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What's a girl to do when you're being winked at? Normally she wouldn't have responded but Catherine says his warm smile and gentle eyes won her over. And when he proposed, Michael was sneaky enough to video tape the whole thing. But of course he's romantic. He composes beautiful romantic music for a living. And after seeing how radiant Catherine was on her wedding day, there is no doubt that she is his muse.
Catherine and Michael's Ventura wedding was my personal cup of tea. The closest feel to my own beach wedding eleven years back. And although they didn't actually get married on the beach, the whole beachy, Tommy Bahama theme was just perfect for this intimate, laid back wedding.
This will now be the third wedding this year that I've photographed were the bride and groom help each other get ready. I'm seeing a new wedding trend emerge and I love it. It's so sweet to see the tender moments of preparing together. They had rented a beach house for the week, a place for out of town family to come and share before the big day and lucky me the light was fantastic.
I was excited to open the closet to find this flirty little Tommy Bahama dress and Aldo sandals.
This stunning bride's maid bouquet, as well as the bride's, was created by Greenwich Floral Design. I love the color and textures that she used to create these.
Catherine was glowing the whole day, her eyes and smile full of joy for what was about to come...
Because they saw each other before the ceremony we had plenty of time for great portraits so off to the beach we went...
The blended family...
The ceremony and reception took place at Tutti's Off Main. They had the whole courtyard to themselves, which was perfect for this intimate affair.
This may be my favorite wedding topper ever. I almost wanted to slip it into my camera bag but I thought they may have noticed it was missing. And I loved the way Jana's Creative Cakes carried the whole theme.
They had an amazing singer/acoustic guitarist, Mike West, that set the tone perfectly. I had to keep looking over at him because I'd forget it was a live person. His wife Meg was the event planner and this girl didn't stop moving all night!
For more of their wedding, please check out the slideshow below. The music was composed by Michael and if you are a creative professional that purchases licensed music, please check out Michael's songs over at Triple Scoop Music.
http://karenard.com/blog/2010/09/ventura-wedding-catherine-and-michael.html
Do I always brag about the great clients I have? I know I say it often but it's true. Otherwise I would say something generic like, um, "My clients are so.... tall". But no, they're fab. Take this family for example. They are so good about getting Miss O's portraits done regularly. Last week we did her year and a half session and it's been really wonderful watching her grow from our first session when she was just four months to this latest one. Of course we always throw her big brothers in for a few too and they are truly the best, most protective big brothers any girl could hope for.
In case you'd like to follow along with the photography sessions of little Miss O, you can find the four month session here, eight months here, and year session here.
http://karenard.com/blog/2010/08/malibu-family-portrait-photography.html
My daughter and I love watching all the cooking and baking shows that we can find. We record them and watch when we can, talking about all the different cupcakes, designs, flavors, etc... Well, we decided that we needed to take cake decorating classes, and I love that she is old enough now that we can do fun stuff like this together. (She also loves scrapbooking with me! Yeah!)
We had our first of eight classes today. We made the cakes and frosting at home then brought them in for decorating. Assignment number one: a butterfly cake. Things I learned:
Making everything from scratch is the best.
Licking frosting from the mixer makes me feel like I'm five again.
Making a basic butterfly shape is easier then I thought. Just cut the 8" round in half!
Frosting a cake properly is a lot harder then I thought. There is definitely a technique to getting it to stick to your cake without your super yummy, moist cake falling apart. My daughter and I are assuming we will get better at this.
We learned to make our own gel, piping bags using parchment paper, and colored frosting. There were certain techniques we were being taught so our designs all looked fairly similar but that's okay.
Spending two hours with my daughter, laughing, talking and having a great time is priceless. Here is her finished cake.
And here is mine.
The tip we used for the edging was a #17. And we were both very excited to use a bit of edible glitter! We had a blast and I bet your local bake supply shop has classes too. We are learning at Kake Kreations in Canoga Park. I've gone here for a gazillion years to pick up baking supplies and I always stopped to watch the people in class - now that's us. I also love that you can take the classes whenever you want so if you need to skip a week or two it's no big deal. I'll post again after our next class and hopefully you'll see an improvement as we get better.
julie Says:
awesome job. i've thought about taking those classes for so long. the cake looks great. keep up the good work. who eats the cake?
(09.03.10 - 05:42 PM)
h2obetty Says:
The funny thing is neither of us like cake too much so we give them to people or I'll have the Firefighter bring them to work.
(09.03.10 - 06:06 PM)
http://karenard.com/blog/2010/08/cake-decorating-101-1-of-8.html
The Lew Family bid on and won a portrait package with me from a local elementary school fundraiser a few months back. When they called to say they wanted to shoot soon because their precious Lab Emma had cancer, we pulled it together right away. They were great, meeting me early morning for gorgeous light and Emma was in great spirits.
I've really been enjoying the pet photography I've been doing lately as more and more people bring their dogs along for the shoot. Please let me know if you too are interested in pet portraits.
Here's a little sneak peak of this super sweet family and Emma.
And one more of Emma... my fav...
I donate photo sessions to many non-profits throughout the year. I enjoy helping my community through my art. If you would like a donation sent to your organization, please email me directly.
http://karenard.com/blog/2010/08/family-portrait---chatsworth.html
Elisha and Gideon have been together for a long time. When a mutual friend called them over to console him after a break up, the two of them ended up talking all night. That was ten years ago. When you see them together you can tell that the connection between them runs deep. And they are funny. So funny. There is so much affection and joy between them, I felt it was my honor to be there to record their marriage. For another reason as well. You may have recalled me talking about my connection to Elisha here. Seeing her aunt at her wedding, my childhood friend, made me feel like part of the family.
Elisha and Gideon, it's been wonderful becoming friends with you. Thank you for making me feel so welcome. I hope you have a chance for this sneak peak (or this one! my fav!) on your honeymoon... or maybe not! ;-)
The two of them, with the help of family, did a great job pulling together this DIY wedding at the Knollwood Country Club.
I love these place cards. The hearts are recycled-flower-seed-paper! And instead of table numbers, each table had a photo with a title. So cute!
Elisha's family had two pages of notes on how to get her into her beautiful dress.
Hilarious...
Thanks to the following vendors for making it a great day:
Venue: Knollwood Country Club, Granada Hills
Florist: Exotic Green Garden
Cupcakes: Vanilla Bake Shop
Dress: Maggie Sottero
Shoes: Report
Suit: Calvin Klein
For more of their wedding day, check out the video:
Carol Ricklin Says:
I think those cupcakes are from Enjoy Cupcakes from Los Olivos? If so, they are the amazing Blackberry Chocolate Syrah cupcakes! Oh, those lucky guests!!!!
(09.04.10 - 08:14 AM)
http://karenard.com/blog/2010/08/granada-hills-wedding-photography.html
The pictures are wonderful, you are fantastically talented! It was such a pleasure working with you, thanks for the sneak peek! =) Michael & Catherine are going to be overjoyed with their wedding album. :-)
(09.02.10 - 06:41 PM)We are overjoyed by the photos. Karen is fantastic with her photography. Thank you! thank you! thank you!!!
(09.07.10 - 07:44 AM)I absolutely LOVE the photos! You captured every special moment, glace, smile, and embrace. You are a true artist behind the lens. I couldn't be more thrilled. Thank you, Karen!!!
(09.07.10 - 05:47 PM)Just beatiful !!!!! May this flow of love and beauty be always present in your life! Happy Holidays to a wonderful family!
(12.06.10 - 12:06 PM)