Dreamy Weekend

On a day like today or tomorrow, I would wake up whenever I feel like it, consume some delights at Bakery Nouveau with my love, bike around beautiful Seattle with our ingenious Dahons, soak in the view and fresh air from up on a hill at Gas Works Park while H strums on the guitar, get pampered with massages from Gene Juarez, dine at one of the cozy sushi joints around town, and end the evening reading magazines at B&N. One can dream right? It’s actually a jam-packed three wedding weekend for us, but hope everyone else has a relax-and-unwind kind of weekend ahead!

Caroline and Christopher . Engagement

Some might call Anthropologie an overpriced flea market (myself included), but there’s something captivating about that store that make so many girls (myself included) swoon over. So imagine how I felt when I photographed this lovely couple – it truly felt like stepping into one of their catalogs. Caroline’s dress happened to be from there too. Christopher is a talented photographer himself, and fellow photogs know that it’s always such an honor (and extra pressure!) to photograph another photographer. It was also very touching to hear that while looking at our work, our images resonated with Caroline to tears.

Hannah and Andre . Engagement

Hannah came from a small town where technology was not part of everyday life, so since she’s been in the city for a bit, Hun (AKA Mr. Technology) kept making fun of her for not having email nor being on social media. After Hun’s prodding, she joined the world wide web, and fast forward several years where Hannah and Andre met on MySpace of all places – Hun takes credit for them coming together. ;) Since Andre is in the navy (thanks for serving our country!), we just had to do a reenactment of the iconic kiss…

By the way, not only is Hannah gorgeous herself, she makes other people look their best with her hair design skills! She works at Gene Juarez in Alderwood and she’s the one who made this before and after transformation for me earlier this year!

Stacey and Chris . Wedding

Remember this gorgeous family? Well, the middle sister got married in Cozumel and their festive wedding was an intimate one with about 30ish guests. Somehow there were five people with the name Grace, including myself! Something about a small, cozy wedding always gets me. Especially at destination weddings, the guests get a chance to know each other and bond, and by the time wedding day comes, everyone is so comfortable with each other and it’s like one big happy family. Towards the end of the evening, we were entertained with a dessert fire show (don’t try this at home, right Chris? ;) and then played around with sparklers which Nicole (thoughtful sister who originally found us) risked imprisonment to smuggle them in.

Stacey and Chris, may your marriage always be sparkly and as the song goes… have eternal flame.

Behind the Scenes:

Dress: Maria’s Bridal
Shoes: Badgley Mischka
Venue/Catering/Florist/Cake/Makeup/Videography: Cozumel Palace

Susan and Alex . Engagement

Susan was the only one that was willing to be Alex’s partner in their School of Optometry at UC Berkeley (where they met) because his eyes were smaller to work with. And since she had all that practice, all her tests were a breeze for her. Sorry Alex! I only shared that because I think that story is so cute and funny. Both of these amazing and generous individuals spend their working days looking at eyes, but really, they only have eyes for each other!

Oh Family . Portrait

This beautiful family is so dear to us. They have been enduring challenging times since their mother had her first stroke in 2004. She had another one later on but luckily, she’s a fighter and has a remarkable spirit. Each sister has been delaying their own dreams to take turns taking care of their mother, but I fully believe that they will be blessed for their love and patience and perseverance.

Amber and Brian . Published!

Update:

The winners are Theola, Yeji, and How!

Congratulations!

Please leave your mailing address in our Contact form so that we can send them to you.

Thanks to everyone who participated!

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The current issue of Seattle Metropolitan Bride & Groom has been on stands for several weeks now and we didn’t want to go without mentioning that Amber and Brian got published! We’re so ecstatic especially since we’ve been huge fans of SMBG since it’s inception in 2007. Within the pages, you’ll also find Sylvia and Matt in Bellevue Club’s ad. I especially enjoyed “The Whites Album” (my favorite color) and “Let Them Be Your Guests” sections. Go grab yourself a copy for ideas and inspiration for your wedding!

GIVEAWAY! Since we’re so happy about this, we’re giving away three copies. Just leave a comment here by the end of today and we’ll draw names. Good luck! (sorry internationalites, US only)

We Heart Junebug

If you’ve been following our blog, we mention Junebug Weddings here and there. We’ve been with them since 2008 and we absolutely adore them. Not only is their site a valuable resource, the ladies behind it are incredible!

They recently launched an image gallery where you can sort and narrow your search to view exactly what you’re looking for (you’ll see our images interspersed throughout the gallery). Click on the image below to experiment for yourself.

(top right thumbnails are also our images of Janet & Tony and the Junebug ladies)

And click below to see our profile.

Lastly, check out the feature of one of our couples Rachel and Sam on their blog today. And if you don’t already, make sure to visit their site daily for inspiration!

Freedom

This Independence Day, freedom takes on a whole new meaning for me personally. :)

Have a FANTASTIC, FREEDOM-FILLED Fourth of July friends!

Taking Chances

I can’t believe I did this, but I did the craziest thing I’ve ever done and auditioned for Oprah’s OWN show. I know it might not be that crazy for some people, but for me, it skyrockets up to number one on my crazy-things-I’ve-done list.

More than anything, I did this to overcome my fears… growing up as a Preacher’s kid, I always had the pressure to be perfect. With that, came my obsessiveness of being a perfectionist as well as fear of what others think of me. Well, especially after my little bro passed away, I’ve felt the urgency to pursue my dreams and get over my fears. As I write this today, I still haven’t overcome them fully, but I’ve been giving myself internal pep talks through the years and doing this was a huge leap forward in fighting those demons (my fears). I kept on trying to convince myself not to waste my time by doing this – What will people think of me after seeing this? Do I sound funny? Do I sound cheesy? Am I making a fool out of myself? Is this dumb? But I knew if I didn’t, I would live with a lot of regret. So I kept telling myself that the worst that can happen is that I don’t make it and people think I’m crazy for even trying. If I really think about it, I might die of humiliation, but really, it’s not that bad. Or at least that’s what I tell myself. ;) Every moment that passes by, I’m reminded that my time here on earth is limited, so why not just try. Besides, anyone who achieved incredible things in life was only because they TOOK A CHANCE.

So I took my chance at something ridiculously unattainable and submitted my audition! I went in late in the game so I’m way behind on votes and it’s almost over. But if you believe in me, I’d love it if you would click on the image below, try not to laugh at my awkwardness, and vote for me (as many times as possible)! For extra credit, feel free to share my video with your friends/family/co-workers/communities/etc. Thanks so much for indulging me!

This audition is dedicated to my husband, mom, dad, and late brother for always believing in me.

I hope in some little way, by my doing this, it will inspire those of you reading, to take a chance on your own thing too. What are you waiting for?