“Stop growing!” I told her for the 100th time. “Nooooo!!!” She laughs. She thinks I’m joking with her, but I’m not, it is going by too fast. Four and a half and the whole world at her feet.

Today, my baby girl goes back to school. Another year full of adventure, learning, and FUN! She has so much fun at school with her friends and her amazing teachers.

Cecily, this year your daddy and I hope for you lots of laughter, wonder, amazement, and learning. The biggest gift we can give you, besides our love, is a strong education. We hope this year deepens your love of learning and your relationships with your teachers and friends. Go get ‘em baby! We love you.

“No thanks!” Greta said the second time Jeff called to ask her out. She had just gotten out of a relationship and wasn’t ready to jump into the dating arena again. But Jeff was persistent, he knew the first time he met Greta while out with friends that she was different than other girls. The third time he called, he didn’t give her the option to say no- he just asked what night she would prefer for their date- Monday or Wednesday. They have been together ever since.

I have been lucky enough to spend a bit of time with Greta and Jeff doing their engagement session and planning for their wedding festivities. I adore these two- they laugh so much, look at each other so lovingly, and are just plain fun. They are lights that everyone is drawn to.

These photographs are from their small family only ceremony at the Mission Santa Clara at the campus of Santa Clara University. There will be more photographs from their second wedding at Nestldown coming soon.

The Mission is breathtaking spot for a wedding.

The lovely bride putting on the last finishing touches.

Moments before the ceremony, I got a few minutes with Greta to do some portraits.

Isn’t Greta’s hairpiece fabulous? I love how her hair and veil were swept to the side, it had a retro, yet modern feel.

The church has the most exquisite detailing throughout, it is so beautiful.

The kiss!

A sweet moment outside.

Yummy light and a stunning bride.

I had a hard time choosing, but I think this might be my favorite of the day.

These flowers not only looked beautiful- they smelled so good! The bouquet included tuberose which smelled devine.

I love this moment between Jeff and Greta, they laugh often!

So sweet!

Hmm, I think I changed my mind- maybe this is my favorite!

Jeff and Greta, I hope you are having the most wonderful time in Maui- I feel so lucky to have met you and worked with you!

Yesterday Greta and Jeff got married at Nestldown in the Los Gatos Mountains. It was an exceptionally gorgeous and fun event. They opted for a Photobooth which was a blast. It was my first time running one for a wedding, and I must say it was quite a hit! It was really fun, I love how people get crazy in there! A huge THANK YOU to my sister Kate for running the booth! I will do a full post of this beautiful wedding when I can, but for now, please enjoy this sneak peek of a couple of the many photobooth pictures. For guests of the wedding- the whole photobooth gallery is up on the proofing site!

Happy Friday!

I have a great wedding today here in Los Gatos at Nestldown. I am doing a photobooth at this wedding and am so excited about it! This week has been a hectic one, one of those where you feel like you are barely keeping afloat. Not in a a bad way- just really busy. 3 weddings, a family portrait and an all day commercial shoot. That is alot of images to sort through!

So, the first shout out for this Friday is to Jesse- my wonderful husband of nearly 6 years. He took two days off work this week so I could do what I needed to do without worrying about childcare, he has cleaned up after me all week, and has been so supportive of me doing what I love. He is a fantastic daddy and I admit I am a little jealous when the kids scream “yay!” When they realize they get the whole day with daddy. I love him love him love him.

Here we are on California Screamin’.

This Friday I am also feeling some love for Facebook. I woke up this morning to a friend request from my oldest friend whom I thought I had lost contact with forever. I met her when my family lived in Venezuela (my dad was transferred there for 2 years- when I was in 1st and 2nd grade). After my family moved back to California when I was 8, Johanna and I kept in contact writing letters- good old snail mail. Her family would come visit occasionally and once, when I was 17, I got to go to Finland to visit her family. I have very fond memories of that trip- her wonderful family and friends and the beauty of Finland. I am so excited to be back in contact with her! Yay Facebook!

My dad- it is his birthday today and he is currently in Peru visiting his parents and siblings. Happy Birthday Dad! I love you! My grandpa turns 89 this week as well, so they are all down there celebrating together- I wish I could be there!

Have a fantastic Friday everyone!

Today marks the start of a week full of wedding activities for Jeff and Greta. They were married this afternoon in a beautiful small ceremony attended by family at the Mission Santa Clara de Asis. They will be having a second ceremony and reception on Friday at Nestldown- I can’t wait! Here is a sneak peek from the ceremony today. I’ll post more soon!

Congratulations Jeff and Greta!

