Remember the ridiculously cute, fishing-themed engagement photos that was featured on Green Wedding Shoes last year?  Well, Nikki & Andrew got married and based on their engagement photos, I couldn’t wait to see their wedding!  In a nutshell, in case you missed it, he loves fish & she loves dog.  They told Heather, of Amorology, and being the crazy talented/creative genius she is, she came up with the theme… dog beach.  Now honestly, when Nikki told me the theme, I scratched my head (that’s why I’m not a wedding planner).  I had never heard of a dog beach theme before and had no idea how they were going to incorporate it at Pelican Hill.  If you’re scratching your head too, then you’re really in for a treat!

Flowers were by none other, Squareroot Designs.  I just love succulents.  And you see that gorgeous ring pillow above?  It was made from Nikki mom’s wedding dress!!!  And I just adore how her Ines Di Santo dress sparkles!

Nikki is an amazing graphic designer with good taste.  Heather introduced her to Courtney from Brightly Designed, and the minute she walked into her studio, she KNEW they’d be a great fit. Nikki told her about the color scheme, theme, and a few details she wanted (like the wood dog cut-outs, the fonts, the letterpress, the background patterns, etc.), and Courtney took everything to the next level.

They also had the cutest flower girl ever.  I just adored her pink tutu from Fluffy Tuffies.

Above are the groomsmen gifts – pixel cuff links!

And how insanely creative are their escort cards??  It’s a dog beach!  Please fetch your name!  My favorite element is the tiny paw prints running through the sand:

Yummy drinks, including a champagne bar:

Cutest candy bar ever.  Amorology created a gorgeous ribbon backdrop.

Another fav element of mine, table names printed on old pages from a dictionary!  And the fish & dog graphics are so freakin cute!

I also love the subtle use of fish scales throughout, like in a centerpiece above, and on the CAKE!  Who knew fish scales could be so elegant!

And for late night snacks, they had a donut station, where you got to “Take a Dip” and put on your own toppings.  They also had mini milkshakes and sliders.

The cutest groom’s cake:

And a fun lounge by Concepts Event Design for guests to hang out into the wee hours of the night.

**This wedding was featured on 100 Layer Cake and will be in the new Ceremony Magazine!**

I really love shooting one year olds.  If you can’t tell, I have a lot of fun with them.  I actually met Fiona when she was still inside her mommy’s tummy at Sarah & Raymond’s Cafe Pinot wedding.  It’s crazy to see the adorable little one year old she is today!  We brainstormed several ideas, but when Dorothy told me that she made Fiona a teepee, I HAD to shoot it!  I convinced them to lug out this big teepee and I’m so glad we did.  One of my favorite kid sessions yet!

Don’t you love the two babies, fiona and nacho?  And this is one of my favorite family photos ever:

I really just love how they play together.

I love her giggles… and little shorts!

Another of my favs:

I also love the quirkiness of this photo with Fiona’s parents and grandparents.  The whole family!

Another fav from the day:

Goodbye!  Thanks for playing with us today!  Please join us again soon!

P.S. If you’ve signed up to receive workshop info (see my previous post), you should be getting an email from me in the next few days, if you haven’t already.  Google limits the number of emails I can send a day!  Didn’t know until I got the notice that I exceeded my limit.  Just sent out a second batch today, so if you haven’t received an email from me, you will soon!

Remember baby Ashlynn’s Newborn photos and 6 months photos?  She’s turning a year old already!  I loved watching her grow this first year and look forward to seeing her become a toddler!

Her little bikini is so adorable!

If I could, I would have the doggie pull on Ashlynn’s bikini bottom in this next photo:

It was actually really cold, though it’s summer.  Ashlynn was a trooper!  I love Ashlynn’s family:

And this last image…

Becoming a family’s photographer is one of the greatest honor.  I photographed Yung’s brother’s wedding last year at the Julia Morgan Ballroom, so it was really special to see Yung again… engaged!  As his best man described him, “He does not have one serious bone in him.”  As I planned this shoot with Susan, we knew we had to make it fun and incorporate their doggy.

Is that not the sweetest yorkie ever?

Susan brought these thought bubble chalk boards, so I asked them to secretively write an adjective that describes how they’re feeling about the upcoming wedding day.  This is a comical outtake:

How all engagement shoots should be, carefree:

Yummy flare on film:

I love the motion in this next image:

And a little playful chase… what I think all relationships should constantly have… both ways.

Stay tuned for their beautiful wedding!

Remember these adorable newborn photos?  Well look how much Ashlynn has grown since!

Love this initial reaction to the tutu:

And then fascination:

tutus and pink converse!

and this one just cracks me up:

It’s so amazing to see these babies grow!  from womb to 6 months… and the next time I see her she’ll be one!