kate + andy | wedding

Meet Kate... the amazing cellist and music extraordinaire. And Andy... the love of her life who happens to be the world greatest adventurer and also takes some pretty fancy pictures. ;) I had the pleasure of being a part of their celebration and it was a sweet affair indeed. Here are a few of my fav shots of the day...

Kate had lace pieces of her grandmothers wedding dress made into clips to wear in her hair.

Her viel was handmade by one of her dear friends...

This is one of my favorites. I turned around right as they laies were ascending up the stairs and didnt even rally have time to think. ... I just shot and ended up loving this little prize when I saw it while editing.

Happy Saturday everyone! I hope you are all enjoying the start of this three day weekend! :)

Danielle + Erik | part 1

My Danielle. My beautiful Danielle. I knew she would make a beautiful bride but I must admit I was literally blown away with how AMAZING she looked. Seeing her all put together literally took my breath away. I know these are a little out of order but bear with me.... I had to post these first. :)

The Crafty MOH

So, If you know me, you know that I have this crazy obsession with crafts and making things. It fuels a fire in me that turns me into some crazy woman. yes, CRAZY. I get this idea in my head that if it doesn't involve heavy machinery or quantum physics, then I can make it. Or at least I TRY. haha.... that doesn't always work out though.
My best friend's wedding was no different. I bit off a little more than I can chew but it all came together in the end. I'm still editing all the images from the actual wedding but here's a quick glimpse into the fun projects I got to go crazy on....

FLOWER ARCHES

These were my pride and joy.
We started with 6 sticks, bushels of flowers, and two buckets of cement and hours later, these resulted....

This arch was the one they were married under

NAME & PLACE CARDS

Now for the name/place cards. This first image was my vision for name cards.

and the next image was the end result.... :)

Instead of table "numbers", each table was represented by a silhouette so the guests found their names and sat at the corresponding image.

Each name card was comprised of 4 layers.
1. Chipboard frames spray-painted black and gold.
2. The names were printed on transparencies
to act as "glass"
3. The silhouettes were printed on cardstock and then they were handcut and assembled with a backing.

The boys built me the wooden wall to display the "family photos" on... and then the Texican hammered in all 150 nails

WAY TOO MANY HOURS was put into this project, but I was pretty pleased with the results. I'm so thankful for all the extra hands to cut and glue and hammer and smack my upside the head too!... :)

RECEPTION VEIL
Lastly, I made Danielle's reception veil. She changed halfway through the reception into a short dress and birdcage veil.

Images from the actual wedding coming soon! I just wanted to share some of the fun I had along the way.

Parissa | senior portraits

Meet Paris. My baby sister. Another Dalirifar girl.

I'd rather not talk about the fact that I remember when she was born, or that I am 11 years older than her which means I graduated HS 11 years ago, or that she got the perfectly tan persian skin while I glow in the dark, or that her hair is NATURALLY that curly, thick, and perfect. No, let's not talk about that.

Let's talk about how wonderful she is and how tender and precious her heart is. Or maybe how amazing her voice is. or how she just got accepted to the top party school in the country and I want to lock her in a cage so she can't go.

You know what?
Actually, how about if I just stop talking about her because I could keep you here all day but I am sure you have better things to do :)

So let's just get to it, The beautiful soul that is my little sister Paris....

Kate + Chris | boston, ma

Back in 2006 when I decided I wanted to "get into photography" I had the opportunity to intern for the fabulous Mike Colon out in Newport Beach, CA. I didnt even own a camera yet and it was my very first wedding as an assistant ( I think I was the 3rd or 4th shooter actually) was for Katie and John at which KATE was the Maid of honor. Its amazing how 4 years later, and a coastal move, brought Kate back across my path. THIS time she was the bride, Katie was the Maid of Honor and I was the photographer! It truly was a surreal experience trying to wrap my head around it all. Yet another little thing with which I am forever grateful to Mike for.

