Alanna and Phi's Backyard Wedding in Palm Springs, CA

"Alanna and Phi came to me as a referral from some friends I met at Hangar 18 Rock Climbing Gym a few years back. I knew while talking with Phi on the phone that this was a going to be a fun couple, and wedding, to photography. Read on to learn a bit about these two lovebirds and click the link below to see more images from their Palm Springs Backyard Wedding."

How did you meet?

"Tinder! We were both forced by our coworkers to download the app after they thought we were miserable being single. We were both very doubtful at how successful it would be but I think that made it work out for us even more. And through the app, we were able to see that we already have mutual friends. And through telling each other stories, we found out that we missed each other at several events that we were both at for the past few years. Crazy."

Tell me about the proposal.

"I had the ring on me because we were on our way to Malibu. She loves Malibu. She also loves watching the sunset and driving along the PCH. I wanted to let HER play out the day. As we were driving home, she said “let’s drive down the PCH”… and so I did… Then she said “hey let’s pull over and hang out along the beach for a sec”… and so I did. Then she said, “let’s get on the life guard tower and watch the sunset”…. And I’m sure you know the rest."

What was the vision you had for your wedding? Any DIY elements?

"We wanted everyone to be together and have an amazing time. I know that’s totally common but we felt that the wedding should just represent everything we love about ourselves, our love for our friends and family, and for each other. We wanted the place to be magical and meaningful (Alanna’s favorite place is Palm Springs) and we wanted everyone to experience that with us. There are obviously so many favorite parts but dancing with all of our friends and family might be my favorite. Oh and then jumping in the pool. Our good friend Nicole made the backdrop you see in the ceremony. Arianna’s husband made the stand to hold up the backdrop."

Tell us a little bit about your honeymoon.

"We did absolutely NOTHING! We arrived in Hawaii, got into our rental car, and as we were driving to our hotel, Alanna looked over and said “so… what do you want to do?” It was a week of just relaxing, eating, drinking, and enjoying each other. In other words, perfect."

The love these gorgeous newly weds have for one another, and their friends and family, is infectious. I am honored to have been chose to photograph their Colorful-Boho-Tropical Backyard Wedding in Palm Springs. And a special thank you to Morgan and Steve for sending these two my way!

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Romantic Engagement Session in Seoul, South Korea || Sydney & Ted

How fortunate am I that I get the opportunity to travel and do what I love for a living!? When Sydney and Ted reached out to me asking if I'd be willing to travel from the United States to South Korea to photograph their engagement session I knew it was an experience I could not pass up! We were all very excited to see these beautiful film images featured on the front page of Style Me Pretty.

From Sydney:

"We actually met quite some time ago, 10 + years, through mutual friends. We both grew up in the same town, but went to rival schools. We didn't talk much back then, but we had a very close mutual friend. There's actually photos of us together in the same photo on different occasions, except both of us are with the people we were dating at the time, which is really funny to look back at now.

After almost a year living abroad in Asia together, we made sure to be back home to Los Angeles for Christmas and New Years. We don't really have much of a social life here, so we really wanted to be with our friends and family for the holidays. I was really excited about the opening of Skyspace in downtown LA and mentioned that we had to go during our trip. When it was my turn to slide down the glass slide, he was waiting for me at the end to pop the question.

Ted's family is from Thailand and mine are from Korea. Since our wedding is taking place in Thailand, I knew I had to have our engagement session take place in Korea. 

We chose the Gyeongbokgung palace & Bukchon Hanbok Village because we wanted to incorporate the Hanbok, which is traditional Korean clothing. The direct translation for Hanbok really is "Korean clothing". Gyeongbokgung palace is one of biggest palaces in Korea, but was considered the main palace in the Joseon dynasty. It's a beautiful place situated within the busy city of Seoul where old meets new.

Ehwa woman's university is notorious for their beautiful campus. There are tons of tourists here every single day. The blue doors and stairway to heaven is what caught my eye when scouting locations. 

Mr. Holmes Bakehouse is from California and recently opened a location within the charming alleys of Garosugil. This area is filled with the best coffee shops and is one of my favorite places to just hang out. Ted and I love cafe hopping and are always on the lookout for cool and hip places when we travel."

These two lovebirds will be having their destination wedding in Thailand later this year and I cannot wait to photograph it!

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Dress: Lulus

Hanbok Rental: One Day Hanbok

Makeup: J Makeup Ewha, Comme Nana

Film Scans: Goodman Film Lab

Featured on: Style Me Pretty

 

Intimate Destination Engagement Session at Sorakuen Garden in Kobe, JPN || Cocoro & Kazuya

In January of this year my wife and I had the great privilege of traveling to Japan. We spent 3 weeks exploring various cities, from Tokyo and Hiroshima to Osaka and Nagano. During a short stay in Kobe our host, Hisako, introduced us to Cocoro and Kazuya. She is a school teacher and he is an engineer.

