I love receiving a call from a bride or groom asking me to photograph a very private wedding, a wedding in which I will be a witness as there is only the bride and groom, the officiant and myself.   Sheelagh (Sheila is how she pronounces her name) and Jean Pierre invited me recently to their exclusive wedding at the Dolphin Bay Resort in Shell Beach CA.  Ms Denai Vine, the capable event coordinator of Dolphin Bay handled their every need with grace and her own special brand of humor.   French is Jean Pierre’s first language.  Sheelagh loves all things French and had actually started studying French shortly before they met.  They have families and children, and all of that could wait for a reception, which was held a couple of weeks after they had their private wedding day. They dressed on different sides of their beautiful Dolphin Bay Suite because he did not want to see her until she walked onto the cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. When I first checked in with Sheelagh, she handed me a small gift to give Jean Pierre as he was leaving.  It was a surprise…. Cufflinks.  I helped him put them on.  When I returned to the bride, she needed help zipping up her beautiful gown.  She showed me the romantic note and stunning flowers Jean Pierre had delivered to her earlier that day.  As we were leaving, she turned on the video camera, which was on a tripod on their balcony.  The wedding site had been pre focused by Jean Pierre before he left.

It was a perfect Central Coast Wedding.  The pelicans flew by, and the gentle break of the waves 70 feet below the cliff made a dazzling sun-dappled backdrop for their wedding vows. It was easy, unrushed and retired Catholic Priest Rev Jerry Bellamy who performed their ceremony.  He was charming, funny, serious and profound  at the same time.   He was wonderful and perfect, in his unrushed way he even asked the couple to take a few moments to feel the air and enjoy the beauty around them.

The ever-present coordinator Denai, was a respectful distance away.   She was ready to lend a hand if needed, but at the same time she knew to let the ceremony unfold as it would.

In good time, we took a leisurely walk down to the ocean, played at the beach a bit and returned to cut some wedding cake and drink champagne at the best outdoor table the Lido. At the table one final surprise from our beautiful bride to her groom was his wedding ring which was inscribed in French, je t’aime, I love you. When you have a day like this you realize that two is just perfect.

Lauren  and Dan.  What a winning couple.  Lauren is a Vet and informed her mom  a few days before the wedding that she was bringing her horse for photos.   Dan is the love of her life and the man who cried during the ceremony when a letter from his 100 year old grandfather was read.  They had a rousing BBQ , complete with square dancing as a rehearsal dinner and my assistant Brianna decided that Lauren’s absolutely adorable outfit (cowboy tool skirt, jean jacket and red boots ) had to have been the deciding factor for the western themed event.

Lauren could not help herself when she saw her friends unloading her horse, she flew out of the house to help.  Something about the horse not liking to back out of the horse trailer…..  When she slipped on her bias cut gown she looked like a classic Hollywood Movie Star!   She was a photographer’s dream.  She said “ aren’t we going to walk in the weeds?”  Now this was before the wedding, and her horse was a big warm blood who could have stepped through her gown at any point….. but we went into the weeds.   It was magical.  Dan  in his beautiful linen suit joined us and… more magic.  The ceremony was perfect,  and there were precious moments recalled in a love letter from Lauren to Dan that she had given him in High School years earlier. We walked to a  beautiful covered bridge that  reminded me of a Black and White movie moment.   It was however, completely real and much better than something imagined in Hollywood.

What could be more fun than a Muffin Goddess?  Sometimes the most amazing opportunities walk into my studio.  Hannah, an amazing baker for the Cliffs Hotel in Shell Beach came gliding into the studio with her gown and her muffins and we had a ton of fun taking images.  I loved her sense of humor…  AND,  she left me with a plate of the most incredible muffins ever!!  My favorite was a healthy one… I think she said it was made of berries and grape seed oil  and all kinds of good for you ingredients.  What a great idea Cliffs Resort and go Muffin Goddess!!

