Francis at Tehama

There must be some type of connection between Texas and the Carmel Valley. We have had a few phenomenal gals to work with that are from the Lone Star State and Francis is definitely one of them. It started with a phone call from Allison Weddings and then a consultation at the Mom of the Bride's home, Minnie. Minnie is just awesome. I fell for her in the first five minutes.

Francis' wedding day was amazing. It was an All Star cast. We had Just Cake, Fionna Floral and Scott Campbell Photography. You just don't get much better than this. The pictures say it all. It was a really really great day.

Julie at The Preserve

The Santa Lucia Preserve is tucked away in the hills behind Quail Lodge in Carmel. You would never know it existed unless you had a reason to go there (as well as a pass to get through the gate). Wild turkeys and deer roam along the pastures as you wind your way through the roads to get to the Hacienda where your bride is waiting for you to get her ready.

On this day we had Julie waiting for us. She is a sparkly and friendly gal who we were really looking forward to hanging out with. All of her maids were equally great as they listened to Colbie Caillat and drank champagne.

This was another wedding that came to us through Allison Van Every of Allison Weddings. The photographer was Anna Kuperberg. She was great as you can see from these photos.

The fun and the challenge for this wedding day prep was that I wanted to keep Julie looking natural, but her makeup had to hold up to her emotions. Julie was so intensely excited that day and everything was making her cry. These were really really happy tears, but tears never the less. I am so happy to announce that she looked fantastic at the end of the night!!

Katy in Big Sur

Our beautiful bride Katy was my first wedding since having the baby. I was so happy and relieved to be working with such a wonderful family that it was an excellent re-entry into the mad/crazy wedding world :-) Allison Van Every with Allison Weddings was the coordinator and the person responsible for connecting Katy with us. Allison did an amazing job! The beautiful photos that you see here are the work of Scott Campbell Photography. We have had the pleasure of working with Scott many many times. I would describe him as a cool character who never gets flustered (at least never shows it!) The day started at the Ventana Inn. If you haven't been there I would highly recommend it. Rolling hills of lavender and native plants give a feeling of calm. Talk about an idyllic location for getting ready for a wedding! The morning was really easy with everyone hanging out, eating breakfast, drinking mimosas and listening to music. Karen (my amazing hair designer) and I felt like we were old friends with everyone by the end of the preparations.

Photo shoot with John Kaemmerling

John called me on Monday morning and said, "Hey can you come over this Wednesday and do makeup on girl we'll be shooting?" A simple question leads to some great stuff.

John and his wife Michonne are Kaemmerling photography. They are some of my favorite photographers to work with. They are fun, creative and super nice. The shoot happened at their house which has a full studio inside. The girl was so cute. High Schooler. Big aspirations. What I really love about these shots is how John and Michonne use lighting. Michonne has a background in being in front of the camera as well so she worked the styling side of things. I have only seen a few photos so far, but I really like what I have seen. Super fun afternoon.

Muller/Lima Wedding @ the Fairmont SJ

For anyone from the San Jose area, the names Lou's Village(Muller family) and Lima Family are two very familiar ones. In fact, I would say they are institutions. We were very lucky to be able to work with Kristina Muller and her girls at the Fairmont for her evening wedding to Joe Lima. I can not wait to hear how the reception went!

This was so much fun for us because it was a very elegant evening affair. It allowed us to do work that was more dramatic than we usually do. This was also the first time we worked with the amazing Kristina Taheri. What a fantastic coordinator she is. I was able to get all of the info I needed when I needed it and she was always available via phone or email. As a wedding vendor, this is such critical stuff. It really lets us service the bride the way she should be serviced. So, Kristina, thank you:)

We also had the pleasure of working with Deanna Graham. She is such a skilled, professional and calm person. Three traits that you want to see in a wedding photographer! Since the wedding was just yesterday I haven't seen anything yet. I am really looking forward to previewing the shots.

Here are a few snaps that I took myself. As soon as I get some from Deanna I will add them as well.

Cocoanut Grove Bridal Show

On Jan 27th we had the wonderful opportunity to be at the Cocoanut Grove Bridal Show again.

We are very fortunate to be apart of the team of artists that get the models ready for the 3 fashion shows. This is really great and really challenging! Throughout this post you will see a few photos of some of the models on and off of the stage.

One of the surprises this year was that I was able to do Olga Ospina's makeup from KION news. She was so nice and naturally beautiful. It made my job easy:) She is standing with the marvelous Joyce Anderson who is the mastermind behind the shows.

Consultations

When you meet with us for a consultation...

Consults are not only a great way to see if we are the right company for you, they are a lot of fun. We have two offices to choose from: Campbell and Santa Cruz.

What should you expect?

If this is for hair and makeup, then you should come to the consult with clean/dry hair and no makeup. We aren't a company that likes dirty hair. Don't you want clean hair on your wedding day? You should also wear a white or cream colored shirt. This will help create the same lighting effect on your skin that will happen on your wedding day.

We will talk first about your location, time of ceremony/photos and natural look. From here we will create your look. This can be anything from soft and romantic to something stylized or dramatic. We specialize in a natural look. You will want to feel like yourself on your wedding day and your fiance is going to want to recognize his bride!

After we meet with you there is a follow up conversation or email. This is where we can do some fine tuning. At this point, if you are feeling comfortable with everything, we can cut you a contract to reserve the date.

Here are a few examples of some of the gals we have done over the years. Please keep in mind that I am FAR from a professional photographer. These were done with my very basic camera:)