I met Vanessa 7 yrs ago and felt that instant connection. She’s my sister from another mother. That’s why I was glad when she decided to join our team as an associate photographer and I was beyond thrilled when she asked me to document her 10th year wedding anniversary to her husband, Ryan. They renewed their vows in beautiful Westin Ka’anapali Ocean Resort Villas in Maui surrounded by their parents and beautiful kids. It was an emotional ceremony and Ryan surprised her by pulling out a Tiffany box during the vow exchange. Congrats Vanessa + Ryan!

I gotta admit that I was a bit nervous shooting this wedding. Wayne + Angela are very good wedding photographers themselves so I totally felt the pressure. But once I started to click the shutter, all the stress melted away and I was able to enjoy the moments, which there were plenty. Angela is such an artsy gal and she did all the pretty details herself, including the cute boutonnieres for the groomsmen and the flowers for the mom. She even made necklaces as gifts for her bridesmaids. Talk about crafty hands!

From the get-go, smiles never left their faces despite the pouring rain. After an emotional ceremony with tears and laughter, the sky cleared up and we did some beachside portraits before the precious sliver of light went away. I just love this wedding because I could really see the love and celebration along with the pretty details. I think Wayne and Angela pulled off a perfect wedding! What a way to end my 2011!

Ceremony Venue: The North Chapel, San Diego, CA
Reception Venue: Scripps Seaside Forum, La Jolla, CA
Coordinator: Jamie Renfro – Ever After Events
Catering: Giuseppe Catering
Cake: Have Cake
Florist: Twigg Botanicals
MUA: Flirt Makeup
Hairstylist: Mish Mucho
2nd shooter: Brandon Wong

Pam + Scott + Oliver the puppy = damn good time!

Venue: Calamigos Ranch, Malibu, CA
Coordinator/Florist: Floral Fields
Bakery: Cake Monkey
MUA: Kathleen Hagan
Dress: Vera Wang
Second shooter: Dexter Lo

Erin + Harry were rockstars. They made shooting with a bad cold bearable. Driving around in LA, Harry’s hood, was a breeze and we covered lots of cool places in such a short amount of time.

It was a perfect day by the shore for Rachel + Dan to get married. Rachel, a former Miss Chinese International who represented Malaysia in 2003, met Dan in Hong Kong on a church gathering trip and romance sparked. Dan, who worked for WB, proposed 7 months into the relationship and they were set to have two weddings. One in LA where they both live and another in Malaysia where Rachel is from. With both Rachel + Dan being devout Christian, they started the ceremony with worship and it was incredibly emotional. Rachel and the girls also had been practicing a group dance performance to surprise the guests during the reception. The energy on the dance floor was phenomenal and it was really a perfect day for a wedding. :)

Thanks to my friend Brandon Wong to help me second shoot this wedding.

Venue: Bel Air Bay Club
Coordinator: Fresh Events Company
Florist: Ixora Florist
Bakery: Magnolia Bakery
Dress: Jeff Mui
MUA: Deric Lim
Hair: Summer Star

Group prayer for the boys

Dan’s mom reaction is so cute!

First look!

Gorgeous, thoughtful details with romantic movie theme. Love the projection of “Roman Holiday” in the courtyard!

Rachel + Dan did a dance-off break in the middle of their first dance

And the rousing performance