November 20th, 2017:
Yesterday I spent the day with Renee and Matt wandering around the Long Beach peninsula and canals for to capture their engagement session. Long time readers of this blog might remember Matt from back in 2006 when he and I took a cross county road trip with Aaron and Chad. Time sure as hell flies by and it had been a couple years since we last caught up but we immediately fell into reminiscing about bad decision of our youth and it was fabulous to finally meet Renee!
October 28th, 2016:
Helen and Ralph‘s wedding day had it all! They tied in a morning Cantonese tea ceremony complete with door games, a ceremony at the Neighborhood Church in Palos Verdes, afternoon photos overlooking the pacific ocean, a second tea ceremony for family and an evening reception at the Westin in Long Beach; which included multiple outfit changes (including a nod to Ralph’s Burmese heritage).
At 14 hours the day was my longest the year, but at no point did it lag with these two charming people. Although I do have to give a huge shoutout to Brett for sticking it out as my second shooter for all those hours, she was absolutely amazing.
Helen and Ralph, that you for being the kind, generous, caring people you are and congratulations again on the successful wedding day!
March 9th, 2015:
Engagement pictures season is upon us, and I am in full swing, shooting sessions 4 out of the last 7 days! The most recent of which was Irene + Greg, who I met up with near their home in Long Beach to capture some images in their neighborhood. We started at the CSULB Japanese gardens, before heading down to the Belmont Shore area and then onward to the beach to see what the late afternoon light had to offer.
Thanks again to you both for having so much fun during your shoot and I look forward to seeing you again in September!
July 31st, 2014:
Blog post by Felicia
Lauren & Kris’ wedding day at Long Beach was an uncharacteristically cloudy day for July in Los Angeles, but that also meant beautifully soft light all day. We started at the Long Beach Hyatt Regency before heading to the Aquarium of the Pacific.
Incidentally, their ceremony, where Kris left no dry eyes in the crowd with his vows, was the first ever to take place on the new outdoor deck, which was perfect thanks to the overcast day.
Congrats Lauren & Kris!
September 4th, 2013:
Remember those people who told us they were up to do whatever WE wanted for their engagement shoot? Then, having never met us before, followed us into the middle of the night in one of the darkest, most remote areas in California for an epic Astro-Shoot.
Well, those awesome people tied the knot a few weeks back and Felicia and I were thrilled to be a part of this milestone in their lives. Even cooler is that Chris is a real life hero (a flight paramedic, saving lives on a regular basis), and his Helicopter gave us a low flyby during the ceremony!
Thanks Chris + Christina for an amazing day and trusting us to do what we love!
June 17th, 2013:
Mandi & Lior got married a few weeks ago at the Renaissance Hotel in Long Beach. It’s always weird to look back and realize how quickly time passes. As Mandi’s Dad pointed out, they first met us about a year out from the wedding date, and now, just like that, it’s come and gone.
Congratulations, Mandi & Lior!
April 18th, 2013:
Blog post by Felicia:
Sarah & Jeff are some of the loveliest, kindest people we’ve ever met. From the very first email we received from them, to our initial consultation, those were just the beginning of all the “awwwww….” moments we would experience with these two. Their engagement session at Balboa Park in San Diego helped us truly appreciate how freakin’ adorable they are. Seriously.
Needless to say, we were very much looking forward to their wedding on the Queen Mary, and guess what? They were AWESOME! Or…. if you’re familiar with the T-Rex meme, Jeff & Sarah were UNSTOPPABLE!!! (Sorry, inside joke)
Congratulations, Sarah & Jeff. We are so happy for you, and are so glad that you found us!
Ringbearer did what he was told: walk to the end of the aisle. But… he also flung the shell containing the rings. Thank goodness for decoy rings….
It was windy.
Jeff & Sarah are both chemists, and when getting ready, she told me that there was a surprise for me. We had talked about chemistry-related wedding ideas during their engagement shoot, and here it was: Elements of the periodic table for table numbers, and test tubes for escort cards!
January 18th, 2013:
Nellie and I met way back in the day I was a bartender (somewhere around late 2004 or early 2005). I served drinks, and Nellie usually dropped by once a week or so during happy hour for an icy cold beverage and we developed a banter-filled relationship across the bar top. When I finally decided to ditch the house, the car and take off on a 1 year round the world trip in February 2006, I started this blog (hence the title “Mom Says I’m Running Away” ) and Nellie became one of my first followers as I posted about my travels through Europe, Asia, South America and the U.S. – she even named my bicycle when I rode PCH from Santa Monica to San Francisco (go read the comments). Needless to say she has always been in the background rooting for me. So when she shot me a Facebook message about doing family photos for her, Ambrosia and Samuel we immediately got it all set up for a cold January afternoon.
Felicia and I had a wonderful time with this beautiful family and just have to say thanks once more for the ribs + beer post shoot. Nellie, I think we should try to do this more often than once every 6 years…
September 20th, 2012:
Blog post by Felicia:
Lucy & Luis were from California and New York respectively, but they now live in Florida. They found us online, booked us, and yesterday we finally got to meet them for their engagement shoot here in California, in the adorable Belmont Shore neighborhood of Long Beach. Our shoot took place at La Creperie Cafe where Lucy & Luis had their first date, and I guess it felt like a bit of a “first blind double date” for Rob & I as well, since all our consultation with Lucy & Luis had been over email and phonecalls thus far.
The location was gorgeous, and dare I say: Lucy & Luis even more so. (Am I the only one that sees a Penelope Cruz-meets-Salma Hayek resemblance?! And… I love Lucy’s lace peplum top – so au courant – and those shoes!!!)
It’s awesome to shoot at a location that not only was visually amazing, but also held so much sentimental value for them. We had so much fun, and are definitely looking forward to Lucy & Luis’ big day in a few weeks here!
Special thanks to Fern Casner, the affable and very accommodating manager of La Creperie Cafe for being so helpful! (Bummer… we had to go to another meeting yesterday immediately after the shoot: I would have loved to try and sample the food! Don’t worry Rob, I’ve already bookmarked this on my Yelp app!)
Congrats Lucy & Luis!
We usually advise against looking down at the camera (too many chins may appear), but Luis & Lucy clearly proved us wrong. They just look freakin’ epic.
April 27th, 2012:
Last weekend, Felicia and I kicked off Wedding Season 2012 with Paty & Orlando‘s travel-themed nuptials in Long Beach. We arrived at the Westin to find the place crawling with sniffer dogs and scores of guys who look like they were with the Secret Service: I guess the Dalai Lama was staying there before his lecture at the Long Beach Convention center! Thankfully we had no issues, and made our way to Paty’s suite where she was surrounded by her closest friends and family.
Orlando wasn’t shy in making sure he got enough kisses on his wedding day. Good job!
Paty’s 100-year-old grandma congratulates her new grandson-in-law. She not only made it to the wedding, she stayed throughout the reception!
Congratulations, Paty & Orlando! May your life together be full of travel adventures, for many, many years to come!
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Ceremony Venue: Grace Brethren Church. Long Beach, CA.
Reception Venue: The Sky Room. Long Beach, CA.
