'm a little afraid of heights, but it was such a neat location, that I pushed through that fear, and I think we got some great shots on that bridge.  After the bridge, we decided to take the path underneath the bridge, and walk down to the beach.  The only bummer about the shoot was that when we got to the beach, the sun was in this very hard spot for shooting, and because it's the beach, there's not really anywhere to go where the sun isn't, so we took some wider shots, (where they weren't required to smile into the camera, because it was SO bright that really everywehre we went, no matter if their backs were to the sun or not, that they had to squint. It was one of the harder light situations I've had in awhile).  But we waited and they were so game to try other options, and move around, and we finally got to a point where they were able to 'smile for the camera' and it wasn't causing them physical pain, and once we got over that hurdle, we got some beautiful pictures (if I do say so myself). =)

And they're so cute too!!

After the photo shoot, I drove them back home, and we got into such an involving conversation that we sat outside, in my car, talking for more than a half hour. And as much as I love shooting, and composing shots in my head, and playing with couples whlie shooting, I absolutely love when I get to really know people; who they are, where they've come from, and all of those fun things. And as we talked, it became more and more evident that the three of us came from very similar situations in our background, and I felt like we really understood one another.  Another thing that was also super-fun, was while talking to Brandon, we discovered that we knew TONS of the same people,  (which isn't as uncommon as you might think, as Santa Cruz is really a very small town, Aptos/Mid-County in particular, and we always joke that in Santa Cruz County, it's not six degrees of separation, but 2-3, because it really does feel like everyone who's grown up here knows at least someone you know, if not more), and because Brandon and I had grown up in Aptos,  (I think we even graduated high school the same year), that we both knew and had grown up with so many of the same people, which is always fun, so when I shoot their wedding, I'll not only know tons of people from church, but I'll get to see a bunch of people that I grew up with, which is always fun (especially for sentimental types like me).

So, this has turned into quite the massive post, but I really do feel so blessed to not only get the honor of being asked to be so intimately involved on one of the most important days of their lives, but that I get to know too really cool, sweet people better, and made  new friends.  I've said it quite a bit on this blog, but that really is one of my favorite things about my job (of many favorite things), that I get the privilege of really knowing people, (and to be fair, I get to know some couples better than others), but when I make genuine friends, I think, what could be better than that? And that's really how I feel -- I get a job to be in the midst of people's most joyful of days, and the bonus is that I often keep those same people as friends, and get to be their photographer (and friend), as they go through the different steps in their lives; first (and more) pregnancies, shooting new baby, and family portraits, and the delight of watching them grow into families and parents.  It's a pretty amazing thing, and I'm incredibly blessed that people invite me into their lives like that.  And as I said, in my conversations with Monica and Brandon, in particular, it was so interesting to hear their stories, and to realize just how similar our childhoods/upbringings had been, and how much we had in common...I'm really looking forward to getting to know them better, because just within the little time we had together, I grew to like them both so much, and to feel even more blessed, that they'd asked me to shoot their wedding! So Monica and Brandon, if you read this -- we'll try and schedule dinner soon, so we can get together, AND I really hope you're happy with how your engagement session turned out, I'm really happy with the photos, and I'm looking forward to shooting your gorgeous wedding in just a few months!

Also, if you'd like to see more of these fun photos, there are a lot more of my favorites after the break, just click on the 'continue reading Monica and Brandon...' link below the photo below...

Joyce and Michael's Capitola Village Engagement Shoot

Before I talk about Joyce and Michael, I wanted to quickly say thanks to everyone who wrote kind things and emailing to see how we've been doing (both on the blog and through email), along with checking up on us during the fire(s).  The reason I haven't blogged lately isn't because we're not okay (quite the opposite, we're all doing great, thanks!), but because I'm in the thick of the wedding sesaon, which means that I'm working. A lot. Which is great, but it completely takes up all my blogging time. =)  So I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who checked on us!!  ANNNND, I'm going to do my best, despite being in the midst of the season, to blog more often, as I've done SO many fun engagement  and wedding shoots lately, that I really want to share them with you, so stayed tuned, I'll be posting a lot more shoots in the coming weeks...

I was so excited I caught this shot, I was standing on the pier with them, and didn't even notice the wave, 'til right at this moment, I was setting up the shot, when this rogue wave hit, and I was SO excited that I caught it right at this moment, when it broke (and then, immediately after, when they were pretty soaked!)

Now back to Joyce and Michael's engagement shoot down at Capitola Village and Capitola Beach!!

