The Youngrens | San Diego Photographers » weddings

Immaculata Wedding, Part Two Michael and Jennifer

Erin — Fri, 04 May 2012 16:00:57 +0000

Welcome back to Part Two of Michael and Jennifer's wedding at the Immaculata church at USD. This was such a lovely morning wedding with the kinds of soft touches and sweet colors that make any girl melt. Again, a huge thanks goes out to Diane of Whimsey Florals for rockin' the incredible flowers and making our images look GOOD. USD's campus is full of elegant Spanish architecture so we stole away with the bridal party before heading to the reception at the Sheraton Harbor Island.

Cute, cute, cute!

I'm loving this series with Michael and Jennifer.

Love, love, love!

Awww yeah!

A big church wedding just isn't complete without a rockin' classic car waiting out front!

I loved all of the little touches at the reception. Jennifer's sister designed the custom J + M logo that appeared on the place cards, menu, programs, and invitations and tied the entire decor together.

The logo even appeared on the cake! So perfect!

Michael and Jennifer have made it a goal to visit every California mission, so they named the tables after each special trip and memory.

One of my favorite cake toppers of all time. Heck yes.

This was such a cute idea - guests blew bubbles during Michael and Jennifer's first dance which made everything so soft and romantic.

You know how I mentioned yesterday that Michael is a die-hard fan of Metallica? I wasn't kidding. Michael had been planning this surprise from the moment he proposed, so during the wedding planning process, he had a secret mission to pick a venue that would go along with his plan. They played a slideshow with a recording of Michael playing one of his favorite Metallica songs as the background music - super sweet right? But then Michael walked out actually playing the song, and then he started singing the entire thing to Jennifer. Aren't you falling in love with this guy?

But Michael didn't stop there. Halfway through the song, the doors behind him swung open to an entire band made up of his buddies and brother-in-law backing him up, complete with an entire drum kit! They ROCKED it!

The final touch - custom guitar picks.

Michael was the MAN after that! Ha!

Father/daughter dances are always my favorite part of the day. They're SO SWEET.

After dining and dancing and toasting the day away, we headed out after the reception ended for a few photos in the creamy sunset light.

Michael and Jennifer: We were so honored to be a part of your day and meeting your friends and family was just as welcoming and amazing as you said it would be! You are such blessed people to be surrounded by such deeply committed folks, and your marriage is going to be wrapped in such love! We love you guys!

Hugs,
Erin

Immaculata Wedding, Part One Michael and Jennifer

Erin — Thu, 03 May 2012 18:49:43 +0000

Michael and Jennifer's wedding was a calm, lovely morning affair at the grand Immaculata church at the University of San Diego. There was the usual flurry of activity - an iPhone playing music in the corner, clouds of hairspray, puffs of perfume, and a beautiful dress hanging in the window. And there was the usual 'to-dos' - make sure the programs make it to the church, pack the suitcases, organize cars, and pin stray hairs. But if the day was a river, it was less of a rapid current and more like a lazy stream moving wonderfully along.

And what I love the most about Michael and Jennifer is that they could tap into the calm of that river while the flowers arrived and family asked questions and grandma gave a hug. When the moments quieted between group photos and guests arriving, these two stepped outside of the wedding activities - like swimming to the bank to rest in the sun while everything else floated on by - and you could feel each other in their eyes even though they hadn't seen each other yet. They glowed.

Michael is a deep, thoughtful, sensitive guy with a heart that thrives on significance and an undying love for Metallica. Jennifer is a spunky chick that knows what she wants with a fierce loyalty to her friends and a family. Together, they're the kind of pair that makes your heart melt into a pool of buttah.

Their day began at the Sheraton Harbor Island where Jeff spent a few minutes with Michael.

Jennifer sent an envelope to Michael and Jeff played messenger. So cute!

Michael's late grandfather left his watch to Michael who absolutely loves watches. When it came time to pick one for the wedding, there was no question which one he was going to wear.

Meanwhile, the girls were putting on the final touches.

The necklace is Jennifer's great-great grandmother's and will be passed down to her. But her grandmother says that she still loves wearing it, so Jennifer could wear it for the wedding, she's not officially passing it down just yet! Ha!

