Work it Tara! You are fabulous!!!

I just shot a fantastic wedding yesterday and I’ll be preparing the images the next few days in order to blog about it. But here is a teaser from the latest wedding I shot of the couple: Tara and Tim. You can check out their engagement session we took a few months ago HERE. They are such a fun and easy going couple which are my type of people! I had a blast shooting their wedding and can’t wait to share the rest of the yummy goodness in a few more days. Until then…here is one fun and fab shot of the awesome couple!

Ok WAIT…I lied.

You know me, I get super excited to share pictures with the world. So here’s another bonus teaser…haha

M-I-C….”see ya real soon!”

K-E-Y…”Why because we like you…!”

M-O-U-S-E!!!!

Ok this blog post needed that special intro because there’s no other intro more fitting!

If anyone knows me, they know where they can find me on any given day….DISNEYLAND! I have had an annual pass for several years now and I’m still not tired of the place. I have never been to a Disney wedding but always wanted to check one out and so when Megan called me and said she was having a Disney wedding, I nearly flipped with excitement! It was perfect! They definitely found the right photographer for the job because I was so happy and excited just to be a part of it.

Megan was such a an exquisite bride. Megan…please take this as a HUGE compliment but you are so gorgeous! You are like a mix of Katherine Heigl  from “27 Dresses” and Kimberly Williams from “Father of the Bride” which are 2 of my most favorite movies and 2 natural beauties. The dress Megan picked out was phenomenal. Seriously, I think it’s THE prettiest dress I’ve got to shoot thus far. I love the long train with the intricate ruffles. It was truly spectacular! Nick…you are a lucky guy! You picked a girl who is super sweet, friendly, and adorable! You guys are so cute together and thank you again for allowing me to photograph your special day at the Happiest Place on Earth!!!

This was definitely a memorable wedding for not only me but for everyone who was there. It was a fairly intimate gathering with Megan and Nick’s closes family and friends who all drove/flew here from Northern Cali. It was basically a destination wedding for everyone. The best part is, everyone can head to Disneyland to continue the festivities!!

Oh and before I forget, I have to say that I squealed like a little school girl when Mickey and Minnie showed up at the reception. As if I never seen him before! GEEZ LOUSIE! I see him nearly every week. Mickey is like my homeboy! But for some reason, when Mickey and Minnie skipped into the party, I almost forgot to take pictures because I was jumping with excitement that they had arrived. I had to re-group and remind myself I’m suppose to shoot them..haha. It was one of the biggest highlights for me and it was so much fun taking their pictures with the bride and groom and the rest of the guests. It was way too much fun! I love my job!!

Venue, Flowers, and Cake | Disneyland Hotel
DJ | Jose “DJ AZTEC” of Music X-Press (jjose13@hotmail.com)
Makeup | Jackie Jang of Susie Chhuor Professional Hair & Makeup Team
Second Shooter | Ashleigh Taylor Photography (Thanks Ash for coming out with me! You were so much fun to work with. Until the next time…=P)

I am in LOVE with Megan’s dress!!!

SOOOO beautiful Megan!!! You have an amazing smile!

Love the Disney lingering in the background!

The celebrity guests of the day! Mickey and Minnie Mouse! What a cute couple!!!

Ok folks…

Who has an annual pass to Disneyland? Raise your hand.

*waves hand*

Who goes to Disneyland nearly every week? Raise your hand.

*waves hand*

Who loves “magical” weddings? Raise your hand.

*waves hand*

Notice a trend people??? A very “magical” wedding is head’n your way later this week! I also have 2 special celebrity guests who will grace my blog. I wonder if you could guess who that is? *big smile*

Ok I left out some details and kept it short and sweet but isn’t it cute nonetheless?! Brianne and Nate are a wonderful couple and were totally made for one another. They both have such a love for their alma mater – USC, they were both part of the USC Marching band, and they both love some USC football! Do you see a trend? USC USC USC!! Loooooove it!! If you want a refresher on how much they love USC, check out their engagement session taken last January at the USC campus.

Nate and Brianne’s wedding was totally them. It was simple, classic, fun, and memorable! Check out some of the memorable moments from their big day! Also, big thanks to my second shooter Eric So for coming out with me! We had a blast and thanks again to Nate and Brianne for allowing us to be part of your special day! Congratulations!!!

