Kara and Jason: Wedding

This past Saturday, two people declared their love for each other before God, their family and friends. They were the most calm couple I had ever seen before a wedding, and nothing was going to stop them from tying the knot. Jason and Kara joined as one in marriage at Waverly Chapel in Santa Ana, and I had the opportunity to assist Christopher Wren for the day to document this momentous occasion. Their engagement pictures were done by one of our friends, Jasmine Star.

The day started off with my going to the home where the reception was going to be held to document the bride and her bridal party getting ready. Seriously, Kara was so calm, and her bridesmaids were hilarious. As the final few were getting their makeup done, we watched the Office. And I have to mention, that Jason is so romantic! He left Kara these little notes in her room, declaring his love for her. I hadn't met Kara until Saturday, and we hit it off great, and laughed at everything!

Kara's beautiful wedding dress was hand made by her grandmother. It took her approximately two months to finalize this gorgeous work of art. The granddaughters are lined up to have their grandmother make their wedding dress. The detail was exquisite, and it fit her perfectly.

Jason and Kara opted for a first look, which I highly recommend! This is the perfect opportunity for the bride and groom to have some special moments together. It was the most beautiful part of the day, and I think I shed a few tears behind the lens. They were so tender with each other, and then prayed before we continued photographing before the ceremony.

Jason is the fantastic customer service dude behind Showit Fast Inc., and his boss is Todd Watson. Hence the reason we have a picture of Jason and Kara at a tombstone of WATSON, pretending to mourn. (we apologize in advance if anyone is offended by this). We love you Todd!

Not a detail was missed from the prep before the ceremony, the ceremony, and the reception. Although, this was the very first wedding I have been to where the groom got a bloody nose. Later, we found out it was due to the heat and stress. Poor guy! Kara's father and stepfather joined her at the alter while Jason took care of his nose. The ceremony was filled with love, peace, hope for a new day.

The reception was a beautiful celebration and the joining of two families. Some of the most memorable moments were when Kara's sister gave the most beautiful speech and toast, Kara wrote and sang a song for Jason, and as the father / daughter, mother / son dances took place, they created individual slideshows for them. When Jason and Kara did their first dance, all of the guests surrounded the dance floor with sparklers and candles, celebrating their love.

Kara and Jason, congratulations to you both. I hope you have a wonderful honeymoon, and celebrate your love for one another each and every day. I am honored to have witnessed your special day.

*you can check out additional pictures and a slideshow by visiting Christopher Wren's blog!

Special thanks to Jodi from MCP Actions and her amazing Blog it Boards! I could not have created these amazing collages without her.

Sara and Josh: Anytime - The Real Post!

Here it is! The real post for Sara and Josh. Thanks for being so patient, as I had a lot going on the past two weeks with work, family, and some other sessions. Anyways, here we go.....

Sara and Josh Morrill were actually marred on January 20, 2007 in the Elipse Chapel at Point Loma Nazarene University down in San Diego. Sara and I were in the same graduate program at Azusa Pacific University and we just recently graduated on May 3rd. We talked about her wedding dress, which was a Maggie Soterro dress and if I would take some more photographs of she in it with Josh by her side. I said certainly, why don't we do a "day after" type session after graduation and get really creative!

So here they are, two love birds who were destined to meet on the mountainside! Sara and Josh met their freshman year at PLNU while they were on a backpacking trip. Sara was one of the guides and it was love at first sight when she set her eyes on Josh. They actually waited three years to date, as Josh said, until "I was good and ready" to settle down! Sara knew on their first date that she wanted to marry Josh. They dated 11 months and in September 2006 they were engaged. Where do you think they got engaged? On a backpacking trip! They were hiking Mt. Whitney and Josh popped the question! They are major outdoors people, and I am certainly surprised that they did not get married in the mountains.

This session I did for Sara and Josh could not have been done with out the wonderful help of my good friend Shelby Knight of Shelby Knight Photography. Shelby also graduated from the CSA program with Sara and I. Shelby is just getting her feet wet in the photography industry and has shared with me that she would love to be my second shooter anytime! Please visit Shelby's blog and leave her a comment! She will be posting some of her pictures from this shoot soon. I look forward to working with Shelby in the near future! Thanks Shelby for your help with this shoot, as I could not have done it without you!

Back to Sara and Josh! We took them so the mountains all dressed up in their wedding attire and were able to capture some great images. I was kind of bummed that there was not a lot of sun left in the valley we were in, but we did okay! Minus the horrible bug bites we all got, the four of us had a great time. We were up in the mountains pretty late, but the creative juices were still flowin'! Be sure to notice in a few of the shots, their Chaco sandals! What every bride needs! :)

To view more from this fun session, CLICK HERE for a slideshow! Please allow the slideshow to load, it is worth the wait! **edit - we are switching over to a new server. If the slideshow does not work, please come back soon! So sorry.