So stinkin' lovely.

The Immaculata is a gorgeous Catholic church on the University of San Diego's campus. I'm drooling over that buttery morning light!

Yeh-yah! I love me some adorable girls!!

An enormous thanks goes out to Diane of Whimsey Florals for crafting the lovely textured spring florals. Jennifer RAVED about her bouquet the entire day - we absolutely love working with Diane because she makes our couples sooooo happy!

Spring is totally in the air - the sky, the flowers, the sun, and the breeze were all so perfect and the gorgeous Jennifer took it over the top!

While I was kickin' it with the girls, Jeff hung out with Michael and his boys.

It was so special how much this watch meant to Michael. It felt like his grandfather was with him the entire day.

Lookin' GOOD.

Ok, how amazing is my hubby? I love this series of images that he made with Michael.

My favorite.

Guests arriving...

Lining up for the processional...

And walking down the aisle.

I love the reverence and tradition of Catholic ceremonies.

Married!

What amazing people huh? Tomorrow we'll be posting the rest of Michael and Jennifer's wedding at the Immaculata, along with the reception at the Sheraton Harbor Island. See you then!

Hugs,

Erin

Featured: Style Me Pretty Jared and Kathryn’s Sherman Library Wedding

Erin — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 20:35:23 +0000

What an amazing week! We've gotten to feature James and Marilyn's crazy adorable plantation-meets-rustic-meets-rain boots wedding at Crestmore Manor, Jeff and I taught our very first intensive workshop for wedding photographers on Monday and Tuesday (images to come soooooon!), and we had Jared and Kathryn's delightful Sherman Library wedding featured on Style Me Pretty California yesterday!

So many amazing things and it's only Wednesday...

Check out Jared and Kathryn's incredible feature over on Style Me Pretty and make sure to leave plenty of comments. They worked so hard on their wedding that they deserve all the recognition in the world!

We also have a winner for our "Dreamer and Doer" giveaway! Your comments were soooo inspiring to read. There are everyday dreamers all around us that are doing something amazing with those dreams. Those kinds of folks definitely need to be celebrated!!

Some of my favorite comments:

From Heather:

"My story about a dream is about my daughter. Early in high school, she dreamed about going to college in New York. She worked hard through high school and held fast to her dream…and she’s now a freshman at Hofstra in New York! She got great scholarships and has worked really hard and we are so pleased that she is seeing her dream come true!"

From Erin:

"My dream story is about a dear friend of mine who I met in high school. She was never a very ‘academic’ girl through high school and even college but she decided after college that she wanted to be a nurse. She only got in to one school and it was a super intense one year BSN program. I am happy to say that she is over half way done and has gotten A’s in every class! She has studied more than she ever thought was possible but she is really pursuing her dreams and the dreams that God put on her heart. Oh… did I mention that her husband also decided to go to nursing school so they are both in school at the same time?? Crazy!"

From Charae:

"I’m in the process right now of pursuing a dream of mine to perform and truly dance my heart and soul out and my big solo performance is in May. I love reading stories about people following their dreams! Thank you!"

And the random winner of a copy of David Toney's Broken Hallelujah is... Shannon! Congrats!

"This beautiful Jeff! Well done David! I would love a copy, so my dream story is about me; the nerdy girl in 9th grade who signed up for yearbook because it sounded fun, fell in love with layout design and now has a love for all things graphic design and has been working asa graphic designer for the past five years. =)"

And in case you haven't bought your copy yet, here's the link to grab David's album on iTunes and here's the link to buy a physical copy. You can even pre-order a vinyl version!

Hugs,
Erin

Crestmore Manor Wedding, Part Two James and Marilyn

Erin — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 16:00:59 +0000

Part Two of James and Marilyn's adorable DIY wedding at the romantic Crestmore Manor is dripping with loveliness. If my eyes could drool, they were definitely drooling over the swoon-worthy touches that Marilyn worked so hard on. One of my favorite parts was the wooden signs incorporated throughout the venue, particularly this welcome sign at the entrance to the ceremony. How cute is this??

