Alyssa and Scott are my cousins on my husband’s side of the family. They don’t live in town, however, they were home for Easter and Alyssa asked me to do their maternity photos. I was BEYOND excited to do them! Maternity photos are always so much fun, especially when it’s family that I get to photograph!

For the photos Alyssa wore a long light blue maternity dress that had a full train. It was absolutely stunning on her. She had a flower crown and the prettiest bouquet, courtesy of House of Flowers. Scott was in gray dress pants, a white longsleeve button up, and matching tie. They were just so cute together….as always!

We went out to my cousin’s property in Keene, CA..it is seriously one of my new favorite places to shoot. I ended up shooting almost all film for this session because the light and location were too perfect not to. The light was so soft and subtle and the sunset was just magical. We had help from Alyssa’s sister Erin…she was a pro at helping me style the gown.  We had a great time hanging out and taking photos. Alyssa was a total champ…at seven months pregnant, got up on a rock in the middle of a bunch of wild grass just to get some photos!

I am so, so excited to meet our new baby cousin. His birth will be a great excuse to travel to Utah to visit, or maybe take some newborn photos!  Congrats Scott and Alyssa!

Meghan and Andy said I do at OLPH with their reception following at Bakersfield Country Club. I have to say that I absolutely love this choice of ceremony and venue location (but I could be bias…it was my wedding location as well)!

Meghan wore a fitted lace dress with thin straps and a low back with shoes that sparkled for days! She was absolutely gorgeous! She had her hair curled and her long veil flowed so perfectly in the wind. Meghan’s flowers were so beautiful! There were shades of blush pink, deep reds, soft greens and whites…swoon. The bridesmaids wore the prettiest nude color long dresses. It’s safe to say that I just loved her color palate. One of my favorite details of the day were the fur shawls that Meghan and her bridesmaids wore for a few photos. Meghan’s shawl was her grandmother’s, how cool is that!? Andy adorned a classic black suit and black tie, one of my favorite groom looks.

We were lucky on Meghan and Andy’s wedding day because we barely avoided the rain! It had rained Friday and Sunday but luckily we had a clear day with just the right amount of clouds in the sky. It was just the perfect weather condition for photography! We had an absolute blast photographing this wedding! Congrats to Meghan and Andy!

Cinematography: In Motion

DJ: Freestyle

Photo booth: Bakersfield Photo Booth

Flowers: Elegance In Bloom

Dress store: Here Come’s the Bride

Bride’s Shoes: Cole Haan

Maids Dresses: Vera Wang

Paper and Invites: Elegance in Bloom

Hair: Alivia Daniels

Makeup: Morgan Devaney

Cake: Anamie

Suits: Friar Tux

Save

Keri and Giuliana had a Mother Daughter session in the almond orchards. Mommy daughter photo shoots are always so special, especially with little girls. These two were absolutely ADORABLE and I just couldn’t get over how amazing they were to photograph. Keri was absolutely stunning and Giuliana is nothing short of a model, I mean, look at ALL THAT HAIR.  For their first outfits, Keri was in a jean shorts romper and Giuliana wore a floral shorts romper with the cutest back I’ve seen. Keri’s second outfit was a long pink dress and Giuliana sported a blue flower dress with tulle.

The almond trees resembled an enchanted forest after all of the blooms fell onto the overgrown green goodness of the field. It was absolutely magical. The lighting was perfect…falling through the trees right where it needed to be. We really couldn’t have asked for a more picture perfect setting for these two!

Keri runs the Stockdale Exclusive Magazine and I write a monthly article for her! It was so much fun being able to photograph her and Giuliana!

Lastly, congrats to both of these lovelies for their recent pageant wins!

I have been photographing Jade for quite some time.  She models for me frequently.  One Christmas her boyfriend got her a portrait session with me and then secretly decided to turn it into a PROPOSAL!  We planned to shoot in the almond trees, he brought in Evermoore films to video it (we told the bride it was a promo piece for my company) and set it all up.  Jade thought we were just doing some portraits of the two of them in the almonds…about half way through, that changed.

My first proposal session.  It was MAGIC.  We were all crying.

After that, Jade got to work and we photographed their engagement session the following year.  It was sunrise session in the (now not so dry) river bed…it was a foggy morning….gorgeous.  Mint Design was there to style their shoot and the images were AH-MAZING.  Of course, we shot film!

Jake and Jade got married at Hathaway Ranch, where, we also shot film! (of course!)  It was picture perfect.

