Last Saturday, I had the pleasure of working with an incredible team of vendors on Alona and Jeff’s gorgeous wedding at the St Regis Monarch Beach Resort.  The absolutely delightful Jeannie Savage of Details Details spearheaded the effort, along with Sunny from White Lilac who designed the florals.  It was a perfect day, with a wonderful couple, so I have lots of photos to share!

Alona’s Monique Lhuillier dress was perfect -

Alona was definitely a girl after my own heart -

A little getting ready -

They were married at the Mission Basilica in San Juan Capistrano, which was the most beautiful church I’ve ever had the pleasure of shooting in -

Y’all know how I love my “coming back down the aisle” shots -

After the ceremony, we headed to the Mission for a couple of shots of the bridal party.  I saw this little nook and couldn’t wait to shoot a few -

The super-cool bridal party -

And one more shot of Alona and Jeff at the Mission -

Jeff’s family had this really darling little car!  All of his siblings used the car for their weddings and it is a tradition to have this specific shot; Jeff’s brother and sister have a variation of it as well!

Then they were off to the St Regis!

Once we got to the hotel, we headed down the beach for some quiet time and a couple of portraits -

The ballroom looked beautiful!

The grand entrance -

Alona and Jeff did a really lovely choreographed first dance -

And one last little toast -

To Alona and Jeff:  Thanks for sharing your perfect day with me!  Enjoy your honeymoon!

delightfully,

Chenin

On Saturday I braved the sticky heat to shoot Jen and Mike’s lovely wedding at Rancho Las Lomas. The delightful Courtney Toney of Joyful Weddings and Events saw that every detail was just perfect for this adorable couple. The flowers were designed by Allison at Flower Allie, who always does a beautiful job. All and all, it was a truly splendid day!

I loved this little sign that Mike hung in the bride’s room -

The all-important shoes -

Jen, putting on the finishing touches -

I *heart* this photo of Jen in the limo -

A couple of little pre-ceremony details -

Jen’s very sweet and attentive brother, Arthur, gave her away -

There were three *delicious* little flower girls at this wedding, and I couldn’t get enough of them! -

The two older girls, reminding each other to be quiet -

After the ceremony, we headed to Rancho Las Lomas for some portraits -

The reception was truly gorgeous, and I love the color combination that Jen dreamt up -

And a couple of first dance shots -

To Jennifer and Michael: Thank you for your generosity and faith in my work! Enjoy Bora Bora!

delightfully,

Chenin

I have been looking forward to shooting Jen and Patrick’s engagement session ever since they booked me. We actually never met before Wednesday, but I could tell, from chatting with Jen, that this couple was delightfully rad. And I wasn’t disappointed. Jen and Patrick are a super-cool-beans couple and I can’t wait to shoot their wedding in October! Ok… enough chit-chat - let’s see some pics.

Jen and Patrick have awesome chemistry. This was about 10 frames in to the session, and they were already naturals!

Admittedly, I shot this to show off Jen’s bitchin’ shoes -

I think this is so crazy-romantic-

This was right before some disheveled looking lawyer walked by and made fun of us for not shooting in a park (He’s probably just jealous that I was having a better day at work than him…)

To Jen and Patrick: Thanks for an awesome time! I can’t wait for the wedding!

delightfully,

Chenin

Last Sunday, I shot Tiffany and Henry’s intimate wedding at The Fairmont Hotel in Newport Beach. Despite the heat, it was a lovely day and pleasure to be a part of. The delightful Lisa Moon coordinated the event and saw that every detail was in place. Here are some favorites from Tiffany and Henry’s big day!

Getting ready -

The lovely couple -

A couple of details -

Ceremony time -

After their ceremony, I stole Tiffany and Henry away for a couple of portraits -

I thought their cake was so cute -

The grand entrance -

I love outdoor receptions, because it means plenty of light for the first dance -

And their cake cutting -

To Henry and Tiffany: Enjoy Hong Kong and Japan! Thanks for sharing your day with me!

delightfully,

Chenin

On Saturday, I shot for the lovely Cat and David. This couple is amazing and completely in love and I really enjoyed getting to know them and their three gorgeous little boys. It was a beautiful, classy wedding, but with no hint of stuffiness (my favorite!). I had such a blast getting to know Cat and David and I can’t wait to share some images from their delightful day!