I met Joyce through Ross, and they actually went to high school together, and re-connected through either myspace or facebook. Joyce had recently gotten engaged, and Ross recommended me.  So not only did I get another fun couple to walk with them through their engagement  and through to their wedding (and beyond), but Ross was able to get in touch with an old high school friend (and to top it all off -- Joyce brought me two albums chock full of old high school photos, that had some really fun shots of Rossy in high school, which were a total delight to look through; for both me AND the girls; they had a great time giggling and pointing at daddy in high school).

So we shot their engagement photos down in Capitola Village, because that's where their first official date was.  So for them it's a really pretty locatoin to walk around, but it also holds a lot of significance for them. And I doing shoots where we walk around getting to know a couple, and get a bunch of different 'looks' while we're doing portraits, but I especially  love, love, LOVE shooting places that are meaningful and significant to people (I'm sentimental like that). =)  Being in a meaningful place makes the photo shoot all the sweeter.  So we had a great time walking around Capitola Village; talking about their lives; when they were first dating, all the wedding details, their jobs, and of course, we also happened to take a few pictures in between. =) After we walked around the village for awhile, they changed clothes, and we went down onto the beach, once the sun was finally low enough to capture the gorgeous sunset light.  So I had a  great time getting to know Joyce and Michael better as people, along with giving them some fun photo tips.  Michael seems to be a bit of a photo buff, so he was asking lots of how-to type of questions, which is fun for me as I love teaching people, so I was showing them how I did certain things,  while at the same time teaching them fun and flattering poses.

I'm really happy with how they photos turned out. I love the vibrancy of the colors, along with how happy Joyce and Michael were to try out new, fun things. All that combined made this a really fun shoot for me, and not only that, but we ended up with some really great portraits of them, while they got some portrait practice in for the big day!

Thanks Joyce and Michael, for your enthusiasm and fun -- I know we're going to get some great photos on your wedding day!!  And I hope you liked how they turned out as much as I do!  If you want to see more fun photos from their engagement shoot, click on the 'continue reading more...' link below, for more of my favorites!

Heather & Jordan's Seascape Wedding

I was delighted to be asked to shoot Heather and Jordan's wedding at Seascape. Heather and her mom rolled up at the Seascape Resort wedding fair (more than a year ago), and hired me on the spot.  We spoke at length that day, and they said after checking everyone else out, there was nobody that they'd rather have shoot their wedding, which was a huge compliment to me. Plus, we just clicked, as people and I think that's hugely important when you're hiring a wedding photographer. In fact, in all my wedding meetings, I tell people, even if you don't hire me, make sure whoever you do hire is someone you really get along with, because you're going to be spending your entire wedding day with them.  And it was that way with Heather and I, it seemed we really 'got' each other from the first.   (Also, just to note, any photo on this blog can be clicked on to be made bigger, if you see desire).

When we first met for their engagement shoot, I knew we would have a great experience together.  Jordan is sweet and a little quiet (but with a pretty wicked sense of humor), and Heather is this amazingly beautiful girl who asked (before her wedding day!) if we could do a trash-the-dress session after the wedding. So I knew right away she was my kind of a girl!  (If you want to check out their engagement session, you can do so by clicking here. 

Of course, Heather is an absolutely gorgeous (and kind) woman, as you can see from the shot I took below, while she was getting ready.

Heather and Jordan's was the last wedding I shot of last season, and it was a glorious day; it was a bright day and everyone was so excited to be there. When I arrived Heather was surrounded with all her friends and was in turns excited, happy and emotional (and back again).  I absolutely love shooting the getting ready process, because it's a ritual unto itself, and also because of the huge swirl of emotion usually going on; the bride and her dad seeing each other for the first time, the mom watching her baby getting ready for her wedding day. It's like getting to take part in the best of life, over and over.  It's a joyful thing to be in the midst of that, and I was reminded of that anew when I was with Heather and her girlfriends and family.  They were all so happy to be there celebrating their beloved friends and children.  One of my favorite shots is after Heather's dad walks in, and they've seen each other, and then her dad made some comment (I don't even remember what it was now), but I remember it being a very typical father-daughter interchange (which of course, still happen no  matter how old you are), and the shot I caught, of Heather reacting to her dad cracks me up every time I look at it. (See below).  It's a look of 'oh brother dad!' which she no doubt perfected in her teenaged years, but likely hasn't used for quite awhile. And just catching that moment and that emotion is my favorite thing (plus, the photo is just funny!). Check it out (I recommend you click on this one, so you can really see the priceless expression on her face):

