Lia & Darryl's garden estate wedding

Lia and Darryl were married at the Twin Oaks Garden Estate in San Marcos, California. We arrived a little early in order to get our bearings in this location because neither of us had shot there before. And what a treat! Even without all of the wedding decorations in place this venue is just filled with beautiful little touches - both indoors and out. Here are a few of the images I got before Lia arrived for hair and make-up.

Not only was the place full of inspiration and character, but the people were fantastic to work with as well. I understand this team often works with their own photographer, but they graciously welcomed us as though we've been shooting there for years. Thank you so much for that!

Being an animal lover, I couldn't resist getting a shot of the owner's dog, Buddy. He wandered the grounds freely throughout the morning but disappeared when the bridal party arrived.

I wasn't able to join Dad when he shot Lia and Darryl's engagement photos so I didn't have the opportunity to meet them before we photographed their wedding day. From their engagement photos I could see that they were strikingly attractive: petite Lia with cute, short hair that highlights her big, beautiful eyes and Darryl with his sincere smile and wavy locks. But I didn't really know anything else about them, which always makes for an interesting first-meeting.

At 11am Lia dashed past me from her car to the bridal suite, struggling to carry a huge garment bag, offering a quick "hi Julie" on her way in. I had to pick the pace up to a light jog in order to follow her around as she darted from place to place, preparing all of the carefully selected details of the day. So right off the bat it was clear that this woman had excellent taste, knew what she wanted, and was attentive to every last detail (a woman after my own heart).

As the day progressed I got to know Lia and Darryl just a little bit better. I learned that they have been together for quite some time, that they recently bought a house together, that the two of them had adopted little Christian, and that they had a great group of friends who were excited to be there with them to celebrate the their love. I also couldn't help but notice that Lia was happiest and most relaxed when she was with Darryl. Together they are absolutely lovely and I feel lucky to have been able to photograph them.

The beautiful dress that filled that huge garment bag is by Demetrios Bride.

"something old - something new - something borrowed - something blue"

Lia and Darryl incorporated so many elegant and creative details into their day. I was particularly impressed with the flower arrangements. As it turns out these elegant flowers were done by a local high school ROP group. Cool, huh?
(I'll try to get the name of the school and revise this post soon)

Can we say gorgeous?

As I mentioned before, there were so many things to love about the Twin Oaks Garden Estate. Among them is this 1891 schoolhouse-turned-bridal suite. I loved the light and details in this beautiful room. I wish Lia and I could have spent another hour just shooting her in that stunning dress in various spots around the room.

The small garden ceremony was so sweet and personal. Lia and Darryl wrote their own vows.

These ladies were fantastic!

Did I mention how great the flowers were? I think I did. :-)

best man/officiant with the maid of honor having a good laugh

This opulent reception tent is also on the Twin Oaks grounds. I loved how fresh and clean everything looked. The orange flowers were perfect - so cheerful during the day and so warm in the evening.

The cake was made by a close family friend (and I hear it was deee-licious) - darn diet!

Ohh-la-la!

There's something about a spontaneous hug in the middle of a first dance that just gets to me. And what a beautiful couple.

Lia and Darryl's little boy Christian isn't sure why all these ladies are lined up. But he doesn't seem to mind.

Lia and her cousins look like models.

Party down!

Thanks again for letting us be a part of your day, you two. I wish you all the joy in the world!

beautiful Julia

So the other day I was driving home from a friend's house when I looked off to my left and saw a beautiful, golden field. The sun was low in the sky so the grass glowed bright yellow as it swayed in the breeze. I immediately thought "I need to find someone who I can photograph here!"

Well lucky for me, only two days later my good friend Julia wrote me a note saying she would be in town for a few days. When I asked her if we could take some photos of her during her visit she graciously agreed.

Julia and I have been friends since I was 11 and she was 12. We had birthdays a day apart. I'll always remember that year as being the year when I turned 12 on May 13th and she turned 13 on May 12th. We were such good friends. We went to the mall, rode our bikes, did sewing projects together (thanks to her mom's help), and we sang together. I stood by Julia as her maid of honor when she got married, then she moved away with her husband to start a whole new set of adventures.

Now, even after all these years, when we see each other it's as if no time has passed. I know people say that all the time - it really is the case with us. We chat and laugh like we never stopped spending every day together. It's just effortless. I always imagined that is what it would be like to have a sister. In fact, I've often called Julia my sister just because it's the best description of our friendship.

But I digress... :-)

So as I was saying, I selected the location and Julia agreed to be my model. She came over to the house, we did some catching up, we selected the clothes she would wear for the photographs, then I looked out the window... at heavy, dark clouds . . . and rain.

Okay, not exactly the same golden field that I originally had in mind, but she was in from out of town and this was our one opportunity so we both agreed to roll with it. We grabbed a red umbrella and went to that same spot anyway. Here are a few of my favorites.

You really are beautiful, Julia.

Just for fun, here's a shot Dad took of us with our friend Melodie when Julia and Melodie graduated from high school. Tell me Julia doesn't look exactly the same!

Julia, thank you for spending the afternoon with me and for traipsing through tall grass in open toed shoes in the rain for me. 'Good sport' doesn't begin to describe you on this one! I can hardly wait until our next shoot - maybe that one will be a little dryer.

a Sunday afternoon

Amy and Jeremy brought the kids over to hang out while Jeremy and Dick cleaned out our garage (thanks Jeremy for motivating him!!) And since Christina is off on a trip to Morocco, Mike hung out with us too. It's great to have family and friends over... especially when Dick does all the preparation. Not only did he pick up the house before everyone arrived, he even made us grilled cheese sandwiches.

Ahh - good friends and grilled cheese. Is there really any better way to spend a Sunday afternoon?

Rylan and Amy

Waylond has dots on his face

Neighbors Glenn and Jake play with Waylond

Jake is one delightfully happy kid!

a little angel

A few months ago I took some photos of Susana and Doug when they were expecting Baby Angelica. She arrived just two weeks ago and she's absolutely perfect. Thank you Doug and Susana for spending your morning with me and allowing me to photograph you with your little angel. I'm so, so happy for you!!

Sonovia and Nick

Sonovia and Nick met in high school more than ten years ago and have been together ever since, through thick and thin. Dad described them as being "a dynamite couple" and honestly, I'm having a hard time coming up with better words. These two are amazing. As I'm sure you'll be able to tell from the photos, they have such a beautiful, genuine connection and they're hilariously fun (as are their friends and family).

The details were beautifully selected and executed, and yet Sonovia never had a stressed look on her face. You could tell just by looking at the two of them that they weren't sweating the small stuff in the least. Instead, they were truly enjoying their day and their loved ones - soaking in every precious moment of it.

Sonovia and Nick were married at the El Camino Country Club in Oceanside, California. The club was responsible for most of the details including the gorgeous flower arrangements.

A touching way to incorporate the memory of her father as she walked down the aisle.

What a beautiful and joyful lady. Sonovia - you're the best!

These rings are so cool!

Nick changed into an orange zoot suit for the reception. It was a hit! And get this - they left the reception and went straight to the airport for their Jamaican honeymoon and Nick said he was really going to wear the suit on the plane. Nice!

You two really are "dynamite"!