The June Lake wedding of James and Lauren was full of gorgeousness.  The Bride is stunning, the Groom is dapper, and the views are beyond incredible!

I have to say that love all of my wedding clients and every wedding is special, but this one in particularly was extra special for me.   James has been my friend all his life because his mom and my mom are best friends, so we go way back! In fact, I am married to James’ cousin, so now we are technically related.

James’ wife Lauren is also a good friend of mine and was one of my bridesmaids (I got married about six weeks before they did). And since neither of our husbands like Disneyland, Lauren and I are Disneyland buddies. I’m such a nerd for Disney and glad I get to share it with Lauren! But enough about that, on to this amazing wedding

Their wedding colors were blush and navy, which complemented the mountainside color palette beautifully.  I LOVED the guys’ navy suits, and check out those shoes!! It added just a bit more to the look of the wedding party.

Lauren’s dress is from Enchanted Bridal Boutique in Bakersfield, CA.  The way it flowed and all of the details on it made for some lovely images of this stunning bride.  It was perfect dress and her beautiful bridal bouquet was the icing on the cake.

Speaking of cake, the wedding cake was by Lauren’s close friend and bridesmaid, Courtney of GhilaDolci Bakery. It was a wonderful compliment to the beautiful June Lake Lodge where the reception took place.

One of my favorite and very unique detail about the wedding was that James and Lauren included their dogs, Maddie and Bodie, in their wedding, walking down the aisle as ring bearer and flower girl! (Ps. Lauren….Bodie is still mine!  Don’t come looking at my house if he goes missing!) Maddie and Bodie were super cute and very well behaved!

The bridal party rode up the ski lift to the ceremony, which I thought was also very original and super fun! After the vows were exchanged and the kiss sealed the deal, the bridal party did a little choreographed dance and all the couples danced down the aisle, so it was basically a party the whole day.

We did get to sneak in some sunset photos at the top of the mountain with June Lake in the background.  Of course I shot it on film and OH. MY. GOSH.  those images are ah-maze!!!!!  They are some of my favorites from the day!!!

It was so much fun to photograph a wedding where I knew almost all of the guests.  It made for some really great photos of the bridal party (hence the shots of the bridal party “passed out” at the Tiger Bar)!

Love you guys!

I’ve done quite a few outdoor weddings this season, so click here if you’d like to see more of my work!

Michelle and Larry took me adventuring with them in Yosemite National Park! We spent the day wandering around and even climbed a hiking trail, which was something I was not ready for because I was wearing boots – and not hiking boots! (lol oops!) It paid off though because we got to shoot at a waterfall that Michelle and Larry really loved.

Luckily though I had Steven (my then fiancee, now husband) with me, who was wonderful enough to carry all of my gear. I’m so glad we did it though because it resulted in one of my most favorite images I’ve shot to date – the one of Michelle kicking up her foot while they stand together under the umbrella.

Some of my other favorite shots from the session are of Michelle in her gorgeous green dress standing in front of the creek. The way the light came through the trees and lit the scene was so magical! It was a total Disney-esque moment!

Michelle and Larry were so much fun to photograph and hang out with for the day too.  So much so that we ended up shooting with them for a bit longer than normal and had to drive home in the dark, but it was totally worth it considering how much fun it was and how many gorgeous shots I got of the two of them!

We had such a great adventure of a day with Michelle and Larry and I would gladly do it again!!!

If you have an adventurous idea for an engagement shoot, let me know! I’m always up for a little excitement and would love to capture an adventure day for you. Get in touch with me so we can start planning now!

This was a Central California Outdoor engagement session with Maria and Jonathan. We went up to Bear Valley in Tehachapi for the day of shooting, and I shot most of this session on film too. I love how the colors turned out!

Maria wore two separate outfits for this one, including a short lace dress and a longer flowy tan dress. (I love them both, but if I had to choose the flowy tan one is my favorite! I’m such a sucker for long flowy dresses!)

Maria also had a flower crown for this session, which complemented her outfit and the gorgeous outdoors and green hues perfectly. It was simple but elegant, and fit Maria perfectly, beautifully complementing her really pretty smile and lovely eyes. I was able to capture some great closeups of her too to really show off those beautiful features of hers!

Since we shot in the afternoon and the sun was out, I was able to catch a little bit of sun flare in a few of the images. It gives the images a little something special and adds an ethereal feel to the photos.

Want to book an engagement session with me? Click here so we can get in touch and start planning your session!

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I was so fortunate that I got to collaborate with a whole group of amazingly talented wedding industry professionals for this Santa Barbara, California Styled Wedding Shoot.

We did the shoot on the beach titled  “By The Sea,” and all of the colors, accessories, details, etc. were chosen in order to complement the color palette you would see at the beach. The session was shot at sunset (my favorite time of day for shooting!) and all on medium-format film. The film photography gave the images the soft, pastel look and color palette that we were looking for and really pulled the session together.

One of my favorite parts of the entire shoot is that skirt! I love how flowy it is, and the dip-dyed colors. The blues and grays also mimic and complement the ocean in the background as well, which is exactly what we were going for!

Here’s a list of some of the amazing vendors and contributors that made this session possible:

Ashley Jelmini of Ashley dePencier Photography – Photography (of course!)

Kelsey Elizabeth of A Lovely Creative – Planning and Styling

Sophie Uretz of Sophia Loves Letters – Calligraphy

Jenny of Blushing Beauty – Hair and Makeup

La Tavola – Linens

Carla Wingett of Sylvan Floral – Flowers and Floral Arrangements

Whitnie Burke of Paper Cake Events – Cake

Chantel Lauren – Bridal Gown

Baxter Moermon of Baxter Moermon Jewelry – Jewelry

The Mrs. Box – Ring Box

Silk and Willow – Plant-dyed Silks

Bella Belle – Shoes

Jolie USA – Head Pieces

And of course, a huge shout-out and thank you to our two models, Bree and Tanner, for doing such a stunning job for us! Collaboration styled shoots are so much fun, I can’t wait until I get the opportunity to do another one!

Click here to check out some of my client’s wedding photography!

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Ryan and Lily chose the central coast to say “I Do”. Surrounded by family and friends, Lily wore a sweetheart shaped tulle dress. Her look was completed with darling shoes covered in crystals and topped off with a bow.  Ryan was ever so classic as well in a perfectly tailored tuxedo. The vivid purples and blush colors of the florals added to the beauty of the natural seaside landscape. The sunset on the beach made for a perfect location for the bride and groom photos. We also can’t forget the ever so chic classic red car. Having met at a bookstore, the tables were decorated with books and cute little sayings,  a definite nod to their story.  Guests chose from a variety of confections on the cake table created by Sweet Surrender of Bakersfield California. A beautiful day full of love and laughter.

Coordinating: Irma Green, Simply Shabby Chic

Cakes: Sweet Surrender

DJ: Kevin Rush

Decor and Rentals: Make it Happen