Obviously she's a beautiful, grown woman, but her dad can still push those buttons, and I just love the expressions on both. He's like, "What?" and she's like, "Dad! Augh!"  Too funny.  Catching those moments, as I've said a gazillion times on here, is my absolute favorite thing about photography, and wedding photography in particular.  Speaking of moments, besides the ceremony being of course beautiful and gorgeous (how can it not be on Seascape Resort's bluff overlooking the ocean), the reception was a total hoot.  Also, if you want to skip the rest of my rambling, and either go straight to the wedding day slideshow (click here to go to see the slideshow of Heather and Jordan's Seascape Resort wedding).  And actually, I strongly encourage you to check out this slideshow, because it's one of my most favorite in a long time. Or, you can skip the rest of this post entirely, and scroll to the end, and click on, 'Continue reading...' to see the rest of my favorite shots from the big day. If you're interested in hearing the details, then read on...

Heather and Jordan's friends went for it at the reception too; they were dancing and laughing and having a great old time and it really comes through in their pictures. In fact, there are a couple dancing montages that totally crack me up (below, after the jump).  Also, the reception room, at Seascape, was done so beautifully. Heather and her mom (of who I also think is incredibly gorgeous) did an amazing job  with the room (you can tell they have great taste by the choices they made). Of course, t hey did hire my amazing Aunt Susi, of Susi's Flowers (if you want to see her site, you can do so by clicking here),   to work with them on flowers and decor, and well they did, because it's one of the best looking rooms I"ve ever shot at Seascape; the flowers were incredible, and they had a wedding where EVERY detail was thought and cared about, and it showed. One of my favorites was the 'place cards' which were apples, with the 'leaves' as names (shots of those after the jump). It looked amazing and was such a fun touch. So the decor was amazing, and their friends were SUCH fun to shoot (busting some serious moves on the dance floor). So there were so  many awesome things to shoot, but I think some of my favorite parts of Heather and Jordan's wedding was the time we got to spend together doing their portraits on the beach.

This is one of my favorite pictures of the whole day; I love the clouds, the blue, the whole thing.

The day had been really nice during the ceremony (and everyone was stoked, because it had been reported that it would be seriously raining that day), so they dodged a bullet with that one. But then, when we went down to the beach (close to the middle of the reception), it had started drizzling, so Seascape kindly provided us with a few massive umbrellas (two for us photographers, and one for Heather and Jordan). And while I was bummed at first, thinking I wasn't going to be able to get that many shots because of the weather, it turned out to be incredibly, because while it was drizzling when we first got down there, we got some really amazing shots of them with this striped red and white umbrella, and because the beach was so foggy, it gave it this completely surreal feeling (especially because nobody else was out where we were). And then, as soon as the drizzle had started, it stopped, and we were able to get tons of shots sans umbrellas. And I absolutely love their portraits; not only were we able to take our time, and get the shots right, but the shots we got were some of my most favorite bridal portraits of the season.  (And, I can't WAIT to shoot a trash-the-dress with Heather, because she really is so game for anything photo-related).  So thank you Heather and Jordan, for asking me to record this momentous of your days. It was a delight, and I felt privileged to be there with you, truly.    There are more of my favorite shots after the jump, just click on continue reading...

Pow-Li and Michael's Seascape Wedding

I had the pleasure of shooting Pow-Li and Michael's wedding this past season at the Seascape Resort, in Aptos. It was a gloriously beautiful day, and Pow-Li looked stunning, (in fact, while making the slideshow of their wedding, while watching it, Bella kept saying how pretty she was), and Michael looked very handsome. What's really fun about shooting Pow-Li and Michael is how very different they are in every way (physically).  They're like opposites: she's dark, hes's fair, she's petite, he's a big tall guy, he's got freckles and blue eyes, and she has black hair and dark brown eyes.  Shooting those contrasts is always fun, and because Michael and Pow-Li were having so much fun, the entire day, they were a complete and utter delight to shoot.

In fact, Michael and Pow-Li came up with some seriously cool poses on their own, when we went down to Seascape's beach, and did their portrait shoot down there. Because he's this big strong guy, and she's this petite little thing, he was able to basically pick her up and throw her around however he felt, and because of that, we got some really cool, unique shots. One in particular that I love, is him lifting her over his head, while her arms are stretched wide open.  You can see it right above. It looks like a movie still to me, and i just love it; the way they're posed, the light, the beach.  It was a total serendipitous photo shoot.

