Drew B Photograhy

I was so excited when Allison and Ryan asked me to do a second engagement session for them.  When Allison and I met initially she told me all about her horses and how she’s been riding since she was a kid.  I really wanted to incorporate them into the shoot.  But, at the time, the horses weren’t boarded locally.  I’m kind of glad we saved the horses for the second shoot though.  Working with horses is much more challenging than I anticipated!  The horses couldn’t be ridden because Lacy, the older horse, is injured.  And Bach, the younger horse, is too young.  It’s funny because Bach is two and having a two year old at home you can see the similarities between the two.  They are both stubborn, energetic, and don’t like to follow direction!  The main difference is that Bach is so big he usually wins the battles!

Although we had all worked up a sweat at the end (and poor Ryan had rope burns on his hands) I’m really, really happy with the results from this shoot!  Beautiful location, beautiful people, and a beautiful love!  Can’t wait for the wedding in September!  Here’s the slideshow!

*** Thanks to Carina from Flawless Faces for doing an awesome job on Allison’s makeup!

Alan knew from the moment he saw Vanessa that he was going to marry her.  And on June 19 he did just that.  Vanessa and Alan were married at the Clubhouse at Anaheim Hills Golf Course.  On a side note, I have special memories of this venue because I grew up going to Cotillion there and being forced to learn the Foxtrot, Waltz, Cha Cha with my now husband (along with other boys) and my table manners in elementary school and junior high  It has since been remodeled and looks gorgeous!

Enough about me.  Back to Vanessa and Alan!  There are two things that stuck out to me about their day.  First, I love how personal the whole day was.  Their friend Mike married them, which I loved!  It makes the ceremony so much more about the couple rather than when a stranger marries you.  He even borrowed his Mom’s bible for the occasion!  In lieu of favors for their wedding guests they made a donation to an animal shelter in their guests names because their dogs are such a huge part of their lives.  And instead of just one song for their first dance they had two.  One traditional and one fast paced Latin song.  They are great dancers!

The second thing that I remember about the day were the emotions.  Vanessa had a strict no tears policy and said that crying is for funerals, not weddings.  She tried very hard to hold it together, but I caught her crying on two separate occassions.  The first was when her sisters gave an emotional toast.  And the second was during the father daughter dance.  Both Vanessa and her father were trying so hard to hold back the tears!  It was a very sweet moment.

Thank you to Sheetal for referring Vanessa and Alan to me!  I have had a great time getting to know them both!  I hope the honeymoon to Jamaica was amazing!  Here’s the slideshow!

When you’re a little girl you always talk and think about, “One day when I’m married…” and “When I have my own kids…” and it’s crazy to think that that time is now.  Life just goes by in the blink of an eye.  It really hits me just how fast life goes by when I reconnect with an old friend and get to meet their own family.

Kari and I first met on the soccer field.  Razzmatazz in fifth grade if I remember correctly.  We grew up on the soccer fields together and were friends through junior high and high school.  She used to pick me up in her purple Honda Civic because I was the very last one to turn 16.  We went to Disneyland and Knott’s Berry Farm together and bonded because we were practically the only kids in our grade who didn’t like to party.  But, then she went off to college in Idaho and we eventually lost touch until we ran into each other a couple of years ago and now stay in touch thanks to good old Facebook

Kari and her husband Roger had their first baby last summer and I was so honored when Kari asked me to take her one year pictures.  It was my first time getting to meet Kendall and she is adorable and perfect and everything I would expect from Kari’s daughter.  It’s just crazy to me that we have kids!  Weren’t we just graduating from high school?

Thank you again Kari for letting me capture this special time in Kendall’s life!  It was great seeing you and catching up.  Let’s not let years go by before we do it again!  Here’s your slideshow!