While chatting over dinner I learned that Hisako was a local wedding coordinator and we immediately begin talking about how we could work together before I left the country. Hisako, coordinating with Cocoro and Kazuya, managed to help pull together for a very impromptu photo session for the very next day, choosing the beautiful Sorakuen Garden as our backdrop. The Garden is a hidden oasis. The historic park is a nice, quiet getaway from the hustle and bustle of the busy city of Kobe, JPN, which can be seen lying just outside the walls of Sorakuen Garden. The mix of old and new in Japan is absolutely beautiful.

It goes without saying that I was beyond excited to have this photoshoot from the other side of the world featured on the JoyWed blog.

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Film Scans: Richard Photo Lab

Featured On: JoyWed

 

Fall Inspired Maternity Session at Bonelli Park in San Dimas, CA || Hope & Aron

I've known Hope and Aron for sometime, having met them at the local rock climbing gym. We connected over our mutual love genuine conversation and, of course, of rock climbing. These two are fantastic human beings, and I am honored that they reached out to me to document their love for one another and their new baby girl, Holland.

From Hope:

"We met because of rock climbing shoes. I was resting between climbs at the gym when a pair of matching shoes came into view. We talked the rest of the day about hiking, the outdoors, and of course, rock climbing.

After that, Aron and I kept running into each other. Conversations at the gym turned into dates. Neither of us were looking for "the one" so when things started getting a little more serious we were both surprised. He backed off and we didn't speak for a month or so. 

I had just gotten back from a trip to Yosemite when he called again. Turned out neither of us could forget the other.

Within one year we got married and were expecting. Aron and I immediately knew who we wanted for our maternity shoot. 

Czar is a fellow climber and friend. He taught me to lead climb and had known Aron for a couple years. It was exciting to work with a photographer that had been a witness to our relationship.

I went into labor and gave birth to our little girl, Holland on January 7th, the same day the photos were finished. I remember waking up to an email with copies of the pictures. Seeing them for the first time while holding Holland was surreal, and emotional. I had gone from someone who didn't want to get married or have kids to meeting my life partner, and giving birth to the most precious thing I'll ever be gifted with.

Maybe one day she'll climb mountains with us. If she does, we already have a pair of matching shoes for her to wear."

We were all very excited to have this shoot featured on The Fount Collective maternity blog. I hope you enjoy these images!

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Featured On: The Fount Collective

 

Stylish Engagement Party at the Ebell of Long Beach || Maral & Ara

Maral and Ara invited me to photograph their Armenian engagement party at the Ebell of Long Beach. The creatives at Pretty Little Paper Co created a stunning invitation suite - which implemented details of Armenian culture - which was sent out to the couple's closest friends and family, inviting them to witness the traditional Armenian ring ceremony, share a meal and dance into the night. Morgan of Wild Muse Floral Co designed gold and blush floral arrangements that perfectly complemented Maral's gold sequin Alice McCall dress and emerald green Jimmy Choo heels.

The Spanish-inspired wedding venue was the perfect setting for this impeccably styled Armenian engagement party, and I'm so glad I got the opportunity to witness this culture and event. Maral and Ara will be getting married in Armenia later this year.

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Venue: Ebell of Long Beach

Invitation Suite: Pretty Little Paper Co.

Dress: Alice McCall

Shoes: Jimmy Choo

Florals: Wild Muse Floral Co.

Event Planning and Design: Laurel Events LA

Film Scans: Richard Photo Lab

 

Romantic Engagement Session at Malibu Creek State Park and El Matador State Beach || Anna & Greg

Anna & Greg came to me as referrals from past clients. They were looking for an engagement session where they could relax, be themselves and even have their pup, Charlie, along for the event all while having a vibe that they knew would be different from their Santa Barbara Courthouse Wedding, which is planned for May 5, 2017.

Our engagement session started at Malibu Creek State Park, where the warm color and crisp textured of the tall grass matched the near-perfect weather conditions we had. We then headed 30 minutes up the coast to El Matador State Beach for some beautiful sunset photos.

I am always grateful to find clients that will give me the time and creative freedom to make images on film that will be heirlooms for future generations. Anna and Greg did just that, and I'm excited for their upcoming wedding! I think it goes without saying that we were all excited to see this engagement session featured on the Trendy Bride wedding inspiration blog.

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Photography: Czar Goss

Her: Anthropologie (top + accessories), Current/Elliot (jeans) ,Vince Camuto (shoes)

Him: Calvin Klein (shirt), @sevenforallmankind (jeans), @clarksshoes (shoes)

Her: Bhldn (dress), @hairbyalexa (hair), @valari3bee (makeup)

Him: Tommy Hilfiger (suit)

Film Scans: Richard Photo Lab

Featured On: Trendy Bride