As I looked down at the gorgeous ring on my hand, I thought to myself, "Okay, so we're planning a wedding"! Should be easy, right? I mean, I go to a wedding practically every weekend, all I have to do is start picking up the phone and making phone calls. Turns out that you can't really do much without a date and a location.
Picking a date has probably been the most stressful part of the planning process thus far. Jeff and I knew two things in selecting the date: 1. That we wanted the wedding to be this year and 2. That it would be on a weekday since several of the people in the wedding party have weddings on the weekends.
As a photographer, it was important to me to have the wedding before the time change happened, so we would have sunlight as late as possible towards the end of the year. Also as a photographer, I have already been booked for quite a few dates in the fall, so the wedding would have to be on a date where I had a few days before and at least a week after completely free so we wouldn't have to postpone a honeymoon. After much debate, changes, and back and forth, we finally figured it out, and couldn't be more excited. But I'm not going to tell you what it is in case it changes again :)
Some fun facts about the big day thus far:
1. It will be a fairly small wedding. If I had my way, we'd have 50 people, but as of now, the target is 75.
2. I have always made fun of people with big wedding parties, and Jeff and I both have 8 attendants. They will not be dressed alike.
3. The whole concept for the wedding takes its inspiration from the shoes we bought for Jeff. I'm not kidding--every detail relates back to his shoes.
4. I bought my wedding dress two days after getting engaged. It was the first dress I tried on and it is perfect.
5. I hate the garter tradition and would rather die than have an item of my clothing removed in front of my friends and family.
The part of the wedding process that I enjoy is picking colors, and things like that. Not so much on boring things like logistics, rentals, blah blah blah. However, as any real estate agent worth their salt will tell you, it's all about LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION. So once we chose the date, we began working on where to have the wedding.
Staying in Orange County wasn't really ideal to either of us, so we started dreaming big. I really wanted to have it in Switzerland, where I have family. Wouldn't that have been amazing? It totally would have been, just look:
Then we quickly got the smackdown from all our family and most of our friends (but not all), who thought it was too far, too expensive, and too cold at the end of the year.
Ok then.
So we started dreaming smaller, or at least closer to home. We though that a Napa wedding would be awesome, and I've always wanted to get married there. However, it's still far (we would have to fly there), so we looked at Santa Barbara/Ojai first. That was where we found our dream location:
Since we had ruled out Napa, we figured it was the best possible location, if we weren't going to do some beautiful field/meadow/winery with amazing light from sun up to sun down.
Then we discovered St. Helena. We got an email from Briana right as we were getting ready to send back the contract for the first place, encouraging us to come at least take a look at her parents' 150 acre Napa/St. Helena property. When we heard the description, we looked at each other, and figuring that since she actually read our minds and knew what we were looking for, that we should take a trip up. So the next day we hopped on a plane and cruised out. And that's how we found our wedding location:
This is the view from the cottage where I will get ready. The ceremony is the open meadow beyond the fence in the background. The reception will be outside too, in the meadow all the way to the right (you can't see it from this photo):
The cocktail hour will take place under this tree:
There's also quite a bit of vineyard acreage on the property where we will do photos afterwards. It was noon when we were there, but picture it in great light and with the vines completely filled in at that time of year:
And there you have it! If you would like more information about this INCREDIBLE property, send an email to BRIANA the wedding venue goddess
Reopening Shoot The Sh*t Sessions! Wed. April 29, 2009 photographers
For the longest time, I have been unwilling to consider myself a teacher. It's not that I don't want to share what I know with others, because I do! It's more that I've always been afraid that I don't know enough to be able to confidently and competently give my knowledge to others.
This year, I was invited to speak at WPPI, which was a huge coup for me, because I'd been attending for so long! But also because I'd been attending for so long, I've been to so many seminars that went the same way:
1. Photographer shows a slideshow of amazing images
2. Photographer tells why they are amazing
3. Audience agrees photographer is amazing
4. Audience leaves without really receiving information that they can USE to GROW their business, just a sense that they saw someone who was able to do what they themselves wanted to do but no idea how
Not a bad format, but really, what people really want is the nitty gritty about HOW to get there, WHAT steps to take and BECOMING a better shooter themselves! It's very hard to do that in a group setting, so this year, when I got up to speak, instead of sharing images, I shared my mistakes and the successes that came from them. I felt it really showed people who I am as a person, and that there is no magic bullet to getting where you want to go, only a process that comes from lots of trial and error. I love it, and am still getting emails from people it affected, which has been so so incredible and humbling.
I feel that to really make a change in someone, it's SO much better to sit one on one and really talk through the issues, the blockers, and to WORK on things, which is why I'm ready to reopen my private consulting!
We can talk about:
...and anything else you want!
