On a visit this past weekend to Palm Springs, Larry and I decided to take an impromptu detour to Joshua Tree National Park. The only problem – we only brought one camera. If any of you reading this has a spouse who’s also a photographer, you know this situation can become pretty hairy pretty quickly. Luckily I remembered I had my iphone and spent the afternoon “clicking” away contentedly. Marriage crisis averted.
The Ojai Valley Inn & Spa is one of those places that gets under your skin. It’s nestled at the base of the Topa Topa Mountains, which have an amazing way of turning pink at dusk. The grounds of the inn are a lush and rambling green and the air is often redolent of lavender and wood smoke.
Amy and Sam’s wedding was elegant and homey at the same time. They chose to be wed under a glorious oak tree and even though the sky turned gray just before the ceremony, no one seemed to notice. All eyes were on the radiant bride and beaming groom.
Guests were treated to cocktails and nibbles by the herb garden and a bright and cheery tent housed the evening’s festivities
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Larry and I would like to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and a joyful, prosperous New Year.
Ronit and Ari’s wedding was filled with whimsical touches. Besides being a savvy businesswoman, Ronit is a talented artist with great taste. I loved that she brought all of these light-hearted, fairy tale like elements to her event. With the Luxe Hotel being such a modern space, Ronit was able to soften it by incorporating butterflies, branches and moss to her centerpieces and guest book table. The chocolate brown bride’s maid dresses were the perfect foil for the purple toned bouquets. I also loved Ari’s boutonnière. The fiddlehead fern was such a darling touch. If I were giving out awards for cutest flower girl bouquet, this would definitely win. Ronit’s little niece looked so adorable clutching her bouquet of butterflies.
With all that being said, if you’ve been reading our blog you know that while I think the “stuff” is really fun to photograph, what makes a wedding really great in my opinion is the love and good will of the families and guests and this wedding had an abundance of both.
We love any excuse to visit Central California’s wine country so when Anita and Gabriel suggested we shoot their engagement session at a friend’s winery there, we were all for it.
The day of the shoot was warm with bright golden light spilling everywhere. The folks at Rideau winery were really gracious and allowed us photograph all over the property. The beautiful location along with an adorable, so in love couple, made for a really fun, creative day. The icing on the cake was the vintage car that Gabriel rented for the shoot.
Larry and I are so looking forward to getting to know Anita and Gabriel more in the months to come and of course to photographing their wedding in May!
