DrewB Photography

Woohoo! New Blog!

2008-02-22T16:21:00.001-08:00

I am so excited to announce the launch of my brand new, beautiful blog! It has BIG pictures and an awesome flash header! Check it out and be sure to update your blog readers!

http://blog.drewbphotography.com

I've also updated my website with my new logo and branding!

This blog will stay alive, but will no longer be updated so don't forget to update your blog readers!

J'adore Details!

2008-02-20T09:50:00.000-08:00

I am so excited to announce a new website that is almost a year in the making! J'adore Details is a labor of love created by myself and 3 of my fabulous photographer friends, Trista Lerit, Amelia Lyon, and Jasmine*. The three things we all have in common is that we are all wedding photographers, we have all planned our own weddings, and we love wedding details! We seriously love weddings and we wanted a website that would showcase the best wedding vendors and the little details that can help make your wedding unique and different. So, check it out and spend some time looking through all the pictures to get ideas for your wedding! We'll update it when we find new vendors that we know will make your day fun and perfect!

A special thank you to Jamie from So Divine Designs for creating our logo! It's absolutely perfect! And thank you to my friends Trista, Amelia, and Jas. It has been so great getting to know you all over all those pizookies we've consumed over the past year getting this website going. You all rock and I'm so lucky to have you all in my life!

Happy One Week Birthday!

2008-02-19T10:00:00.000-08:00

We're home! Finally! It feels so great to be home. The nurses and doctors wanted us to stay another day, but I said no way! I hate being in the hospital and it's impossible to rest. I got such better sleep at home last night!

We're all doing really well. I know I'm totally biased, but Brayden is the cutest baby I've ever seen. I just can't believe he was the little guy in my stomach kicking me a week ago. It's pretty unreal. I love snuggling with him on my chest and even though I know it's just gas I've seen a couple of smiles that just melt my heart. Chuck is the best dad. He really took care of both of us in the hospital and he's doing a great job at home. The two of them look exactly alike. It's hilarious!

I have a few more pictures that my great friend Michelle took.

Brayden with Papa G

My favorite picture! Brayden with his Daddy.

I'm so glad she was there to capture these moments because I don't remember most of them. I don't know what I did to deserve such a great friend like her. She's taken such awesome care of us bringing us a care package with everything we needed for the hospital. Then she went out and found everything we needed for Brayden and me at home. We're so lucky to have Michelle and her family in our lives. Her kids Emma and Owen got to meet Brayden aka "French Fry" this weekend. It was too cute! Michelle, you are the best. Thank you for everything!

And here's one more from this morning. Brayden was supposed to be doing tummy time, but he fell asleep. Lazy! I wish I could sleep as much as he does :)

I'm a mommy!

2008-02-13T02:43:00.000-08:00

Hi friends!
Sorry there haven't been any updates but we've had a rough couple of days. Brayden was born by c section at 3:30 PM on 2\12. He's 8 pounds 3 ounces and 20 inches long. Were both doing fine but ran fevers after and it was a long road getting him out. He looks just like his daddy but has a combo of our hair. It might be red someday but its a strawberry blonde for now. I'm going to be in the hospital until Friday or Saturday but my BFF Michelle was here taking pics so we should be able to get a pic up soon. Thanks so much for all your well wishes. I can't tell you how much it means to me!

Xo,
The new mommy

woohoo!

2008-02-11T18:23:00.000-08:00

Don't know if this is going to work because I'm trying to post from my blackberry but I'm being induced! Woohoo! Should have a baby sometime tomorrow! Ill post pictures as soon as I can. Wish us luck!

40 Week Update

2008-02-08T10:44:00.000-08:00

Thank you so much to everyone for all the comments and emails I received about Cindy. I didn't realize so many people read my blog, but I'm glad you were all so touched by her story. I got an email from Jeff who second shot Cindy and Jared's wedding with me and he said, "It's so strange because I only knew her for that one day, and I felt like I've known her forever. I guess that's just the kind of person she was, right?". That pretty much sums Cindy up. She was that girl with the contagious laugh and smile who made everyone feel like their best friend. If you knew her even just for a day you were a much better person for it.

I believe the school where she is a teacher will be accepting books for their library in her name. When I get more information on that I will post it here.

I know many of you are eagerly awaiting baby news, but there is none. Today is my due date. The day I have been looking forward to for nine long months. And there's no baby. I'm pretty sure there is going to be no baby today. My doctor won't induce me until the 17th. That's a week from Sunday. I really don't want to be pregnant for another nine days so maybe if everyone thinks really good thoughts for me I will go into labor! In honor of making it to my due date I have treated myself to a gourmet breakfast.

Mmmmm, just looking at the picture makes my mouth water and want another. Good thing I have a couple more donut holes left! Happy Friday everyone!

In Memory of Cindy

2008-02-06T08:28:00.000-08:00

I am crying as I sit at my computer trying to think of a way to start this blog. Something that will do her justice. Something that will help explain what an amazing person she was and how she touched so many lives. But, I can't think of anything so I will just write from my heart.

I met Cindy nearly two years ago when I was photographing the baptism of the youngest son of the Kim family. She and her boyfriend, at the time, were the God parents of little Ryan. She had such a warm and inviting smile and kept asking if there was anything she could do for me. As I was taking pictures later at the Kim's home, I overheard her talking about her wedding and asked when she was getting married and she said she wasn't engaged yet, but would be soon! Sure enough a couple of months later she was engaged and called me asking if I would shoot her wedding.

3 months before her wedding Cindy was diagnosed with colon cancer. Her prognosis wasn't good, but she kept smiling the whole time. At first they weren't sure if they were going to go on with the wedding, but they did and on May 5 Cindy and Jared were married. It was such a gorgeous and perfect day. All of their friends and family were there to celebrate with them. When Cindy and Jared said their vows it was so much more than just words to them and you could tell.

Cindy fought hard. She went to New York for experimental treatments. She underwent various types of chemo that had horrible side effects. She had to give up teaching, which she loved. And all the while, her emails to me were always optimistic making sure to ask how I was doing and that everything was okay with me.

She was the type of person who would drop everything to help a friend. When I told her how much I loved her dress she wore at her engagement session I received a package in the mail a couple of weeks later with the same dress. When she found out I was pregnant she sent me a beautiful card and gift. She always thought of others first.

I told Cindy several times that she was my hero and she really is. For someone who I knew for such a short time, she had an incredible impact on me. I don't think I would be able to conduct myself with as much grace and composure as Cindy did over the past year. She will always be a role model to me. If I am faced with a challenge as difficult as hers I would hope that I could face it with as much courage and strength as Cindy.

Last night Cindy lost her battle with colon cancer that she fought so bravely for the past year. Life isn't fair for taking someone so beautiful, both inside and out. Someone so generous and compassionate. Someone who gave so selflessly. Someone who was so young and had a lot more life to live.

In one of the last emails I received from Cindy she called me an angel for helping finish her wedding album when she was too sick to do it herself. No Cindy, you are my angel. I know you will watch down on us all and take care of us. There are so many people who wake up this morning with a void in their heart because you are no longer here with us, but we can take comfort in the fact that your legacy will live on through the countless people whose lives you have touched.

This is how I will always remember Cindy. With a big smile on her face.

To Jared and all of Cindy's family and friends, I am so sorry for your loss. You are all in my thoughts.

Rock the Vote!

2008-02-05T09:49:00.000-08:00

Remember to get out there and vote today if you live in one of the Super Tuesday states! How awesome is it that we have a woman and an African American running for President? I wasn't sure that I would ever see that in my lifetime. I'm torn between the two, but I think I will vote for Hillary. I just can't pass up voting for a woman. However, I would be happy with either Clinton or Obama in office. Anyone would be better than the president we have now. I would even venture to say McCain would be better if he wasn't so adamant about staying in Iraq. Whatever he has to do to look "conservative".

Anyways, no matter who you are voting for remember to vote. I like to go and vote with my Dad because I cancel his vote. Plus the place we go usually has good food!

I took a trip to Urban Outfitters to stock up on new political shirts. Here are a couple that I got.

I think I will wear the "I Only Date Democrats" shirt today. I wore it last week and got a lot of people giving me funny looks. It's a pretty funny shirt to wear when you are 39 plus weeks pregnant. Although, I'm so large and in charge that I did rip a hole in the side seam. I wish I knew how to sew!

And here's an oldie, but a goodie from way back in 2004.

I miss John Kerry...

My in-laws got us a great shirt for the baby, but it's in Chuck's car. I'll post a picture of it later.

Sneak Peek!

2008-02-01T15:03:00.000-08:00

I know I'm probably showing too much and I wanted to wait until my new blog is done for the big reveal, but I'm so excited about all my new paper goods designed by So Divine Designs, that I just had to show you a little preview! I have new business cards, stationary, and labels! It's like the first day of school! I'm so excited to start using them! Here's a little sneak peek. I can't wait for you to see the rest!!!

As for a baby update, there is no update. I'm exactly one week from my due date but no progress has been made. The little guy is still very comfortable inside my stomach. I spend my days sleeping (because why would I be able to sleep at night?) and eating (a lot). I'm able to work a little, but sitting for long periods of time is uncomfortable. But so is laying and standing. I guess I'm just uncomfortable in any position. Thanks for everybody's well wishes! I'll do my best to post a blog before I leave for the hospital if he ever decides to make an appearance :)

So excited!

2008-01-24T14:54:00.000-08:00

No, the baby is not here yet. Sigh. But, I do have other things to be super excited about.

First, I just saw the prelimenary design on my new blog and it is SO gorgeous! BIG pictures and a rad flash header. I can't wait for you to see! It's being designed by the brother of the very talented wedding photographer Jessica Strickland. Ben, with Redwing Studios is awesome!

Second, I have a whole new logo and branding! I'm waiting to unveil everything until the new blog is ready, but it's pretty awesome. It was designed by Chris Ford. I just love it. It's perfect.