A couple of little details -

Catherine looking fabulous!

They had their ceremony in a little chapel in Palos Verdes, called Wayfarer’s Chapel -

The family sand ceremony -

Just Married! -

Cat has impeccable taste and she loves birds, just like me!

The grand entrance -

First dance -

And the cake cutting -

After the cake cutting, I stole Cat and David away for a couple of minutes to shoot some portraits -

David, being a big kid -

And my favorite from the day -

To Catherine and David: Thanks for sharing your beautiful wedding and incredible family with me!

delightfully,

Chenin

Last Friday, I braved the 95 degree heat to shoot Robin and Steve’s engagement session. This lovely couple is getting married in a few short weeks and I’m so looking forward to what is sure to be a beautiful wedding. Here are a couple of my favorite images from their session!

And my favorite of the day (so romantic!) -

To Robin and Steve: Thanks for a fun afternoon! … “and… I’m spent” (inside joke)

Woo-Hoo! Two blog posts in one day! I would normally wait ’til tomorrow to post my wedding from last weekend, but I was dying to play with some of my images from Kelly & Huy’s wedding! They were a ton of fun to work with and very easy-going. I started my coverage with Kelly getting ready -

I love these shots of Kelly -

Then it was off to shoot a couple of quick portraits of the bride and groom, before their ceremony -

Then it was time for the ceremony. Huy and Kelly wanted a very dark and moody candlelight ceremony and it was important to them that I really captured the mood of the moment. I shot some images with flash, just to be safe, but I also shot some available light images. For those photo/camera geeks out there, these were shot at ISO 3200, f/1.2 at a 15th of a second. (seriously.)

A little bit of flash and a darling moment between Huy and Kelly -

After the ceremony, we headed down to the beach for some epic weather (clouds and some crazy wind) and a couple more shots -

Kelly and Huy were actually having another Vietnamese wedding the next day, so they decided to keep a lot of their reception traditions for that day, but I did get to shoot their cake cutting!

To Kelly and Huy: Thanks for the fun and the challenge! I had a blast!

delightfully,

Chenin

ok… I’ve been teasing y’all for weeks, showing samples and hinting at it’s release, but TRA2 IS HERE!

This new set was actually made available to Totally Rad VIPs late last week and we’ve had an incredible response! People love that this set works seamlessly with TRA1, that it offers textures, vintage actions and some really awesome workflow tools! I thought I’d get the party started with a couple of recipes I’ve cooked up, using the new set!

Before:

After, using:

Dirty Diana @ 79%
Pool Party @ 63%
P.O.S. Lens @ 56%

Before:

After, using:

BAMF B&W
P.O.S. Lens
Go with the Grain @ 50%
Get Faded (Summer) @ 15%

Before:

After, using:

Pro-Retouch
Select-o-Pop (on eyes)
Claire-ify @ 70%
Yin/Yang
Wish You Were Here

Before:

After, using:

P.O.S. Lens
Infaux-Red @ 58%

Before:

After, using:

Dirty & Used Up @ 11%
Select-O-Pop (on the couple only)
Grandma’s Tap Shoes @ 50%

I’ve had the pleasure of using TRA2 for a while now and it has become an absolute *must* in my workflow and processing!

delightfully,

Chenin

Last Saturday, I made the drive to Temecula to shoot Sandra and David’s wedding at a cute little winery. Wineries are some of my favorite places to shoot - there’s just something so romantic about a couple walking through vineyards… Here are a couple of my favorites from Sandra and David’s lovely wedding!

David was so excited to walk down the aisle! -

The lovely couple -

and the gorgeous bride-

My favorite portrait of the day -

A view of the barrel room, where they held their reception -

The Best Man’s toast -

And the first dance -

To Sandra and David: Have an amazing time in Bora Bora!

delightfully,

Chenin

Thought I’d share a few photos from my trip to Wrigleyville!

The first day was rainy and windy, but cleared up just in time for the game -

A little panoramic shot of the field.

The scoreboard -

And a little shot of me and the hubby on Day Two -

Overall, the trip was amazing.  I know it makes me a huge dork, but going to Wrigley was won of the highlights of my life so far.  It was pure *magic*

I’m off to watch the Cubbies play San Diego tonight!  Wish me luck

delightfully,

Chenin