Throughout her planning, I've had the opportunity to shoot their engagement session but also shoot her boudoir... *click here*. SHe has become WAY more than a client and I can truly call her a friend. We've spilled life stories over nachos, she's been buck naked while I photographed her in the woods, and I had the honor of documenting her big day. Now it's time for babies Kate... you aren't getting rid of me that easy ;)

Anyway, here are few of my favorite moments... accompanied by a slideshow of their day

An extra special thanks to e-man for being my sidekick for the day. Its always a pleasure!

spreading the love

"when he reached over to grab my hand, I knew I was a goner" -Mary Marantz

Yes, I am a sucker for love stories. Perhaps because I am a girl... perhaps because I love stories in general.... or perhaps it's like my iPhone screen saver reads "the only magic I still believe in is love"



Whatever the cause, I often know the love stories of every couple I meet. And not because it is my career but because it is my passion. You may call it nosey, I call it a quest to understand and partake in the stories that make us who we are.

I recently jumped off the Spread The Love tour with Justin and Mary Marantz and found that they aren't just spreading the love with a powerful emotional workshop geared toward balancing business with life, but they are spreading their own love for each other and sharing it with the world. Giving something for the world to gaze upon and realize that a love like this truly can exist.
We traveled around in an SUV and from my backseat view, I often saw the following occurrence. Unbeknownst to them, I would quickly grab my iphone and shakily snap away in hopes that the bouncy roads wouldn't make my images TOO blurry. ;)

J&M met online... both just came out of long term relationships and Mary was quick to inform Justin she wasn't looking for anything serious. Then, as she recounts, "he reached over to grab my hand, I knew I was a goner".
The rest is history, but I have a feeling judging from my humble backseat view, that every time he reaches over to grab her hand she is STILL a goner.

Happy Valentines Day everyone!

San Miguel de Allende :: in Color

... and here are a few more images from the trip in COLOR! :)

The streets of Guanajuato MX

The driving streets of Guanajuato are all under the city. They are old aqueducts!

The view from my room in GTO :)

Universidad de Guanajuato

Piles and Piles of chicken feet...... yum?

Callejon de besos. The kissing alley. One of the opportunities I experienced was touring the city with the Estudiantinas... a musical walking tour that ends at the kissing alley. Little do you know, you cannot pass without kissing someone. If you have no one to kiss, they gladly offer their lip-service! ;) ;) .

I freakin' LOVE this shot. We were driving to the lake outside San Miguel and I squealed to pull over. The sun was setting, the dust was settling and the horse just made for a fun shot.

there were donkeys too!

The lake we found.... taking in the mexican countryside!

The main church in San Miguel. This place was breathtaking on so many levels. The architect who designed it had no formal training... he simply looked at pictures of churches in Europe and Spain to model his vision after. Quite impressive 'eh?

*sigh* I want to go back and do it all again....
I want to sit at the outdoor restaurants for breakfast and eat Eggs, with fresh avocado, beans and tortillas.
I want to stand in line at the churros restaurants for chocolate and carmel stuffed churros.
I want to stroll the street squealing at every opportunity to eat coco paletas.
[funny how a lot of my favorite memories revolve around food]
I want to sit in the streets and marvel at all the street artisans. Musicians, painters, life lovers.
I want to continue to find and trip over every exposed pot hole in San Miguel.
I want to always dance in the streets as the mariachi plays in front of the church
I want to visit the Escondido hot springs every day to unwind.
I want to walk into a restaurant in the states and not be looked at funny when I want to order Agua Frescas (Naranja)
I want to wear a fresh flower in my hair every day like I got to in Mexico.
I may not want to get pulled over by Federales with m-16s again... but I sure did enjoy the fact that latino men have a way with words. SO to my favorite Casanova de Palabras.... (and you know who you are).... thanks for making me smile, thanks for making me fall in love with the REAL Mexico, and thanks for making me want to go back.