Third, I have a top secret new website that me and three of my awesome photographer friends have been working on for the past year. It's very, very close to being done!

Lots of new things to look forward to! I can't wait for you all to see! For now, I will leave you with a picture of this amazing rainbow that I saw on Monday. This picture doesn't do it justice (it also doesn't help that it's with my point and shoot while driving). You could see both where it started and ended. It was perfect.

Mr. & Mrs. Boretz

2008-01-21T12:45:00.000-08:00

First, it was so worth getting into a car accident on my way home from buying my 85 1.8 lens. That lens is awesome!

Second, I'm so happy the baby didn't come on Friday night so I could make it to Ashley and Tyson's wedding! It was everything I imagined it to be and more! Plus, I knew I would be in good hands if I did go into labor because Ashley just graduated from nursing school :)

Ashley and Tyson were married at the Ebell Club in Long Beach. What a gorgeous venue! The building itself was beautiful inside and I loved how the surrounding neighborhood was very urban. We had great color houses, old cars, and alleys to work with. The best of both worlds!

I have to thank my amazing friend and back-up shooter, Trista Lerit, for shooting for/with me. It was pretty touch and go Friday night whether I would even make the wedding because of the accident, but I knew Ashley and Tyson would be in great hands even if I couldn't be there. Trista knew I wouldn't listen to her if she told me not to go so she really stepped up and made sure that I wasn't doing too much. I'm so lucky to have such a great friend! She put her heart into shooting this wedding as if it were her own. I also have to thank my awesome second shooter Sandie and my husband Chuck for helping me out as well.

Ashley and Tyson, you know you two are more than just clients to me. It's been so great getting to know you over the past couple of years and I was so honored to be there for your wedding day! Thanks for your support and trust! Have an amazing time in Kauai! Here's the slideshow!

Even the bathrooms at the Ebell Club are gorgeous! And Ashley's not too bad either :)

The First Look

All I Wanted Was a New Lens...

2008-01-19T11:14:00.000-08:00

and I almost ended up with a baby!

Chuck and I went to Samy's Camera last night to pick up the 85 1.8 lens I ordered last week. On our way back to the freeway we got side swiped by a car pulling out of a driveway. Luckily we weren't going that fast and the car that hit us wasn't going very fast, but their car was totaled and our car has a pretty fat dent in the back passenger car door. Chuck saw the guy coming and was able to speed up and swerve so the car avoided hitting me. We fishtailed for a least 100 yards and almost hit a tree and then a curb before we came to a stop. Needless to say, it was pretty scary. I kept thinking that the airbags were going to go off. When we came to a stop I was really panicked and couldn't breathe so a fire truck and ambulance came for the pregnant girl. My vitals were totally fine, but I hadn't felt the baby move since the accident so we called my doctor who sent us to labor and delivery to get checked out. Everything initially looked fine and they were just going to run some tests and observe me for a couple of hours. About half an hour before they were going to discharge me I started having minute long contractions about 1 to 2 minutes apart. I was dilated to 1 centimeter and 50 - 60% effaced. After walking for 45 minutes the contractions subsided and I hadn't dilated anymore. At 12:30 we were finally discharged and went to In N Out for dinner. Finally. Exciting night!

At least I got my lens and I got to sample the ice chips at the hospital, which were really good! I'm off to shoot Ashley and Tyson's wedding! Yes, I'm crazy. I realize this. But, what else am I going to do? Lay in bed all day? I have the help of my amazing friend Trista who is there backing me up. I doubt I'll make it for that long, but at least I can go and make sure everything is okay. And who knows. Maybe this will help speed things along further and we'll have a baby tomorrow! Keep your fingers crossed!

Edit:
Here's a picture I snapped of our car before sending it off to the autobody shop. Not super bad damage, but I'm just happy Chuck speed up so they didn't hit the front passenger door.

Mr. & Mrs. Sandridge

2008-01-14T07:37:00.001-08:00

When I found out I was pregnant at the end of May I was super excited, but one of my very first thoughts was the two weddings I had scheduled for January. I knew it was going to be cutting it very close to my due date, but I really, really wanted to shoot the weddings! I contacted my brides and let them know the situation giving them the option to back out of their contracts and find a new photographer, but both of them still wanted to me to shoot. So, I assembled the best team I could to back me up and crossed my fingers that I would have a complication free pregnancy and would make it until January. I'm SO glad everything worked out!

Lauren and Robert were married at Seven Degrees in Laguna Beach on Saturday. It was a gorgeous Southern California January day! I've been wanting to shoot at Seven Degrees for a long time and my expectations were exceeded. It's an amazing venue with lots of great light and places to shoot. Besides having a gorgeous ceremony location, the reception area is to die for. Any photographer will tell you that professional lighting at your reception makes such an amazing difference. The great thing about Seven Degrees is that it's all there and set up for you. They have flat screens and little ornament balls with a slide show of the bride and groom playing (Lauren and Robert choose to have their engagement pictures in the slide show, which I, of course, thought was a great idea!).

Shooting while 9 months pregnant isn't the easiest thing to do. But, I had an amazing team that helped. The fabulously talented Jasmine* second shot with me and took over shooting when my feet swelled up so big I couldn't get my shoes back on. It was a great relief to know that if for some reason I wasn't able to make it to the wedding Robert and Lauren would still be taken care of by such a great photographer. And my awesome assistant, Jennifer Elaine, brought me water and carried my bags all day. I don't know what I would have done without her. The videographer, Mike McCaleb, also was a huge help moving furniture and helping out. He's awesome!

Thank you so much to Lauren and Robert and all their friends and family for taking care of me and making me feel so welcome! I really had been looking forward to this wedding for a long time and I'm so happy that I could be a part of it. Lauren and Robert, I hope you have an amazing honeymoon in Tahoe! Enjoy the snow! Here are some of my favorite pictures from the day. Here's the slideshow!

Robert's son, Alec, was the ring bearer. I love the eye contact between the two of them in this shot.

Lauren's gorgeous dress

I love it when dads see their little girls in their wedding dress for the first time.

Jasmine got this shot of me and I think my big belly looks pretty funny. Don't tell my husband I was standing on a chair!

This is the shot I was getting

Lauren was such a stunning bride!

These guys really knew how to work the camera

The first look

Lauren and Robert's engagement session was one of my favorite to shoot last year. They were so comfortable with each other and have no problem being silly in front of the camera, which makes my job very easy!

The bridal party

Details

They had some tear jerking, yet very funny toasts!

First Dance

Chuck and Drew - Crimefighters!

2008-01-07T09:29:00.001-08:00

What was a very uneventful, rainy Sunday turned into a very exciting Sunday for a few minutes. Chuck and I were driving to my parents house when we saw an accident on the freeway. We didn't actually see the accident, but we saw everyone braking and turn to avoid it. It probably happened about 30 seconds ahead of us. There was a pickup truck that was turned completely the wrong way and two smaller cars that had smashed into it. As we drove past it the pickup truck started backing up. I told Chuck that I thought he/she was leaving and Chuck said that he was just pulling over. But, why would he pull over? Why wouldn't they just stay where they were? So the truck backs up and almost gets hit by a semi and then speeds past us onto another freeway! This is where it gets really exciting. Chuck and I followed the truck and I got the license plate number (or tried. I only got 6 numbers/letters). I called 911 as we tried to follow them, but it was raining and they were driving very fast so we ended up losing them. On a side note, it's a bit disconcerting when you call 911 and hit any button to say, yes it is an emergency, and you are still on hold for 2 minutes. When I finally got through to 911 I told them everything I knew and they took down my info. How fun would it be if we got to go into court and testify? There was another car that looked like it was trying to follow the truck too so hopefully they got the rest of the license plate. Anyway, we do what we can to keep Orange County safe :)

Rachel & Matt

2008-01-03T16:43:00.000-08:00

Rachel and Matt are from Idaho and they wanted a very "Californian" location for their engagement pictures. I suggested the San Juan Capistrano Mission because besides the beach you can't get much more Californian than that. I love shooting at the mission. It's such a gorgeous location! We went down to the beach after the mission and it was COLD! Even they were cold so I know it wasn't just me being a wimp!

I hadn't met Rachel and Matt before shooting their engagement pictures and I was pleasantly surprised at how well we all got along. They are so cute and so in love! And they are really nice. People from the midwest are so nice! I thought it was just people from Ohio and Kentucky, but I'm adding Idaho to my list now too. They even brought a gift for the baby. Very appropriately one of the presents is a book about farms. That way Brayden will know all about farms when we travel to Idaho for their wedding in June!

They are getting married in Downtown Boise at a big, beautiful Cathedral. It's going to be a nice change to shoot in Idaho! I'm very excited!

Matt and Rachel, thanks so much for trusting me to shoot your wedding! You two were a blast to hang out with and I'm excited to get to know you both more over the next 6 months! Stay warm and I'll see you in June! Here's your slideshow!

*** I used a country song in the slideshow and those who know me know how I feel about country. Icky. But, I figured Rachel and Matt are from Idaho so they probably like country. And I really like this song. I was introduced to it at Brigid and Dave's wedding. It makes me a little teary eyed. I think it's the hormones...

Mr. & Mrs. Gomez

2008-01-01T14:34:00.000-08:00

Rachael and Abel are married! This was one of the best weddings I've ever shot. Probably because it was the easiest. Rachael and Abel eloped. How cool is that? They were married at the Orange County courthouse the Friday before Christmas. The ceremony was all of about 3 minutes long, but it wasn't lacking in emotion. You could see how excited Rachael and Abel were to finally be married! And the great thing is that their family and close friends were able to attend as well. And now the newleyweds and enjoying a 3 week long honeymoon in Europe! The started out in Paris and then were off to Italy! They are going to be having a big reception in March to celebrate with all their friends and family. How fun! Congratulations Rachael and Abel! Thanks for letting me be a part of your intimate wedding! Here's your slideshow!

Going to the courthouse and we're going to get married!

