June 30, 2008
The Beckman’s are friends of mine from my animal training days at Sea World. Joel has since started his own dog training business. If you are in the need of a dog trainer, Joel is your guy. He has extensive experience working with many animals and is an expert in his field! Check out their site and give them some blog love 
There are just those times when everything just seems to click at a wedding…the bride and groom can’t keep their hands off each other, the DJ was rockin, the venue was perfect, the bride and groom were stunning, EVERYONE was happy, beautiful sunset, smiles were everywhere, puffy clouds in the sky…it just “clicked”.
Lets start with Liz.
Yes…beautiful, yes…sweet, yes…she does come standard as a duplicate. Liz is a twin! Can you believe there are two of these “stunners” running around? Sorry gentleman, they’re now BOTH taken.
…and see how happy that makes Joel!
The party ended with a sweet sparkler send off!!!
Liz and Joel, it was an HONOR to photograph your wedding. Thanks for inviting me along…it was quite the party!
June 29, 2008
Okay I know I said I was posting the BIG DAY today but I’m going to have to withhold images of the bride and groom for now (please don’t kill me Lizzie)…I have SO many images from this wedding that I love!!!
It’s all REALLY because I want to start off with the AMAZING venue! This blog post is dedicated to the amazing and talented Steve. Steve is the man responsible for the Beckman wedding venue. The wedding took place on the Mainwaring farm in rural Pennsylvania. When Liz and Joel got engaged in June of 07, Liz told her dad, Steve, they wanted to get married on the farm where she grew up. Steve’s parents, Frederick and Dorothy bought the Mainwaring farm in 1952 when he was just a year old.
Steve bought the farm from his parents and that is where his twin daughters were raised. He grew up taking care of the farm and has been restoring and improving it for as long as anyone can remember. Liz thought the farm was perfect for the wedding and the only thing needed for the big event would be cutting the grass, which is a task in itself.
Well, that’s not what Steve had in mind. He spent everyday for a whole year improving the farm. He dug extra ponds, leveled an entire field for a tent, and built a beautiful brick patio around the waterfall for the ceremony with a wheelchair accessible entrance. He constructed a lotus garden, poured hundreds of yards of concrete, seeded numerous acres for grass, built an entire new façade of windows on the barn, made a separate entryway for the catering staff, brought electricity and running water to the middle of a pasture, built a cabin in the woods for the men and women’s restroom and built it’s own septic system. He raised fish called golden orbs specifically for the wedding so they would be visible in the moonlight, and he raised lotus plants and lily pads for his lotus garden over the winter. He literally put in 15 hour days and apparently had a blast doing it. He worked each day with the words of his mother in his head, “Take it a day at a time.” He continues to enjoy the farm as the place that has been special to his family for over 55 years. His daughter was married on his parents wedding anniversary, June 21st, so Lizzie has a 70 year legacy to look forward to!
Now lets not forget about the bride and groom….some details from the day
As if the place wasn’t beautiful enough….just check out the view at night!!!
Steve, A million congratulations!!! You have the most beautiful daughters inside and out! You are incredibly talented and its time for the world to realize it! Thank you for inviting us to your beautiful home…the entire experience was just SO special!
June 28, 2008
Well yippie for me! I grew up in Pennsylvania so I love the green trees and puffy clouds!! I was looking forward to it. This wedding was THE most important wedding I’ve shot to date! The bride and groom are my good friends Lizzie and Joel. I wanted to STAY good friends with them… thats why I was SOOO nervous the day of the wedding. Not nervous in a bad way, nervous like I’m about to compete in a swim meet and there’s a good chance I can come in first place!!!
Here is the gorgeous couple. You may notice them from some of my other portfolio work. What can I say, they are stunning….and so was everyone else at the wedding!!! Today I’m posting the Rehearsal/Dinner only. You’ll have to wait for the next post to see the real goods
Lets start off with the wedding rehearsal…just a sneak peek of what the next day has in store
The rehearsal dinner was hosted by Lizzie’s gymnastics coach from when she was little. They have remained close even after all of these years. It really says a lot about the type of people they are. They really value friendships. I think its a wonderful quality.
Check out the volunteer security staff
Here are some of the well thought out details….the apple martini was to die for! Taylor Weldon was the chef for the day and as you can see, the food and presentation were impeccable!
