Chris and Katie Humphreys

San Francisco Wedding: Jesse and Christina

They are two of the sweetest people we know.

There, I've said it. And I'll try to refrain from repeating it too much in this post, but really, it's just the best way to describe Jesse and Christina! :) When we first starting talking to Jesse and Christina about their wedding (over a year ago!), we connected with them instantly.  Not only are they Apple geeks (like us!!) but they are truly two of the most sweet and gentle people we know.  They've gone above and beyond in being SO kind to us, and they've been gracious enough to refer us to a few of their friends as well, who we've absolutely loved getting to know. 

We were so thrilled to be a part of their wedding that took place in the Bay area at the beginning of October.  Everything went so smoothly and these two had a beautiful day!

Christina and the girls looked gorgeous!

And Jesse and the guys looked fantastic too :)

We loved all the little details at their ceremony-

I love seeing these two together!! :)

After the ceremony, we had a little time to do some fun pictures with the two of them together and we found this really neat tunnel to shoot in!

I thought these place cards at the reception were really cute!

Great first dance!

During the reception, the DJ played a game that was absolutely hilarious with the two of them - the each had to raise one of their hands (holding a shoe!) to answer questions that the DJ would ask about their relationship.  The goal was for them to answer the same way, and it was so funny watching the two of them and how well they know each other!

The day after the wedding, Chris and I were able to stick around until the following evening when we got to meet back up with Jesse and Christina and shoot the Chinese Banquet dinner that they had.  The evening was  so fun -there were lots of toasts, some hilarious games, and it was so neat to see their families come together again!

There were some really funny moments when Christina's parent's gave their toast -

And....ditto for Jesse's parents :)

And the newlyweds!

To see more from Jesse and Christina's wedding, you can see their slideshow here!

Jesse and Christina - what can we say?  You two are so special to us and we are so glad to have gotten to know you both.  Thanks for your incredible kindness - we are so lucky to have clients and friends like you who make our job so easy and fun. Many, many thanks.

San Francisco Wedding: Denise and Ray

We are little on the late side with posting from our last wedding in September because of a crazy last month but are so excited to FINALLY be posting about Ray and Denise's beautiful San Francisco wedding!   These two had an absolutely perfect day that also included a Chinese tea ceremony earlier in the day, which was such fun to shoot.  Ray and Denise are so warm and easy going, and Denise was so relaxed during her entire day - such a dream come true! :) She was positively stunning and she just glowed through the entire day!

We loved this shot we caught of the two of them on their way over to the tea ceremony -

Before the tea ceremony though, we went over to Ray's parents' home where they also had a short ceremony as well - it was beautiful!

It's always so fun to shoot something a little different, and we really enjoyed getting to capture Ray and Denise's tea ceremony that included both of their families - there were some great moments!

I absolutely loved Denise's flowers - they characterized their day perfectly: sophisticated and perfectly elegant!

Doesn't she look amazing!?! :)

We had a little extra time to do some photos with the two of them and the light was just beautiful!

We loved all the details at their reception - these centerpieces looked amazing!

To see more from Ray and Denise's day, check out their slideshow!

Denise and Ray, we feel so lucky to have met you both and loved getting to be part of your day.  Thanks for everything - you two are absolutely wonderful!

Wedding Planning 101

As the busy season for shooting weddings is winding down for Chris and I, wedding planning season is starting to pick up in full force!  It has been such fun these last few weeks to be talking to so many brides who are starting to plan their 2010 weddings!  I've told some of our clients and friends in the past that before I became a wedding photographer with Chris, I used to have plans for being a wedding coordinator and though those plans obviously evolved into wedding photography, I still really love the whole wedding planning process.

In light of the fact that we've been in full swing booking new weddings for next year, I wanted to share some of our favorite wedding planning tips and resources for brides (and grooms) who are going into the thick of wedding planning!

Here's our top five wedding planning tips!

1. Hire a wedding coordinator.   I've always told people that besides deciding to marry Chris, hiring a wedding coordinator was one of the best decisions I made for our wedding.  Seriously, if you don't have a coordinator already, we can't recommend it more highly!  We always give our brides references for wedding coordinators who we love, but make sure to ask your wedding venue if they have any recommendations, or check out vendor resource directories (one of our favorite resources for finding local vendors is Style Me Pretty).  Your coordinator can help you along through the entire process, but especially as it comes time to think through your wedding day timeline and deal with last minute logistics, your wedding coordinator is extremely valuable.  While you may not know how much time to allot for different things at the reception or think about where all the power outlets in the venue are, a good wedding coordinator will think through all these details and save you from some potential disasters!