Making it official!

Look at the happy newleyweds!

Rachael was an absolutely gorgeous bride! I LOVED her dress!

The courthouse is such a great place to shoot! So many awesome locations!

Woohoo! Abel is excited to be married!

Bad Blogger!

2007-12-31T15:10:00.000-08:00

I have been an absolutely horrible blogger! But, I've been getting lots done! Besides enjoying a few days off at Christmas and spending this past weekend in Laguna, we've been working hard on the nursery to get that ready just in case our little guy gets here early (hopefully he will get here early!). And I've been working hard on designing albums. I also shot a cool wedding the Friday before Christmas and an awesome engagement shoot last week. I'll be blogging about those after the New Year. I have two weddings in January that I've been really looking forward to. I've hired two of my awesome photographer friends to cover those with me just in case my water breaks in the middle of the wedding. Hopefully that won't happen because that would be gross, but I have to be prepared for anything :)

I have decided that January 18th will be my last day in the office before I go on maternity leave. It's just getting too hard to sit in a chair all day. I will officially be returning April 7. So, if you are a current client and want your album or proofs please order them in the next week. I'm getting very backed up because everyone wants their albums before I go on leave. And if you are a prospective client please schedule a meeting with me soon as well. I will probably be scheduling meetings again in early March, but I'm not making any promises. I will still be checking my email and returning phone calls, but it is going to take me a bit longer to get back to you.

I hope everyone had an awesome Christmas and has a great New Year! I'm just hoping to make it to midnight tonight. We're going to go see Juno in an hour and then I'm going to eat lots of sugar to try and stay up until midnight!

Christmas Lights!

2007-12-21T09:09:00.000-08:00

Speaking of my competitive nature, we had our neighborhoods annual Christmas light contest last week. The past two years we've placed second. This year we really weren't planning on going big. We had no theme, we have been super busy working on the nursery, and our weekends have been jammed packed with things for the baby. Also, there's this house in our neighborhood that always goes crazy. They spend thousands of dollars on their decorations. Last year their theme was Christmas in New York. They had the New York skyline, decorated their windows to look like Macy's, and even had a hot dog cart the night of the contest. It's great that they are so into the contest, but it really doesn't make it very fun for the rest of the neighborhood. No one really tries because everyone knows they are unbeatable.

Well, even though I know they are unbeatable, I still have to try. Chuck was up on the roof the night before the contest until midnight putting the finishing touches on our lights. And it was 46 degrees that night too! I wasn't sure we were going to place at all, but we got second... again. But really, second is like first in our neighborhood so we were pretty happy with it. The crazy people made their house into a gingerbread house and had Polar Express playing on one of the walls in their backyard. They also brought out the hot dog cart and added candy apples this year too. Crazy. I want to win, but not that bad.

I'm very proud of Chuck for doing such an awesome job on the lights. He pretty much did everything himself this year because I can't get up on a ladder. I'm also proud of him because he went to our neighborhood board meeting and asked them to name the contest after our neighbor Roy who passed away last January. He was super into the contest and would go out in the middle of the night and add more lights to his house. He was the first one to win first place in the contest.

So here is a picture of our house. There's Santa up on the chimney. And we have a countdown to Christmas clock on our gate in the bottom right of the picture. We also had a snow machine going too! Apparently that's not good enough for first, but I'm not bitter :)

Vote For Me!

2007-12-17T09:08:00.000-08:00

Last week one of my very favorite kid and family photographers, Tara Whitney, had a contest on her blog to decide on her best foot picture of the year. She also opened it up to other photographers to submit their favorite feet images and she picked one of my pictures! I submitted this picture:

It's my favorite picture of the year. I don't know why I love this shot so much. Maybe because they are some of my favorite people. Maybe because it was such a fun family shoot. I think it just totally embodies who their family is just by looking at their feet.

So go to Tara's blog and vote for number 3!!! Voting ends Wednesday morning at 9am PST. To vote you must leave it in her comments and only vote once or else your votes will get thrown out! I think I get a canvas print of the image or something like that. That's not important. I'm just a super competitive person and want to win :)

Happy Birthday to my Hubby!

2007-12-11T15:13:00.001-08:00

Wedding Blogs

2007-12-10T16:43:00.000-08:00

Wedding blogs are an awesome place to find cool and unique wedding ideas. I visit several blogs to stay up to date on current wedding trends and also to get inspiration from other photographers. Here's a list of some of my favorite blogs. If you have others you love feel free to post them in the comments section!

Wedding Bee
This is the ULTIMATE wedding blog. I'm sure most of you already know about this one, but had to state the obvious.

The Bridal Bar
Love the Bridal Bar! Harmony knows everything there is to know about weddings.

The Brides Cafe
Love this one because they talk about photography a lot :)

Style Me Pretty
Lots of great ideas!

Polka Dot Bride
Ms. Polkadot is in Australia and when I read her blog I read it in an Australian accent and it makes me happy.

Ten Thousand Only
This girl is planning her dream wedding for $10,000!

Preston Bailey
Just because he's simply fabulous!

Hope this gives you all something to read while you're bored at work :)

Take Your Dog to Work Day

2007-12-07T13:53:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Hauggy got to go to work with me! I volunteered at Laguna Hills Animal Hospital and took pictures of pets with Santa. My friend Nicole is the manager there and I can't so no to helping animals. Hauggy got his very own luxury sweet complete with a dog bed and his own TV tuned to the animal channel. However, he choose to lay on the hard floor right next to the door. He also got all of his vaccines updated and we took a DNA test to find out exactly what breed Hauggy is! How fun! I've always wanted to meet his parents and see what kind of dogs created him. We'll find out in a couple of weeks. Here are some of the cute little critters I hung out with all day!

And of course I had to get one of Hauggy with Santa

Our First Official Family Picture

2007-12-05T09:00:00.001-08:00

I've always looked at pregnant women and thought they were so beautiful. It didn't matter if they were big or small, I just thought pregnant girls were so cute. I couldn't wait to get pregnant because I thought I would feel the same way. I thought no matter how much weight I gained or how uncomfortable I was I would just feel cute.

I have felt anything but cute for the past 7 1/2 months. No matter how many times people tell me I look great it just hasn't sunk in. And that makes me sad because I know I've told other pregnant people they look beautiful and I know they didn't believe me. I never wanted to be "that girl".

Well, Jessica just posted our maternity pictures on her blog. I'm going to stop complaining. My bump is beautiful and Jessica's pictures made me realize that. Like I said before, Jessica is my favorite photographer so it was really fun to work with her. Everything she does is gorgeous, but she far exceeded my expectations. She also brought along another great photographer, Marisa. I met her earlier this year and she's a Bruin (woohoo!) so it was fun to have her along.

Here are some of my favorites, but you can see more on both of their blogs. Thanks again Jessica! You rock!

** A lot of people have been asking about my make-up. It was done by the absolutely fabulous Carina! She's the only make-up artist I will recommend. Not only is she super talented, but she's also one of the nicest people I've ever met. Book her! You will not be disappointed!

Email is Up!

2007-12-04T09:04:00.000-08:00

My email is back up. Yeah! But, now my blackberry isn't working. Boo! I'll have to figure out how to fix that. I feel so lost without out blackberry dinging all day long.

Chuck and I had a big weekend. Yes, UCLA lost and I don't want to talk about it. But, we also had our baby shower, which was so much fun. I'll have pictures up today hopefully. And yesterday we took our maternity pictures with the amazing Jessica Claire. Jessica is my favorite photographer so it was a lot of fun to have a shoot with her. We brought our Ikea couch along and put it in the middle of streets and fields. I can't wait to see the pictures and will let you know when she posts a few on her blog!

Email is Down

2007-12-03T13:43:00.001-08:00

Hi Everyone,

My website company just switched my email to another server and now it's down. Please email me at drewbphoto@hotmail.com.

Thanks!
Drew

Go Bruins!

2007-11-30T16:35:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is one of my favorite days of the year. The UCLA vs. USC game. Well, it's my favorite day of the year when we win! Last year we went to the game and it was pretty much the best day of my life. I cried as the clock counted down the final seconds and we ended our losing streak. I rejoyced with the other Bruin fans when we won. I laughed as the USC fans walked out of the Rose Bowl with their heads held low. It was the best day of my life.

We're watching the game at home tomorrow with friends. I refuse to go to the Colosseum since we got stuck there at the game in 2001, which happend to fall on my 21st birthday. Our car got stuck in a homeless man's lot. He promised he wouldn't double park, but he did and we were stuck there for what seemed like hours waiting on the guy who's car was blocking everyone elses car on my birthday. I just hope UCLA can pull it off. How awesome would it be if we went to the Rose Bowl??? But besides that, I really want UCLA to win so Coach Karl can keep his job. He's too hot to get fired!

Hauggy can hardly contain his excitement. He's been wearing his UCLA jersey all day. Doesn't he look enthusiastic? Go Bruins!

St. Clair Family

2007-11-29T11:53:00.000-08:00

I woke up yesterday morning with total deja vu. Last year I shot the St. Clair's family session on a very windy and very cold day. The park we were going to shoot at was closed (I didn't even know parks could close at that time) and we shot most of their session in their home. When I looked out the window yesterday morning the Santa Ana's were already blowing hard. I called Christine about 5 times to let her know that I thought we should reschedule because I didn't want a repeat of last year. But she said there was no wind at her house and the park we were shooting at was 5 minutes from her place. I'm so glad I didn't reschedule because the weather was basically perfect! All Taylor wanted to do was go on the swings so we got a few quick family shots and then headed over to the playground. That girl loves her swings!

Thanks to the St. Clair family! I'm glad we had better weather this year than last year. Here are some of my favorites and a slideshow!

