Cody and Roz met for the first time last Memorial Day.  They have had quite the whirlwind romance, and I have had the privelege of getting to witness them as ‘just’ friends, newly dating, engaged, and now almost married!  Their wedding next month is gonna be a par-tay!!! (yes…I love exclamation points! a lot!!!)

A few weeks ago we spent the afternoon in Laguna Beach for their engagement session.  There are more images to come…but enjoy this little sneak peak!

Go away from my window, leave at your own chosen speed.

I’m not the one you want babe…I’m not the one you need.

You say you’re looking for someone never weak, but always strong

to protect you and defend you whether you are right or wrong.

Someone to open each and every door…but it ain’t me babe

No, no, no, it ain’t  me you’re lookin’ for…babe.

Go lightly from the ledge babe, go lightly on the ground.

I’m not the one you want babe, I will only let you down.

You say you’re lookin’ for someone who will promise never to part.

Someone to close his eyes for you, someone to close his heart.

Someone who will die for you and more…But it ain’t me babe.

No, no, no, it ain’t me babe; it ain’t me you’re lookin’ for…babe.

Go melt back into the night babe, everything inside is made of stone.

There’s nothing in here moving, and anyway I’m not alone.

You say you’re lookin’ for someone who’ll pick you up each time you fall.

To gather flowers constantly, and to come each time you  call…

A lover for your life and nothing more…But it ain’t me babe.

No, no, no, it ain’t me babe;

it ain’t me you’re lookin’ for…babe.

-Bob Dylan It Ain’t Me Babe

New York City really is the city that never sleeps.

Midday walks in Central Park, taking subways into SoHo at all hours, late night dinners on a weeknight, meeting up with friends well past midnight on a Monday…everything about New York draws me in.

Thanks to an awesome boss, Mike Colón, I get the opportunity to travel to New York City several times a year.  In April it was a privilege to partner with Jackie of Mercí New York to plan Mike’s NYC Shooting Workshop.  Jackie is one of New York City’s lead wedding writers and event stylists, and also one of my most favorite people in New York (Trent Bailey thanks so much for the intro!!).

My first time ever to Central Park was the day of the wedding shoot. (After spending a cloudy and quiet day in Central Park with a group of New York City wedding photographers, my love affair for New York was solidified).

Not only did this shoot turn out better than I could have hoped for, I made about 20 new friends, AND the lovely ladies over at Style Me Pretty featured the Central Park Wedding Shoot last week!

To view more of our images from this shoot CLICK HERE.

We had an unbelievable team of vendors that made this day happen!  Thanks so so much guys:)

Vendor Information:

Stylist:  Jacqueline Weppner, Mercí New York

Floral design: Lori Meigel, Merci New York

Models:  Johan, Gabi

Hair & Make-up:  Michelle, Pink Comb Salon

Gowns: Gabriella Bridal Salon (Long dress is Sassi Holford, “fleur” gown.  Short dress is Allison Paris, “short feather dress in white.”

Accessories:  Preston and Olivia:  floral veil.  Sara Gabriel:   hairpiece paired with the Allison Paris feather gown; J Crew:   Nude ballet flats, men’s shirt, bow tie; Club Monaco:   Faux fur cropped jacket.

Jewelry:  Rent the Runway: featuring Miriam Haskell, Nicole Miller, and Erickson Beamon.

Men’s suiting and formalwear: Rothman’s New York;  Tallia:  Pin stripe sport jacket .  Hugo Boss:  Pants .

Two and a half years ago I moved to Orange County with a suitcase, no car, no place to live, and not a single friend…but with very big dreams.  So much has happened in my life since my first night in Newport when I wrote in my journal over and over and over again “what in the worrrrrrllllld have I gotten myself into??”.

I just wanted one friend.  One friend to do life with…to be my partner in crime…to let me borrow all her awesome clothes.  Instead God gave me about 20 girls. So much more than I could have imagined, dreamed, or hoped for.

