Scottie and Alan have impeccable taste and chose a veritable “Who’s Who” of vendors:  Catherine Bachelier-Smith of CBS Weddings did a magnificent job of designing and coordinating their unique wedding; Tam and Clarice from Isari Flower Studio provided gorgeous arrangements and bouquets; and Lori from Paper and Thread provided incredible stationery; and Jeff from Roldan Productions did an amazing job recording the entire event on video.

We started the shoot at the Sky Room in Long Beach, an inspiring building where Kelly and Sean held their wedding after-party.  Then we headed into downtown found a cool brick wall, which made a fantastic backdrop for a nice family portrait!

Aside from the great wedding, there were some tremendous highlights to the afternoon.  First, since Lito hails from Hawai’i, guests were treated to a traditional Polynesian dance routine.  Lito, Sharon and several guests even joined in on the fun.  Finally, it was Comic-Con week in San Diego, and downtown was crawling with people in costume.  It was so great to shoot Lito and Sharon amongst the freaks and geeks!

Special thanks to Charmae Salazar of Bellz and Whistlez for coordinating such a wonderful event.  And to my crew, Kelly for rocking the photobooth and Lindsey for her fantastic second-shooting.

Special thanks to Odayls from Serendipity Wedding and Event Planning for her incredible attention to detail and for making Kelly and Sean’s vision a reality.  And super kudos to my partner in crime, Lindsey Byrnes, for her kick-ass second shooting.

Stay-tuned for more images from a great session planned for when Kelly and Sean return from their honeymoon!

I met Courtney a few years back when she was the bridesmaid in a destination wedding I photographed in San Sebastian, Spain.  Courtney and Chris are two of the sweetest people you’ll ever meet.  And Courtney… those eyes.

The first part of the shoot took place at A Restaurant, one of Courtney and Chris’s favorite haunts.  After a quick cocktail there we headed over to the Newport Harbor Yacht Club, which is a special place for Courtney and Chris.  Not only are they members, but it is here that, years ago, Courtney’s great grandmother proposed to her great grandfather.  From there we headed down the Balboa Peninsula and to the beach to capture the last light of the day.

Without boring you with details, let’s just say Michelle and Pietro were destined to be with one another, even if they didn’t know it when they first met

Upon my arrival, we set up an engagement shoot in Florence for the next afternoon.  From the outset, I knew that it was important not only to capture the dynamics of Michelle and Pietro’s relationship, but also to bathe it with the aesthetic beauty of Florence.

If you’ve been to Florence in the summertime, you know it can be incredibly crowded with tourists.  As such, our first order of business was to cross the Arno River and begin our shoot in a less-crowded part of Florence.  We meandered along the river, stopping at several locations along the way to capture the incredible light streaming down the narrow streets.  We had planned on crossing back to the other side of the river using the Ponte Vecchio, but many of the buildings were under construction and it was incredibly crowded, so we crossed at the next bridge up.  From there, we headed towards the Piazza del Duomo and its historical Battistero di San Giovanni (Florence Baptistery) and Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore (the Duomo), then back to our hotel.

Below are some of my favorite photographs from the engagement shoot.  Stay tuned for Part II, the wedding!

We started the shoot at the Tractor Room, a super-cool bar/restaurant on Fifth Avenue.  We got there a few minutes before they opened, but Melissa and Brendan looked so cool against the entrance to the bar I couldn’t resist making a great photograph.

After photographing the couple amongst the racks of antlers and sharing a few beers, we headed down to Coronado for some photos on the beach.  I love shooting on the beach in Coronado because it’s just so *huge* and there’s this really cool emptiness to it.  Also, with Melissa and Brendan dressed to the nines, their wardrobe looked really great juxtaposed against the expanse of the beach.