Inside the cozy and sweet reception, groupings of mason jars with pretty spring flowers acted as centerpieces with patterned green runners adding a splash of fun color.

I loved the chalk boards instructing guests to join in the celebration with mason jars as the glasses. No detail was left behind - even the mason jars had adorable green tags and pink straws to delight their guests.

I'm a huge sucker for bistro lights! And bistro lights inside a tent are DY-NO-MITE. Nothing says cozy like dancing with your sweetie under the sparkling lights...

Wooden signs, chalkboards, and burlap were the main characters when it came to signage. Like I said, every little detail was absolutely perfect!

Love, love, love the sweetheart table.

Don't those little bags for the bulb favors make your heart melt? And that giant old trunk??? Yes please.

Even the sparklers for the grand exit got their own special decor.

Although the rain took everybody inside to the cozy warmth, they had adorable yard games ready to play.

The calendar as the guestbook was a really cute idea, along with the suitcase for the cards.

When Marilyn's grandma passed away last year, they found a box FULL of love letters written from her quiet husband Ken while they were separated during their courtship from 1937-1939. Apparently Ken was a pretty reserved guy but the letters are crazy romantic. It meant the world to Marilyn to discover this incredible love story just as she was in the middle of her own, so they display a few of the letters for guests to view.

After the ceremony, we spent a few minutes with their gorgeous classic car trying to keep dry from the raindrops.

A huge shootout goes to the bridal party for truckin' it out to the rain for photos! These guys were AWESOME - they knew that a bit of rain wasn't going to stop us from making this day absolutely perfect!

How cute are these girls?? They were the best friends Marilyn could ever ask for.

I love that the rain wasn't going to phase Marilyn one bit. She totally came prepared with the perfect pink boots and adorable umbrella.

The reception was so dreamy and cozy inside. The lights and the music were just dripping with romance.

Love these special moments!

Time for a dance partaaay!

James and Marilyn: You have touched our hearts in so many ways - you'll never know just how deeply we love and appreciate you two! Thank you for being so excited about marrying each other more than anything else. Your emotional souls and passionate love are more than we could ever hope or dream to photograph. It was such an honor being just a small part of your magical story!

Hugs,

Erin

Crestmore Manor Wedding, Part One James and Marilyn

Erin — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 15:00:08 +0000

Nothing could dampen their day. Marilyn's eyes searched the sky as gray clouds loomed in the distance and talk of rain buzzed around the room, but her face showed something much different than worry. She seemed full, as if her chest had suddenly become too small for the wonderful emotions inside. She had that gorgeous look of joy. And excitement. And nervousness. She wanted to take in every single moment and never let it go, hold it in the palm of her hand forever so that it would never slip by.

James and Marilyn experience life with their hearts on their sleeves and their souls wide open. Nothing could dampen or hold back their intense JOY at finally becoming a Mr. and Mrs. Not even the clouds or the rain drops could distract any of us from their incredible excitement. It was all we could see or feel that day as they fiercely pulled us into the warmth of their deep love.

James and Marilyn absolutely fell head over heels in love with Crestmore Manor, a plantation-style estate venue on the outskirts of Riverside. With it's southern-like charm and huge oak trees, they envisioned a romantic DIY wedding with no detail left behind - and boy did they deliver! Marilyn put in hours upon hours crafting the perfect DIY wedding and the final product was a beauty! Even though a spring rainstorm came through causing them to tent the outdoor ceremony and reception, it was still unbelievably cute, cute, cute! In fact, the classic white tents made everything even cozier! I love that these guys were so chill and ready to go with the flow throughout the entire day - I think they were just so excited about marrying each other, that nothing else mattered!

On to the fabulous day! I fell in love with Marilyn's something blue on her shoes - so cute!

The ring bearer carried an old family bible from the mid-1800s with the rings attached. These kinds of details are always so meaningful!

Love, love, love Marilyn's classic Mori Lee dress. The detailed belt was the perfect final touch.

Marilyn's mom surprised her by embroidering her wedding date on the inside of the dress. So cool!

