This past weekend I had the pleasure of meeting with Nicole of Fairytale Beginnings. Nicole has just launched her Los Gatos based wedding and consultation service, and is already booking her summer up! As a wedding photographer, and having seen my fair share of weddings, I will attest it is fantastic for everyone involved to have a coordinator running the show. It allows the bride and groom to fully enjoy the day, and often times, it can actually save you money in the end. Nicole has had loads of experience planning corporate and non-profit events and is ready to dip her toes in the wedding industry. Check out her blog and contact her for your coordination needs- she is sweet, kind and has a great eye!

We met at the Purple Onion Cafe in downtown Los Gatos which I love. They have yummy breakfast and coffee, but also are fabulous caterers!

After a lovely meeting this morning with potential wedding clients, Jesse and I decided to take the kids to the beautiful coast to round out our fabulous weekend. We went to the Boardwalk in Santa Cruz- the weather was amazing! As it turns out, our little man was in a rare mood today- calm. Normally he is a wild man, but I enjoyed every second of this cuddly, tentative guy. Sure enough, it didn’t last and as soon as we sat down for dinner in Capitola, he was back to his wild ways. Oh well, it was great while it lasted! Here are a few shots from the few rides we could go on- turns out Teague needs to grow a bit!

As it turns out, our little Cecily is quite the dare devil. I think she would have ridden on anything if given the chance. Jesse is the best dad, always up for anything with the kids.

Jesse giving Teague a little pep talk before “the spooky train ride”… and then whooping it up with Cecily on the Pirate Ship.

I hope you all enjoyed your long weekend! We were so blessed to have amazing weather and this time together.

Here are more images from the wedding I shot with Loren Weltsch.

This afternoon I headed up to the city to check out the Clift Hotel near Union Square in San Francisco because I will be photographing a wedding there late spring. It really is an amazing venue with a modern chic feel, but a well defined history. Between the Spanish Room, the Redwood Room, the rooftop terrace, and the stunning lobby, there is so much to see and appreciate! What a gorgeous wedding venue! I took a few shots while I was there- enjoy!

Here are more images from the lovely wedding of Erica and Kumar at The Chateau Group in Los Altos that I shot with Loren.

Erica and Kumar got married this past fall in Los Altos at The Chateau Group which is a gorgeous venue for a wedding. The Chateau Group has the feel of a vineyard wedding with the convenience of being right between the Peninsula and South Bay. Did I mention the food provided by Taste-Full Events was insanely delicious? Seriously- so good!

I helped Loren out with this wedding, which is always such fun. Erica and Kumar are a very cute couple- I love the bright colors and and fun touches they chose.

Isn’t the henna beautiful?

The ceremony site is lovely, flanked by grape vines on each side.

They are so sweet together.

We were treated to the most brilliant full moon.

When it got chilly, the coffee bar opened up- perfect!

This past summer I had the opportunity to second shoot with a couple of photographers whose work I admire. As a professional photographer, it is great to second shoot from time to time for a couple reasons. 1, I get to see how someone else works- and that is always helpful in thinking about how I can best do my job. 2, I get to practice what I love doing without the pressures of it being my own wedding- this allows me to try new techniques in action, without worrying terribly about missing a shot. Over the next couple months, I’ll be featuring shots from weddings I second shot.

This is a wedding I shot with the fabulous Loren Weltsch. She is a dear friend who also happens to be a ridiculously talented photographer. This wedding took place at Lindsay’s childhood home in Palo Alto and she and Danny traveled from out of the area to get married there. I love the colors they chose as well as the crafty personal touches. After so much rain lately, it was really fun to edit these bright summertime images!

The bright blue and pops of yellow are to die for.

More to come from this bright, fun wedding!

Today my little guy turned 3. My little baby, 3- I can hardly believe it. Teague is wild, he is fun, he laughs hard and easily which I love. He can be a handful, but I wouldn’t have him any other way, I adore him. And with this, our month of birthday madness ends!

Happy Birthday Little Man!

This week’s Friday I’m in Love is all about little touches for the hair that are unique and fun.

First up, these floral pins came up today on Etsy and I think they are adorable. I love the fun color!

These custom fabric hairpieces can do double duty! They can be a hairpiece or corsage and the artist will customize them to fit your color scheme.

Remember Rhiannon and Tony’s stunning wedding at Old St. Hilary’s in Tiburon? Rhiannon rocked a birdcage veil and it really set the tone and style for her wedding. Try making your own! You can buy a yard of Russian net (or French net for a softer feel) for $8 a yard online and 100 Layer Cake offers a great little tutorial here. Add  a flower clip or feather hair piece for some drama and you have a one of a kind accent for your day.

I know I know… didn’t we just celebrate a birthday last week? We did, and here we are celebrating my daughter’s birthday today. Just you wait, we have another one coming next week! January is a bit nuts around here!

My little Cecily turned 5 today. That marks 5 years of daily amazement of who she is and who she is becoming. She brings such an intense light to our life, and teaches us something new daily. We are blessed to have her.

Happy Birthday Jellybean!