The Miller Family

2007-11-27T16:26:00.000-08:00

When I was in Pasadena last week I fit in a session with another one of my awesome families from last year. The Millers were one of my favorite families to shoot last year. Since we did the beach last year we went to the Huntington Gardens for a different look. I've never been to the Huntington Gardens before, but it's an AMAZING location. I learned the hard way that it's not actually in Pasadena, but in San Marino just so you know and don't get lost like I did :) We spent most of our time in the children's garden, which had lots of great places to shoot. Julie brought along a fun change of outfits for the kids. I love when parents do this because the kids have fun with it. Whether it's scarves and hats or your kids favorite dress up clothes it is always a fun extra to the shoot.

Thanks so much to the Miller family! I hope we can do it again next year. Here are some of my favorites and a slideshow!

Rachael & Abel

2007-11-25T19:33:00.000-08:00

Pasadena is one of my favorite cities. Not just because that's where my Bruins play, but also because it's an awesome place to shoot. This was my first time shooting an engagement session in Old Town. There are so many great alleys and fun places to shoot. Rachael and Abel hang out there often so it was the perfect place to take their engagement pictures. There's a really cute fire station and since Abel is a fireman for LA we stopped by for some pictures. The nicest fireman let us in!

Abel and Rachael are getting married in December. I don't want to give away too many details about their wedding, but it will be a first for me so check back! For now here are some of my favorite pictures and the slideshow!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2007-11-22T15:05:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving isn't my favorite holiday. I think because I don't like Thanksgiving Day food. I'm not a huge fan of turkey. Don't do vegetables. And hate cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie. My plate usually has mashed potatoes and M & M's on it. But, this year Chuck's mom is making lasagna! Yum! And my parents had a Thanksgiving brunch with my dad's famous french toast. They even had Turkey bacon and sausage. How festive!

I have a lot to be thankful for this year. Here's a short list of just some of the things:

1) My wonderful and supportive husband who has been dealing with "Pregnant Drew" for the past 29 weeks and hasn't complained once. Let me tell you, "Pregnant Drew" isn't always the nicest or most pleasant person to be around. But, he will rub my back at two in the morning, run out and get me my favorite food, bring my flowers, and pretty much do anything to put a smile on my face. He's going to be the best dad ever and I can't wait to seem him with his little boy.

2) My awesome dog Hauggy. That little guy just puts a smile on my face. I'm so lucky to have him by my side every day. My life wouldn't be complete without him.

3) The little guy inside my stomach. Even though I am SO ready to be not pregnant, I am very thankful for my little boy. I know all the kicking, sleepless nights, weight gain, and all the other fun things that come along with pregnancy will be worth it. It's going to be scary to be a mom, but I think it's also going to be one of the funnest things I will ever do.

4) My parents. My parents rock. I don't think I tell them enough how much I appreciate them, but I do. I'm very lucky to have two parents who love and care for me as much as they do.

5) My amazing clients. Without you all I wouldn't be able to do what I love and I am so thankful for you. I am so thankful for your trust and support. Each and every one of you have touched my life in some way and I am so lucky to have met you!

I hope everyone has a very happy and safe Thanksgiving!

Michelle & Shawn

2007-11-19T13:58:00.000-08:00

Last week I met Michelle and Shawn in Huntington Beach on an absolutely gorgeous November day. Shawn is the unofficial mayor of Huntington Beach. He knows everyone. I didn't believe it at first, but while we were shooting down at the beach he got stopped by one of his friends and we saw another one while we were shooting on Main Street. It's true, he is the mayor :) Michelle and Shawn were neighbors before they started dating. A few years later and they just bought their first house together! How exciting!

Michelle and Shawn are having a backyard wedding next April. It will be one of my first weddings back after the baby and I'm excited to shoot without my bump. It's a lot easier :) Here are a few of my favorite pictures and a slideshow! Enjoy!

The Imus Family

2007-11-15T12:43:00.000-08:00

I'm sure you recognize this cute family from my website and past blogs. The Imus family was one of my favorite family sessions from last year! Their girls are gorgeous and Jennifer and Ron are two of the nicest people I've ever met. Last year we shot their session at the beach and little Kendall did not like the sand. We tried the park this year and she did much better. Although, she still needed her fruit snacks to get those smiles :) I've never seen a kid who loves fruit snacks so much!

Thank you so much to the Imus family for being such loyal clients! I can't wait for your session next year! Here's your slideshow!

Mr. & Mrs. Abito

2007-11-11T20:08:00.001-08:00

Woohoo! Last wedding of the year! And I couldn't have asked for a better couple to work with. Jessica and Ryan were married at the Redlands Temple. This was actually the first Mormon wedding that I've shot. I love the getting ready and ceremony shots and initially I was a little bummed about not getting to shoot those. But, when you don't have the preparation and ceremony to shoot, there's more time for pictures with the bride and groom, which is my favorite part of the day :) After shooting at the temple for a bit, I took Jessica and Ryan to Scripps College, which is a gorgeous place to shoot. Jessica and Ryan were a bit tired, but they were up for anything, which makes my job easy. I knew after shooting their engagement session that they were totally photogenic and easy to work with. Their engagement session was one of my favorite this year.

Besides the bride and groom being fantastic, their friends and family were so welcoming! Shooting a wedding 6 (almost 7) months pregnant isn't the easiest thing, but they made sure I was fed and rested and offered to help with everything. I also have the best second shooter in the world. Without Sandie by my side these last couple of months I don't know what I would have done. She makes sure my preggo brain is in check and I don't leave any lenses out and makes sure I have all the shots I need. And it's her birthday today! Happy birthday Sandie! And I've also had a great assistant for my last two weddings. Jen has helped lug my gear around and I totally appreciate it.

Jessica and Ryan, thank you so much for allowing me to capture your special day and for moving your wedding date so I can enjoy my birthday next weekend :) You guys are awesome and I wish you nothing but happiness in the future! I hope you two have an awesome time on your cruise! Here's your slideshow!

I'm done with weddings for two months, but I will be blogging lots of family shoots and some engagement shoots so stay tuned! I will also be doing a review of all of my favorite details from my wedding this year in December so be sure to check back!

Nikki & Jeff

2007-11-09T09:19:00.000-08:00

Every once in a while I get brides and/or grooms who don't want to do engagement pictures. I include complimentary engagement sessions in all of my packages because they help SO much. The session helps me get to know the bride and groom and for them to get comfortable with me and in front of the camera. All my couples always tell me that they didn't even notice I was there for most of their wedding day and that's exactly how I want it :)

Nikki didn't want an engagement session :) I had to give her my whole speech about why it's important and she decided to go forward with it. I'm so glad they did! Nikki and Jeff are naturals in front of the camera and I had a lot of fun with this session. I also got to shoot somewhere new, which is always fun. Jeff's parents have an awesome house in Newport by The Cannery restaurant so we explored that area. It's also where Nikki wants to shoot her pictures before the ceremony. Nikki and Jeff are getting married in April and their reception will be at The Balboa Bay Club. All I'm going to say is that there are boats and cool antique cars involved so I'm sure it's going to be an awesome day!

Here are a few of my favorites and the slideshow! Since Nikki is a loyal blog stalker I know she's anxiously awaiting this post :)

The Greene Family

2007-11-06T08:24:00.000-08:00

We risked life, limb and fear of botulism to shoot the Greene's family pictures out at the Salton Sea. I've been wanting to shoot out there for a long time, but I couldn't find subjects who would be willing to go out there with me. For those of you unfamiliar with the Salton Sea (well, there's really no reason to be familiar with it), there's nothing out there except for some cool abandoned buildings, fish carcasses, and a nasty salt lake. So, I dragged my friends, the Greene's, out there for a fun family shoot.

I met Michelle and Jake three and a half years ago when I started working at the same marketing company as them. I came in to turn in my resume and Michelle took it from me and told me how much she loved my name. We were best friends from that day on. Well, not really :) You really can't be much more opposite than Michelle and I, but for some reason we became friends very fast and have remained BFF even after I stopped working at the same office. I guess opposites attract! Owen had just turned 1 when I met him. I can't believe how much he has grown up! I've known Emma since she was born and it's insane how much she's changed. I have so much fun with those kids! I've really learned a lot from Michelle and Jake about how to be good parents and I'm sure they will be answering a lot more questions for me in the coming years. We have the best Bittel-Greene family outings and when little French Fry comes along things are going to be even more fun!

Enjoy the pictures and the slideshow!

My favorite picture of the day. Doesn't Jake look like Elvis?

Mr. & Mrs. Robinson

2007-11-05T08:48:00.000-08:00

Nicole and Mike were married on Saturday at El Adobe in San Juan Capistrano. This wedding was really special for me. I've known Nicole since we were in elementary school. We played soccer and softball together. Her dad was my soccer coach. We went to junior high and high school together. We went to "sex" camp together (sex education camp that was put on by our youth group!). And Nicole and Mike were even at my wedding. I lost touch with Nicole after high school, but when I needed a dog sitter for our ring bearer Hauggy at our wedding, my friend Jamie suggested that I call Nicole who has her own pet sitting company. I think it's pretty cool that they were both able to be at each other's weddings :)

Another reason I've been looking forward to Nicole and Mike's wedding is because they wanted to do their pictures at the Mission San Juan Capistrano. I've shot events there, but never wedding pictures. The Mission is GORGEOUS! There are so many awesome places to shoot their!

I started off with the girls at their hotel

And then met up with Mike at the boys at the Mission

From their "first look"

We had lots of time for great pictures at the Mission

My most favorite florist in the world, Jenny B, did their flowers and they were gorgeous as always!

Jamie B (do you see a trend here?) from So Divine Designs did an awesome job on the invites, programs, and place cards. If you need invitations, holiday cards, or anything call her! She's awesome!

Nicole and Mike, you two are awesome! Mike, I've had a pleasure getting to know you and Nicole, it's been great to reconnect with you. You two are perfect for each other! Have an awesome time in Puerto Vallarta! I'll have the slideshow up soon!

Mr. & Mrs. Siamas

2007-11-02T14:52:00.001-07:00

Chuck and I had so much fun in Puerto Vallarta for Scott and Rita's wedding. This was my first destination wedding and what I loved about it is that because you are shooting for more then just the wedding day, you really get to know the bride and groom and their friends and family.