The girls stopped to FaceTime with a best friend from across the world that couldn't make it to the wedding. A family bible, a surprise gift from mom, and moments with a best friend - aren't you totally falling in love with Marilyn right now?

As we sat for a few moments to take pictures, Marilyn started thinking about James and she just couldn't hold back the joyful tears! She was SO EXCITED to see him! It's girls like this that totally melt your heart.

James and Marilyn were both super emotional to see each other and their first look was incredibly powerful. Get your tissues ready folks!

Awww! Some of my favorites!

So handsome!

The trees around Crestmore Manor were so beautiful and romantic. The perfect backdrop for the perfect day!

The bridal party looked so cute in their summer dresses from Bloomingdale's and patterned ties.

The ceremony was nothing but pure joy and smiles.

Right??? How romantic and beautiful is Crestmore Manor??

Loved this moment when the bridal party and family gathered around James and Marilyn to pray.

This is how crazy romantic James is - he spontaneously scooped up Marilyn when they left the ceremony and carried her across the lawn in pure unadulterated excitement! There wasn't a dry eye in sight!

If you haven't fallen completely in love with James and Marilyn then check your heartbeat. Because these two are the real deal and there's so much more to come! Tomorrow we get to show off the mountain of DIY details from the crazy stylish reception, so don't miss out! We'll see you right back here in the morning!

Hugs,

Erin

Langham Pasadena Wedding, Part Two Brian and Shanna

Erin — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 16:00:08 +0000

Today we get to show off the full elegance of Brian and Shanna's fabulous wedding at The Langham Huntington Hotel in Pasadena. This hotel is dripping with sophistication and Shanna wrapped that look with soft, feminine details to create a jaw-dropping mix of fancy and sweet. A huge thanks goes out to Erin and Krista of Nouveau Events for flawlessly coordinating the day. These ladies are absolute dynamite and left no detail overlooked in this stunner of a wedding.

For today, I thought we'd start off with my favorite image from the entire day. A classic Bentley, a stunning bride, and a genuine groom - it doesn't get any better than that.

How amazing is this hotel with those blooming cherry blossom trees? Jeff and I just about died when we saw them!

These Buds a Blooming crafted some amazing boutonnieres.

GORGEOUS.

This was such a quiet and peaceful day. It couldn't have been any more perfect.

The ballroom in The Langham Huntington is AMAZING. I loved the soft colors and the elegant detailing. J&M Entertainment provided the uplighting which always transforms a reception from just nice to drop dead gorgeous.

My two favorite pieces of the decor - the place settings with the ribbon-tied kraft favor boxes (very Youngrens-esque) and the six-tiered seafoam cake provided by the hotel. This just may be my favorite cake I've ever seen. I'm such a sucker for seafoam and pretty detailing!

I loved the vintage lounge furniture for the cocktail hour.

Family members provided the cocktail music and they rocked it out!

Inside, Brian and Shanna rocked the first dance.

Such a sweet father/daughter moment.

Aaaaaand the flash mob!!! Shanna apparently LOVES flash mobs, so her sister and MOH coordinated a flash mob with all of the guests via YouTube to a dance that Shanna knows to "It's Raining Men." The best part is that Shanna started the dance, and when everybody else started the same dance too, she thought the crowd was following her lead. It took a little while, but it finally dawned on her that it was actually a flash mob and everybody already knew the dance by heart! Ha!

She was stoked and it was such an incredible memory!

Then it was time for The Tarantella, the Italian Wedding Dance. In all my years of insane wedding dance parties, I have never been run into, tossed around, and stepped on as much as I was during this dance! It was awesome!

Brian and Shanna: You guys are the real deal and I love how your two different personalities go together so well. Your hearts and smiles are 100% genuine and everybody benefits from your thick, real love for each other. I hope you're having the time of your lives in Italy, and definitely share a glass (or two) of amazing Italian vino for us! Ciao!

Hugs,
Erin

Langham Pasadena Wedding, Part One Brian and Shanna

Erin — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 17:07:32 +0000

Somehow when the world drags them down, when it all becomes just a little too much and they want to slip under the covers and hide away, they set each other free. She grabs his hand and his heart steadies. He pulls her close and her mind settles.