Mike and Pow-Li are about to leave for their trip to Malaysia, which is where she is originally from, to have a second wedding celebration, with her side of the family and her old friends.  Oh! I almost forgot one of my favorite things about Pow-Li's bridal party!  Her maid of honor, was one of her dear friends, who had been her pen-pal (when she was just a little girl, growing up in Malaysia), for most of her life. They became pen-friends when they were very young, and remained so, up until the present day, which I just loved. Her girlfriend was (I *THINK*) from the Netherlands, and flew out just for the wedding.  And Michael's family is mostly on the East Coast, in New York, so they all flew in from out of town as well. It was so neat to have all these different people there, from all different places around the world, who flew out, just for Pow-Li and Michael, to celebrate them, and their life together. That to me, is what it's all about, and you could really feel the love everyone had for them that day, it really permeated the room, and I felt incredibly blessed to have been asked to be a part of such a neat day.

I'm a sucker for cute shoes!!

Also, there were quite a  few (absolutely adorable) kids at the wedding, and I had a blast taking a bunch of photos of the kids doing some seriously awesome dance moves, and just being kids. There are a bunch of uber cute kid shots after the jump, as well.  I also should note that they had really great guests. Their guests all had such a great time, and that reflects in the photos; we got some seriously fun (and funny) dancing shots, of people seriously getting down.

If you'd like to see a slideshow from their Seascape wedding, you can get to the wedding slideshow, by clicking here, or if you just want to see a few of my favorites, I posted more after the jump, so if you just want to see a quick overview, with some of my favorite shots, click on "Continue reading..." below.

Oh! I almost forgot, while we were doing their photo shoot, down at the beach, there was a huge pod of dolphins that were frolicking and cavorting just off-shore, which was so incredible, and was the icing on the cake of a beautiful, cool day.  There are some photos of the dolphins after the jump, as well. Man - this  wedding had it all; dolphins, adorable kids, guests going for it, and a lovely bride and groom, on a brilliantly beautiful day.  I'd say they were blesssed. It was a great day.  Thanks so much, Mike and Pow-Li, for choosing me to shoot your wedding, it was such a delight, from beginning to end, and I've loved getting to know you both!

M'Kenzi and Jordan's Rancho Soquel Wedding Album

I recently finished an album for one of my favorite weddings of the year, Jordan and M'Kenzi's!  If you haven't seen their photos, please feel free to check their wedding photos and slideshow out by clicking here.  

If you would like to look at the album we designed for them, you can see their shiny-new album by clicking here. I'm thrilled with how it turned out, as I had my incredibly-talented-super-awesome-hubby design the whole album for me, and not only that, but my album company did an INCREDIBLE job with it; the colors are gorgeous and so saturated, and it's just one of my all-time faves!  You have to see it in person to really do it justice, but the web-version gives you a good feel for how the album looks! =) Stay tuned, I also created an album for my adorable Mexico couple, Matt and Kate, which I'll be posting here soon!   So check back in the next couple of days to see another new album! =)

M'Kenzi & Jordan Practically Perfect Nuptials at Rancho Soquel

This is one of those weddings where (literally) everything was perfect; the bride and groom (and all their friends and family) are absolutely gorgeous, and could easily model (I'm not just saying that either, when you see some of the shots of M'Kenzi, not to mention her sisters and neices, you'll see why I say that).  And finally,  I got to shoot at a sparkly new location in town, Rancho Soquel, which is the MOST amazing facility!   It was one of those weddings where everything came today -- it was a perfect storm of bridal bliss (I really like alliteration!).

So, Rancho Soquel's grounds are absolutely gorgeous, and it seemed that every corner I turned,  there was a new, better photo spot than the one we had just left.    I had toured Rancho Soquel prior to the wedding day, (since it was new to me), with Denise, from Wedding Connection, (who was also there on the wedding day, to keep things running smoothly), and I really liked it then, but on the wedding day, when I saw it all decorated, I fell in love with the place.  I'm not kidding, there was a barn (with beautiful old wood, that reflected the most beautiful light on people's faces when we were doing portraits), 2(!) bridges over the creek that runs through the property, tons of old growth oaks and foliage, a big meadow, and florabunda.  It was such a delight for me. Really. I'm not merely gushing, it was an incredible property, and I cannot WAIT to be able to shoot there again.

