There are few young couples who know the depth of love Brian and Megan do. Something happens in a love story when hardships put mountains in the way… it refines things down to what really matters and forces you to find courage from beyond yourself to make the climb. If you didn’t get a chance to read their story, you can find it here… it’s pretty amazing. So on their wedding day, they celebrated a new chapter in their love story, but they also celebrated reaching the pinnacle of a mountain.  Their wedding day was a joyful triumph and such a stark reminder that love wins… always.

Just as Megan planned it, the details of the wedding day came together flawlessly to create wedding day perfection. I have to say how thoroughly impressed I was at her attention to detail and her overall vision. Cori from Events by Cori was the mastermind throughout the day, making sure that everything flowed peacefully and beautifully as Megan’s pieces came together. Here are my favorites from the day….

Brian was STOKED on his wedding day…. it was hard to keep this groom from smiling! And he was so sweet throughout the day as little moments here and there impressed their “realness” on his heart. He married the absolute woman of his dreams and he knew it! Look at that grin!

Casa Romantica was such a great place to have a wedding! Not only was it GORGEOUS, but it’s cool knowing it’s such a historic location in Southern Orange County. And the balcony where the ceremonies take place overlooked the San Clemente Pier… such a great view! I highly recommend this place…

This was such a beautiful, meaningful, and FUN wedding to be a part of… and I couldn’t have done it without my dream team, Christopher and Amanda! Thank you, with all my heart, for all your help and patience with me…. I couldn’t dream for a better team!

Also, many thanks go to all the wonderful vendors who came together to make Brian and Megan’s day a dream! Wedding Planning: Events by Cori, Venue: Casa Romantica, Catering: Iva Lee’s Catering, Hair: Salon Incognito, Makeup: Makeup by Berit, DJ: Essential Mobile Music, Florist: Flower Company of San Clemente, Custom Invitations: Li’K Designs, Cake: It’s All About the Cake

Zak and Katrina are two people who inspire me. Not only are they totally in love, but their desires and passions in life fit perfectly… as perfectly as her hand fits in his. But what inspires me most about them is their ability to “do”. They don’t let work, finances, or “real life” get in the way of their dreams. And even though it would have been so much easier to set their dreams aside for more “realistic” options once they got married…. the best times of their life are happening because they chose the “unrealistic” option…. they’re now living as missionaries with YWAM in Mexico.

I originally met Zak years ago when we were both working at Forest Home, and eventually met Katrina when they got engaged. On our initial meeting, we IMMEDIATELY hit it off. And it was funny…. we ended up talking less about wedding photography, and more about international missions. Zak and Katrina’s enthusiasm for each other, as well as for missions is ridiculously contagious…. and I left that meeting feeling completely inspired to pursue my own aspirations with new fervor. In fact, I’m consistently moved by their enthusiasm as I follow their journey as missionaries.

Zak and Katrina’s wedding happened last year in Ventura, CA and their day completely reflected their personalities and love for people. It was such a fun day and it was one of those weddings that everyone left feeling like they’d witnessed true love. It was an honor to be their wedding photographer, and an even greater honor to be able to call them friends. Here’s my absolute favorites from the day….

Special thanks to my entourage for the day, Christopher, Betsy Lackey, Amanda Patrice, and Victoria Baughman. You guys rocked and I had so much fun shooting with you all! And to Zak and Katrina, thanks for being you…. thanks for loving each other the way you do. And thanks for living your life recklessly chasing after God’s heart. You inspire me to do the same.

FEBRUARY

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February marked the beginning of “booking season” for me. In between meetings and planning, I shot one of my favorite engagement shoots of the year with Zak and Katrina in Santa Monica. Love these two…

February was also a really sad month for me… my good friend Sean Riedl died. His death really shook me and served as a startling reminder of just how fragile our lives are. The memory of who Sean was in my life, also helped open my eyes to see the importance of laughter. Sean will always be the symbol of “Living the Dream” to me and will always be the voice in the back of my mind whispering, “Life’s not half as serious as you think it’s supposed to be, Berta.”

MARCH

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In the beginning of March, Christopher and I found ourselves on the other side of the globe… in the middle east. This trip was one of the COOLEST things to happen in 2010 and I still can’t wrap my mind around the fact that we visited all these places! It put in “real life terms” what it means for God to hear my prayers, and it serves as an exciting reminder that He is a Good God who loves to give us the desires of our heart. Here’s some highlight shots…

Finally arriving in Cairo after almost a whole 24 hours of flying…

Waking up and looking out my window to see the Nile River…

Recognizing this building from the Transformers movie when we visited the Pyramids of Giza…

Discovering that the blocks that comprise the pyramids are, in fact, bigger than me…

Eating a legit falafel in front of the Great Pyramids of Giza… with my future fiance

Seeing the famous Egyptian hieroglyphics for myself… they’re so cool!