And the best part is that when they set each other free, they become the best part of themselves. Shanna has this totally goofy personality beneath her lovable sweetness, and surrounded by her closest friends and family with Brian's deep loving eyes by her side, we saw every inch of that joyful silliness shine. It made us all smile, because we knew it was the true Shanna.

Brian is a dapper Italian with an emotional soul. And when he's near Shanna's tender touch and bright smile, that lovable Italian exterior becomes the soft interior that we equally adore. The thoughtful, artistic, piano-playing guy comes quietly to the surface and before we know it, he's melted every single heart within miles.

Brian and Shanna's wedding was one of those sophisticated, elegant affairs wrapped in a cushy emotional blanket and soft details. Guided by the fabulous Erin and Krista of Nouveau Events, the traditional ceremony took place at the Westminster Presbyterian Church and the reception was held at the timeless Langham Huntington Hotel in Pasadena, an elegant and historic hotel built in the early twentieth century. We spent the morning with the ladies at their suite in the Langham, and my favorite thing about this wedding is that it's super fancy and elegant, but Shanna wrapped it with soft, feminine details. I fell head over heels with Shanna's Jim Hjelm ball gown with its ultra light organza fabric and whimsical detailing.

Shanna picked a light seafoam hue for her wedding colors and she had her Manolo's made to match. Awwww yeah!

Each girl in Shanna's family has a personalized purse made from the fabric of her grandmother's wedding dress. The best part is the wedding date inside - amazing.

These may officially be my favorite J.Crew bridesmaid dresses of all time. I love, love, love the color!!!

The final touches...

Such beautiful girls! Their hair turned out so simple, soft, and unique to each girl. Plus, the feather hairpieces from Etsy are to DIE for.

These Buds a Blooming crafted the lovely flowers, which smelled AMAZING by the way.

Our two favorite lenses were hard at work... the 50mm at f/1.2...

And the 300mm at f/2.8! Yep, Jeff was across the courtyard and in the middle of the front lobby shooting this photo...

I was off to the side making them laugh. I love when the girls think I'm funny!

I usually don't include family portraits on the blog, but how can you pass up Grandpa?

The guys were looking dapper in their pin-stripes. Brian spent a good amount of time and effort picking out the perfect suit and getting the fit juuuuuust right. It definitely paid off! I love a groom that takes pride in his wedding day look!

Brian is an amazing piano player and one of the reasons they loved the Langham was because of it's gorgeous grand pianos. So we had to take a few minutes to let him air out the keys.

Shanna's family surprised her with a beautiful classic Bentley, but it took a few tries to get into! Ha!

Love, love, love this moment!! Brian's face is so perfect!

Awww! These two had a few moments alone and it was so special!

You're married!!

This wedding just keeps getting more and more beautiful and there's so much more to share! Just wait until you see the beautiful details and jaw-dropping ballroom at The Langham Huntington Hotel - including what could be my favorite cake of all time plus a wedding day FLASH MOB with the entire guest list... yep, you read that right. It's all coming your way on the bloggy-blog tomorrow so stay tuned!

Hugs,
Erin

Two Key Elements For Your Wedding Decor

Erin — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 16:00:54 +0000

I’m about to get real opinionated.

(I apologize in advance.)

But I get asked this question quite a bit, and I have a very clear answer.

Question: “When it comes to my wedding decor, what makes the biggest impact?”

Answer: The linens and the chairs. Without a doubt.

It’s not the flowers or the centerpieces or the favors. It’s not even the bridesmaids outfits or the lighting. All of those things are important (especially the lighting - more to come on that topic soon), but they won’t do any good if the basics don't look amazing first. When you walk into a ceremony or reception, the linens and the chairs have the most impact on the overall look because they occupy the most visual space. This means you can use the linens and the chairs to quickly and easily achieve the feel that you're going for. Think about the kind of impression you'd like to make with your wedding decor. Are you going for bright and fun? Swanky and modern? Elegant and refined? Vintage and organic? Chances are the linens and chairs can go a long way in creating that look right off the bat.