I'm not saying that I know more than anyone else, but I can give you the benefit of my experiences if you are interested. No questions are off limits, and no topics too small or simple!
Please send me an email to blog@jessicaclaire.net to get rates and set up a time to meet! If you want to get a group of 2-5 people together too, that would be wonderful! If you have 10-25 people interested, I would be willing to come to your city--otherwise sessions will take place here in Orange County.
If you can't get to OC, sessions over email (I can answer questions that way), iChat, or Skype are also available.
I can't wait to meet some of you this summer, and I also can't wait to learn from each other! Let's make a change today!!
Liana & Mike: Part 2 of ? Fri. April 24, 2009 i do
On to part 2 of Liana & Mike's wedding! So after they saw each other for the first time, they scheduled a few hours for us to run around Santa Monica to shoot some portraits, like most good photographers would. (side note--Jeff is more traditional and does not want to see me before the wedding so we will not be doing this--more on that subject later).
Anyway, we all piled in the limo and cruised from Beverly Hills down to Santa Monica:
We then arrived at one of my favorite places in the world. You can't tell where it is from this photo, but I love it anyway:
Some of you may have guessed, it's the Viceroy-Santa Monica. It was decorated by my style icon, Kelly Wearstler. I love everything about this place--the decor, the rooms, the food---everything. I took all my branding inspiration from this hotel because it has the exact feel I wanted to give my business. When Liana told me that she and Mike had chosen it for their wedding night, I could not have been more stoked to shoot there!
We had such a great time--it's so fun!
I hope to incorporate plates like this into my decor when I eventually own a home:
Liana is affectionately known as "Liana Banana", so these yellow chairs were oh-so-appropriate:
Liana sure can work it like a model, especially for a photographer!
Mike's no slouch himself:
A little bit of a Marie Antoinette feeling bridal party photo:
Then a few more portraits in the lobby:
I swear, I could move in to this hotel and be perfectly happy:
I wanted to make a more etherial portrait of Liana:
Then we went down to Santa Monica Pier:
So hot:
Don't try to shoot here without a permit. You will get kicked out, like we did. Luckily, I shot and they twirled mid-kickout, so we still got these couple of shots:
Liana & Mike: Part 1 of ? Wed. April 22, 2009 i do
Liana and Mike are married! You know, it's always flattering when another photographer chooses me to photograph their wedding. Not that it isn't flattering when ANYONE chooses me, but it is a little extra special when someone who knows the industry inside and out (and every photographer in it) trusts me enough to capture a day they've though of all their lives.
I remember talking to Liana years ago about our future weddings, neither of us knowing at the time WHO those weddings would be to! When she finally met Mike, I was just so thrilled that she found someone she wanted to spend her life with, and it was an absolute honor to be asked to photograph that day.
Of course, being a photographer herself, the day was thought out to photographic perfection, making my job phenomenally easy! Every detail was flawless, and the day couldn't have been better. I have to admit, getting engaged the night before also made this wedding SO much fun to shoot, knowing that eventually I'd get to be in Liana's (very cute) shoes. I was focused on she and Mike all day though, and seeing their wedding come together so beautifully for her was so wonderful to see.
The day was so gorgeous, that it'll be a multi post, so for today, enjoy the first part! All images are digital, the film stuff will come later :)
Liana's mom and sister and bridesmaids did ALL the flowers--aren't they gorgeous??
A few details of Liana:
The dress--it was so stunning!
Nicole Deanne did the hair and makeup--she is SO talented!
Again, I just loved her flowers! Look at the little pearly details in the blooms:
The girls got ready in this super cool old house right near where the wedding was going to be, and it had lots of cool spots to shoot details:
I think she looks totally glam here:
And here:
Mike is so sweet. Liana had never received anything from Tiffany before and she told Mike she'd be happy with just the pretty blue box. Liana opened the first gift he'd sent over for her, and loved it--it was a little china Tiffany box. Then Laurel, Liana's sister surprised her with TWO more Tiffany boxes from Mike!
Look at the beautiful baby blue stone--it's a right-hand ring for Liana, which she wore to the wedding. As if she needed another something blue!
Time to get into that stunning dress!
Liana was one of the most beautiful brides I've ever seen, as I always knew she would be :)
Meanwhile, back at the castle (literally, the wedding was at Greystone Manor in Beverly Hills), Mike waited patiently:
and handsomely...
One of my favorite moments:
It's always nice to have some first moments in backlit goodness :) It was right about noon though, so it was a little bright to really shoot much:
Because they saw each other early, we had a few hours to roam around Santa Monica and find some great spots to shoot!
But you'll have to wait for part two to see where we went and what we did :)
For now, here's a little teaser:
Liana and Mike are hanging out down under right now (in Melbourne still, I believe), so leave them lots of love so that when they wake up, they'll have some nice words to see!
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plan!
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