pinkchick83's Xanga

Monday, November 09, 2009

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 19:24:43 GMT

Sydney
Australia

Two weeks ago Jeremy and I snuck off to Australia just to get away for a little bit. I'd never been to Australia before so I was really excited to visit & explore the land down under! We spent half our time in Sydney and half on the Gold Coast (near Brisbane). Here are some pictures from the first part of our trip in Sydney.

Sorry if it takes a while for all the pictures to load!

Enjoyed the pink lighting on our Virgin Australia flight! The flight was 13 hours but I LOVE long flights...mostly because I get to watch a ton of new movies!

We arrived early Sunday morning so we decided to try and visit Hillsong church. We had forgotten to write down an address or directions to the church, but we had a general idea of where it was, so we wandered semi-aimlessly through the streets of Sydney. At one point we were about to give up....but then we saw a Hillsong shuttle bus drive by so we knew we were still on the right track! As you can see, we did eventually find it. =)

We were lucky enough to be in town for Sydney Opera House's Open Day (basically an open house). We got to go inside and see the opera theater, concert hall, green room, rehearsal rooms, backstage areas....all for FREE!

They had lots of performers walking around that day.

There was a guy up top playing the organ.

The green room and some costumes from their shows.

I thought this photo from Trent Parke's exhibition of life backstage at the Sydney Opera House was hilarious! Some people had used the copy machine to photocopy themselves. The first post-it reads, "Is this correct use of government property?" The second reads, "Absolutely not! And we have your fingerprints."

Went to the Sydney Wildlife World and saw cute koalas, boxing kangaroos, and other cool insects & animals.

A humongous stick bug!

Looks like the dugong is smiling!

Check out the size of that stingray!

Queen Victoria Building shopping complex

Visited Cockatoo Island, the site of a former prison as well as shipyard. Since Jeremy worked at a naval shipyard before, I think he was pretty excited to see the giant cranes & dry docks they used for building ships.

Rented some bikes and rode around Manly Beach...

...then enjoyed dinner on the wharf with this lovely view.

Why does the design on the seats in this train look like an ocean swarming with sharks?!

Friday, October 23, 2009

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 16:11:39 GMT

Patty + Kyle
Rancho Palos Verdes

Patty & Kyle married at Pacific Unitarian Church in Palos Verdes. It was an intimate affair, surrounded by their closest friends & family. These two were so chill & low-key that it made my job photographing them so easy! Patty & Kyle really enjoy playing video games, and you'll see in their pictures that they ordered up a pretty epic wedding cake that reflects their love for video games! When it came time to cut the cake, you could tell it was a little painful for them to cut into it. But it was oh-so-good on the inside as well!

A big thanks to Evan Robinson for shooting with me that day.

Ceremony & Reception: Pacific Unitarian Church
Cake: Let Them Eat Cake

Patty & Kyle decided to do a first look before the ceremony.

Thanks to Evan for helping me grab some great detail shots while I photographed the couple with their families.

How cute are all the cake details?!

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 20:13:31 GMT

Say I Do at the Muzeo: The Launch
OC's Newest Museum and Wedding/Event Venue

Last week my friends Alice & Michelle of Alice Hu Photography & Mele Amore Events hosted a fantastic event/mixer at Muzeo. Muzeo is a museum in downtown Anaheim that hosts traveling exhibitions. It also happens to be a great venue for weddings & events. The evening was filled with food, sweets, & entertainment from lots of amazing vendors. I had a great time seeing familiar faces & meeting new ones!

Alice & Michelle asked me to help take some pictures that evening, so for those of you who couldn't make it, here's a little recap.

*Edited To Add* Just finished uploading the full gallery of images. You can check them out here:
http://www.serenagrace.com/events/muzeo

Beautiful florals by Avante Gardens

Gorgeous table designs by Signature Party Rentals & Floral Elements

Yummy sweets by C Salt Gourmet

Another lovely table designed by SYL Design Studio & Signature Party Rentals

Cute & delicious cakes & treats from Sweet & Saucy

Food catered by Sally Ann Catering

Wine courtesy of OC Custom Wine, and a little entertainment from magician Mike Wong

Beautiful gowns & dresses from Mariposa Boutique

Music & lighting provided by Platinum Peaks Entertainment

Yummy tacos from Thank Goodness It's Sofia

So many delectables that night! These are from Regency Caterers and Morsels Baking Co.

Everyone was having a great time in the Four Quick Clicks photo booth!

The lovely ladies of Ferndales Bridal & Formalwear showing off some of their lovely hair accessories.

Unique bouquets by Amanda Heer of Fantasy Floral Designs

The outdoor urban chapel is a cute spot for a ceremony.

Monte Carlo Casino

Alice Hu, Brenda Swann of Swann Soirees, & Michelle Groom

Saturday, October 17, 2009

Sat, 17 Oct 2009 21:01:36 GMT

Andrea's 1st Birthday

I was recently invited to photograph a fun party for an adorable little girl celebrating her 1st birthday! Here are some of the fun details from her Mickey Mouse themed party.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 08:14:00 GMT

Joanna + Tommy
Fullerton Arbortum | The Villa

It was a gorgeous day for a wedding and Joanna & Tommy happily exchanged vows under a cool canopy of trees at the beautiful Fullerton Arboretum. I know Joanna from college, and we were even in the same small group for a period of time, so it made it extra special to be able to be there to witness & capture such a special day for Joanna & Tommy. I'm going to have to admit that when I first met Tommy I was slightly intimidated. But on the day of their wedding, as he watched his bride walk down the aisle, I saw his eyes fill with tears and I couldn't help but shed a tear myself.

