Matt and Anna Spring Wedding Ataahua Garden Venue & a Big Announcement!

I had the privilege to shoot with Jane Keam early this spring and catch Matt & Anna's beautiful wedding with lots of Kowhai blossoms and my personal favorite pink cherry blossoms! It was a beautiful day, lovely ceremony and stunning venue! Flowers by On My Hand. 
 

And now for my big announcement! Drum roll please!!!!!  
Our family has decided to make the big move back to Southern California and I will be opening up my calendar for weddings for the 2016 wedding season! Needless to say, we are so sad to leave our friends here, and this ridiculously beautiful country, but are looking forward to all that is ahead of us Stateside! 

Hope you enjoy Matt & Anna's beautiful day!

The Coleman Family

Sometimes your photoshoots get canceled, but then sometimes then get canceled then rescheduled within 20 minutes on the day of the shoot an hour before! 

The Coleman's are one of those special families that you just wanna hang out with and eat treats, do pranks and play fun games with! BUT surprise, they're human just like the rest of us! An hour before their shoot I got a text saying they were so sorry that they had to cancel, but because they value forgiveness and grace, the argument that canceled the photoshoot was quickly resolved, and I have to say, I'm so glad, because we got some amazing shots that night! Well I'll let Dawn finish the rest of the story...
 

This picture that I'm going to treasure for a long time is called, "Don't let the sun go down on your anger." Here's why: You would never know that before this idyllic pic was taken Jake and had a BIG argument... Tears, finger pointing, kitchen sinking, etc. We don't get mad at each other very often but this time we were. We cancelled our photo shoot. Then minutes later we were back on because we can't stay mad at each other and we forgave each other quickly. Forgiveness in marriage is sweet. Forgiveness from Jesus is even sweeter. You can't easily forgive until you have felt the joy of being forgiven. Marriage abounds in opportunities to forgive. I'm so glad our evening ended like this instead of the alternative. Just wanted you to know the imperfect people behind the picture, bc pics don't tell the whole story.

There's so much I love about this photo shoot, but the thing I love the most, is the honesty, the vulnerability, we may have shiny pictures of our families but the truth is, we are real and life can be hard, but forgiveness and grace make it sweet! 

Meade Backyard Wedding

This wedding was everything you'd hope a backyard wedding could be. Charming, relaxed, hip and fun. Oh and don't forget the backyard chickens! Set amongst a beautifully maintained garden, the Meade's wedding oozed vintage inspired style! The guest loved their custom brewed beer, homemade pies and Instagraming the night at the best hashtag you've ever wished you came up with, #PaulyEstherblend . The cherry on top for me was the "Mariachi" band, really a trio romantico, but who's heard of that. They we're the perfect addition to celebrate their heritage and set the mood with their romantic melodies! Hope you enjoy...