They both radiated such joy, and we’re sure their marriage will be filled with nothing less.

Nate & Lisa, congratulations again! : )

Venue: Hotel Del Coronado

Coordinators: A Joy Forever Events

Flowers: Adorations Botanical Artistry

Cake: Jeanne Cakes

-Kate

- She

This last picture is one of my favorites of our little man!

-She

I met Alanna five years ago. I had just gotten married only three weeks before. The day I met her was a big day for me – I was applying for my first “real job.” I was in college, while working as a receptionist at a temp agency. As a new bride inspired by love and the promise of a bright future, I was eager to start a career in my field of study: photography. At that point, I had no idea what kind of photographer I wanted to be. I was studying gallery art – you know, that conceptual stuff. I was quickly discovering, though, that art theory and white walls weren’t really me. So I started applying for jobs with the word “photographer” in the title. And who do you think discovered my resume?

When I walked in for my interview, I was wearing a shirt Randy and I had bought the day before at Sears, just for this interview. I remember it was baggy and salmon colored – probably smelled like salmon, too. In the weeks following our wedding, I went into a “I’m married now so I don’t have to worry about what I look like” phase, so I chopped off all of my hair (all three feet of it) and rocked my “Mom clothes.” When I walked into that Orange County wedding photography studio and was greeted by the office manager (aka Alanna), I was immediately intimidated. She wore a chic form-fitting skirt, with a I-could-never-be-mistaken-for-a-Sears-blouse tucked into it, four inch heals, and her signature jet black hair pulled up into a high bun. I remember as she left the room, I raised my eyebrows and rolled my eyes around the room, thinking, “Why the hell did I wear this shirt? She seems like she could be stuck up, but I hope she likes me. Why did I wear this shirt?!”

Long story short: I interviewed with the company owner, somehow got the job, and began shooting and working as the studio editor just a few days later. Alanna and I became fast friends because, as it turns out, she wasn’t stuck up at all. She’s the easiest person to talk to, primarily because she’s so honest. That’s what I love most about Alanna, she’s honest… not to mention sincere and kind. I owe her for a great many things – one of those things being upside down iced carmel macchiatos. That beverage changed my life. I should write a blog post on upside down iced carmel macchiatos….

In a couple of years, we both moved on from that company, and quite honestly I thought that would be the end of our friendship, but only because I thought I still wasn’t cool enough to be her real, outside of work friend. But, again, I was proven wrong. Alanna has continued to not only be a great friend of mine, but also a big supporter of my work (okay, I’ll give Randy a little credit here) – our work as photographers. So I was beyond excited when she announced her engagement to her beau, Justin, and humbled when she asked us to photograph her engagement and wedding. (Justin said something that meant a lot too – he wanted to make sure we knew that they didn’t just hire us because we are friends – they genuinely like our work, which is a relief! My biggest paranoia is that a friend will feel obligated to use us!)

Soooooooooooo Randy and I had the privilege of not only hosting these two crazy kids for a weekend at our “farm,” but also dragging them all around San Luis Obispo for a photo-shoot extravaganza! Let me just say these guys are HARD CORE – hiking through a giant chest-high wheat field to the top of a very steep hill, just because we thought it would be a cool shot. These two… I could go on and on, but, I’m pretty excited to share their pictures… so to sum up: we love you guys, we’re stoked for you, and we can’t wait to photograph your wedding at the Marvimonin October!

Quick shout out to THE BEST ASSISTANT EVER! He totally had a crush on Alanna. Look, he’s practically drooling….

Aaaaaaaand… the most embarrassing picture of me ever. Oh well :)

- She

Jen made the bouquets herself!

The hood of Jen’s grandfather’s truck – the same truck her parents took out on their first date!

- She

Taken with the iPhone 4s (via Instagram):

- She

Taken with the Fuji x10:

Mom, making Linus laugh from across the dinner table.

In case you forgot what these images were shot with.

Creeper Linus.

Yes, those are my father’s shoes in the foreground.

Much like me, my dad makes epic faces while photographing :)

- She

Taken with the 5DMII:

Buggers & babies go hand in hand :)

Linus’ first swim! It was great for the first five minutes, then ended terribly….

- She

Venue: Calamigos Equestrian

Coordinator: la vie en rose

Makeup: Kelly Zhang Studio

- She

After only having Wintson for five days, he played pretty darn well with the kiddos!

Puppies and babies are interested in the same things… and they’ll fight over them.

Insert: iPhone pictures. Left: Gary showing us how to wield a gun. Right: Charlotte making a move on Linus.

The following were shot by the Christenson duo!

Come back soon, y’all!

- She