This was my favorite (right behind the apple-tini)
Liz and Joel…may your marriage be as happy as you were on this weekend.
Stay tuned for the big wedding…..
June 20, 2008
Lynn Dao, a photographer friend of mine, invited me along on a photo session with a couple of friends. We went to Lynn’s favorite little hideout but I can’t tell you where.
Just know that after all of the flowers have died…beauty still remains.
What do you think of this one? I’m not sure if I like it…hmmm
June 5, 2008
I have to say that this was the first time photographing a wedding at the Raddison. The bride and groom with the sweetest people with a LOT of flare. The seemed like really fun people to be around and I really had a good time!
See what I mean, just look at Mannie’s (groom) style. I LOVE it!
The Beautiful Bride!!!
This wedding had a lot of the things you might come to expect. Lets just start with the gossiping bridesmaids….(okay they probably weren’t gossiping but it makes a great story)
The entire world whirling around the bride on HER day….
A little shenanigans…
Something blue….
100% personality!
And the evening finishes with the YMCA, the Macarena, Hokey Pokey and the Chicken Dance…oh yeah!
Thanks again goes to Kim Seidl for bringing me along
June 1, 2008
I don’t know if you have ever been to a Mormon Ceremony before, but if you know anything about it, you know that photographers are not allowed to take pictures in the Temple….even the family members had to wait outside. The reception, however, is a different story! What a set up!!! The reception took place at a private home in Poway. The day was incredibly beautiful. It was the kind of day San Diego is best known for…sunny skies and 75 degrees. It had rained the day before and the clouds were out. It made me SO happy! Clouds are always a great addition to photography and they were the most beautiful things I have seen in quite a while!
Lupe and Rob were the beautiful bride and groom.
The reception set up was AMAZING. The view from the back yard was to die for!
The wedding had a Mariachi band and Lupe sang to the crowd!!!
AND I leave you with the dashing LUPE…
Thanks to Kim Seidl for having me along
May 15, 2008
Well alright!!! I had the most wonderful couple on Saturday…Erin and Guy! As a photographer, this is EXACTLY the type of people that make my job so incredibly easy. They are SO in love that photographing them was a piece of cake! You can SEE the love just spilling out all over the place. I really LOVED the unique ceremony, the simpleness of the day and the absolute adoration that completely surrounded these guys wherever they went. Thank you for inviting me into your life and allowing me to be a part of this precious day!
I got this set-up from Becker’s workshop “Party of 2″. Mary Jane and I did this exact pose…and I just love it. I HAD to re-create it, its genius!
There they go…off into the sunset. Erin and Guy are moving to Zurich Switzerland VERY soon!!! I wish them all the the love, success and happiness two people can stand!!!
May 8, 2008
Yes, you heard that right…4 locations!!! The groom got ready at La Jolla Cove Suites and the bride at The Grande Colonial. The ceremony took place at my FAVORITE (where I’m getting married!) Cuvier Park in La Jolla. Then we moved to the Darlington House for a beautiful reception. Whew, I’m exhausted just thinking about it!
Another gorgeous couple… I know I always say that, but check ‘em out for yourself!!!
Now with a body and dress like Ashley’s, its impossible not to take some silhouette images of her. She was breathtaking!
I had SO MANY favorites from this wedding, I had a hard time narrowing it down!
The adorable flower girl…
A spontaneous ring shot
THEN it was off to the Darlington House for a romantic reception!
Thanks again to Carrie, you are the best!
I love the field shot with the sun going down in the background. And I am always a fan of some good ol’ long grass! Stellar shots! xo
WOW! Beautiful really sums up what I feel for these images. Your love for photography + for your two friends really shows in your images. I’m so happy that the experience you had was amazing
A picture is worth a thousand words and these sure prove that. What a beautiful couple. Fantastic job, Lisa.
Wonderful shots, Lisa. You did a great job in capturing their happiness. I like the pictures in the row boat.
You got amazing shots without me feeling like I had to stand still for a photo shoot on my wedding day. You were able to capture all of the events in a fun and unobtrusive way. Thanks for everything.
We are so happy with our photos!! It is such a blessing to have you as our wedding photographer and to have you in our lives! You seriously have unending talent.