Also, I want to point out two important notes. I’m not sure you can have one of these items look great but not the other - they kind of go hand in hand. Beautiful linens can get covered up by unattractive chairs, and pretty chairs probably won't do much for plain linens. So keep that in mind as you navigate your decor decisions. Also, as you think about your linen choices, keep in mind that white linens aren’t a terrible thing. Much the opposite in fact. If white linens add to the bright, fresh look that you’re going for then they’ll be perfect. But don’t choose white linens simply by default.

So how can you maximize the linens and chairs at your reception? Great question.

Let’s start with the linens.

The color, texture, and length of the table linens have a big impact on the overall impression of the space. The color that you choose will be the main base color that people see, so pick a stunning color for the linens that you want to be the overall visual impression, and use the place settings, centerpieces, and favors as the accent pieces.

Jeff and Kelsey used teal as the base color for their reception tables, and the place settings popped with accents of orange at their beach inspired Hotel Del Coronado wedding.

With the help of Heather at Amorology, Christian and Nicole used grey diamond taffeta linens matched with chiffon purple napkins on square tables for a funky casual look at their puppy-themed wedding at The Thursday Club. I also LOVE the seat cushions that they used as accents!

Jason and Lizzy used fun striped linens on their long family-style tables to harken back to family picnic days at their backyard Pasadena reception. Plus, they only needed simple centerpieces to finish the look. See how easy this is? Sometimes you can use the money you would have spent on centerpieces and make an even bigger impact with stylish linens.

Along the same vein, you can also use interesting tables to achieve the same look. Amber of Amber Events used square wooden tables instead of traditional rounds to create an organic feel for Jeff and Erin’s Marvimon House wedding. Brilliant!

So where can you find these amazing linen options? Chat with your coordinator first, but La Tavola Linen and Wildflower Linens are two great companies to check out.

The Chair Dilemma

When it comes to the chairs, going cheap can be a big mistake. Those nice chiavari chairs you're seeing in the weddings above? They look fantastic and rental companies know it. But even though they cost more than your average folding chair, they’re worth every penny - trust me. Much like the linens, the chairs have the power to completely define a space, taking an event from the seriously blah to the seriously stunning. So whatever you do, please don’t use white plastic chairs. No matter how much hard work you put into making everything else cute, they will bring down the entire look of your wedding big time.

Like I just mentioned, the above weddings favored chiavari chairs to pair with their superb linens, which are an elegant choice that you can't go wrong with. They come in a bunch of different colors and you can switch out the chair pads to create a unique look, just like Christian and Nicole did. But here’s two out-of-the-box examples of chairs that totally work. First, take a note from Katie and Alistair who chose traditional chairs reminiscent of Italian cafes for their destination wedding in Tuscany. Love, love, love!

Second, in keeping with the wooden tables inside, Jeff and Erin used long wooden benches for their organic-meets-urban ceremony space. Such a fun and unique idea!

Can you see what a difference these two elements make in the overall decor? They are the easiest and most powerful ways to make a statement with your reception. So when planning the style of your wedding, don’t skimp on these two elements. Take them seriously, work with your coordinator, and watch your decorative smarts take your reception style to a whole ‘notha level!

Hugs,

Erin

Cabrillo National Monument Wedding Joe and Alison

Erin — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 18:32:40 +0000

Joe is thoughtful and chill with kind eyes and a warm smile. He reserves his emotions inside, but it doesn't take much to realize that in the rhythm of his kind, easy going nature his sincere heart is beating with the moments.

Ali is the bubbly to Joe's champagne. Her enormous smile, playful hugs, radiant blue eyes , and animated personality melt your heart like southern tea on a late summer's day - there's just nothing more refreshing and sweet.

It's so fun watching these two together because they're separate life rhythms beat together in the perfect lovely harmony. Joe teaches Ali to rest in the significance, and Ali helps Joe to be excited by the moments.