 

2. Decide what your three top priorities for your wedding are and build the rest of your wedding budget around those three areas.  Whether it's your dress, your photographer, your flowers, or your venue, decide what areas of your wedding are most important and make sure that you prioritize the other areas of your budget to allow for getting what you really want in those areas.  A lot of wedding planning resources often suggest percentages to allocate for these different areas and while those are helpful starting points, we recommend deciding what's most important to you and then from there, determine your budget for other areas.  If having your dream venue and dress means taking up a bigger portion of your budget than you planned, you may just need to find ways to compromise on other areas.

3. Hire wedding vendors who you genuinely like.  We can all tell pretty quickly when we meet a new person if our personalities click and if they're someone we'll get along with.  Particularly when it comes to your wedding, you need to be aware of this and make sure you hire people who you really get along with. Your wedding vendors (particularly your wedding coordinator and photographer) will be a major part of your planning process and wedding day and there's no reason to work with people who aren't easy and fun to interact with.  There are so many people in the wedding industry and it's absolutely worth it to take the extra time (or pay a little extra money) to make sure you have a team of people working together who you really love.

4. Get inspired and make your day uniquely you..  There are so many fabulous resources available to help brides plan a wedding that's unique and beautiful.  Your wedding coordinator can be a huge help in dreaming and planning something that's uniquely you, but don't be afraid to look online and get some inspiration that you can use to make your own.  Some of our favorite wedding blogs and resources:
Style Me Pretty
Grace Ormonde Wedding Style
Wedding Chicks
Elizabeth Anne Designs
Matthew Robbins Design (not a planning resource, but his galleries, etc have some amazing ideas!)

5. Remember your wedding day is more than the sum of your wedding details.  As important as flowers and your venue and dress and cake are, don't lose sight of the bigger picture.  You're going to put hours and hours into planning your day (and if you're like many of us, you've already spent years dreaming about it) but it's possible (and probable) that something on your day may go wrong.  There might be rain or your flower girl may decide she won't walk down the aisle, but your attitude will determine everything.  On the flip side, even if all the circumstances of your day are perfect and you're stressed out, you still won't enjoy your day!  Remember - photographs only remind you of how you felt when they were taken, and even if all the circumstances aren't perfect (and they probably won't be) your day will be perfect because it's the start of your new life.  Don't lose perspective in the midst of all the little details and forget about what your big day is really about.

Jen and Marco's Caramoor Wedding featured on Wedding Chicks!

Jen and Marco's wedding that we were lucky enough to be a part of back in June was absolutely incredible.  These two are such special people and everything from their amazing venue at Caramoor to their vendors (including some of our fav people from Lyndsey Hamilton Events) to everything in between was just perfect.  We're not surprised that Wedding Chicks loved all the details Jen and Marco incorporated into their day and we're thrilled to see their wedding featured on the Wedding Chicks website!  Enjoy!

Check out their featured wedding here!

Montego Bay Wedding on Destination I Do!

Chris and I were so excited to see Jenn and Matt's beautiful wedding  featured on the Destination I Do blog!  Destination I Do  is a great magazine devoted completely to destination weddings, and they have a fun blog that we really enjoy reading!  We are so excited that Jenn and Matt's wedding that took place at Round Hill Resort in Montego Bay made it's way to their blog!

Click here to see their feature!

In other news, we're heading up to chilly Beaver Creek in the Colorado mountains for Tracy and Steve's wedding and we are so excited!!  However, we can't help but laugh at the contrast between this Montego Bay wedding and now the Beaver Creek wedding!  I love that we get to do it all!

Happy Friday! :)

Santa Barbara Wedding: Kevin and Angel

Back in September, Chris and I got to be part of a very, very special wedding.  Kevin and Angel attend the Church that Chris and I go to, and Kevin's dad is actually the priest of our Church.  On top of that, I used to work with Kevin's mom, and their entire family is so special to Chris and I.  When Kevin and Angel asked if we would photograph their wedding, we were truly beyond thrilled and honored.  The entire day was so beautiful, full of laughter, and had two incredibly special families to take part in all of it.  Here's a few of our favorites!

Here's Kevin's dad, who married Kevin and Angel, a few minutes before the ceremony.

I love this one of Kevin and his dad taking a sneak peek of the Church!

Angel, of course, was truly stunning.

Kevin and Angel's reception was at the Fess Parker Doubletree in Santa Barbara.  Their reception was absolutely beautiful, especially thanks to the help of Kelly from Event of the Season - she made everything look just wonderful and the day went off without a hitch! We loved getting the chance to work with her!

We loved this one of Kevin and Angel coming in and seeing the reception site!

To see more images Kevin and Angel's wedding, you can visit their slideshow here!

Kevin and Angel, we are SO thrilled for you two and are so glad we got to be part of your day - it was like a big family reunion!!  We hope you had a great honeymoon and are enjoying life as newlyweds!!

John and Ashton's wedding on Grace Ormonde Online!