Jade wore a wedding gown that had TWO looks.  It was a Jenny Yoo from BHLDN.  Her gown was strapless, sweetheart and A-line.  She wore a long veil and just her engagement ring…simple perfection.  The second look to Jades wedding gown was a full skirt that went over the top of her dress, which turned it into a natural waist ball gown.  Her oh so gorgeous, brightly colored flowers and decor were by Mint Design.  We looooved the color palate!

Their wedding theme was “Italian”.  Pomegranates were part of the table decor and she had my favorite, long farm tables and candles!  Everywhere I turned there were different details to photograph…I especially fell in love with the giant wall that went behind the bride and groom and had their wedding hashtag on it!  (Once Upon a Thomasy…great Disney reference Jade!)

Jake and Jade did a reception reveal, which, in my opinion, is an amazing way to see what the reception looks like all put toghter prior to guests coming inside.  It also gives us, your photographer, a chance to capture it in all of its glory!

We did sunset photos as well, which are my favorite from the day!  It was such an honor to photograph these two beautiful people!  Congrats to the bride and groom.

DJ:  Mike with Freestyle (it’s always a good party when Mike is there).

Dinner: Luigis

Video: Evermoore

Floral and Decor: Mint Design

Dress: Jenny Yoo and BHLDN  

Maids Dresses: Adrianna Papel

Invitations: Minted

Wood Signs: Union Vintage Calligraphy

Laser Cut Sign: All in the Invite

Save

Today, we’re talking about sweet Dylan’s 9 month session. His parents, Bethany and Mark, are one of my “As You Grow” clients. I have been photographing Dylan since he was a newborn and his 9 month photoshoot was just as fun and adorable as ever!

Dylan is a dream to photograph! His smile is absolutely heart melting and his eyelashes are GIANT. I love seeing those beautiful things in his photos. As if he couldn’t get any cuter, he has the most adorable wardrobe, thanks to his mama. His outfits were layered with style. His look consisted of a plaid shirt with a cute navy pullover, denim jeans, and the most adorable tan shoes with bright orange laces! It’s safe to say that we were just infatuated with Dylan!

Bethany brought an adorable white wood bench and ladder for Dylan to pose with. They were perfect props for the almond trees. The white from the props and the almond blooms combined with Dylan’s blue wardrobe made for the sweetest color combination ever.

We just love capturing Dylan’s sweet little smile and are so excited to be able to photograph him as he grows!

Kehau and Justin said I do at St. George Greek Orthodox Church and their reception followed at Bakersfield Country Club. Everything about this wedding was absolutely picture perfect – from the venues, to the couple, to the food. We had a great time documenting everything alongside Evermoore Films.  We started off the day at St. George’s. This was my first time photographing a Greek ceremony and needless to say, it was amazing! At Greek weddings the bride and groom face forward the whole time, meaning I was standing on the altar during the ceremony. We learned that there are tons of really neat traditions in Greek weddings and everything happens 3 times! One of the traditions was that the bride and groom both had on crowns that are made and connected by a single strand of ribbon. In the Greek wedding, this is a symbol of the marriage between the couple.  The Greek word for the crowns is “stefana.” How cool is that!?

Kehau was the most beautiful bride and had hair for DAYS. Gia Bohannen was the genius behind Kehau’s hair and Erica Cruz did an absolutely amazing job on her makeup! Her red lips were absolutely stunning. The flowers were oh so perfect and done by our friends at House of Flowers, they always do the best job. Justin was dapper as ever in a classic black tux and bow tie.

There were so many fun elements to this wedding, one of them being that Kehau and I have been friends since childhood! Her and I go all the way back to the days of South West Baseball. Not only that but one of Justin’s groomsmen was one of my former grooms and is also one of my distant cousins, it was fun seeing him again. As if that wasn’t enough…one of my other couples were at the wedding as guests! All three of the guys are friends and I had the opportunity to shoot all three of their weddings! What fun!

After the wedding ceremony was over, everyone headed off to BCC for a reception that no one will soon be forgetting. FreeStyle was the DJ for the reception…they never disappoint and can keep the party going forever! The evening was filled with Greek dancing and an ice cream bar! The ice cream bowls were Dodger and Red Sox hats…I have to say that I preferred the Dodger ones (sorry Kehau!). The color scheme was black, gold, and white and you should have seen how everything glittered so beautifully! The couples and their friends and family celebrated into the night and we loved capturing every minute of it! Especially the sparkler exit.

Congratulations Kehau and Justin!

Flowers: House of Flowers

Video: Evermoore Films  (Check out Kehau and Justin’s wedding video HERE)

DJ: FreeStyle Event Services

Venue: Bakersfield Country Club

Dress: Hayley Paige

Hair: Gia Bohannon

Makeup: Erica Cruz