We met Ali back in 2008 when she was a bridesmaid in a wedding we were shooting, and we instantly fell in love with this bubbly girl with a huge smile. Fast forward a few years, and we ran into this bubbly bridesmaid because she was coordinating one of our weddings at L'Auberge Del Mar - so crazy! Apparently this awesome girl was now the on-site wedding coordinator at our favorite boutique hotel in town. So you may have heard us mention Ali's name on the bloggy-blog before because since that fateful wedding we've worked with Ali a TON at L'Auberge with some of our most favorite couples. Ali is a seriously talented site coordinator and is a DREAM to work with, and Joe actually runs the catering at L'Auberge too, so we get to work with them both regularly - and it's such a blast! I could go on and on about how amazing they are to work with at weddings, but today is for something completely different that we're so excited to share with all of their friends and family...

I know it's totally strange for us to be posting a wedding on a Saturday, but this is a very special post. Joe and Ali actually got married YESTERDAY in a parent's only ceremony at Cabrillo National Monument on a bluff overlooking the ocean in San Diego - and they're announcing the marriage to all of their friends and family TODAY with the photos. Wahoo!

We're so honored to not only have been witnesses to the marriage, but to tell the story of this amazing day to the people that love them most. The day began in style with Ali and her mom getting ready at The Grand Del Mar. Ali's look was inspired by the classic vintage style of Gene Kelly, so I loved her sweetly feminine shoes and her textured bouquet from Blush Botanicals.

If you know anything about me, I'm a sucker for significant jewelry. The earrings and bracelet were 'something borrowed' from Ali and Joe's moms.

I also love timeless, classic dresses that flow with a woman's body. They'll never go out of style!

So lovely! Thanks to the wonderful folks at HAIM Salon for Ali's gorgeous hair and makeup!

These two crack each other up constantly!

Ali has super ticklish feet, so it was hysterical watching her mom help her with the shoes.

Can a moment get any more beautiful than this??

Ha! Ali makes me smile so much!

A few stunning portraits before heading outside.

The Grand Del Mar is such a stunning place for wedding photos, and Ali was totally working it with her cute and classic look!

Thank you Blush Botanicals for the incredible bouquet!

My favorites!

Heading out to the ceremony - yay!

It was such a beautiful warm day out at Cabrillo National Monument, which is a gorgeous national park at the tip of the Point Loma peninsula. It's surrounded by sheer red cliffs that drop down into the Pacific on one side and the San Diego harbor on the other with jaw-dropping 360 degree views of the city and the ocean. Yeah, it's perfection.

It was also super windy! Ha! Ali was a total trooper and her hair looked amazing the entire time!

We had Joe stand with his back turned to Ali while she walked the long pathway to the bluff where they held the ceremony, and then he turned around when she got the perfect distance away.

Such an amazing moment!

What an honor it was to be one of the few people to witness this moment!

MARRIED!!!!!!!

After the nuptials, everybody headed to the historic lighthouse that sits atop the cliffs.

Both dads signed the marriage license as witnesses - this was my favorite part of the day. It was just so sweet and exciting!

Makin' it official!

We spent a few minutes with just Joe and Ali before heading off to dinner.

I LOVED Joe's socks that Ali picked out for him. Joe was definitely a groom with style!

Joe and Ali celebrated with their parents with dinner at Humphreys by the Bay - love the fun banner!

A champagne toast...

Then they were off to celebrate!

Joe and Ali: You guys rock our world. Thank you, thank you, thank you for trusting us to be such an honored part of your commitment - it meant so much to share in the day with you and your parents. We're so excited to be official married friends and can't wait to witness all of your incredible years together!! CONGRATS!!!

Now it's your turn to congratulate the happy couple! Since this is their official announcement, give them as many well wishes and love in the comments as you can to send them off into their life together!

Hugs,

Erin

Exquisite Weddings Magazine Gown Shoot Behind the Scenes

Erin — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 16:58:15 +0000

I was so tempted to burst into the staging room wearing all black (something drapey, sunglasses on, a gaggle of wan interns scurrying behind me). I would demand an espresso, pause dramatically, look the thinnest model up and down, then sigh in disgust and mutter under my breath, "I guess you will do."

The day I get to demand espressos at a photo shoot is the day I know I will have made it.