You may remember John and Ashton's GORGEOUS wedding from about a year ago.  Their day was absolutely perfect and beautiful beyond belief.  We recently had a photo from their day featured in Grace Ormonde Wedding Style magazine  but also found out that an online feature  of their wedding is now on their website!  We were excited with how it turned out, and loved the cute write-up that Ashton did for the feature, and thought we'd share! 

To check out the online feature and Ashton's write-up, click here!

Indian Wedding Photography in Long Beach, CA!

At the beginning of this month, Chris and I traveled out to Long Beach to photograph Sheena and Mudit's beautiful wedding at the Hyatt in Long Beach.  Their day was incredibly special - nearly 600 family and friends joined Sheena and Mudit for their special day and the best word I can think of to describe their incredible wedding a true celebration.  The joy that was present on their big day was contagious and the entire day was absolutely amazing!

We started off the day photographing Sheena getting ready at the hotel.  Our favorite hair/makeup artist extraordinare, Oscar from Ziba Beauty was there for the day and Sheena of course looked absolutely stunning!

One of the most fun parts of the day was photographing the Baraat where Mudit and his family come to the ceremony site.  All I can say is that his family knows how to celebrate!!  Being able to photograph everyone dancing and walking to the ceremony site with the music was such fun!

When Mudit and his family entered the ceremony site, the bride's family was there to greet them.

Mudit waiting for his bride!

We loved this moment with Sheena's father -

After the ceremony, all of Sheena and Mudit's guests had lunch together and then it was time for the Vidai when Sheena officially said goodbye to her mother and father.  This was a really special time with everyone.


From there, we did some pictures with Sheena and Mudit together at the beach, and then a little later in the evening before they went to their reception.









Sheena and Mudit's reception was also at the Hyatt in Long Beach and their decor was just stunning!  I loved these centerpieces!

Sheena and Mudit had a very special first dance, and then there were some other dances from family members - beautiful!

And, as always, there were also some wonderful toasts :)

Sheena and Mudit know how to throw a great party - their guests were enjoying themselves into the wee hours of the night!!

Sheena and Mudit, thank you so much for letting us share in your wonderful day!  We were so honored to be there and absolutely loved getting to know you and your families!

What you don't normally see....

One of Chris and my favorite parts of working with our wedding clients is getting to design their wedding albums for them!  Albums are such a wonderful way for the process to come full circle after their wedding day, and we love being able to give our couples a true storytelling piece that they can enjoy for many years! I (Katie) really enjoy doing our album designs and each album is custom designed based on the individual couple -  it makes the design process a little longer, but so fun that each album is totally different!

Since we so often share our wedding images but never really share our finished album designs, I thought it might be fun to share two of our more recent album designs.  The first design is from Jaime and John's beautiful wedding (you can see their wedding pictures here!) and Gary and the second design is from Kristin and Gary's amazing day! (you can see their wedding pictures here!)

Many thanks to our clients for letting us get creative and make beautiful books with your images!

To see Jaime and John's wedding album, click here!

To see Kristin and Gary's wedding album, click here!

And since posts are always more fun with pictures, here's one from Jen and Marco's wedding  from this past June - we're working on their album now and can't wait for them to have it!

Persian Wedding Photography in Los Angeles, CA!

In mid-July, Chris and I had the privilege of shooting Niki and Mark's beautiful wedding near Los Angeles.  Their day was filled with many, many family and friends, bright colors, a backyard reception, and a beautiful traditional Persian ceremony.  I love that celebrating love takes on many different forms, and Mark and Niki's day was such a special celebration!

Below are a few of our favorites from the day, but if you'd like to sign up to be notified when all of NIki and Mark's wedding images are online, please click here to sign the guest book!

Niki and Mark had their ceremony and reception at NIki's parent's home and that afternoon we had a few minutes to do some fun pictures inside the house before going outside.  Niki looked amazing and was so relaxed!

The backyard also made for a beautiful setting  for some pictures, with some really beautiful trees.  I love the peacefulness in this picture.

Chris and I always love great details and Niki and Mark had an absolutely amazing fruit table that was laid out - all fresh fruit that was beautifully arranged and was so exquisite!

I loved this moment right before Niki and her dad walked down the aisle - Niki's dad was so sweet to watch and had the best smile!

During a Persian ceremony, the bride and groom are seated by a table full of gifts and different foods that all symbolize different things.  We loved getting to shoot their ceremony from a different angle than usual!

At the end of the ceremony, all the family and friends bring gifts up to the bride and groom, and I think this is such a special picture of Niki and Mark surrounded by their friends and family!

We got some fun pictures of the two of them right before sunset - they were so sweet obviously so happy together!

Congratulations Niki and Mark!  We were so honored to be part of your day and can't wait to see what's in store for you two! :) Many thanks for including us in such a special celebration!