Daniel + Katlyn | Coronado Island Beach Engagement Session

Laura is an absolute gem to work with! She is so full of passion for her art of photography and breathes life into the images she takes. Not only does she have an eye for capturing the tender and fun moments but she allows you to feel so at ease and truly just enjoy the experience. She does an excellent job of giving clear direction so you know where to look, place your hands, smile, etc. It is undeniable that she has so much experience as she makes the whole shoot feel effortless. My fiancé and I couldn’t stop laughing (we are pretty silly) and she was right there laughing at/with us and making us feel completely ourselves. The pictures she captured for our engagement are moments that we will treasure forever. We cannot wait to have her there to celebrate our wedding day and see just how magical and special she will make it!! ~ Katelyn, Bride

Andrew + Jen's DIY Backyard Wedding | San Jose, CA

Andrew & Jen had an incredible backyard wedding in San Jose this summer. (You might remember their faces from their Manhattan Beach Engagement Session in the spring). It was small, intimate, relaxed, full of laughter and brightly lit with warm sunshine bursting through garden roses and all sorts of DIY details.

The ladies got ready at a good friend's salon, ate In-N-Out and caught up on memories and "remember-whens"...

Andrew + Jen chose to have  FIRST LOOK moment primarily to make sure they could truly enjoy each other for some private time...and THEN take a lot of relaxed pictures with wedding party, family...

Wedding Party caught up with them at the park and the timing was perfect. There was a breeze, their was leisure, there were picnic blankets and grown men playing on swings and see saws. Just couldn't have been better.

While the rest of the wedding party made way to Jen's aunts house where the festivities were being hosted, Andrew & Jen stayed behind for a few sweetheart portraits...

We were able to snag a few more relaxed family portraits pre-ceremony with Jen's fam...

And then the bride hid with dad while guests trickled in to sit on fold up chair under a picnic awning laced with branches and burlap, hemp string and garden flowers...The ceremony began and...I am again so tickled by how no FIRST LOOK or anything can take away from a groom watching his bride come down the aisle. It is special in and of itself... They incorporated several special jewish traditions into the ceremony, the audience participated, bride giggled, groom beamed, they stomped on glass and everybody cheered!

Conveniently aunt owns two homes side by side. A garden door leads from one ceremony backyard straight into a stunning modernized bohemian / understated alice-in-wonderland kind of patio. They hired a catering company to serve and keep the wine flowing. It was a simple sort of family affair. The perfect kind. Where laughter meets dancing at the intersection of newlywed.

While guests partied freely, A + J skipped out for a few minutes to grab some casual neighborhood sweetheart shots. We captured them on the sidewalk where sunbeams were sending their fareawells. We walked down the street that they'd remember as their wedding day street. They kissed fiercely. Loved exhuberantly...and then went back to join in on more dancing. Happy Wedding Day folks. This one was a favorite. | lkm

VENDORS

....while most all details seen and captured were DIY or borrowed from friends and family, here is a working list of some of the paces and resources for A + J's detai

Location: Aunt's Backyard // Flowers: Costco // Bride's Shoes: Toms & Ross // MakeUp: Paizleys Salon & Spa // Bridesmaids Dress: Davids Bridal 

Happy Birthday Kristen Dalton Wolfe! | Los Angeles Wedding Photographer

Happy Birthday to this lovely lady today! Kristen, I hope this year of 'firsts' is rich with wonder. I hope this birthday and this first christmas as a newlywed is wrought with joy and precious memories and new traditions! Blessings girl! | To learn more about Kristen's heart and passion, check out her website http://sheismore.com/.  | lkm

Jesse + Sam | California Wedding Photographer | Horse Town USA { Inspiration: Country Chic, Pride & Prejudice, Literary Passion & (a dash o’) Baby’s Breath } PART TWO

{Jesse + Sam | Norco, Southern California | Horse Town USA | Inspiration: Country Chic, Pride & Prejudice, Literary Passion & (a dash o’) Baby’s Breath} If you missed yesterday's PART ONE post of Jesse & Sam's wedding day, go HERE. And so their day continues with unbridled joy... | lkm i have a new found love and delicate appreciation for baby's breath. :)

cutest 'tell our story' idea. signs all along the pathway up to the ceremony site where the last sign read, "to be continued"...I don't think i can insist loud enough for couples to really allow their STORY to play a big part in the planning and decorating and celebration of their wedding day. These personal touches made it SO special!Sam's dad made this entire barn door/wall as an amazing texture and backrop for her wedding! oh happiness... navy blue and white...so classy :) both Jesse & Sam took time at their ceremony doing things that were really special for them... you can't tell it in pictures, but it was one of the COLDEST days of the year. Sam was numb and the girls were shivering so bad. They fortunately stuck hand warmers in their dress pockets! Genius! prayers from the dads Jesse's dad popped up right as Pastor Jeff said "you may now kiss--" and literally inches away from their face started snapping pictures. Samantha burst out laughing! after the ceremony, we dashed across the street for some quick pictures at the place Jesse first asked to hold Sam's hand....on this exact bench... and then it was party time! Sam's an english major from www.calbaptist.edu and Jesse's pursuing his masters in Divinity at Duke in North Carolina. Between the two of them, they LOVE books and wanted to incorporate all sorts of personal facets from poets to prophets to pillars of the faith...mini mason jars... more hand made/hand painted boxes with their very own brand.. fun times!favorite reception game... :) and they were off!Jesse & Sam, you guys rock! We love you! Thank you for trusting your special day to us! Thank you for being SO patient for these! SO SO excited to see what the next few years hold for you! And...i definitely can't wait to get some of these memories printed and on your wall and in your hands for you to smile a thousand more smiles over! love thee much! | lkm