These are my girls who tell me like it is when I least want to hear it.  My girls who gently remind me of my worth when I’ve deemed it ok to settle for scraps.  They remind me that we weren’t created to fend for ourselves and climb our way through life alone.  I need them desperately, and depend on them deeply.

Sitting around the table for Danielle’s birthday on Sunday night at Roma Cucina I was blown away by God’s love for me, and for my friends.  These ladies have become a part of me, a part of my journey.  Our lives now entangled and interwoven.  They’re my family, a soul refreshing breath of air in my life.

We sat around the table and talked, laughed, cried, told stories, and were in absolutely no rush to leave (our poor waiter must have hated us!).  It was holy; it was a gift, and I am so so so thankful.

My lifeline.

Today, I feel giddy, excited, and super honored?  Why you  may ask?…because we are featured on Style Me Pretty.  Mike’s NYC Shooting Workshop is live on Style Me Pretty’s Local NYC blog.  Thanks so much Mike for entrusting me with this shoot; it was so so fun to get to collaborate with and make friends with the one and only Jackie Weppner of Mercí New York.  (Not only is she super talented and professional, but she is one of the sweetest girls I’ve met!)

We’ll be doing a full post on this shoot next week…get excited folks:)

Shout out to all the amazing vendors who helped make this NYC Shooting Workshop happen:

Mike Colón NYC Shooting Workshop

Vendor Information:

Stylist:  Jacqueline Weppner, Mercí New York

Floral design: Lori Meigel, Merci New York

Hair & Makeup:  Michelle, Pink Comb Salon

Models:  Johan, Gabi

Gowns: Gabriella Bridal Salon (Long dress is Sassi Holford, “fleur” gown.  Short dress is Allison Paris, “short feather dress in white.”

Accessories:  Preston and Olivia:  floral veil.  Sara Gabriel:   hairpiece paired with the Allison Paris feather gown; J Crew:   Nude ballet flats, men’s shirt, bow tie; Club Monaco:   Faux fur cropped jacket.

Jewelry:  Rent the Runway: featuring Miriam Haskell, Nicole Miller, and Erickson Beamon.

Men’s suiting and formalwear: Rothman’s New York;  Tallia, Pin stripe sport jacket:  Hugo Boss, Pants.

I’ve been sitting at my computer for a good ten minutes now, and just realized that I still had my sunglasses on.

The pair of jeans I’m wearing today has an unfortunate zipper that never seems to stay up for more than an hour.  I become ‘that girl’ with her zipper gaping open in public…ya know the one where you have this sort of moral dilemna:  do you tell the girl who seems to be using her hands an awful lot while she’s talking to that cute boy that her zipper is down, or do you just let her be in ignorant bliss throughout her conversation?

What person are you?  Do you tell me, or not?

Random…I know…but I need to know where our friendship stands world.  What kind of friend are you?!  That’s not too much for a girl to ask….right!?!?

Happy Friday Folks…and please please tell me if my zipper is down.

And also…don’t journey into your weekend without checking out Death Cab’s latest Single, You Are a Tourist.

When Rosanna asked me to shoot a wedding with her in Wisconsin I had 2 thoughts:

1)  Duh…I’ll totally go anywhere to shoot a wedding with my fab friend.

2)  Will I make it back alive or die of frost bite?

This is what goes through the head of a Texas turned So-Cal girl that gets cold at 71 degree weather.  (I know…you feel really bad for me right about now).  Thankfully, we braved the weather, and I still have all 10 toes.

Onto Caleb and Laura.

Laura was so calm; it was like she was getting ready for any other day, but this one just so happened to be her wedding day.  As she got her hair and make-up done she laughed and told stories about growing up with her sister and family in Wisconsin.  There was no drama, just ease and an eager readiness for a day she had been waiting so long for.