Puerto is gorgeous! I've traveled all over Mexico and Puerto is by far my most favorite city I've been to. Scott and Rita got married at the beautiful Quinta del Mar villa. Tamara and Lucie from Incredible Weddings & Events did such an awesome job coordinating the event. They are the best coordinators I've ever worked with! The fabulous Boca Bento catered the wedding (and rehearsal dinner). The gucamole balls are to die for! My mouth waters just thinking of them! And to top it all off, Scott and Rita surprised their guests with fireworks after their first dance! The day was absolutely perfect as well as the whole week. Thank you to Scott and Rita for having us down in Mexico! I hope you are enjoying your long honeymoon in Argentina and Brazil! Here's your slideshow!

I loved Rita's dress and the bridesmaids dresses. The color was gorgeous!

Rita wins the prize for best shoes! The Manolos were gorgeous and I won't even say how much they cost, but they were worth every penny!

The churros were the perfect way to end the night. These churros were seriously better than Disneyland! And you could pick a flavor to fill them with. I just went for the traditional. So good!

A few pictures from the day after session

Hauggy Says...

2007-10-31T16:40:00.000-07:00

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

In case you can't tell, he's a lobster. He wanted to be a French Fry or an In 'N Out employee, but we couldn't find either of those costumes. One of his favorite toys is his lobster that we got him from Maine a few years ago so he decided to be a lobster too. Doesn't he look thrilled? I think he's ready for the baby to be born so I'll stop taking so many pictures of him :)

I'm off to go trick or treating with my two favorite little kids, Owen and Emma. I think Owen is going to be the black Spiderman and Emma is Alice in Wonderland. Should be fun. I hope they give me lots of their candy :) Have a happy and safe Halloween everyone!

Meet Bruce!

2007-10-29T11:25:00.001-07:00

Meet our baby turtle, Bruce. Isn't he handsome?

Our first night in Puerto they released a whole bunch of baby sea turtles on the beach of our hotel. We named our little guy Bruce because our little friend Owen likes that name. He wants us to name our baby Bruce or French Fry, but Chuck had a bad dream about someone named Bruce and I think our baby would kill us if we named him French Fry. So, we named our little turtle Bruce.

Here he is going into the big world. Look how grown up he is!

And here are all of his friends.

I hope Bruce is doing okay! I'm so proud of him!

Waiting in Puerto...

2007-10-28T13:22:00.000-07:00

Chuck and I are hanging out before our shuttle comes to pick us up from our hotel and I'm waisting money to get on the internet. Oh well. I've gone without for almost 4 days! I needed a fix!

Scott and Rita's wedding was so awesome. Probably the most gorgeous wedding I've ever shot. It was hot (really hot), but that didn't stop everyone from having a great time. I shot their day after session this morning and got some more awesome shots. I'll blog about it in the next couple of days.

For now, I can't wait to get home to my puppy and some In 'N Out! Adios amigos!

Adios Amigos!

2007-10-23T21:15:00.000-07:00

I'm off to Puerto Vallarta to shoot Rita and Scott's wedding! I'm super excited about this wedding! Awesome couple, cool location, and I get to get away from the yucky, smokey southern California air :)

I will definitely have no phone access and will probably have no internet access either. I will be returning on Monday (hopefully very tan) and will return phone calls and emails then.

Have a great week everyone!
DrewB

The Cox Family

2007-10-18T11:08:00.000-07:00

We had perfect weather and a perfect sunset for the Cox's family session in Laguna last week. I always look forward to shooting girls because they tend to be a little calmer and have less energy than little boys, but this was not the case for Lexee. She's 7 and she is fearless! She was climbing all over the rocks and picking up sea urchins. That girl has no fear! Kylee is 12 and she's a soccer player. We both play midfield, so naturally we got along. I had a lot of fun with these two girls and their mom, Natasha! Thanks so much for driving all the way down from Camarillo to shoot with me! Here's your slideshow and some of my favorite pictures!

I love my clients!

2007-10-16T16:25:00.000-07:00

I was just working on some of my albums from this year and thinking about what a great year I've had. Only 3 more weddings left for the year and I've been so lucky to work with great clients, most of whom have become good friends of mine. Next year I'm only taking a limited number of weddings because I have to figure out this whole "mom" thing and I've actually almost met my goal and am completely booked up. And it's only October! I'm super excited for all of my weddings next year! Not only do I get to work with such great people, but I'm also getting to shoot at some of Southern California's best venues. I'm really excited and very, very lucky!

One of my couples, Nikki and Jeff, came over to meet with me this weekend. Nikki was a bridesmaid at Brigid and Dave's wedding last month and they are getting married at the Balboa Bay Club in April. Both of their moms came to our meeting and it was so funny because Jeff's mom takes pictures at all of their vendor meetings. How special did I feel? Here's the picture. No, my dog isn't possessed. For some reason my red eye remover in photoshop doesn't work for blue eyes... Shout out to Nikki who reads my blog when she's bored at work :) Don't tell her boss!

Happy Tuesday everyone!

The Bengards

2007-10-12T15:14:00.000-07:00

The Bengards are one of my most favorite families to shoot. I've been shooting Aiden since he was a baby and now he's a big 2 year old who loves trains. So, it only made sense to have their family session at the Train Depot in San Juan Capistrano. Aiden was SO excited for the trains! I thought it might be a distraction, but it was such a good motivator. Aiden was making me laugh the whole time. He's such a little charmer! I think I have a new boyfriend :) Two is my favorite age for kids. It might not be when it's my own kid, but when I get to give them back to the parents I love toddlers. They are so much fun!

Here are just a few of my favorite pictures. Here's the slideshow... finally!

Mr. & Mrs. Shakarian

2007-10-04T12:22:00.000-07:00

Christina and Coren called their wedding "The Big, Fat, Armenian Wedding", and they did not disappoint! It was a day full of crazy dancing, music, food, loving toasts, and fun.

The day started at the home of Christina's parents. In Armenian weddings the bride and groom see each other before the bride puts her dress on. I love this shot of Christina peeking as the boys arrive!

After they do a bit of dancing the bride puts her dress on.

There's a lot of traditions in Armenian weddings. The brother of the bride puts on her shoes, but since Christina doesn't have a brother her brother-in-law was going to put her shoes on. However, her nephew decided to take on the task. How cute!

They also pass the veil around the bride 3 times, but to save time they only did it once :)

I love this shot of Corey seeing Christina in her dress for the first time!

After some more dancing we headed to a park to do the formal shots. Christina and Corey had a HUGE bridal party. The biggest I've ever shot. Luckily they were very easy to work with!

The ceremony was held at St. Garabed Church in Hollywood. It's the church that Christina's family attends and it's gorgeous!

The reception was held at the Omni Hotel in Downtown LA. The lighting and centerpieces were beautiful! Professional lighting is SO important! It makes such a huge difference and turns a stark, boring reception hall into a spectacular ballroom!

Christina and Corey, thank you so much for including me in your big, fat Armenian wedding! It was such a pleasure to work with the two of you! I hope you are having an amazing time in Tahiti! Here's your slideshow!

UCLA vs. Notre Dame

2007-10-02T14:03:00.000-07:00

Anyone need UCLA vs. Notre Dame tickets for this weekend? I have two in section 15-L, row 6! Face value on them are $75 each. We would be there if we weren't going to Vegas this weekend. You know you want to go see UCLA kick Notre Dame's butt! If you want them shoot me an email! drew@drewbphotography.com. Go Bruins!

UPDATE: Tickets have been sold to my self-proclaimed "blog stalker" Lisa Marie :) Have fun at the game, even though the Irish are going to LOSE :)

It's a...

2007-09-28T09:06:00.001-07:00

BOY! We're having a little boy! We found out about a week and a half ago, but things have been so crazy I haven't had time to blog about it. It's fun to know that the little thing that's been kicking me is not an "it" anymore. We have a name that we like, but if you have any suggestions let me know. I like Bruin, but I don't think it will fly. I really like B names with Bittel. Bruin Bittel. Doesn't that sound good? And there would be no way he could go to USC with a name like that :) Here's my favorite ultrasound pictures. You can see his little profile and his hand. Looks like he has my nose :)

I'm 21 weeks pregnant today and things are going pretty well. I finally got a break from my backaches yesterday and I hope it continues! My wedding season is done in early November so it will be nice to have a little break. Only 4 more weddings left for the year! I'm looking forward to all of the weddings I have left. Especially Rita and Scott's wedding in Puerto Vallarta at the end of October!

The baby got to go to his very first UCLA football game last weekend. He was so excited when we got there he was kicking me SO hard. Even Aunt Christy got to feel him. But I don't think he liked it when we got into the stadium and I started yelling. I tried not to curse... too much. We had an awesome tailgate and all of our best friends were able to make it. Kyle came from Pheonix with his new fiancee (yeah!!!), Johanna. They got engaged over Labor Day weekend in Hawaii and we're so excited for them. I can't wait to do their engagement pictures! Joey brought his girlfriend, Michelle, and Steve and Christy came too. It was so much fun. I wish they could all be there for every tailgate.

Christy always begs to be on my blog. She got mad when we went to San Francisco and I didn't blog about it (because I didn't take any pictures). So,here you go Christy. Are you happy now??? :) Christy's brother got us awesome seats on the 45 yard line. It was COLD, but we had a blanket to snuggle up with.

This would have been a really cute picture of Christy and I, but Chuck decided to ruin it. Look for the eyeball right in between Christy and I.

Check back next week for pictures from Christina and Corey's big, fat, Armenian wedding. I'm really looking forward to shooting it tomorrow! Have a great weekend everyone!

It's the little things...

