crystal jean photography

cucina urbana & chocolat (san diego, ca)

crystal — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 21:58:57 +0000

tried this new place called cucina urbana on my last trip to san diego. i first read rave reviews on a couple of blogs, and it did not disappoint! make sure you make a trip out there if you’re in san diego. :)

on a wednesday night it was packed with people, so make sure you make reservations–but if you wander in, they’ll probably seat you at one of the cool communal tables below.

i LOVED their chandeliers.

polenta + ragu, short rib pappardelle. two dishes worth going back for. :)

afterwards, i was tempted to make my usual stop at extraordinary desserts, but we opted to try something new since we were only a couple blocks from chocolat. dark chocolate + hazelnut gelato sundae? HELLO. (p.s. why doesn’t LA have good dessert spots? anyone have suggestions?)

colors of summer

crystal — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 03:51:32 +0000

sometimes i forget about the beauty that exists right in my backyard.

annie + jim: wedding in cypress, ca (part 2)

crystal — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 18:53:34 +0000

more from annie and jim’s wedding at the navy golf course seal beach (see part 1):

annie + jim: wedding in cypress, ca (part 1)

crystal — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 00:59:20 +0000

my absolutely favorite thing about shooting weddings is the people i get to meet–and annie and jim are the perfect example. even though we’d only met for the first time during their engagement session, they’ve really become the dearest of friends to me. and meeting their friends and family showed just how big their hearts are–it was obvious that they are adored by many. ;) thank you, annie and jim for welcoming me into your lives. have the time of your lives in taiwan and mauritius… i’ll try not to be too jealous. (venue: the navy golf course seal beach)

p.s. many thanks to my good friend rebecca for shooting with me… you are indispensable! love you!

how cute are annie and jim’s place cards! it totally reflects their fun-loving, laidback personalities.

i love this one of the guys right before the ceremony (taken by becca)

this is the tamest photo i could find of the boys. there are soo many hilarious outtakes i wish i could post, but promised i wouldn’t. :P (this one’s becca’s shot!)

let’s just say… the girls nailed the jumping shot on the second try. ;)

annie + jim: preview

crystal — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 07:12:02 +0000

will be posting annie and jim’s wedding tomorrow! but first, a super cute image from their rehearsal… never seen a girl so happy to be pretend-married :D

dorothy + pete: engagement in newport beach, ca

crystal — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 02:20:20 +0000

i’ll be honest, i had a really hard time narrowing down the images from this shoot! we were blessed with the most wonderful light and i’m in love with all the rich, beautiful colors. dorothy and pete live in denver now, so we were lucky to catch the most beautiful of beach days on the weekend they were visiting. they’re so good in front of the camera, they make my job super easy. congratulations, guys! :)

annie + jim: engagement in irvine, ca

crystal — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 08:32:40 +0000

i adore annie and jim. they are so much fun, our time together felt less like a shoot and more like hanging out with the oldest of friends, despite it being only the second time we’ve met! cannot wait until their wedding in less than TWO weeks! here we are visiting their old stomping grounds near uc irvine… mason regional park & corona del mar.

jen + siu-ling: engagement in san diego, ca

crystal — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 18:52:23 +0000

spent a beautiful day in san diego with jen and siu-ling! because we all live in LA now, we had so much fun returning to our old haunts from when we were uc san diego students–it made me feel young again. :) here we are running around between ucsd’s eucalyptus grove, torrey pines beach, the cliffs, and little italy, trying to catch every last drop of golden afternoon sunshine!

the publican (chicago, il)

crystal — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 02:18:10 +0000

sunday brunch at the publican in chicago. honestly one of the best meals i’ve had. ever. enough of an excuse in itself to go back to chicago. :)

everything was charmingly mismatched and instantly nostalgic — embroidered linens, french toile plates, pewter silverware…

beer mimosas and spicy pork rinds

best dish: red-wine poached eggs with AMAZING prosciutto. that bearnaise sauce single-handedly turned me into a fan of white wine vinegar. pastrami short rib was delicious too.

i loved the feel of being in a communal farmhouse kitchen.

it was so good that our party decided on the spot to make dinner reservations for the same night. we didn’t end up keeping them, but all the more reason to come back :)

dorothy + pete: sneak peek

crystal — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 20:54:56 +0000

happy summer! i am on an editing frenzy. lots of new shoots to post. :)