Last weekend, I spent a day up at Forest Home with Mark and Donna shooting their engagement photos. There are SO many great ones, so I thought I’d share a quick sneak peek of what’s coming later this week… Happy Tuesday!

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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!

They met at Forest Home. He was charming and she gave him her number. From then on, it was Kraig and Eryn… they fell deeply in love… and on Sept. 6th, 2010, they declared their love with all their family and friends as witnesses. The thing I love about Eryn and Kraig is their firey passion; they’re go-getters and they’re intentional about everything. Their wedding day was nothing less than a passionately symbolic display of love… both the love they’ve experienced in their relationships with God, but also the love they’ve found in each other. Kraig came down the aisle after Eryn to symbolize Christ coming back for his bride, the church. Their ceremony set up was in the shape of a circle. Family and important friends were closely knit into the ceremony…. everyone played a part. Even the reception incorporated things held dear to Eryn’s dad and Kraig’s mom. It was their day… and it went without a hitch….

Eryn, an aspiring wedding coordinator, had everything from the perfect shoes to the beautiful peacock feather boutonnières all planned out. The tables were beautifully done, the cake was simply delicious, and the day ran smooth. There wasn’t a dull moment on my end… plenty to photograph… and so many amazing shots to choose from for this blog post. I couldn’t blog the entire wedding, just because there are too many…. but I wanted to share my favorites from the day and a slideshow I put together to give you a better feel of the whole experience. Enjoy…

To View the Slideshow, Click Here.

Kraig and Eryn,

Your wedding was beautifully done. You two looked so in love and I’m so freakin’ excited for you. You get to wake up next to the love of your life and your best friend every morning of your lives… how lucky can you be? Thank you for letting me be a part of your day… these pictures, and the many more you’ll see soon, write the beginning of a new chapter in your story of adventure, love, and purpose… I can’t wait to see how your story will impact people for generations to come… live your dream.

Love,

Kate Noelle

Venue: Lake Oak Meadows, Temecula

Flowers: Twigg & Bloom

Cake: Bo Cakes, Temecula

Assistant Photographers: Amanda Patrice, Melissa Munding

Hair/Makeup/Hairpieces: Chloe

Invitations: Katie Wyper Designs

Caterer: The Special Event Connection

DJ/Videographer: Chad Rickard of Juxtapose Media

I was always the sassy troublemaking staff member at Junior Winter Camp. Alissa was the sweet one whom everyone loved to pieces. Billy Jack was the boss man. Every year Billy Jack’s March birthday fell during Winter Camp season and every year we, as good staff peeps should, threw him a birthday celebration after all the campers went to sleep for the night. One year… I convinced my new friend Alissa that it was a good idea for both of us to smash cake in his face. I didn’t think she’d do it because she was such a nice person. I was wrong…. she totally did it… she shocked both Billy Jack and me…. and thus began our friendship. Haha. Really though…. it was that year that we became friends… and we never would have guessed back then, that a few years down the road, they would be  falling head over heels in love.

Not only was their wedding a beautiful and ridiculously fun day, but it was quite sentimental. Billy Jack and Alissa are the rare type of people who are DEEPLY vested in their relationships. They care about people. They thrive off people. Looking out into the faces of everyone at the ceremony, I saw family….. in the biggest sense of the word. And throughout the day, tears of immense joy and gratitude streamed down just about every face… including mine. And as we drove away from the reception, I heard Alissa say over and over…. “This was the best day of my life. Seriously.”

There’s so much I could say about these two… so many stories and fond memories of how they’ve touched my soul and helped mold me into the person I am today… but, for your sake… I’ll just stick with the pictures.

The day started at the Se San Diego Hotel… hands down the COOLEST hotel I’ve ever had the privilege of setting foot in. I LOVE that place! Alissa spent the morning getting all prettied up for the big day… and by the time she was done, I had to take deep breaths to keep from crying… she was so beautiful. Every detail was perfectly “her”… and they all came together to make one BEAUTIFUL bride!

As we waited for the car to arrive, Alissa and I spent some time taking these breath-taking bridal portraits… and they’re easily my absolute favorites from the day… I think you’ll agree…

While Alissa and the girls were getting ready, Billy Jack and his party were waiting at Presidio Park… eagerly awaiting his first look at his beautiful bride. Christopher and my good friend Regis hung out with these guys and took some sweet shots while they waited for us…

Alissa and I finally arrived at Presidio Park and he finally got to see his bride…. it was such a touching moment!

We took a few group shots and then made our way to the ceremony site– Solana Beach Presbyterian Church…

This look is one of the main reasons I do what I do…. I have the privilege of capturing the look on the grooms face when he sees his bride walking down the aisle on the day they promise forever to each other. This look is the one every girl dreams about her whole life… and, I’m not even kidding, I cry EVERY TIME. Billy Jack was sooooo happy…

During the lighting of the unity candle, their friend Molly Jenson performed a poignant rendition of Joshua Radin’s “Today”… Molly… you’re amazing!

This is another one of my favorites… they are SO HAPPY walking back down the aisle as newlyweds!!! Hooraaay!

This cracks me up every time…

At the end of the night, I rode with them downtown in Lance Haynes’ 1929 Deluxe 4-Door Durant… and we took some “vintage Las Vegas” style shots with the car. There are so many good ones, but they’ll have to share them with you

Boom.

Billy Jack…. Alissa…. you two rock my world. I’ve been so blessed working with you and being a part of your wedding day was a highlight of my career. I hope you’re having a blast in the Mediterranean and I can’t wait for some hang out time!! Many thanks go out to all the spectacular vendors who helped make their day perfect… and Regis… friend…. I LOVED having you along to shoot with me! Thank you so much!

Flowers: Diane Reichenbach of Whimsey Florals

Caterer: Ki’s Restaurant

Chauffeuring: Lance Haynes

Officiant: Greg Fields

Videography: Steven and Michael of Lomaland Productions

Cake: Grove Pastry Shop

Music: Molly Jenson

To View the Slideshow, Click Here.