You might remember seeing some engagement images of Amanda and David on my blog from Balboa Park earlier. Amanda and David both looked amazing together then, and they looked even more amazing together dressed for their wedding. I’m going to share more than a handful of images here.

Amanda’s Mom watched as her girls buttoned her into her dress.

As if on cue, the sun finally started to break through the clouds of June as the ceremony reached the big kiss.

I have to admit, I love it when there’s a candy bar for favors. I meant to get some Sour Patch Kids, but I got too busy shooting!

I’ll share a few examples here, of some of my favorite dishes that I enjoy  probably way more often that I should…but I can’t help it! In case you’re not familiar with the location, it’s an easy one to find. Just look for the building on Ash St. that’s been an iconic symbol on the San Diego skyline since 1927.

I’ll start with one of the all time favorites: Lasagna Bolognese! It’s one of their staples and popular reason for return visits!

Sometimes when I’m in the mood for vegetarian, which is often, I love their Veggie Lasanga too. One of my other favorites is the Ravioli Genovesi. It’s a four cheese ravioli, but with an amazingly rich basil pesto sauce that is out of this world.

Maybe it’s because Alessandro and Gigio brought a lot of their recipes with them from Italy, but even something as simple as penne pasta with a bolognese sauce is uniquely Sole Luna.

The Mare Salad has a combination of smoked salmon, shrimp, hearts of palm, cucumber and a lemon olive oil dressing. Yum!

Another ‘comfort food’ for me, the Ravioli Boscaioli – mushroom ravioli with their signature creamy bolognese and mushroom sauce.

Let’s not forget desserts! ( and an espresso martini!) I have a daily coffee habit thanks to living above Sole Luna Cafe…their espresso grind is authentically Italian and makes me feel like I’m back in Europe everytime I have a cappucino.

David had a few minutes to calm his nerves and chat with his Mom and Dad just before we left the dock and the ceremony began.

Flowers were done beautifully by Janay at  Kenner and Sons.

We took some time after the cruise to take a walk through downtown, just one-on-one with Lani and David. The cruise was a big success, and having some time together was a nice reward for them both!

After our session was over, and I was walking out of Balboa Park to head down to the El Cortez, I stopped to check out the moonrise. I loved the way it looked as I was passing this tree near the dog park, so I snapped this image. For some reason I really like it, so I’m sharing it here.

I’d like to share a handful of favorite images here, rather than make this a review of the show itself. Suffice it to say, their set was amazingly tight, and they sound so much bigger than any four piece band should. Metric is one of those rare bands that manage to sound better on stage than recorded. Emily Haines was spot-on vocally, even while playing keyboards and guitar, and working every corner of the stage – much to the delight of the crowd…and myself!

James Shaw and Joshua Winstead

Emily Haines singing ”Help, I’m Alive!”……”Can you feel my heart…..”

…..beating like a hammmmmeeeerrrrr!”

For the song ‘Gold, Guns and Girls’ Emily broke out her Fender Mustang.

James Shaw and Joules Scott Key

Metric Jimmy Jules

Metric closed their set with an old one and a new one : ‘Dead Disco’ and ‘Stadium Love.’ Emily was all over the stage  (often in the air!) and the crowd loved every second of it.

I am working on another handful of images for the blog, inlcuding perennial IndieFest favorites, Danielle LoPresti and the Masses, as well as the bands Far and Audible Mainframe. Look for more IndieFest images coming soon!

Usually, the first time I talk to a couple, we are talking about wedding dates and engagement sessions. When Marko called me and described the elaborate set-up he was masterminding in order to propose to his girlfriend (and now Fiancé’!!!!!) Ashley, I was super excited. I always meet people after the proposal, so this was something very new and intriguing for me. There was also an elevated sense of excitement because there could always be a tiny, tiny chance that maybe she might not say yes, and so I instantly became a member of Team Marko – totally pulling for Marko and rooting for his cause. Of course, anyone who knows them as a couple could have told me he was a shoe-in, but still….

