and it was so nice to finally meet you both! Sue and Vikas came down from the bay area and had an amazing wedding at the St. Regis in Dana Point on Saturday. It was a beautiful sunny day and a fun, fun wedding. Some of their guests came all the way from India for this wedding!!! Sue looked amazing and was so relaxed. And Vikas was a hoot – singing and dancing during the entire reception. There was so much energy and you could just tell everyone who attended was so happy for this couple. I felt so welcomed when Vikas’ mother gave me a big hug after the ceremony! That’s just the kind of family these two have. Congrats guys, thank you for having me there and for your hospitality. Have a great time in Italy! Here’s a phrase that might come in handy – Dov’è la toletta? But for now – A presto!

Sue almost ready to go. I loved her Vera Wang gown. It was so unique and such a beautiful color.

The bouquet had beautiful satin and velvet ribbons binding it together.

Right outside the elevator I saw this little bench with dramatic lights over it. I asked Sue to sit down for just a minute and we took this photo.

This shot reminds me of a locker room right before the team comes out. There was a bit of a delay and Sue sang The Waiting is the Hardest Part by Tom Petty to the bridal party!

As soon as these two saw each other the laughing began. Do you Sue take Viiiikas to be your lawfully….

A great wedding in southern California, does it get any better?

The St. Regis has a beautiful rotunda. I especially liked it cause it looks like my logo :)

I asked Vikas if he might dip Sue and this is what happened. I’m not sure I ever got the dip shot but this is even better.

Just beautiful light and a beautiful couple.

One of the restaurants in the hotel had this amazing wine cooler. I just had to stop in and use it. They were so kind to let us take a few photos there.

Vikas steals a kiss.

The first dance.

Sue dances with her father.

Vikas’ family gets DOWN to Thriller. Something tells me they had a lot of practice with this one.

Bride and groom get down too!

get married in one of my favorite places in the world – the palm desert area! I love it there cause I got married in Palm Springs last year and going back just reminded me of my own wedding. It was a warm but beautiful Friday and Rosanne looked amazing and planned every detail (Jon you were stylin’ too! and I know you worked really hard with the planning, right?). I’ve included more detail pics than I usually do, but these details were so cool! I knew these two loved Starbucks (cause we shot some of the engagement photos there) but I didn’t know how much until the wedding. Wait until you see the wedding favors!!! But on with the show. Thanks Rosanne and Jon it was a beautiful day and I so enjoyed being there on your wedding day. Talk to you soon. Happy honeymooning :)

Rosanne’s dress was beautiful. She actually picked a dress and then had this sash made for it and sewn on! Great idea.

Love these shoes with the crystal flowers.

A sweet moment between Rosanne and her father as he is giving her away.

After the ceremony, do you think they’re happy?

Some moments alone with the couple before the reception.

See guys, I can ignore you and cool things happen.

The reception was at the La Quinta Resort in La Quinta. It has beautiful architechture!

And here are some of the beautiful details from the reception. Above is a place set to remember family members who are no long with them.

I loved the cherry blossom centerpieces, everything was pink and chocolate!

These are some of the coolest wedding gifts I’ve seen. And yes, Rosanne and Jon are all of those things, especially hot and steamy :)

Lately I’ve seen a rise in couples giving each other the business during the cake cutting. I don’t think they realize the photos will capture who started it so there can be no debate later! Looks like Rosanne is the troublemaker here.

Love the back of Rosanne’s dress and how it bustled.

The first dance as husband and wife.

and my husband is forever in charge of photoshopping (see following photo!). Man I’m missing some fun times with my family while I’m working in the Bahamas. Today I got the following email from my husband:

Hey Babe,

Chris says, “Everyone backwashes, just a little. Did you know that?”
“Yeah.”, Ryan replies, laughing.
“I just thought of that.”

Just a little taste of home for you. I got a little bored this morning and started to debate with myself about whether or not 300 million tons, squeezed into the size of a thimble, is or is not impressive; Turns out that it is. (see attached picture).