NOTE:  -- If you would like me shut my pie hole, and stop yammering on about all the details of the wedding, and you just want to get to the slideshow already - then click here - and you will be taken to the slideshow.  Also, the slideshow is pretty large, so give it enough time to load, it might take a few minutes.  Furthermore - if you would like to interrupt my yapping, and NOT go to the slideshow, but you would like to just look at all my favorite shots, then scroll down, to the bottom of this post, where it says, "Continue reading M'Kenzi & Jordan's Practically Perfect Nuptials..." and you'll be taken to the photos I posted here, which are some of my (not very narrow) list of favorites. Now, back to the yammering blog post...

So I had M'Kenzi and Jordan, an absolutely stunning couple, I had Rancho Soquel, an amazing wedding (or any type of event) location, and (this is the icing on the cake) -- the bride and groom had GREAT taste, so every detail was not only well-thought out, but just right.  AND, the cherry on top of that icing, is that Katie Gonzales, a dear old friend of mine (we've known one another since she was in diapers), who has been trained under the tutelage of my fabulous Aunt Susi, in the art of floral design, did all the flowers, and a great part of the decor. (Also - another fun fact, and another aside -- Jordan, the groom's older sister, Lisa, was one of my sister's friends, since elementary school - I still remember how she pronounced Ciliberto with her little lisp).  Anyhow,  did I mention florabunda???  Katie did SUCH an incredible job with the flowers, and M'Kenzi did an equally splendid job choosing them.  They had so many gorgeous blooms, AND mixed into all the flowers was different fruit, of all varieties, which made for this incredible tableau.  I could not stop shooting all the details (which, to be fair, I'm kinda that way anyhow, but even more so at this wedding). Katie was amazing, and her skills, combined with M'Kenzi's taste, and the fabulousness of Rancho Soquel made for not only a beautiful wedding, but beautiful (if I do say so myself) wedding photography as well.

Plus, to make it even more fun for me (and not that their wedding was all about me, but hey -- this is MY blog!), it helped that Jordan and M'Kenzi are not only beautiful, but they are so super-fun to shoot; up for anything be it dramatic and (dare I say, slightly over the top -- and I mean that in the  best possible way), to the very silly and everything in between. Really, they're a photographer's dream. (As an aside, sometimes really gorgeous people aren't the most photogenic people -- hard to believe but true, and definitely not true in their case!).   And I knew that out after we had had so much fun shooting M'Kenzi and Jordan's engagement portraits, so I knew it was going to be a fun wedding to shoot, if only for the fact that M'Kenzi and Jordan are hammy type people, and they actually enjoy getting their pictures taken.

Wow...sorry about the multitude of  paragraphs talking about how gorgeous everything was. I do tend to go on, but let me tell you, this wedding lives up to the hype.  And if you're a bride who hasn't chosen your wedding location yet, one of the venues I would highly recommend is Rancho Soquel.   

And, I don't want to forget to mention, that not only was the wedding day beautiful,  and the bride and groom lovely on the outside, but they were really lovely on the inside, as well.  M'Kenzi had heard about me from Katie (the aforementioned old family friend), and when I met M'Kenzi, I could see why she and Katie had been friends forever; she's sweet and fun, and Jordan, (who is so smitten with M'Kenzi, it's almost palpable), was really great too.  It was one of those ceremonies were I get choked up (it doesn't happen a lot these days, but when it's a wedding that's so sweet and tender, like theirs, my eye piece gets cloudy from my ears. I'm not kidding).  They both seemed really in love, and doesn't everyone love the 'happily ever after' of high school sweethearts getting married?  So the ceremony was very tender, but then once it was time for the reception, everyone cut loose, which is SO FUN!!  It was one of those weddings where EVERYone is laughing and dancing and having fun, and everywhere I turned my camera, I got a great shot of someone doing a crazy move on the dance floor, or throwing their heads back in laughter.

I know I'm going on and on, but I just really loved this wedding (as you'll see by the sheer volume of shots that I 'narrowed down to' to fit in the blog post, and the ones in the slideshow -- the narrow isnt' so narrow, as you'll see), but I had so many favorite shots, this was as narrow as I could get it.  So thank you, to M'Kenzi and Jordan and their sweet families and fun friends, for inviting me into your world for awhile, I hope I captured it as you remembered it. It was a delight to get to know you, and a privilege to be a part of this incredible day. I hope you love your photos as much as I do.

Again, you can get to the slideshow by clicking here, and if you want to see some of my favorite photos, posted on the blog, click continue reading, directly below...Also, as always, every photo on this blog is clickable, so if you want to see it larger, click on it, and a new, larger version should pop up. Happy reading!!!