Now you could hear Caleb and his groomsmen laughing from down the hall.  There was a nervous excitement as the guys put on their tuxes.  Caleb was a little jittery, and so anxious to see his bride.

…When the doors opened to the church and Caleb saw Laura beaming confidently towards him, he melted.   Their ceremony and their day was intimate and real, and the friends that rallied around them cared so deeply for them as a couple and as individuals.  It was a gift to be able to be a part of it.

Rosanna Marie:  thanks so much for letting me be your sidekick (Check out her images from the wedding HERE).  Not only are you a phenomenal photographer, but girl you can break it on the dance floor.  (Can’t wait to do the Dougie with you again soon!)

I love this moment between Caleb and Laura.

Just in case you were wondering…this is what freeeezing cold looks like.

Laura is my kinda girl…she owned it on the dance floor!

It’s cloudy and overcast this morning.  As I drove to the office this morning, cool rain was coming down lightly.

Today is a day where Lykke Li, Jonsi, and Bon Iver will be played on repeat.

This Monday morning is a break from the heat, and it feels a slight break from the chaos of life.

Just soaking it all in…Happy Monday

I have a confession.

I’m in love.

With J.Crew.  If he was a guy, I’d date him.  We’d both wear really classy clothes and go out on grown-up dates like to The Getty museum, and then to a swanky place in LA for dinner.  Oh ya, and he’d always open my car door, and let me adjust the air conditioning in the car to my pleasing.

J.Crew.  My love affair.

Last weekend my friend Tiffany showed up to Lindsay’s Laguna Beach bridal shower in this amazing dress.  Tiffany went to college in Palm Beach FL., and I think this is a very Palm Beach outfit…I even told her so.  Tiff says, ‘guess where I got it…’ and squealing in delight I said ‘….J.Crew…doy!’.

Here’s to my love affair with a store; it may be weird but you’ll have to get over it.  And to friends that have awesome style, and let me borrow their clothes!

Happy Friday:)

July 17, 2010 could not have been a more beautiful day in Santa Barbara. As Mike and I drove up to The Four Seasons Biltmore in Santa Barbara the sky was clear, and there was a tiny little breeze.  In short; it was perfect.  We met Sabine and Peter for the first time the day of their wedding, but by the end of the weekend (they had an amazing Sunday brunch on a yacht) we felt like family.  Every so often you meet those people that you instantly connect with, and this was the case with the entire Dahl family.  You see this was not just a marriage celebration; it was a celebration of combining two families and 6 kids.  It was the beginning of the intermingling of not only 2 people, but of 2 families.

Sabine and Peter have so much genuine love for each other.  There were moments when I just wanted to go up and hug them both (which I actually did).  There ceremony included all 6 children. During part of the ceremony I had to just put my camera down and soak in the moment as tears were coming down my cheeks.  Yes, this is a marriage and a family committed to one other and committed to love.

Since this lovely Santa Barbara wedding is featured on Grace Ormonde Wedding Style’s ‘Real Weddings’ we can now share it with you.  To check out more of the story go to Mike’s blog, and to see the Grace Ormonde Feature CLICK HERE.

So many favorites from this day…but this series I love (The below shot made it on Grace Ormonde’s Blog….which I’m honored and absolutely jump-up-and-down giddy about).  During Sabine and Peter’s last dance feathers starting swirling all over the room; it was the perfect way to end a day of sophisticated elegance!

Vendor Information:

Photographer:  Mike Colón Photographers

Wedding Coordinator:  Ava Carroll-Brown; Brownstone Place, Thousand Oaks, CA. & Incline Village, NV.

Location:  The Four Seasons Biltmore, Santa Barbara, CA.

Floral Designer:  King Dahl Event Design; Agora Hills, CA.

Linens:  Roberta Karsch-Resource One, Inc.; Reseda, CA.

Lighting:  The Right Lights; Agora Hills, CA.

Custom Jewelry:  Christie & Co.