“They are just TOO adorable!” were the words that kept being repeated as my lovely and talented assistant Brianna and I worked on Leah and Phillip’s wedding images.
The wedding was held at the Chruch of Jesus Christ and LDS (aka Mormon )Temple on Santa Monica Blvd in Los Angeles. It is the one with the massive statue of Moroni (the final writer of the book of Mormon) on top of the building. It was a glorious day. There had been tons of rain and the flowers were everywhere .
Leah was styling in her “remade for the Temple” Silk dress with cute little cap sleeves and a French netting veil. The dress moved with her effortlessly . Leah felt beautiful and she photographed just the way she felt!. After some family photos Phillip and Leah had some time to play and it seemed that when they got together, the frequency of our exclamations regarding their “adorableness” increased exponentially. Recording their silliness and their tears was just pure joy on my part.
After the “sealing” (ceremony) the couple emerge from a special set of doors in the back of the church that only “just married” couples are allowed to use. It is very special. Family and friends waited for them and gave them an enthusiastic and wholehearted welcome as they emerged.
The reception was at Middle Ranch in Lake View Terrace, just a hop skip and a freeway jump to the foothills. It was the same combination that Leah’s sister had used… in fact Leah used the same caterer, florist, DJ, and yes, photographer that her sister used. She loved what her sister had created and thought she would change the colors, the menu and the man and do the same.
It was a crazy good decision. Leah’s family loves to dance and Phillip fit right in with the men in the family who are absolutely wild on the dance floor! Lovely couple, lovely families and lovely day.

Becca put her wedding together beautifully, and on a very tight budget.  The Monday Club may be the best Wedding Venue Value in San Luis Obispo.  On a typical day it has great architectural bones, very green grass and a wonderful blue East facing sky.  Becca incorporated these prominent colors of the property and made them her own. Her apple green shoes were a lovely surprise to a stunning dress and angelic veil combination. Single green apples lined the aisle and her royal blue linen tablecloths were graced by a simple basket of green apples.   Their dog wore an apple green bow tie and she used a royal blue fan to cool her.

It seems real taste and style can come through on a budget with some careful choices.  I loved seeing how well it all fit together and recording the day for my very special, and very much in love bride and groom.

Nate’s family knew he was going to propose to Kelly and they contacted me to see if I was interested in recording it.  “Oh heck yes”, I thought. “Could there be anything more fun?!?”

So when the family told Nate they had gifted him a photographer to record his proposal, our email and telephone conversations began. Nate’s sister-in-law Angela, the point man for his family, is an event coordinator and totally organized.  So, on our first conversation, when Nate said, “ I guess I should get you a photo so you’ll be able to recognize us”.  I said “no need”.  Angela had already sent me an image. His response was something like, “boy they are good!”

Nate is going to make a marvelous husband as he not only cleverly scheduled the proposal logistics within Kelly’s vacation itinerary but also managed to get her hair and nails done without setting off an alarm.   Then of course there is the ring he selected which is a bling-a-licious winner!

Moonstone beach just north of Cambria CA was the designated spot and I had not only a photo of them but also a description of their rental car and the color of his shirt to guide me.  I was half an hour early, and brought my cell phone.  They were a half an hour late, but Nate managed a text message to me via his brother and my assistant Brianna back in the office. When they arrived, I was so busy trying to look inconspicuous with my big lens that when he suddenly got down on one knee, I almost missed it!!

For all of the engagement shoots I have been privileged to shoot over the years, I had never recorded an actual proposal.  It is different and even more wonderful than I could have imagined.  Kelly could not stop kissing Nate.  And Nate was over the moon.

Anna and Chris are planning an elegant understated wedding at Denner Winery near Paso Robles next year and were in the San Luis Obispo area to finalize some of the details.  They wanted engagement photos and they knew exactly where they wanted them done.  Chris had been on a trip earlier in the year to Moonstone Beach near Cambria when he had spent some time on the boardwalk, which runs along the cliffs.  As he watched the surf pound against the rocks, he made the decision to ask Anna to marry him.  They both thought there was no other place in the world to take some engagement images.  The image of the two of them standing on the boardwalk is the exact spot where Chris became convinced that Anna needed to be his wife. It is wonderful to be around people who are in touch with their emotions and who openly and passionately embrace their joy and their good fortune!

After I sent Anna the images, she called to thank me and mentioned a particular image that she loved.  It was of both of them hugging, and Chris has a huge smile on his face and is looking into the sky.  When she asked him why he was looking up that way, he said that he was thanking his father up in heaven for sending her his way.  Anna and I both teared up on the phone and I was reminded again how fortunate I am to do exactly what I do.

My friend Cory Karpin of the Woods Humane Society called me a while ago and asked if I would like to take some photos for their new web site. I think that if you can, you must in life.  I have a great sister Lynn who said those very words to me a while back.  They stuck, and have become a kind of a cool mantra for me.  Cory had a host of volunteers ready to play with the dogs and cats when I arrived.  He said that there were over 400 volunteers helping the animals on a regular basis!  I also happened upon a class which child volunteers to work with and handle the dogs.  The kids and the animals were great together.  Why is it that we so underestimate what children can do?  I shouldn’t have been amazed by the discipline and loving attention each one of the children conveyed to their animal charge, but I was.   Good things about around us all.  And, it is great when I get to spend a part of my day with good people doing good things.