Dress | Casablanca from House of Brides, Torrance
Suit | Three Day Suit Broker
Venue | The Grand Event Center, Long Beach
Music | Carla Capolupo, ceremony
DJ | Jon of NYC DJs
Flowers | Rosa Beltran
Chair Covers and Table overlays | Pure Elegance
Cake | Rossmoor Bakery
Makeup | Wendy Martinez

Last minute organizing and planning before the wedding…

Reminder to all future brides: make sure you EAT because it’s a busy day and you need lots of energy!

After party shoes!!! Looks comfy! hehe

GO USC TROJANS! Brianne sports her pride on her big day!

Brianne and her bridesmaids including her “Dude” of honor! That is too cute and such an ingenious idea!!

PARTY SHOTS!!! HELL YA!!

But before I jump to the partying..let me just say that this was a very special wedding for me to shoot. I’ve known Jones my entire life! He’s technically my cousin’s cousin…haha But I call him my cousin because that’s just how we roll. We’re all family and so when they asked me to shoot their wedding, I was thrilled to be a part of their special day.

Mia and Jones have been friends for a hella of a long time. Mia and I actually even went to the same High School to my surprise! GO AMAT LANCERS!! Well, over the years of being friends, their friendship grew and now they are MARRIED!!! YAY!! I’m really happy for them!

Overall, their day went off without a hitch! There was so much partying, drinking, dancing, and picture taking that its all a blur to me now. It was hard not to go out there and dance with everyone especially when a good song came on! But I still managed to capture the fun and memorable moments of their big day.  Just so y’all know, this posting is going to be a bit bias because I pretty much knew almost everyone at the wedding so I just feel the need to show off my cousins and other family at the wedding. I know if I don’t show their sexiness, they will never forgive me! =P But man, it was really nice seeing all the family and it was a lot of fun seeing you all buzzed and dancing! Love you all!

Ooh!! You might even catch me in a few pictures. Thank you to Paul, Ryan, and Ate Michelle for taking my picture and not dropping my camera!! haha

Congrats again to Mia and Jones – Love ya guys and I wish you guys nothing but the best!!

Ceremony | St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church
Reception Venue | The Villa – Lifetime Weddings & Events
DJ/MC/Lighting | Visions Entertainment
Photobooth | Red Carpet Photobooth
Videographer | Prince Weddings

Anyways, back to Hai and Thao! As I mentioned numerous times, they are such a wonderful couple! They met about a couple of years ago at a mutual friend’s house and soon began dating. Hai works for the Coast Guard in Washington DC but their long distance relationship did not stop them from growing closer together.  In time, they soon got engaged and now they are married! I’m so thrilled for them and their future together.  Congratulations Hai and Thao! May you both have a wonderful, happy, and healthy lives together and make adorable babies very soon! hahaha =P

Location Venue | Grand Del Mar
Florist | Moon Walk Services
Ceremony Music | Camelot Strings
Officiant | Kim-Thoa Hoang
Dresses/Ai Dai | Cynthia Bui Collection
Hair & Makeup | Binh Nguyen
Videographer | Vincent Video Productions
Second Photographer | Richard Duong

Because it was a 2 day wedding, I have decided to split up the 2 days into 2 different blog postings. Here are a few of my favorite images from the first day that show off such a rich cultural ceremony.  The entire day was filled with lots of tradition and family love. I’ll be posting day 2 in the next few days! Enjoy!

Florist | Moon Walk Services
Ceremony Music | Camelot Strings
Officiant | Kim-Thoa Hoang
Dresses/Ai Dai | Cynthia Bui Collection
Hair & Makeup | Binh Nguyen
Videographer | Vincent Video Productions
Second Photographer | Richard Duong

Hai and his family approaching Thao's house with gifts

It is tradition that both moms give fabulous jewelry to the new bride!

The guys offered the ladies some flowers..hehe very cute!

Hai escorting his new wife to his home along with his family.

This is a watermelon carving of the couple in their Ao Dai! I have never seen a watermelon carving before! How cool is this?!

I’ll try and post Day 2 in the next few days. So check back soon for some more loveliness! It’s going to be a posting filled with love, laughs, and maybe a Chinese dragon or two! I can’t wait to show it!