But I didn't. I tossed and turned in bed all night and was up WAAAY too early. I spent much too long on my hair and makeup - nervously fixing, teasing, spraying, and blushing. When I walked into the staging room, you may as well have slapped a dress on me 'cuz I was as done up as the models. I almost made Jeff wear a suit to the shoot I was so nervous.

Me: "But you'll look so professional in your sport coat!"

Jeff: "No, I will look ridiculous. I'm wearing my Vans. They make my feet happy and my feet are nervous."

Happy feet always win.

So we definitely didn't come across as photo divas, that's for sure. It took everything we had to hide our nervous shaking hands during the first shutter clicks on the gown shoot for Exquisite Weddings Magazine last summer at Pelican Hill Resort. The wonderful team at the magazine commissioned us with the task of shooting 30 gowns over two-days with six different models - a daunting task if you think about it. Jeff and I would pick out the gowns with the producer, pair them with a model, and then each gown would be styled completely different by the stylist and hair/makeup team while we came up with 30 different incredible image locations in every lighting scenario you could imagine - rain, fog, sun, and drizzle.

But once we started clicking our shutters - once we peered through our viewfinders and gripped our grimy, well-worn cameras - the 'new' didn't matter. We were just Jeff and Erin with a lovely bride in front of us.

And that's definitely not new.

We posted the final magazine spreads on our blog yesterday, but here's just a sneak peek behind the scenes of this fabulous shoot!

There's so much I could go into with this amazing and wonderful photo shoot, but I'll touch on the highlights. First, I LOVED our models! You ladies were a DREAM to work with. They took our vision of a sweet, lovely bride and brought them to a whole 'notha level.

Second, it was so fun styling and perfecting the images - with the weather being funky, there was plenty of fixing and pinning involved! The whole team was so fun - we would do anything it took to get a great shot.

Jeff was always a sweetheart and gave the girls his sweater on the cold, rainy mornings and would step in to pin at a moment's notice.

Alyssa, the producer, had a toolkit ready to go whenever we needed her, and I even pulled a pin out of my own hair at the last minute. When everyone starting laughing at me, I was like "What? I do it for my brides all the time!"

Another highlight was using the 200mm f/2.0L and the 300mm f/2.8L. **Photo Geek Warning** We rented these lenses just for this shoot because we wanted a beautiful compressed look that would feel super different from your typical editorial shoot. At many weddings, we don't have much space to back up (to our brides - these lenses are HUGE and they're used for long distances like sporting events and wildlife photos - not portraits), but Pelican Hill Resort is so spacious that we knew we'd have tons of room to move around and wanted to take advantage of the compression.

Was it worth it? TOTALLY. We came away with images that were super descriptive of our style and set apart from typical magazine shoots. We like being different.

Another highlight was using the Phototek Sunbuster 84" diffuser, which is basically a giant umbrella that we used to shade our models from harsh sunlight and shadows, and also to protect from the rain. It could diffuse an entire body, so it was definitely necessary. Big thanks to Casey Figlewicz for being our right-hand man during the shoot! He was our trusted assistant, and we couldn't have done it without him!

And since we had to find 30 different backdrops for the gowns, we had to get super creative. Here, we're not only shooting in the rain, but the model is standing in the entrance to the pool showers! Ha! (Yep - Pelican Hill is RAD!) It definitely became one of my favorite setups!

One of my other favorite setups was this awesome green window - and the rain definitely made it a challenge with the designer dresses. Helena ended up standing on top of a towel, so the shot became a waist up look.

The last highlight was getting creative and having fun with the three of us photo nerds. As we came down to the last few setups, we literally had to scour the property for new backdrops and there are plenty of test shots just like these while we said 'yay or nay' to backgrounds.

Even Casey jumped in on a few... This was him walking up and down the main promenade for me while our model was prepping and I figured out my angles for my Anthro-inspired shot. He did a LOT of walking for me! Ha!

This was such an amazing opportunity for us, and I'm so glad we're able to give you guys just a little sneak peek behind the scenes! This is an incredible, upscale, fresh, and vibrant magazine, so spread the love and buy your copy of Exquisite Weddings Magazine to view the entire shoot in print!

Hugs,
Erin