I’m getting your car stereo installed around 2. Can’t wait to see you again!

LOVE,
Ryan

Thank goodness I will be home tomorrow. Things are getting a little weird without me!

at 5:30 am to shoot the day after photos, I found out things don’t really get hopping until the bride, groom and photographer jump in the pool! I’m NOT a morning person but boy did I wake up after that. And this was one of the funnest shoots, thanks guys. And sorry about your wallet Allen, but I think it was worth it. Enjoy the rest of your trip and your honeymoon. Talk to you soon!

big day is finally here, and I’m so excited to be a part of it! It’s day 3 of my trip and what an awesome day it turned out to be. Including Mariann, who is shooting with me this weekend, and myself, there are about 40 people at the wedding. That really makes it fun and I get to know everyone a little bit. But enough about why I love DWs, who wouldn’t! Here are some pics from the day. Christine and Allen congratulations and thanks you again! I can’t wait until tomorrow morning when we get together for the day after pics :)

We all know what an important part of the wedding the shoes are!

Christine making a few final touches.

I love the expressions of brides when they get the dress on.

Christine was the most generous bride. She did all the makeup for her bridesmaids and they looked fabulous.

This photo is so Christine. . .fun, classic, elegant but not fussy!

Blue, blue skies!

The happy couple!

I loved Christine’s hair, it was so beautiful with the white orchid against her black hair.

Who would have thought this little peanut would love Frank Sinatra. When a Sinatra song started playing she headed straight for the dance floor and stayed until the song was over and then gave herself a big round of applause. Everone was rolling!

The cake cutting got a little messy.

Christine getting the cake our of her nose and touching up her makeup so we can do a few shoots of her and Allen before they head off to the beach for the rest of the day.

I don’t always do ring shots but this fan provided the perfect backdrop for the rings. Christine’s uncle drew the flowers on it during the reception. It was beautiful!

One last photo for the day. We are meeting at 6 am tomorrow to do a shoot on the beach. I can’t wait and I’m not even a morning person!

again! It has been a little over a month since I was here for Kelly and Jon’s wedding and my honeymooon, but now I’m back for Christine and Allen’s wedding. Chrisine hired me last year for this amazing destination wedding. We hadn’t met when she hired me but we were able to get together a few months later and I knew it was going to be a great wedding after meeting her! She brought so much stuff to show me so I could really get a feel for how she and Allen envisioned their day.

So tonight Mariann (who flew all the way down here from NYC to shoot with me!) stopped by the rehearsal dinner, where I got see Christine again and meet Allen as rest of their family and friends. I can tell the wedding is going to be so much fun! Here are a few pics from the evening.

The pool overlooking the ocean. I have some plans for this pool later on this week!

This little sweetie was so cute! I’m sure there will be many more photos of her as the weekend goes on :)

A wonderful dinner right on the beach! Stay tuned for more…

from Melissa’s sister that I thought I’d share. Since I get so excited about shooting weddings, it means a lot to me when people take the time to send me a note and tell me how they feel about my photography. Yesterday I got the following email from Melissa’s sister:

Hello Leigh!

I just wanted to write to compliment you on the absolutely stunning photos you took of my sister’s wedding! I have never seen a wedding done more beautifully! Frankly, I’m jealous that I didn’t have such a talented photographer at my wedding! Thank you for capturing this wedding as well as you did. I’m absolutely stunned and I can’t wait to get the photo I ordered.

For future reference, do you ever travel outside of california for photography opportunities? I don’t know when I’d need a photographer again…but in the event that I do…or if I’m presented with the opportunity to recommend you, that information would come in handy :)

Thanks again! – Lindsey

Thank you Lindsey so much for the compliment! Melissa and Brian both have such amazing families and I feel so blessed to have this job that I do. And of course I am available for travel anywhere! I will be sending your pic as soon as I return from the Bahamas :) Talk to you soon – Leigh

Another photo I just love of Melissa and Brian!