Newport Beach Marriott Wedding | Dan+Kelli-Rae=Married

Happy Friday to all! Hope everyone is off to a great day and have a fabulous weekend planned. Anyone doing anything special? I will be spending time with an old friend today as she is moving out of state this week. That is two friends this week that are moving far away, it has been a rough one for me! It is hard to see them go. I said good-bye to my dear Melly on Tuesday as she moved out of the country and today Adrienne, who I have been friends with since 1994. I guess you could say we go way back. Actually it is back to a hallway at Penn State where we met right before a photography class and clicked instantly. No pun intended! :-) I have been so lucky to have made some really great friends at different times in my life. At some point, we may move on and do different things, but our friendships will last forever.

Today, I share with you a wedding we shot at the Newport Beach Marriott over the Memorial Day weekend starring Dan + Kelli-Rae. Speaking of friends, I met our bride Kelli-Rae about 3 years ago at a marketing firm we both worked at. Since then we have both moved on, but still kept in touch. Over the last year, we have celebrated their engagement and now their wedding day and we were so happy to be there. It is such an honor to photograph such special moments in peoples lives and it means even more when you are friends with them.

Dan and Kelli-Rae are a fabulous couple with a great beginning to their love story as we photographed their wedding at the beautiful Newport Beach Marriott. Kelli-Rae was just a stunning bride. The two really put the special things about them in their wedding theme. They had a subtle movie theme to their reception, it was perfect. They both love watching movies together, so we started with the movie theme when we did their theater engagement session. Dan is a screen writer and Kelli-Rae has done some acting and singing in a few productions (you will see the bride in a shot singing to her groom), so the theme was something important to them. We just loved seeing our photos on their save the dates, invites and wedding programs. A fabulous job was done by our friend Brittany on all of her designs. Again, it goes back to having wonderful friends in your life for times like these. Enjoy the show, cheers to you both! We thank you for sharing this moment with us, J+D.

I told you she was stunning! My favorite shot of the bride, she is ready to go! I am very proud of this shot, thinking about submitting this one to a wedding photography magazine.

The two wrote their own vows!

We just love this shot of Dan, such a happy guy!

Love the moments!

Another favorite...love these guys!

A quick shot by the fountain before going in to see the ballroom set-up for the reception!

Movie Theme Wedding Cake by: Rockwell's Creative Cakes in Orange, CA

Surprise First Dance to Dan's song pick "Angel Eyes" by Jeff Healey

Here Kelli-Rae sings to her groom their original First Dance song "Danny's Song" by Kenny Loggins

So surprised and happy to see his bride sing!

And a new chapter begins...

Thanks for stopping by... your day will be amazing! Congrats, Dana

Hair Stylist: Liz Gress "The Retreat Salon" in Costa Mesa
Make-up by: Jamie Michelle visit her at: JamieMichele.com

Cake: Rockwell's Creative Cakes in Orange, CA
Visit at: http://www.rockwellscreativecakes.net

DJ Services provided by: Andy Nation, owner of Just Imagine Entertainment
Visit at: http://www.justimaginedj.com

Flowers by: Gini Ortega in Fullerton, CA

Sebastiani Winery Wedding Photography | Alex+Brianne=Married

A big congratulations to Alex+Brianne on their new marriage. I was honored to witness such a fabulous day in their lives and when I say witness, I mean witness! Yes, not only did I photograph this wonderful day but I also signed the marriage license and made the marriage official. We absolutely love what we do, but to be the one to witness this love and seal it was a great honor.

Brianne had contacted me from Indiana and told me they were going to elope to Sonoma, CA to get married and needed a photographer. They chose Sebastiani Winery to say their vows and it was absolutely beautiful. These two are a very simple couple, who were fun loving and wanted something that just suited the two of them. So, they decided to elope to Sonoma, and then have a wedding reception at home when they returned to share the moment with family and friends. I was so excited for the wedding and when I met the two on that day, we instantly clicked.

So the story begins, at Sebastiani Winery such a beautiful location. One gorgeous bride & her dress, a handsome groom, a bouquet of flowers, the rings, an officiant, photographer (witness), a wine barrel and the wine! It was absolutely perfect!

We met Alex in front of the tasting room to capture a few pre-ceremony moments. These two were such a cute couple!

This is one of my favorite shots of the two!

A little wine for the occasion...cheers to you both!

Arbor Park is where the ceremony took place, what a great spot!

The two walked out to the lawn near the wine barrel and the ceremony began!

Alex with his bride!

Happy tears, such a fabulous moment!

During the ceremony, the minister performed a wine celebration for the two. She expressed that wine has been used for decades to celebrate happy moments. This glass shared was the symbol of the two becoming one, as they share their first glass from the open bottle together after their vows!

Here was a moment I caught just after the ceremony.

Cheers to a fabulous couple!

The rings!

Then off to the Vineyards for a few romantic shots. I just love wine country!

Thanks for stopping by... your day will be amazing! Congrats, Dana

Ceremony Officiated by: Lisa A. Joslen, Minister in the Santa Rosa area!

P: 707.538.8697
E: LisaJoslen@minister.com