2007-09-27T17:15:00.000-07:00

I live right behind Downtown Brea, which is a really cute little promenade with movie theaters, restaurants, ans shops. A few months ago Chuck's favorite Chinese place, The Dragon Bowl, closed down unexpectedly. The cutest little Chinese man worked there 7 days a week and even on Christmas so we were sad to see him go. But, today, Chuck and I were walking Hauggy and we saw that they are opening a Robeks where The Dragon Bowl used to be. Woohoo! Robeks is a smoothie place and it's SO much better than Jamba and Juice It Up! I used to get it all the time when I worked at MTV, but there's only 3 locations in Orange County and the closest location is 20 minutes away. I'm SO excited that there will be one within walking distance. Sometimes it's just the little things that make me so happy!

Mr. & Mrs. Brookman

2007-09-24T11:44:00.000-07:00

I've been looking forward to Brigid and Dave's wedding since we shot their engagement session earlier this year. It was one of my favorite sessions so I knew their wedding was going to be awesome! Brigid and Dave were married at St. Catherine of Sienna Church in Laguna Beach. While the coast was socked in with fog, the church was up high on a hill so we got beautiful blue skies up there.

Brigid was such a happy bride and was so much fun to photograph.

I love this shot of Brigid's dad seeing his daughter in her dress for the first time.

St. Catherine has beautiful grounds to shoot at. We only had a few minutes there, but I love the shots we got.

We then headed down to the beach, which was still very foggy. You might recognize some of these guys from Brandon and Lindsey's wedding in July.

We shot right next to the Laguna Beach Lawn Bowling Club so we got some pictures in there. I didn't even know that there was a Laguna Beach Lawn Bowling Club :)

Their reception was held at El Niguel Country Club in Laguna Niguel. They had the best toasts I've ever heard. All 4 of them were both funny and emotional. And they also had great dances as well.

I hope Mr. and Mrs. Brockman :) had an amazing time in Jamaica! Thank you and your family and friends for being so much fun to work with! Here's the slideshow!

Email is Back Up!

2007-09-24T09:20:00.001-07:00

Looks like my email is back up. If you sent me an email between Friday morning and Monday morning please resend. Thanks!!!

Email is Down

2007-09-24T08:58:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

I had an nice relaxing weekend off and I kept thinking to myself, "Wow, it's so nice that my blackberry isn't going off". When I checked my email this morning and saw that I still hadn't gotten any emails I thought something was weird so I did a couple of tests and it looks like my email is down. If you tried emailing me since Friday I did not receive the email so please email it to drewbphoto@hotmail.com. Thank you very much and sorry for the inconvienence! I'll let everyone know when my email is up again!

Thanks,
DrewB

Mr. & Mrs. Melinn

2007-09-21T10:11:00.000-07:00

I spent last weekend shooting two weddings in Laguna Beach. The first was Todd and Patty at the Hotel Laguna. Todd and Patty actually met on Match.com so it actually works! They can be on one of those commercials!

I really loved Patty's dress. It was gorgeous! And of course, I loved the shoes too!

I love working with Todd because he is so expressive. When Patty walked down the aisle he put his glasses on and said, "Wow!". It was very cute!

We had a great sunset for pictures at the beach after the ceremony.

And would it be a blog post if I didn't post a ring shot ;)

Todd and Patty are enjoying an awesome two week honeymoon in both Fiji and Hawaii (Lucky!)! I hope they are having an amazing time and not checking my blog! Here's the slideshow!

Rita & Scott (& Thai)

2007-09-18T14:37:00.000-07:00

Rita and Scott are getting married next month in Puerto Vallarta! I'm so excited for their big Mexican fiesta! We shot their engagement session at the Balboa Fun Zone and the Balboa pier. They brought along their very cute puppy Thai. Since Thai won't be able to make it to the wedding we incorporated him in some of the shots. He's not a huge fan of the camera, but when you give him some waffle cone he'll do anything!

Rita and Scott, thanks for taking time out of your very busy schedules to do your engagement shoot with me. Chuck and I can't wait for your wedding in Mexico! Here's the slideshow!

Mr. & Mrs. Sanchez

2007-09-14T12:41:00.000-07:00

Besides being one of the most gorgeous couples I've ever shot, Traci and Kevin are also one of the nicest couples I've ever had the pleasure of working with. They are both the type of people that worry about everyone else first. They are such awesome people to work with! Traci and Kevin were married at Kevin's parents home in Upland. The weather totally cooperated and stayed in the low 80's unlike the week before with temperatures in the 110's! This wedding was absolutely gorgeous and no details were overlooked. Bridget Karsten did an amazing job coordinating the event. The flowers by Jackie Girard Designs were gorgeous! And the food by Jean Hamilton Catering was so good and their staff were great! But my favorite vendor of the day was Traci and Kevin's officiant / cousin Monica Nash. She did such an awesome job with the ceremony and it's always very touching to see a couple get married by someone who cares so much about them.

Traci and Kevin, I hope you had an amazing time in Maui (my most favorite place in the world!). Thank you for allowing us to be a part of your very special day! Here's the slideshow!

On the phone with Kevin

Kevin's son Steele is the cutest! I love him watcing his Dad getting ready.

The gorgeous ceremony!

Traci and Kevin had a hand fastening ceremony, the did a sand ceremony with Steele, and they gave him a bracelet. They had a very sweet ceremony!

I love it when dogs are incorporated into weddings. They are a part of the family too!

These next few shots were all taken on a freeway overpass

Warning to my brides and grooms. When I ask for your rings during the reception I usually do weird stuff like put your rings in a glass of champagne ;)

Nicole & Mike

2007-09-13T11:36:00.000-07:00

It's always fun to be a part of someone's wedding, but it's even more special when it's someone that you know. I was very excited when my friend Nicole booked me for her November wedding. I've known Nicole since we were probably 10. We played soccer together, her dad was my coach, we went to junior high and high school together. We go back a long way! I'm so happy she found her fiancee Mike. He's a super sweet guy and they are perfect together! Their wedding is going to be awesome and I'm going to probably know half the people there so it will be a little mini reunion too. Fun! Here are some of their engagement pictures. Here's the slideshow!

6 Years Ago...

2007-09-11T08:06:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's been 6 years since the September 11th attacks. I think this is the first anniversary that I woke up and didn't realize what day it was. I turned on MSNBC and they are playing the coverage from that day. Most of which I've never seen before.

I can remember everything from that day. I was at my apartment in Westwood and woke up before my alarm went off thinking what a beautiful day it was. It had been a gloomy summer in Westwood, but that morning it was sunny and beautiful and I was actually excited for my walk to work. I jumped in the shower and as soon as I turned the shower off my roommate came in and told me that something horrible had happened. I immediately called my mom who I found out later had been calling my cell phone all morning, but it was turned off. She told me to get out of LA now so I packed a few things and ran to my car with my hair soaking wet. I think about it now and I kind of laugh about it, but at the time no one knew what else was going to happen. It was such a scary day.

I don't really have anything profound to say. I love New York. It's my favorite city. I hope something like this never happens again. In New York or anywhere.

Here are a few pictures from Ground Zero and the city from my trip to New York in May of 2006.

Jessica & Ryan

2007-09-10T09:45:00.000-07:00

I had SO much fun with these two. Jessica and Ryan wanted to do their session somewhere with an "urban" feel, which I love! There are so many more opportunities for different pictures and so much more to work with. We decided on Pine Street in Long Beach and while it was HOT when we started it cooled off nicely in the evening.

Jessica and Ryan are both naturals in front of the camera. Jessica has beautiful, big eyes and Ryan has an awesome sense of style. I can't wait to see what they will wear for their wedding in November! Jessica is having two dresses made!

Here are some of my favorites (I had a lot of favorites)! Here's the slideshow!

I heart NYC!

2007-09-05T12:14:00.000-07:00

After a nice and relaxing week in Maine, Chuck and I headed to NYC for a couple not so relaxing, but very fun days. I've always wanted to do an engagement session in NYC, but I wasn't sure how to find a couple to shoot. In July I met with Alex and her mom and it just so happens that Alex and her fiance Corey live in the city. How awesome is that? They are getting married next July up in Santa Ynez and I was really excited when they were up for shooting their engagement pictures in New York.

Alex and Corey met while getting their masters at Columbia University so we started their shoot there. I don't think any school can be much prettier than my alma mater, UCLA, but Columbia was beautiful! Tons of great places to shoot, but unfortunately the freshman were moving in that weekend and they were having a huge concert on the library steps. We still got lots of great pictures though.

Then we went down to Grand Central Station.

And then we took the Subway to the Brooklyn Bridge.
Yeah. I laid on the floor of a NYC subway for this one. Pretty gross...

And lastly we went to the school that Corey teaches at. It's not in the best area of town and I'm glad we were with Corey, but we got the "urban" shots I was after. There's some guy named the cookie monster (or something like that) that lives down there and I'm really glad we didn't run into him!

Chuck and I had so much fun with Alex and Corey, although I did find out that Alex is a Trojan :) . Corey was full of fun facts (he told us about how Lou Gehrig went to Columbia, pointed out where the very first subway station was, and Alex showed us this really cool spot in Grand Central where if someone whispers something on one side of the wall the person in the opposite corner can hear it) and was a great tour guide.

I'm very excited for their wedding next July! Here's the slideshow!

Mr. & Mrs. Cooper

2007-09-05T11:09:00.001-07:00

I'm back! We had an amazing time in Maine and NYC, but more on that later!

Nicole and Mike were married on August 25th at the Lakewood Country Club. It was a gorgeous day and surprisingly not that hot, which was very nice! Nicole look absolutely beautiful. I had never seen her without her glasses and she has the most amazing blue eyes I've ever seen! They had a very emotional ceremony that had everyone in tears. Nicole and Mike are two of the nicest people I've ever worked with. They are both so easy going it made my job super easy! I hope you two had an amazing time in Fiji! I can't wait to hear all about it! Here are some of my favorite pictures. Here's the slideshow!

I love ring shots!

2007-08-24T21:30:00.000-07:00

I almost bought this yesterday...