Surviving the flight over the Egyptian desert in a plane I thought would fall apart in mid-air…

The view from the base of Mt. Sinai at 4am… with no tripod… but this is still pretty amazing…

The view from the back of my camel ( I named it, Fernando) of the sunrise on my way up Mt. Sinai…

Christopher and his camel a little further up on our trek…

Self Portrait from the top of my camel…

Taking my shoes off on the holy ground we know as Mt. Sinai…

A picture that Christopher took of me while eating lunch by the Red Sea… the same day we hiked Mt. Sinai…

Testing the waters of the Red Sea to see if they’re still part-able…

The fabled entrance to Petra…

The Treasury of Petra…. HO.LY.COWWW….

Wide angle shot.. HA.

Sweating buckets at the Jordan River…

Standing at the entrance of the Damascus gate in the old city of Jerusalem in Israel…

Gleaning from the wisdom of Pastor Bob as we sat on the Southern Steps of the Ancient Temple of Jerusalem…

Sipping delicious coffee every morning at the nicest hotel I’ve ever been to…

Secretly listening to Christopher sing in the Garden of Gesthemane amidst the sounds of gunshots and explosions from across the street…

Our view of the Old City of Jerusalem from the Mt. of Olives…

An over the shoulder shot of two clergymen who appear to have teleported from ancient Jerusalem to 2010….

Worshipping with our group near the Garden Tomb (believed to be the place Jesus Christ was buried) with Christopher leading us…

It was a whirlwind of a trip and I’m SOOO thankful we had the opportunity to go and do what we love… me as the photographer, and him as the worship leader. Such a blessing and we are so thankful!

Right when we got back from our trip, work started back up and didn’t stop until Christmas!!!! These are my two favorite shots from Billy Jack and Alissa’s Engagement shoot in Balboa Park…

And of Chris and Chelsea’s Orange Circle/Peter’s Canyon Engagement Shoot….

APRIL

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As April rolled around, I was elbow deep into wedding season… and was also planning some magical surprises for Christopher’s birthday. The Good Kids had their House of Blues debut and asked me to shoot the concert…. I LOVED the lighting crew there!

For Christopher’s 25th Birthday, I threw him a surprise Harry Potter Birthday Party…. and it was EPIC. You can read about it and see more pictures HERE.

MAY

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May 1st finally came, and with it, Billy Jack and Alissa’s wedding! It was so fun seeing two good friends tie the knot and documenting it was the ultimate privilege…

JUNE

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The Mossy family helped bring in the month of June with a killer family portrait shoot at Osuna Ranch in Rancho Santa Fe.

Then I flew to Texas to surprise my BFF Betsy Lackey for her 21st birthday… we did some fun portraits with her and her friends too…

Betsy also invited me to join her for a Bridal Shoot with this beauty Dayna…. also EPIC.

JULY

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I flew back from Texas, and almost immediately, wedding upon wedding came and went. This wedding, in particular, stood out because it took place at Hotel Maya… an AWESOME hotel in Long Beach, CA. I HIGHLY recommend it!

This little guy had the funniest facial expressions I’ve ever seen in a ring bearer…

Then my Photog friend Hanssie Trainor asked me to help her teach a Socal Photo Shootout, a workshop for new photographers at the Ebell Club. This was probably one of the most terrifying things I did this year. Just the concept of ME… teaching ANYONE… is so weird… I feel like I still have a lot to learn. So I taught the Bridal section of the workshop. Here are some SWEET images of this gorgeous model named Phoenix. It was such a fun experience and I’d love to do this again soon!

Another intense learning experience was shooting more band portraits for the Good Kids. The only reason this was challenging was because we did the first portion of the shoot in the woods in the black of night, armed with only a flashlight, my lighting set up, and a blue lightsaber. I learned a completely new photographic concept for this shoot called “painting with light” to illustrate their new album’s title.

AUGUST

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In August, I launched a new project called “GO | Portrait of a Missionary” where I did a portrait shoot and interview with young people getting ready to head out into international missions… the first of the series was on Becca… who is now on her outreach portion of the trip.

I shot a few weddings, and, at one of them, stumbled upon these two love birds sharing a cute little kiss….

Justin and Bryna’s romantic beach wedding. The sunset that day was unbelievable!

Fun with Bradley and Czarina shooting their “UP” themed engagement photos…

SEPTEMBER

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September ended up being the busiest month of my entire life. I 2nd shot a wedding with my good friend Amanda Patrice, then the following day, I shot Kraig and Eryn’s wedding in Temecula….

Then met Brandon and Tiana on Coronado for an Anniversary Portrait Shoot…

Then, the next day, flew to Winnipeg, Canada to shoot a friend’s wedding with my BFF Betsy Lacky… we ended up being more like guests though…

Then Betsy came to stay with me in California for a week or so and then an unexpected Proposal happened… Christopher asked ME to marry HIM!!! Betsy got it all on camera…

Then, literally the next day, we all drove to Ventura to shoot Zak and Katrina’s wedding…

September ended with a trip to Oregon for a family wedding then to Las Vegas for my family reunion. Like I said… the busiest month of my life!

