Giant smiles on both of their faces the entire day. And it was a long day. And smiles were there, the whole time.
Intimidating good looking but with personalities that make you feel like a best friend. They were grateful, up for anything and madly in love with each other. It showed too.
Can we just agree for every wedding from here on out to have an In and Out truck present for a midnight treat? It was genius and the guests loved it.
So much thanks and love for having me be part of such an incredible day. I love when New York kids get married in my backyard.
Wedding planner- Kevin Covey and assistant Beth Vogel
2nd photographer- Jarrod J. Photo (who shot a few of the amazing groomsmen photos posted)
Bride’s makeup- Ashley Walter - ashleynicolebeautyct
Bridal party MUA- Beach Beauty Bridal
Florist- Nisie’s Enchanted Florist
String Trio- City Connection
Band- Into The Night (Booked through City Connections)
Invitations and printed decor- Britt Strief
When Hailey first emailed me about shooting her wedding, she attached a photo of the two of us that she had from a wedding I had shot years ago. She said since then she had always known she wanted to me photograph her wedding. I was probably wiping away tears and responded with a huge YES.
To me there is one thing that really stands out about each wedding I have the privilege of documenting. This one was hands down Stella's smile. I mean, come on?! It is like sunbeams radiate out of her entire face. Such a lovely couple so full of respect for each other and really wanting to have their union be about what makes them uniquely special. It was incredible to witness and record. Or course Big Sur wins again for creating magic light and locations for me to sink my cameras into You guys know that it takes a team to create these photographs, right? So many moving parts made possible by incredible vendors working along side me.
I heard a lot of different versions that day, but one thing is for sure, these two seem to be destined to be together. They have a sweet sweet thing going on and I was lucky enough to photograph it.
Quite often I shoot weddings for couples I have never met before the wedding day. We get to know each other a little bit over email/video/video chat beforehand but as I park my car and wander through the hotel looking for the hotel room, I wonder, what will they be like? What will their relationship look like? What will shooting them be like? As I found Amanda getting ready at the Sheraton, like most of my couple before, I fell a little bit in love. The universe has a knack for bringing my work together with the most amazing people who I truly admire and grow to love as I document this day for their family history. These two were so easy to be around and photograph. Amanda has effortless charm and beauty and Christian has this soul you just trust. Both filled with such positive energy and admiration for each other.
Ashlee had a big ole smile planted on her face the entire day. Bruce and her were both feeling like lottery winners. Life has crazy twists and turns and sometimes wedding days really do feel like the "happily ever after" we are told doesn't exist. I, for one, am a believer. And it is couples like this that reaffirm that belief. A beautiful love and light filled day. Full of grateful hearts and lots of laughing.
Lindsay and John decided on Tunnels Beach, on the north shore of Kauai for their ceremony. Kelvin Ho was there to officiate, I was there to document, baby Bergen was there to add just the right element of cuteness and the Na pali coast was there with it's magic and sparkly light.
I didn't meet Lucy and Greg until their wedding day but immediately felt like we were old friends. If you can't tell from the photos, Lucy is full of sunshine. Really one of the happiest people I have ever met. Greg had quick wit, and under his "do we have to take one more photo" guise, I could see how very in love he was with his Lucy. My 34 week baby belly and I had a great time shooting and I dare say it was pretty relaxed because they couple trusted me and let me do what I was paid to do. I was grateful for their trust...makes what I do so worthwhile and satisfying. Thanks to Lucy and Greg for having me be a part of their beautiful celebration.
Rainy, wet and perfect.
Big aloha to Alicia and Ben for having me photograph their sweet beach side elopement. And thank you sunshine for giving us a few minutes.
It was an absolute thrill to shoot Brooke and Shea's wedding for Martha Stewart Weddings last March. The icing on the cake was having one of my images chosen for the cover. Dream scenario. Brooke and Shea's wedding was featured in their Real Weddings Special Issue Fall 2014. Big Aloha to the team at MSW for being so great to work with and big thanks to my amazing friend, Kris for assisting and helping to keep things running smoothly. Excited to finally share some of my favorites from their day.
Another wedding in paradise.
Joy and Max picked two stunning locations to celebrate their wedding. Their ceremony was at the Greystone Estates and their reception was at the Andaz hotel. Beautiful grounds and beautiful views....but my favorite part was listening to the toasts. I met Joy and Max the day of their wedding (like a lot of my couples) and I love getting to know them more through the words of family and friends.
This wedding pretty much sealed the deal for me. I knew Kauai weddings would be magical...I just didn't think I would fall this hard and this fast.
The same day I shot this wedding, I moved out of our home in Anaheim. It was crazy. Truth be told, sneaking away from the moving chaos was pretty nice. Instead of staring at the loose ends of our messy house, I sunk my toes into sand, squinted into the late afternoon sun and got to drill Sutten and Jacob with 2o questions while we drove from location to location.