So last Saturday morning, I made my way to the Ponte Winery in Temecula. I got there a bit early so I could talk to Ty Tyler, Marko’s partner in crime at the Winery. Ty had safely tucked away a couple of very special bottles for Marko that you’ll see below. He very kindly showed me around the winery and described the game plan to me, so when Marko and Ashely arrived at the counter, it was ‘game on.’

When Marko and Ashley came to the tasting counter, Rene gently guided them down to the sunny end of the counter. My job was to pretend to shoot wine bottles, but really I was just sneaking shots of Marko and Ashley when she wasn’t looking!

As Rene was helping Marko and Ashley, Ty Tyler casually came by and offered them a more private tasting in the barrel room. As Ty guided them to a corner of the barrel room to taste a couple of wines, I was out in the garden, pretending to shoot the scenery…

This is where the story gets even better. During their staged tasting,  Ashley enjoyed one particular vintage of red wine, so Tyler promptly offered to sell them a rare bottle…only a few existed in the whole winery! Marko and Ashely took a little stroll outside while Ty went to grab this special bottle. Marko and Ashley walked past the garden to the foot of the aisle, where later that day a wedding would be held. The symbolism was perfect!

Here comes Ty with “THE” bottle…

So here it is…the big moment. Ashley realizes this is no ordinary bottle of wine, as Marko goes down on one knee with a ring box in hand…

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The proposal wasn’t the only surprise for Ashely. About 30 friends and family members were waiting in a reserve room at the winery, ready to celebrate with the happy couple.

In this picture, Marko’s father is watching him speak…he looks very proud and happy for his son.

Ashley’s father proposes a toast!

Congratulations to Marko and Ashley!

The day itself was perfect. The sky was blue, the sun was warm, and everybody was in a great mood. The day flowed just the way it was supposed to and it all came together for their sunset ceremony on the lawn at the Bayside in Point Loma. One of my favorite photographers, Kristina Chartier, was kind enough to lend her talent to the event and shoot with me that day, so I send her my thanks!

Without further ado, here are some of their images:

I have to confess: I was sent home with four of these cupcakes, and I ate them ALL before all of their images were uplaoded to my Mac!

Sara is a Nurse and this is part of her medical crew!

They act like Bad Girls, but they’re just clever stickers that say “Sara & Phil”

I always create a slideshow for every wedding, but I never seem to post them here. Slideshows are a great way to tell the story of the day with my favorites, sort of like an online album.

This slideshow belongs to Jodie and James, who were married fifteen stories above Petco Park at Skybox. The venue was a natural choice for Jodie and James, since baseball runs in both families. James had the good fortune to travel to Australia to play baseball for Jamie’s father, who is a coach. James got to stay with the coach’s family for a while, and one thing led to another, which happily led to a wedding!

There was a large Aussie contingency present and the dance floor definitely got a lot busier when music from down under came on the speakers. The ceremony was beautiful, the view was amazing, the food (best mashed potatoes ever) was great, and everybody was incredibly fun. I know that if I ever find myself in Brisbane, it will probably feel oddly familiar!

Enjoy the show!

Natalie is the proprietor of  The Floral Palette in Rancho Santa Fe, so when we met to talk about photography, I understood that she’d be taking care of all of the flowers for her own wedding. What I didn’t realize at the time was that Natalie is a really, really, rediculously good florist AND she has an incredible eye for how to deck out a wedding. Her wedding was hosted in a private residence in Fairbanks Ranch that was an absolutely story book setting. Once Natalie brought in her decor, it was like a dream come true.

Natalie has since added an event studio with a beautiful meeting space to her shop in Rancho Santa Fe called  “The Event Studio – Rancho Santa Fe” where brides can go to not only talk about flowers, but to meet with other wedding vendors as well. Speaking as a photographer, it’s always very reassuring to be familiar with the good work of the other vedors I work alongside at a wedding. For instance, when I am scheduled to start photographing bridal portraits, not only is it nice to know the flowers are going to be amazing, but knowing they’ll be delivered where they are supposed to be on time is huge! Natalie hand picked the vendors that belong to the Event Studio RSF and everybody is top quality.  Congratulations once again to Natalie and Aaron!