This past weekend, I second shot a wedding in Palo Alto and loved so many of the touches the bride and groom chose for the day. The bride is quite creative and did some fun things to personalize their wedding, one of which I thought I would share today. A sweet sign welcomed guests as they came to the house for the backyard wedding and it set the tone for the entire event. Don’t you love it?

This time of the year the tomatoes are going crazy! I love this idea from Martha Stewart Weddings for favor centerpieces. Aren’t they perfect for decorating a late summer wedding? Fresh tomatoes smell like summer, add pops of color (especially if you incorporate heirloom tomatoes), and would be a delicious favor for your guests to take home.

Julie and Julia- I loved this movie. I know there are people  out there saying it was slow… this isn’t an action flick! Go see it- it’ll get you inspired to get yourself a cute apron (Anthropologie has sweet ones!) and cook!!!

I have a crazy weekend ahead- two weddings and then a commercial shoot on Monday, so no relaxing for me this weekend! I hope you all have a fun relaxing one!

I loved so much about the intimate wedding of Gretchen and Rive at a private residence in Angwin. I love how they met, the obvious love they share, their warm and inviting friends and family, and how they incorporated fun details that also told their history into their wedding.

Gretchen and Rive met in Brazil. Shortly after arriving there, Gretchen had a bonfim ribbon tied on her wrist. Bonfim ribbons come from Bahia, Brazil and carry a 200 year history of making wishes come true. It is said that when tying the ribbon on, you may make 3 wishes. They are to come true by the time the ribbon falls off naturally- cutting or forcing it off is bad luck! Gretchen’s bonfim ribbon took 10 months to fall off, but by the time it did, 2 of her wishes had come true. One was to find love- and she did in Rivelino.  Gretchen and Rive incorporated bonfim ribbons into their wedding along with many other Brazilian traditions. They served ice cold caipirinhas (Brazil’s national cocktail), had a brazilian style bbq, and asked their guests to wear white which is to bring good wishes and luck to the couple. Paired with the wonderful pops of color they used, it made for a stunning event.

I am posting a lot of pictures- I had a hard time choosing, so here we go! Oh, click the link for the slideshow at the end of the post! A huge thank you to my assistant Coco Tran of Coco Tran Photography for helping out this day!

The flowers were gorgeous- bright and happy.

The musicians were fantastic- from the acoustic guitar before the ceremony to the Latin flavored dance tunes, they were really fun!

Gretchen and Rive before the ceremony. I love the glimpse Gretchen caught of herself and Rive’s slight smile.

Waiting for the ceremony to begin.

The ceremony was spoken in both English and Portuguese, Brazil’s national language. There were many spots of laughter, but it also brought tears to many eyes- it was beautiful.

Leaving the ceremony… (try as I might, I can’t get this image to cooperate and center- oh well!)

Gretchen and one of her dads.

Here you can see many of the brilliant colors incorporated into the event through the details. Bright paper laterns hung from the trees, the tables were covered in brilliant hued tablecloths, the bonfim ribbons could be tied on the guests or on a trellis that will hang in Gretchen and Rive’s home. Their favors were so thoughtful- custom printed flashlights- it was a dark walk to the car, I am sure these aided many!

On to the portraits- Gretchen and Rive were terrific sports! They are so sweet together.

Congratulations Gretchen and Rive! May all the bonfim ribbon wishes made for you and by you come true! It was truly a pleasure to be a part of your day- thank you.

CLICK HERE FOR THE SLIDESHOW. The song is Wish For You by Faith Hill, when Gretchen’s mom first heard it, she thought it would be perfect for Gretchen and Rivelino.

I missed last week- sorry! It has been crazy around this place. My husband and I decided to put our house on the market and it has been so much work to get it ready! It looks amazing though- I think I will have to dig through old photos so you can all see the before and after of our place. We did a complete remodel and it looks amazing. Whew- I couldn’t miss two weeks in a row, so here we go!

I came across these sweet little birch boxes from NHWoodcreations on Etsy. I think they are perfect for a low key event to an upscale one, they can be dressed up or down. Imagine them filled with a mound of brilliant green moss- perfect for placecards!

DIY ruffly belt via 100 Layer Cake- isn’t this just delicious? It would dress up a simple dress- you could do an accent color… gorgeous!

True Blood- I am obsessed. Not as bad as I was with Twilight (I think my kids were ignored for days on end while I read!), but really- I am a little sad that the season is almost over. If you haven’t seen it, add it to your Netflix to catch up and then follow it on HBO. And to top it off- Sookie and Bill are getting married in real life!