A Year in Review: My Favorite Moments from 2018

2018 was all about the desert, skyline views of Los Angeles, dogs at weddings, and small elopements. I had so much fun photographing all over California, from Big Sur to Palm Springs..and a bunch of beautiful beaches and mountains in between. :) Here's a few of my favorite moments!

I need to talk about this blue wedding dress again and always, because this is what my photographer dreams are made of. Eugenia Druzhininia of Hip & Unique custom made this dress for Lani, and I am forever in love with the way it caught the light on this rooftop in downtown LA. Beyond the dress, this wedding at the Millwick was super fun while also being laid back; and I got to work with one my photo best friends from Michigan (I love you, Sara!!!). Rick and Lani decorated their Millwick wedding with photographs of their cat, had a fortune teller show up at the end of the night, and served tacos and tequila. In other words, it was perfect. You can view more of their wedding and this beautiful dress here.

In October, Elizabeth & Brian took me to Big Sur to photograph their intimate elopement in the Redwoods. It was truly stunning, and Big Sur is such a magical place with incredible views along the coast; which we definitely made use of. Beyond the obviously gorgeousness of Big Sur, my absolute favorite part of their day is when they exchanged hand written letters before seeing each other for their first look. Check out their intimate Big Sur elopement here!

Speaking of amazing first looks, Scott's reaction to seeing his bride for the first time was amazing. Afterwards he instinctively started helping her with her veil and dress, and it was pretty much the sweetest thing ever. Their classic & elegant wedding at the La Quinta Resort in the Palm Desert gave me major Santorini vibes with all the white walls and clear skies. 

I went to the Palm Springs area a LOT this year to document amazing weddings, but this trip to the Sands Hotel & Spa was such a highlight for me! I stayed at the resort (highly recommend) with a few vendor friends to photograph this colorful wedding editorial perfectly designed by Jason Lloyd and floralized (new word, ya like?) by Salt Road. More of this editorial will be coming in the new year!

What's better than modern, fun wedding with lots of puppies at the Ace Hotel & Swim Club in Palm Springs? Nothing. This wedding was GOALS. View more of Sarah & George's Palm Springs wedding here!

BRING ON THE PUPS. Ema & Ray brought their dog Pepper to their beautiful vineyard wedding at Triunfo Creek. This wedding was full of laughs and some seriously stunning design by Harlow Planning and Florals by Isabelle. 

When Anna contacted me to photograph her elopement at Griffith Park, she mentioned that she and Dave just got a new puppy... and I was sooo happy when they brought her along for their elopement! They held their puppy while saying their vows to each other, and it was probably my one of my favorite ceremonies of the year!

I photographed a lot of intimate elopements this year! From backyards in Beverly Hills to the Redwoods in Big Sur, these celebrations were low key and filled with tons of love!

Heather & Joel have been together for 8.5 years, and their wedding in Palos Verdes was filled with tears and lots of dancing! They got ready at the gorgeous Terranea, which I 10/10 recommend booking for a staycation or wedding. The views were absolutely stunning! View more of their day here!

In February, Angela and Ajay were smiling through their slightly chilly (for SoCal) wedding in the hills of Malibu at the 1909 Topanga. Their wedding was small, intimate, and full of laughs!

In June, things got super colorful...and maybe (definitely) a little weird when Kristen & Keith took me up to San Luis Obispo to photograph their unforgettably fun wedding at the super eclectic Madonna Inn. I looooved this colorful, weird palace; and I can't wait to book my own stay there this year (I've been stalking the Carin Room). One of favorite things about this wedding was how Kristen & Keith just embraced every off beat and weird thing that happened. For example, they definitely didn't know that a circus was scheduled for that weekend next door (pictured below) or that one of their friends shoved a wrestler mask in her purse... And, I definitely didn't expect Kristen to put the mask on (also pictured below).

More weird, fun things happened in December, when I met the Bumbys at a holiday party perfectly designed by Orange Blossom Special Events. If you're not familiar with the Bumbys, you should definitely look them up on Instagram right now! 

It wouldn't be a wedding without an awesome reception, but honestly the party pics deserve a blog post all their own. But here's a couple favs from 2018!

To end my year, I got to photograph my friend (and fellow wedding photographer!) Victoria's proposal! Congrats Victoria and Ed!

My 2019 schedule is already packed with a lot of really amazing weddings and adventures. I can't wait to share them all with you, but until then here's a few more favorite moments from 2018. Thank you to all my amazing clients for trusting me to document all these moments!!