The new imacs are BEAUTIFUL! And I really want a desktop. My laptop has taken a beating over the past year. But why do they only come in the glossy screen??? The glare is horrible and photographers can't use them. Pictures look gorgeous on the screen, but the colors aren't true because they are a pain to calibrate. So sad. I hope they come out with a matte screen VERY soon.

Just wanted to let everyone know that right after I shoot Nicole and Mike's wedding tomorrow I am on vaca! Woohoo! I'm going to Maine for 5 wonderful days of relaxing and sailing and then we'll be going to New York City for 2 days. Don't worry, it won't be all vacation. I do have a super fun shoot scheduled in there (did you really think I could go a whole week without working???). I should have email access, but not too sure about the phone while I'm in Maine. Have a great week and wonderful Labor Day everyone!

Natalie & Scott

2007-08-23T12:21:00.000-07:00

I love shooting at Downtown Fullerton. Not only is it super close to my house, but there are a million cool places to shoot there. Every time I go there I find somewhere new and cool.

That's where I met up with Natalie and Scott yesterday for their engagement pictures. They are getting married next May at the Villa de Amore (one of my favorite venues!). These two were so much fun! Natalie told me that they were going to need a lot of help at the beginning of the session, but I swear, they were pros! They have so much chemistry together and I love the way it translated on camera. I'm very excited for their wedding! If their engagement session was this much fun I can't imagine how much fun their wedding is going to be :) Here are a few of my favorite pictures. Here's the slideshow!

Mr. & Mrs. Grinewich

2007-08-22T10:24:00.001-07:00

I love shooting weddings where none of the little details are overlooked. And that's exactly how Shannon and Matt's wedding was. They were married at Los Verdes Golf Course in Rancho Palos Verdes. From the double decker buses that shuttled the guests to the grand exit with the sparklers and vintage 1964 Rolls Royce, every little detail was perfect! Alyssa with Alyssa's Flowers did an amazing job as always. I love her flower balls!

Shannon and Matt are perfect together. Matt didn't leave Shannon's side all evening. He even flew half way across the country just to ask Shannon's parents for her hand in marriage. What a guy!

I also have to say that Shannon had the best bridesmaids I've ever worked with! They were so much fun, but totally paid attention and helped when we got tight on time. And they like to do push ups in their dresses. How funny is that?

Shannon and Matt, we had such an awesome time at your wedding! I hope you have a great time on your honeymoon! Here's the slideshow!

Tag, I'm It!

2007-08-17T10:23:00.000-07:00

So, this morning as I checked all my favorite blogs I found that I had been tagged by both Sandra Salisbury and Jasmine*. I guess now I have to reveal 8 juicy details about myself and tag 8 other bloggers to do the same. Let's see...

1) I'm Pregnant! Yep, I've alluded to it a couple of times on my blog, but here's the official blog announcement. I'm 15 weeks pregnant today and am due at the beginning of February. We find out exactly a month from today what we are having!

2) I hate sleeping in hotel beds. I have to wear socks on my feet (and sometimes on my hands). It doesn't matter if I'm at the Holiday Inn or the Ritz, hotel beds are yucky!!!

3) I like to rescue animals on days starting with "S". Helpless animals always find me and I can't just leave them. It's actually how I found my little guy, Hauggy. I found a pug running across a busy street and took him to the animal shelter. The next day I went back to check up on the pug and my little guy was there and I fell in love at first sight.

4) Speaking of Hauggy. He's named after my most favorite thing in the world. Haggen Dazs ice cream! I LOVE it! I always get a chocolate milk shake. Yummy!

5) I'm a poultitarian. I only eat chicken and turkey. I stopped eating pork about 3 years ago when I was in Mexico working for MTV. I saw a truck full of pigs and they were so cute I knew I couldn't eat them anymore. I stopped eating beef a year ago after seeing some cute cows in Hawaii. Not eating beef has actually been really hard for me because I love hamburgers and tacos! But, good thing In N Out makes good grilled cheese sandwiches that curb my cravings for hamburgers. I would totally be a vegetarian, but seeing how I don't like vegetables I think that might be hard.

6) I still love Britney Spears. Yes, she's a little WT and crazy. But, give the girl a break! I will always remember the time I met her at the Crossroads premiere when I was an intern at VH1. I don't care what you say, Mom! I will never move on!

7) I'm an awesome bowler. I have my own ball and shoes and I'll beat anyone. I'm an even better bowler on Wii.

8) I have a weird fascination with the country Luxembourg. I don't know why, but I think it's a cool country. I've never been there, but someday I'll go!

I'm going to tag:

Trista Lerit- Because I love her!
Michelle Greene- Because she's my BFFN :)
Kristina Marie- Because I love to hear what she has to say.
The Bengard Family- Because they have the cutest little boy.
Coz Swifka- Because she's an awesome photographer.
Amy Squires- Because not only is she an amazing photographer, but she's also a great person who has been very supportive of me and I really appreciate that!
Jessica Strikland- Because even though she has no idea who I am I think she is an AMAZING photographer and I love to stalk her blog!
Greg Bumatay- Because he's a great photographer and an awesome guy!

Have a great day everyone! I'm off to shoot a wedding in Palos Verdes!

Mr. & Mrs. Clifford

2007-08-16T11:14:00.000-07:00

Zsanett and Ryan are celebrating their 5 year wedding anniversary! They have a super sweet love story. Zsanett moved to the US from Hungary 7 years ago. After spending a year in Boston where she attended Harvard (smart girl!) she made her way to Orange County. As she started her first day of work at a Greek restaurant in Laguna she parked her car in a parking garage where Ryan was working as a valet. At first, Zsanett didn't really like Ryan, but that same night he serenaded her with his guitar. And just 3 short months later they were married! How cute!

I had a lot of fun with the two of them walking around downtown Laguna and even going to the parking garage where they first met. Zsanett is an aspiring photographer so it means a lot that out of all the amazing photographers in Orange County she choose me to take their anniversary pictures! Here are some of my favorites. Here's the slideshow!

PS Note for photographers- I bought the Canon 85 1.8 that EVERYONE has been raving about. I shot this whole session with it and LOVE it! It's my new favorite lens!

It's Football Season!

2007-08-14T11:24:00.000-07:00

No, not the NFL. College football! It's my most favorite time of year. All of you that know me know how much I LOVE my UCLA Bruins. So, yesterday Chuck and I went up to Westwood for an afternoon of Diddy Reese, reminiscing on campus, and to watch our Bruins practice. We met up with our friend Christy who works on campus as an advisor for the communications department. Her awesome boss Jane made us a yummy cake! I think it was to make up for the fact that when I was an undergrad there she didn't let me into the communications department :) It's extremely competitive to get into the communications department at UCLA. I ended up being a Sociology major, which was great because there were less classes to take :)

Then we headed down to Spaulding Field to watch practice. Open practice is so awesome because you are just feet away from the team and there were only about 30 people there watching. The other great thing about open practice is being SO close to Coach Dorrell (Coach Karl as I like to call him). I heart Coach Karl! So, when practice was over Christy and Chuck made me wait for Coach Karl. Chuck asked if we could take a picture with him and then proceeded to tell him that I was in love with him. Not that I loved him, but that I was "in" love with him! How embarrassing (but totally cool at the same time)! Chuck also pointed to my stomach and introduced Coach Karl to the newest Bruin fan and he congratulated us. I also got to thank him for beating 'SC last year. He was totally cool and such a nice guy! I'm sure we totally embarrassed him, but I can't help it if I love him! Besides meeting Britney Spears and UCLA beating 'SC last year I think this might have been the best day of my life! Here's the picture of the three of us. Thanks so much to Christy for taking it for us!

Patty & Todd

2007-08-06T17:29:00.001-07:00

Todd's the second guy that I shot in the last month that has a broken limb! He broke his arm skateboarding on his bachelor party trip in Mexico. He said he'll have his cast off before their wedding next month in Laguna Beach, which I'm sure will make Patty happy :)

I had a fun time with these two in Dana Point. They choose to shoot in Dana Point because Todd proposed to Patty at the Chart House. I love shooting in Dana Point! We got some great shots next to the hazardous waste gas canisters (probably not the smartest thing when you're 13 weeks pregnant, but it was a cool shot!) and while dodging huge rogue waves (what's with me and the rogue waves lately???). At least I was the one who got wet this time!

Their wedding is sure to be a blast! Check back next month for their pictures. For now, here are a few of my favorite shots from their engagement session and a slideshow!

Tashley

2007-08-01T17:27:00.000-07:00

Ashley and Tyson (Tashley) are getting married in January at the Ebell Club in Long Beach. These two booked by a LONG time ago. I think it's almost been a year. So, I was really excited to shoot their engagement pictures. Besides being clients, I've gotten to know the two of them through mutual friends over the last year.

Whenever I shoot at the beach I always warn my couples that they will get wet. I have them bring towels and a change of clothes just in case. Well, the tide was quite high last week. Higher than I've ever seen it before. The beach that I normally shoot at was nonexistent. We braved the big waves and Tyson and I each got hit once, but Ashley was fine. I sat the two of them on a rock way far away from where the waves were crashing and all of a sudden a freak rogue wave comes out of nowhere and collapses on top of the two of them. I don't know how it missed me and my camera, but I didn't get wet at all that time. I felt so horrible, but they were laughing. So, what did I do? I kept shooting. It was too funny!

Here's Ashley as she saw the HUGE wave coming. I hope she doesn't kill me for posting this picture, but I laugh out loud everytime I see it :)

And here's a shot right after the wave. At least they are laughing!

I'm glad Ashley and Tyson have a good sense of humor! They still looked totally gorgeous soaking wet so we kept shooting and we got some good pictures. I'm so excited to work with these two again in January! Here's the slideshow!

