Time for new photos of the girls on my office walls. Today I bribed the girls with $5 each to spend however they want IF they would let me take some photos. Anna chose the location ("where the deer hang out"), which is just some ratty old storm drain area near my house off the busy road nearby. Holly chose her outfit, including anything that was pink and sparkles. I haven't heard yet what they will spend their money on, but they did say they wanted to go to Target to shop. (Dodged a bullet there, I thought for sure Anna would say "Pet Store" and I would have to backtrack on my "spend it however you want" offer.)

I have so many wonderful memories of Alicia and Jim's wedding in Kauai yesterday, that I don't know where to start! I suppose we could start at the very beginning of their relationship. Alicia and Jim met at their friends' wedding in Kauai 4 years ago. They didn't know each other before the wedding, but they spent their time in Kauai falling for each other. They were long distance for awhile, and then Jim moved to San Diego where Alicia lives. When Jim proposed, they started planning for a San Diego wedding. But then a light bulb went off...what about having the wedding in Kauai? The island has such special meaning for them, it was a natural fit. I am so pleased that I was able to be there with them, so let's share the photos. For those that are curious about the details for your own planning purposes Location: Moana Mele in Kiluea on Kauai's north side Coordinator: I Do Weddings Florist: Martin Roberts Caterer: Kauai Cuisine

I heard from reputable sources that Jim designed the rings and settings. These were beautiful rings, so cool even from the side! Alicia's dress is in my top three favorites of the year. The fabric was so beautiful, and the cut was perfection on her! Alicia getting her make-up on. I swear she was absolutely radiant! Dawn, the Maid of Honor Jim's nieces, Avery and Grace, were the flower girl and junior bridesmaid. They were simply adorable (and reminded me of my girls all day long). Um, yeah!? Don't you wish you got married here?! Paradise!! The ceremony was unbelievably touching. The officiant included some Hawaiian traditions, including a fresh coconut drink (as in...he sliced a coconut open right there on the spot!). One of my favorite parts of the ceremony though was watching Alicia and Jim's family take turns blessing them and their rings. And, then the officiant had Alicia and Jim take a quiet break, brought their heads together, and had them *feel* the love that was surrounding them from all sides. Family, friends, each other. As they were joining their lives together, he had them "breathe the same air". A short note about the weather. Kauai was dumping rain the morning of this wedding. And, literally 15 minutes before I started to shoot, the rain stopped. *insert angels singing* It didn't rain a drop more until about 15 seconds after Alicia and Jim were pronounced man and wife. It rained a short but sweet amount just show us a lucky rainbow (and get a few quick rain shots).

I am safely in Kauai, after an eventful flight over the Pacific. The plane "dropped" a piece of metal before we left, but the captain claimed that the metal was from the tow car on the tarmac...not our plane. I am still skeptical (nervous flier). To the parents in seat 13C and 13D (two rows behind me), I'm so sorry your kid was screaming for 2 hours...must have been a long flight for you, too. I was really happy that I remembered to bring my noise-canceling headphones. I wanted to leave you with a photo from the SFO long-term parking lot where my car is sitting right now. I rolled up to the stop sign, and then had a second thought. Did I really see that right? I just had to reverse and take a photo for you all.

Robyn and Derek came to me and said they had this great idea for a wedding. They were going to get married in the Fremont Theater in San Luis Obispo. If you don't know it, that is a vintage movie theater. Neon lights, painted art-deco ceiling, huge seating, big marquee, and very old school. I thought it sounded like a blast! To accommodate the theater's availability, the main feature wedding had to be shown on a Monday matinee. No problems! Welcome to the really fun Hollywood red carpet, movie-themed wedding! Robyn's aunt and grandma made her dress. Sew appropriate that they would be the ones to zip her into it. (did you see my pun? ha ha ha) Their vows were straight from West Side Story... and included a set of concrete handprints to memorialize the day. They were ushered out of the theater to a storm of flying popcorn. So, if you haven't gathered yet that Robyn and Derek are non-traditional, fun-loving types... They made their red carpet entrance to the reception. I'm proud to have added my paparazzi-ness to the ocassion. There were lots of surprises and fun throughout the evening. The bouquet toss included a bouquet that broke apart into single roses so that LOTS of girls caught flowers. There was a raffle for movie posters and a movie name contest. Even awards for Best Producers (bride and groom's parents), Best Costume Design (grandma and aunt), Best Supporting Cast (Wedding Party), Best Director (Glenn, the officiant), and...cue drumroll please...Best Cinematography (ME!). And one of my favorite photos from the day...the happy Mr. and Mrs.

Harley Davidson runs deep in this family. If you remember from Kristy and Jim's engagement session, they met at her father's Harley Davidson shop. And it was clear from the gathering yesterday that the motorcycle mystique has brought many friends into their lives. As Kristy's mom said "We only invited people we love" and the place was packed. While the last week up to the wedding was stressful (Kristy and Jim moved the week before the wedding and it rained the morning of the wedding), the event went off without a hitch. Kristy's mom gives a quick peek at her during the make-up preparations. And, I can say with all certainty, their ceremony was the quickest one I've EVER seen. Even faster than the wedding that had no guests but myself and the officiant. The picture below is the entire ceremony for Kristy and Jim. Jim's face as he sees Kristy for the first time. collective "awwwww" Kristy's family had said that dad would be the one to get emotional. Sure enough, he just couldn't hold back the tears walking her down the aisle. Jim's mom was radiant during the ceremony, just beaming at her son and new daughter-in-law. Jim's ring is actually his grandfather's wedding ring in the middle of two new band edges. And, since Jim's a motorcycle fixer, nothing's more appropriate than some tools to set up their rings. Kristy and Jim were so ready to get the party started, they began dancing during the formal shots. LOVE IT! I loved the story of Kristy's dress. As with good wedding traditions, Kristy shopped for her dress without telling Jim what it looked like. She found it in a magazine, tracked down a local vendor, and bought the dress. Weeks later, Jim saw the same dress in a magazine and pointed out to Kristy that he really liked it and thought this would be a great dress for her. Talk about being on the same page?! Anyways, I just loved how this photo shows off the red accents of the dress and its movement. Kristy was trying to decide if she should bend to the crowd's will and show everyone her MC Hammer moves. She did. It rocked! Axl Rose made an appearance. So did Michael Jackson. The dancing got wild, some could hang... and others just had to sleep.