A great big thanks to Jean Tsai & Evan Robinson for shooting with me that day. You guys captured some great stuff & I couldn't have done it without you! It was also exciting being able to work alongside one of my couples from earlier this summer. Joyce & Raymond are awesome videographers and they captured the day beautifully as well! Check out their video of the day here.

Ceremony: Fullerton Arboretum
Reception: The Villa
Hair & Make-up: John Nguyen
Florist: Kim Sanders of Art With Nature Floral Design
Cake: King's Hawaiian
Videographer: RayJoyce
DJ: Dustin Kim

Evan got this great shot of Joanna's ring!

Jean & Evan did a great job capturing all the gorgeous details!

I love this shot Jean took of Joanna's awesome shoes!

During the reception, they played an exciting game of pocket scavenger hunt that had all the guests on their feet!

Glamming it up on the red carpet!

Tuesday, October 06, 2009

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 16:38:44 GMT

Eunice + Ben
EFC, LA | Pacific Palm Resort

Our dear friends Eunice & Ben recently got married and I had the exciting honor of capturing their big day! And when I say big I really do mean BIG....they had over 700 guests at their wedding! Needless to say, there were lots of group pictures, and family portraits, and table shots, so I was very grateful to have Johann helping me out that day. While we certainly had our work cut out for us, Ben & Eunice were so great and so easy to work with that we had nothing short of an amazing time photographing them all day long. Our photo times with the bridal party brought us to some random places - a laundromat, the front of an office building, and a parking lot - and we loved it!

I am so very happy for you two! Congrats again B+E!!

Ceremony: EFC, LA
Reception: Pacific Palms Resort
Hair Stylist: Hair Tech 2000
Florist: Flower Genie
Videographer: G&D Productions
DJ: Dustin Kim

While taking pictures in a park, my hubby Jeremy (who was one of Ben's groomsmen) suggested the guys go across the street and get some pictures inside this laundromat. Jeremy knew I've always wanted to shoot in a laundromat, so I love him to death for suggesting it.

Johann got this awesome shot of the guys inside the laundromat!

One of their graphic designer friends helped them design this cool monogram/logo using their initials, and it became a fun little theme throughout their wedding!

Johann got this great shot of Eunice & her dad hugging.

Since Jeremy was in the bridal party, I accompanied him to the rehearsal the day before. Across the street from the church I noticed this office building with a pretty cool exterior. I filed it in my mind as a possible location for some photos after the ceremony. Little did I know that the color of the building went perfectly with their teal & red color scheme.

The light in this parking lot was so perfect!

They made these cute buttons with fun little phrases to go with their "BE" theme.

Eunice's sister drew some really cute pictures for the younger guests to color in. What a fun idea! And since Eunice & Ben are both worship leaders, they even made guitar picks with their special BE logo.

Eunice's friends from Newsong's Edge dance group did a special performance at the reception.

Big, fun, sweaty mosh pit!

Monday, October 05, 2009

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 15:38:57 GMT

Bath Time!

We gave one of our dogs a bath the other night, and she was so adorable I just had to take a couple of pictures!

Monday, September 28, 2009

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 20:04:14 GMT

Ngan + Donald
engagement session

Ngan & Donald are such a sweet couple! So sweet, in fact, that when they picked me up from the SF airport they brought me a box of sweets! I loved spending the afternoon hanging out and photographing them around the SF Botanical Gardens and Haight-Ashbury. Here are a few of my favorites from their engagement session.

Can't wait to see you two again in December! Thanks again for the yummy macaroons and pastries!

Monday, September 14, 2009

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 19:08:57 GMT

Stacey + Gladwin
portrait session

Stacey recently emailed me asking if I could photograph her and her boyfriend together. Gladwin is heading out to Afghanistan soon and she wanted to get some nice pictures with him before he heads out. Growing up, Stacey & I went to the same church, so I was excited to reconnect and have the chance to do this for them. (Btw, for those of you who know Stacey and might be wondering....no, this wasn't an e-session.) Check out their portrait session in LA below!

Friday, September 11, 2009

Fri, 11 Sep 2009 16:38:37 GMT

Patricia + Kyle
engagement session

Alright, alright....so I have to admit that I'm a little behind on the blogging. Patty & Kyle already got married, but since we shot their engagement session fairly close to the wedding date, I didn't get a chance to blog it before they tied the knot.

Here is their lovely engagement session taken at Descanso Gardens. It's been so long since I've been there, it was kinda nice to be able to visit it again. I'm pretty sure there is still a picture sitting on our piano of me & my sister taken at Descanso Gardens nearly 15 years ago. Oh, the memories!

There were tons of gorgeous spots to shoot in....the only thing was we had to watch out for spiders because they were literally everywhere! Ick! We narrowly missed walking into one hanging down from a tree. Thankfully, Patty had a super sharp eye and spotted it before any traumatic incidents occurred!

Stay tuned for pictures from their wedding!