A beautiful afternoon in the city with two beautiful people. Kevin and Irene, thanks for hanging out with me! I'm so excited for your wedding in April!
Danny + Liz | Laguna Beach Engagement
Danny's parents often take walks at Crystal Cove Beach, so on a sunny Saturday morning Danny showed us around! We ran along the beach and had some generally silly times.
Then we headed to Corona Del Mar and I made them stand in front of all the gray walls I could find :D
Danny always knows just how to make Liz laugh..
Liz and Danny enjoyed some tea at Sweet Lady Jane, which they generously shared with me :D
We finished up with some blanket shenanigans at a local park. Thanks you two, I had so much fun!
Kawai + Bryan | Huntington Beach Wedding
Kawai and I lived together for two years in college, where I had something of a first-row seat to the earlier stages of Kawai and Bryan's relationship (as seen below). So when she asked me to take some photos for their bridal party, of course I said yes!
The two of them met while volunteering for their church youth camp, but didn't reconnect until a missions trip to Mexico a year later. They spent a week serving, working, praying, talking, eating, and caring together, capping off the trip with a 4 hour van ride playing games on their mobile devices and sharing snacks, where something special was growing, but neither of them knew exactly what to expect. Shortly afterward, Kawai headed back up to Berkeley for her senior year of college and Bryan stayed in SoCal, but their communication (and love for each other) only grew over the 400 miles between them. As Kawai puts it:
... we can’t stop talking. At first it’s just texting and a handful of awkward-bantering-sharing emails, a smattering of Facebook posts… but the communication only swells instead of fade over time, and soon we are a flurry of all-day texting…
Weekly phone calls, a Wordpress poem, and many more moments over the next four years lead us now to their wedding day, which I was honored to help partially document. Read more about their relationship in their own words at their tumblr.
These two really made their big day the story of their love, whether through bookshelves chronicling their journey before and through couplehood, corsages and boutonnieres made by the bride's mom, the Batman pie topper, or a ceremony arbor built by the bride herself!
Kawai and Bryan opted to do a first look, which I always recommend! It's a precious, private moment for the two of you to enjoy time on your own in the midst of the craziness of a wedding day, and it honestly helps take some of the jitters away before the ceremony!
Guess which one is a Zoolander fan and which one is a Batman aficionado..
Kawai, you are stunning!!
The ladies opted for corsages (handmade by Kawai's mom!) in lieu of bouquets, and they were beautiful!
Bryan and his groomsmen looked dapper in their gray suits, complete with homemade boutinnieres.
Of course we had to get a couple of shots in front of the eponymous Red Horse Barn..
Kawai and Bryan, thank you for inviting me to be a part of your special day - it was a blast! Love you both!
Venue: The Red Horse Barn
Bride's Dress: David's Bridal
Bride's Jewelry: Purpose Jewelry
Bride's Hair: Deanna Jade
Bride's Makeup: Sahana Sankar
Groom's Suit: Al Weiss Men's Clothing
Bride and Groom's Tailoring: Freddy's Tailor Shop
Floral: Mother of the Bride
Catering: Wood Ranch
Wedding Pie: The Pie Hole
Bar: OC Bar Service
Tea Bar: MintTEA
DJ: Fly By Night
Rentals: On Call Events
Vintage Rentals: Party Pieces by Perry
Photography: Veronica Chou Photography
Videography: Buckley Videography
The Chang Family | Cupertino Family Session
I always laugh so much when hanging out with these guys. We spent an afternoon at a local park in Cupertino and I think it's safe to say that everyone in the family had fun!
Josef + Annika | San Jose Engagement Session
Josef and Annika agreed to meet me early on a Saturday morning, and it was so much fun! They love to hang out in parks, so it was only fitting that we did our session there..
While we were sitting on this bridge, we had a friendly visitor :D
It's so easy to see how much they love being with each other and how comfortable they are in that love. And they sure know how to make each other laugh!
Thanks for inviting me into this precious season of your relationship. I'm so excited for the two of you to get married in a few months!!
Kara's 1st Birthday
Kara turned one last month, and her parents Winnie and Jing threw her a delightful Minnie-themed birthday party in their home!
She was a natural at tearing apart wrapping paper..
It was Kara's first time trying chocolate cake.. I think she liked it! ;)
Happy birthday, Kara!