here’s to your first cupcake,

your first close encounter with fire,

your first birthday…

and many more firsts together.

(taken on his birthday, one month ago)

We got him many stuffed animals, but for some reason, he really loves the gorilla he’s holding in this first photo.  We wanted him to like this little lamb (easy to carry around), or even this floppy giraffe, but there is just something about this gorilla that makes him squeal with glee when he sees it.  He hugs it, kisses it, wrestles it, and rolls around with it.  Jonathan ended up buying him that giant one and as expected, Cameron loves it too.  There’s no getting in between a baby and his best friend(s).

They get into trouble together, but always have each other’s back.  See no evil, hear no evil, and speak of no evil… because he’s busy eating.

And then we got him another one, just in case something happened to the original one.

Silly rabbit, you’re not a gorilla!

…no more monkeys jumping on the bed…

Remember the ridiculously cute, fishing-themed engagement photos that was featured on Green Wedding Shoes last year?  Well, Nikki & Andrew got married and based on their engagement photos, I couldn’t wait to see their wedding!  In a nutshell, in case you missed it, he loves fish & she loves dog.  They told Heather, of Amorology, and being the crazy talented/creative genius she is, she came up with the theme… dog beach.  Now honestly, when Nikki told me the theme, I scratched my head (that’s why I’m not a wedding planner).  I had never heard of a dog beach theme before and had no idea how they were going to incorporate it at Pelican Hill.  If you’re scratching your head too, then you’re really in for a treat!

Flowers were by none other, Squareroot Designs.  I just love succulents.  And you see that gorgeous ring pillow above?  It was made from Nikki mom’s wedding dress!!!  And I just adore how her Ines Di Santo dress sparkles!

Nikki is an amazing graphic designer with good taste.  Heather introduced her to Courtney from Brightly Designed, and the minute she walked into her studio, she KNEW they’d be a great fit. Nikki told her about the color scheme, theme, and a few details she wanted (like the wood dog cut-outs, the fonts, the letterpress, the background patterns, etc.), and Courtney took everything to the next level.

They also had the cutest flower girl ever.  I just adored her pink tutu from Fluffy Tuffies.

Above are the groomsmen gifts – pixel cuff links!

And how insanely creative are their escort cards??  It’s a dog beach!  Please fetch your name!  My favorite element is the tiny paw prints running through the sand:

Yummy drinks, including a champagne bar:

Cutest candy bar ever.  Amorology created a gorgeous ribbon backdrop.

Another fav element of mine, table names printed on old pages from a dictionary!  And the fish & dog graphics are so freakin cute!

I also love the subtle use of fish scales throughout, like in a centerpiece above, and on the CAKE!  Who knew fish scales could be so elegant!

And for late night snacks, they had a donut station, where you got to “Take a Dip” and put on your own toppings.  They also had mini milkshakes and sliders.

The cutest groom’s cake:

And a fun lounge by Concepts Event Design for guests to hang out into the wee hours of the night.

**This wedding was featured on 100 Layer Cake and will be in the new Ceremony Magazine!**

I’m so excited about all that we have planned!  Hope you’ll be able to join us.  Please submit by Friday, Jan 20, 2012 for an application.

Happy new year, everyone!  We just got back from an incredible trip to Thailand, where I shot the most fun Thai/Scottish wedding.  Can’t wait to share!  We’re all still suffering from jet lag, so thank you for your patience as I adjust.  In the meantime, I wanted to share a highlight from our trip.  We got to play with baby tigers!  Cameron was in LOVE.  Seriously, we had to hold him back.  He tried to lay on them and hug them (like he does to our dogs).  Cameron basically broke all the rules:

rule 1: do not approach the tigers head on, always from behind.

rule 2: stay away from their head and face

rule 3: stay away from their front paws

And I’m sure there’s something about not hugging them and rolling around with them.  I wish I took more photos, but I was honestly too preoccupied and scared.

And to prove me right, Cameron took a bamboo reed and hit the tiger on the head.  This tiger ran away and Cameron chased it, pulling it by it’s fur.

Even though I was a bit nervous through the encounter, it was such an amazing experience.  Watching Cameron’s eyes light up is one of my favorite things.  I’m also glad we have a few of these photos to show him.

p.s. the tigers’ trainer was there the entire time.  the tigers were better trained than cameron, so i was more afraid of cameron provoking something than the other way around.