Mr. & Mrs. Rosenthal

2007-07-31T12:58:00.000-07:00

Lindsey and Brandon were married up at Calamigos Ranch in Malibu. It's an absolutely gorgeous venue in the hills of Malibu with lots of great places for pictures. The day started out hot and sunny and during the ceremony something happend that hasn't happend in a long time in Southern California. It rained! Well, it didn't actually rain. It just sprinkled, but it totally caught everyone by surprise. But, you know what they say. Rain on your wedding day is good luck!

Lindsey and Brandon's wedding was not only gorgeous, but it was a lot of fun. Lindsey is from Tennessee and Andy from Disc Go Round did an awesome job playing lots of country and southern music. It wasn't the type of music or dancing your normally hear at California weddings!

Lindsey and Brandon, I hope you two are having an amazing time in Tahiti! Thanks for letting me be a part of your wedding day! Here's your slideshow!

Thanks so much to my good friend Joey for the referral!

As well as Brigid and Dave whose wedding I will be shooting in just 5 short weeks!!!

Mr. & Mrs. Wang

2007-07-26T11:30:00.000-07:00

I shot another awesome wedding at the Orange County Museum of Art on July 21st. This time it was for Mariam and Frank's wedding. I loved working with the two of them. They are such genuinely kind people! They sent me this email a couple of days after their wedding and it just made my day:

Hi Drew!

We can't express to you how awesome we think you and your helpers all were
on Saturday. You caught us up on time, were so accomidating to all of the
crazy circumstances, were super nice to our guests, and set up the coolest
slideshow during our reception! We will definitely highly recommend you to
all of our friends and family as the best photographer around - dependable,
sweet, and incredibly talented and artistic. :) Thanks Drew!

~mariam & frank

I love my clients!

Mariam and Frank have such a beautiful love story. Their families have been friends since the two were kids and their families immigrated to the US. Mariam tricked Frank into going on their first date. Too cute!

I had such a great time working with Mariam and Frank as well as their friends and family! Have an awesome honeymoon in Europe! Here are some of my favorite pictures and a slideshow!

I love, love, love this picture. I don't know why, but I think it's one of my most favorite pictures I've ever taken.

Check out those red shoes!!! More pictures of them later!

I love the first look!

I love this shot too! Love, love, love the shoes!

After the ceremony Mariam changed into her traditional red dress. Gorgeous!

I dont know the technical name for this game, but I'll just call it the slappy hands game. Mariam and Frank played it when they were kids.

Hello??? Sprinkles! My favorite!

Mr. & Mrs. Gonzales

2007-07-25T11:41:00.001-07:00

I've been looking forward to Lauren and Doug's wedding and I wasn't disappointed. Lauren and Doug decided to see each other before the ceremony. I love it when couples do this because it allows for a lot more time for pictures! After Lauren got ready at her parents house we headed over to Pitcher Park in Orange for the "first look". I love capturing the first look when couples do see each other first because it's always filled with emotion.

Then we headed down to the Orange Circle where we got some fun pictures of the two of them.

The ceremony was held at St. Norbert's Church in Orange, which is the church Lauren grew up in.

The great thing about getting all the pictures done before the ceremony is that you can go straight to the party after with no interruptions! They actually got to enjoy the cocktail hour with their family and friends. And it gave me some extra time to do some fun things, like ring shots! Lucky Lauren got 2 wedding bands! No fair!

Lauren and Doug held their reception at The Orange County Museum of Art, which is an AMAZING venue! I was blown away when I saw how gorgeous their reception was. The lighting was awesome. They had a slideshow playing the whole time on one of the walls. They didn't have a formal sit down dinner, which I loved as well. Also, they didn't have any floral centerpieces. It was all candles and was so beautiful. Their planners, Penny and Cassidy McAllister, did an amazing job with all the little details (they don't have a business name or website yet, but you can contact Cassidy at cassidymcallister@yahoo.com if you're interested in their services). And I know it looked as gorgeous as it did because Lauren pays meticulous attention to all the little details as well. They did a great job making this stark space look beautiful!

Lauren and Doug had the best toasts I've ever heard. Lauren's good friend and bridesmaid Lisa read the same toast that Lauren read at her wedding and it was so touching.

And then Lauren's brothers read one of the funniest speeches / roasts. They made SO much fun of Doug (aka Dirk). It was hilarious!

It was an absolutely gorgeous wedding an I thank Lauren and Doug for letting me be a part of it! Have fun on your honeymoon in Mexico in August! Here's the slideshow!

Traci & Kevin

2007-07-19T10:54:00.000-07:00

As I drove south on PCH I noticed a gray cloud hovering right over Laguna. Newport was totally sunny and literally as I passed the Laguna Beach city limits sign the beautiful sunny southern California sky turned to gray. Shooting in overcast conditions is actually a lot easier than shooting in the sun, but I've been missing my blue skies and sunsets! Luckily, by the time we made our way down to the beach the gray skies disapearred! I was so happy!

Traci and Kevin are getting married in September at his parents home. I love wedding that take place at home! They are so personal. I had so much fun shooting their engagement session and I'm sure their wedding is going to be just as great! Here are a few of my favorite pictures! And here's the slideshow!

Shannon & Matt

2007-07-18T15:45:00.000-07:00

We scheduled Shannon and Matt's engagement session for the beach at the end of June, but Matt had to go and break his foot :) We pushed their session back a couple of weeks to give Matt's foot time to heal and decided that the sand might not be the easiest to walk on so we met up at Irvine Park. Turned out to be a great location because Matt rides mountain bikes (which is how he broke his foot) and was finding lots of awesome locations to ride and things to jump off of.

I'm super excited for Shannon and Matt's wedding next month at Los Verdes golf course in Rancho Palos Verdes. Here are some of my favorites from their engagement session! Click here for the slideshow!

2 Years and 2 Days Ago...

2007-07-17T10:57:00.000-07:00

I got married! I really can't believe it's been 2 years! Time has really flown by. I guess because we've been having so much fun!

I have the best husband ever! First he sent me flowers from my favorite florist, Jenny B. Didn't she do an amazing job? Thanks so much to Jenny for taking time out of her busy schedule to make them for me!

Then he surprised me with a day at the Montage Spa! I got a massage, mani, pedi, and I got my hair washed and blow dried so I didn't have to do it! He thought of everything! The spa at the Montage is amazing! Then we went to dinner at the Surf and Sand and sat in the same exact table we sat at last year! It was such an awesome day and it was so great to spend time with my hubby! I love him so much and am such a lucky girl to have such a supportive, loving, handsome, smart, and funny husband!

Happy Anniversary Chuck!

Mr. & Mrs. Adams

2007-07-11T15:44:00.000-07:00

Luke and Aubrey were married on the very popular wedding date of 07-07-07 and I couldn't imagine a better couple to spend the day with! Luke and Aubrey held their wedding on the private estate of one of their family friends. Limonia Grove is a gorgeous home with a 100 year old barn. The owners have done such an amazing job giving it so much character! It's an absolutely gorgeous venue with lots of awesome places for pictures.

Christine Saunders from The Spiraled Stem did an amazing job on the flowers!

I love Aubrey's garter. Her grandma made it from her mom's wedding dress. Isn't that cool?

Both Aubrey and Luke were so relaxed while they were getting ready. Aubrey is the type of person who worries more about everyone else than herself and she made sure that we had everything we needed and more.

The ceremony took place right when it started to cool down.

My awesome second shooter Landry got this great picture during communion.

Aubrey and Luke couldn't keep their hands off of each other. It's so beautiful to see a couple so in love and so perfect for each other.

Thank you so much Aubrey and Luke for allowing us to be a part of your wedding day! I hope you two are enjoying Hawaii! Here's your slideshow!

The Abadie Family

2007-07-10T14:10:00.000-07:00

After a pretty relaxing June, my July is getting off to a busy start! The Abadie family is originally from Southern California, but moved to Colorado a year ago. They are spending July in Orange County and thought it was the perfect time to get some beach family pictures! Kristina and Don actually took their engagement pictures at this same beach. How cute! Unfortunately, it was totally overcast at the beach so we didn't get any sunset pictures, but overcast is so much better for the overall shoot.

Here are some of my favorites from the day. Thanks so much to the Weise family for the referral! Here's the slideshow!

Mr. & Mrs. Mascilak

2007-06-22T09:28:00.000-07:00

Stephanie and Bryan were married on June 16. I love working with Stephanie because she is SO expressive. She has the biggest smile and is one of the nicest people I've had the pleasure of working with. Stephanie and Bryan were married at a church in Rancho Cucamonga and their reception was at the Hyatt in Newport Beach. It was a fun wedding because I knew a lot of the guests since both Stephanie and Bryan work for Active. I'm shooting a lot of Active weddings in the next year!

Stephanie and Bryan, thank you for letting me be a part of your wedding day! I hope you are enjoying your honeymoon in Cabo! Here's your slideshow!

The Mai Family

2007-06-21T11:59:00.000-07:00

Tawni and Bill met while they were studying engineering at Cal Poly Pomona. And that's where we met last Friday to shoot their family pictures. The Mai family was so much fun to shoot! Their daughters are adorable and did so well in the hot, hot heat! Cal Poly Pomona has lots of great places to shoot. We started out in the Japanese Garden, then moved onto the Rose Garden, and finished up at the Engineering building. I actually shot another family session there last year too.

Thanks so much to the Mai family! Here's your slideshow!

Christina & Coren

2007-06-08T18:59:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I got three emails from three different brides who all wanted to book me for the same date. I've never had that happen before, but Christina and Coren got me the deposit first so they won :)

These two are funny! Coren showed up wearing a shirt that said "The Perfect Man". Too funny! They had each other and me cracking up the whole time. They are having a big, fat, Armenian wedding in September and it sounds like a lot of fun. I love shooting cultural weddings. There's always something new and exciting.

I was looking through Coren and Christina's wedding website and I recognized one of Christina's bridesmaids. Turns out she was in my sorority! I didn't recognize her name because she got married, but I'm very excited to see her and her brand new baby at the wedding!

Here's the slideshow!