OCTOBER

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October came quick and as much as I thought I’d be able to catch up from the prior excitement…. it just seemed to keep getting busier. And as we all know, when it rains, it pours. One of the most influential people in my high school and young adult life was a crazy swim coach by the name of Todd Larsen. Todd was one of my first bosses, and a formative mentor in my adolescence. He taught me so much and was my role model for a life “lived.” Todd was yet another person who taught me the importance of laughter, fun, and hard work. His death put a lot of people through the emotional ringer and left us all wondering why, of all people, cancer had to take him. I would not be the person I am today without his influence and mentoring.

As much as I would have liked the world to have stopped for a time so I could catch my breath, it didn’t. It did, however, bring many gorgeous sunsets and warm days to remind me that He is good despite the pain in the world. October also brought some really fun shoots for me… one of which I still can’t get enough of… David and Chelsea’s Newport Beach Engagement Shoot…

NOVEMBER

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Weddings, weddings, weddings. Engagements, engagements, engagements. Portraits, portraits, portraits.

Chris and Chelsea’s BEAUTIFUL Strawberry Farms Wedding…

Andrew and Erin’s romantic Santa Monica Engagement Shoot…

The Botsford’s Lifestyle Family Portrait on Coronado Island…

Jeff and Jamie’s Casper’s Wilderness Park Engagement Shoot…

DECEMBER

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The last shoot of the year was scheduled for Dec. 11th and I was so grateful to not be adding to the pile for the rest of the year. Since then, it’s been work work work, trying to finish everything. Here’s a shot from Michael and Rebecca’s Antique Store Engagement Shoot…. LOOOOVE this shot!

After assessing the highs and lows of this past year, I feel as if the time that’s passed has been decades instead of just one year. And the amount of growth that’s occurred in all areas of my life and business has been HUGE. It’s still inconceivable how far I’ve come since I started Kate Noelle Photography in 2008… and looking back on all the places He’s taken me and remembering all the beautiful faces I’ve had the opportunity to photograph since then is mind blowing. If there was ever a testament clear as day to prove that God is Good…. my business would be that testament. It has definitely NOT been smooth sailing this past year. In fact, 2010 has been one of the most challenging years of my life. But at the finish line of 2010, I can look back at all those times I fell flat on my face, and see that I picked myself back up and I finished the race. He has been SO GOOD to me this year and it’s a shame that most days I allow myself to be too busy to appreciate it. Everything I have, and everything I’ve accomplished this past year, I owe, in its entirety, to the One who gave it all to me in the first place… and I am SO THANKFUL.

It’s now 2011 and I’m excited to see what will happen! Bring on the ADVENTURES!!!

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Sometimes a wedding is just a wedding… nothing special, nothing super sentimental… it’s just a wedding. Those weddings often have a beautiful bride, beautiful details and colors, happy guests who dance well, and the day goes smoothly. There are those weddings, and then there are weddings like Chris and Chelsea’s wedding. Chris and Chelsea’s wedding, from the very beginning of the day, had a depth to the beauty and excitement. Chelsea was more than beautiful on her wedding day, she was radiant and her Father’s glory flickered in her eyes as she walked. Chris was more than a good looking groom, his anticipation and excitement to promise his heart to Chelsea went before him and lit up the cloudy sky. The details were incredibly thought out and every single one of the guests came with joy and energy to see these two tie the knot. Going through the day with these two, from the getting ready, to the first look that left Chris speechless, walking down the aisle with tears of joy, to the post-reception photos, I felt so blessed and in awe of how “one of a kind” the day felt. There were SO MANY great shots, it seems ridiculous to have to pick my favorites, but here it goes…

Chelsea’s “something borrowed & blue”, her mother’s garter… such a cool heirloom!

This was, by FAAARRRRR, my favorite shot of the day…

Chelsea got some super cute custom hair pieces for her bridesmaids from Etsy…

While she got her hair done, Chelsea explained to me the meaning behind the inscription inside Chris’ ring… it says “3 Simple Words, I Love You.” Such a beautiful touch to their symbol of love.

While I hung out with the girls, my A-team member Amanda Patrice spent the morning with the boys and snapped some great shots…

What a handsome man…. just sayin’.

I thought it was so cool how they sprinkled the aisle with fall leaves and white rose petals… a nice Autumn touch for a nice Autumn wedding

Another Favorite…

The reception had some super cool ideas… like homemade Baclava for the guests to take home, and great incorporation of fall leaves and cute little birds on the tables! I also loved how they had pies instead of a wedding cake!

This was one of my favorite moments of the reception… when Chelsea’s grandparents, the longest married couple in the house, requested a song and danced with huge smiles on their face all by themselves on the dance floor… they looked so in love and so sweet, my teeth hurt!

Chris and Chelsea,

I love you guys and you were a dream to work with. I appreciate your trust in me to photograph your big day and I feel so honored to have been a part of your wedding experience. I trust you’ve had an amazing first couple weeks as a married couple and I can’t wait to follow your adventures as Mr. and Mrs. Balian. Thank you for being the adventurous and fun-loving people you are.

Love,

Kate Noelle

Venue: Strawberry Farms Golf Club, Flowers: C.M. Armstrong Floral Designs, Makeup: Cicelee Padilla, Hair: Cynthia Reina, Special thanks to the best photographer friend a girl could wish for… the talented Amanda Patrice!