I couldn’t stop giggling when I was photographing Alley and Manuel- their fun-loving spirit and their own giddiness was super contagious. I had so much fun working with them!

Alley said it is Manuel’s smile that makes her heart go pitter patter. She can still remember the first time their eyes met. His smile was so warm and welcoming. “Manuel,” she said, “is an amazingly considerate and funny guy. He always makes sure everyone is included and having a good time. He can make me laugh with a simple glance. He brings so much joy to my life and those around him.” Manuel said it was Alley’s eyes, inviting smile, compassion for people, dorkiness, and her tolerance of my bad jokes that made him fall in love with her. “I was hooked,” he said.

As their love story continued to develop, one of their most memorable dates happened on a relaxing day walking around downtown Seattle. They strolled around Pike Place, explored the Space Needle, discovered a blown glass pumpkin patch, met up with old friends for coffee and ice cream, and practiced their photography by taking photos of the Seattle Skyline from Kerry Park. The day was topped off with a dinner at Mistral Kitchen. Yum! Alley said the date was meaningful because it was a great relaxing detour from their daily grind. I love how the simplicity of simply being with the one you love can create the most meaningful moments.

Once Manuel knew he wanted to spend the rest of his life with the woman he loved, he proposed to Alley on the vista point at Ridge Vineyards on December 23^rd 2011. He gave Alley what she thought was a Christmas gift, but when she opened it she discovered he had made me a scrapbook which asked, “Will you marry me?”. Each page held a picture of him holding a sign – The first said, “WILL” and was in front of the location where we had our first date… “You” was at Cupid’s Span in San Francisco…. “Marry” was at Chez Panisse where they celebrate Valentine’s Day and “Me” was at the SCU Mission where they are getting married. As a fellow scrap booker, this story was especially lovely to me. It made my crafty heart smile!

Congrats you on your engagement. I can’t wait to get you two in front of the camera again for your wedding later this year!!

When I came across this design on the lovely Love Vs. Design, I fell madly in love! I thought Bride and Groom Mad Libs were such a cute way to incorporate your guests’ thoughts, well well wishes, and wit into your wedding memory.  Click here to download this delightful (and free) template.

Congrats Allison and Levi- you’ve been featured in Style Me Pretty’s Little Black Book! Click here to see SMP’s original post.

Congrats to Kirsten and Brendon and Sarah and Chris- your photos were featured on the super cute blogs How He Asked and London based Reverie! To See Kristen and Bredon’s feature, click here. If you’d like to take a peak at Sarah and Chris’ feature, click here.

I was super excited when Yodit asked me to shoot her Senior Portraits. Not only is she really sweet, but also she’s a fellow photography lover so the pressure was on for me to take great photos :)

Besides her love of being behind the camera, her all-time favorite things to eat is anything Chinese, In N Out, and pizza; she’s thrilled that the Hunger Games was made into a movie, and she’d love to learn how to ride a horse. The things she’s most looking forward to about graduating are going to college, meeting new people, and learning new things.

Yodit- I can’t wait to see what’s waiting for you in the future. You are a bright and talented woman and the world is your oyster! 

I am super excited to announce I’m now a preferred wedding photographer at the fabulous Sainte Claire in San Jose- woohoo!!

I was really excited to meet Kevan and Keri- both currently live in Pittsburgh so all of our communication has been over Skype and email.  And let me tell you, they are just as lovely in person as they look in the photographs. My heart still smiles as I think about our time together. Kevan, the Director of Baseball Operations with the Pittsburgh Pirates, and Keri, a District Sales Manager with ADP, met in Phoenix through mutual friends. When I asked Keri what attracted her to Kevan she told me,  ”My love is a beautiful person inside and out,” and that’s what made her heart melt. Kevan said Keri’s ability to challenge him and make him a better person is what won him over. After many years of great dates (including one of their favorites: the day they went on a hike on South Mountain in Phoenix and they had to hitch hike home when darkness hit and a mean rattle snake blocked their path back down), Kevan knew she was the girl for him. For the big proposal, he woke Keri up and when she came out of the bedroom, she was blocked by a door with a collage of pictures of the couple through the years.  When she moved the door, Kevan was on bended knee. The rest, as they say, is history.

Keri and Kevan- I had so much fun photographing your Engagement  Session in Berkeley. I can’t wait to see you two again at your wedding in a few months! You both were delightful :)