And check out their love story film by 31films. Always good times working with Aaron and Joey.

As a photographer, my work changes as I evolve and my skills develop – hopefully for the better.  My work from 2009 may look nothing like my work in 2013…which makes me nervous. I attempted to establish a personal style as early as I could in my career, and I’d say 2009 was just about the time I started to find my groove. So, to be approached in 2012 from a 2009 fan felt like comparing Saved by the Bell and Saved by the Bell: College years. Same characters, but not quite the same as the original. (And yes, I just willingly dated myself as a 90′s kid).

In comes the engagement session – think of it as a dress rehearsal for our working relationship. You get some photos, we discover what its like to work together, and we begin to develop a level of comfort that benefits us on the wedding day. Tram and Danny being equal parts amazing and genuine, their engagement session in Houston was so awesome that we had to shoot another one in Orange County a few months later. Since Danny is a personal trainer, a crossfit themed engagement made perfect sense. And since the OC felt like home to Tram, it made their beach session incredibly natural and organic.

Clients like these really make me grateful for a career that I can do what I love alongside some of the most amazing and interesting people I’ve ever met.

Meet Li and Ken, two of the easiest people I have ever photographed. Lovers of architecture, style, and aged whiskey. It helps when they’re so easy going and in love. We wandered through Dallas for their engagement session, stopping off at the iconic Winspear Opera House, the new 1400 Hi Line high rises, and Lee Park, a staple of uptown (also where Tony Romo said his vows). But the highlight of the shoot (for me) was the private balcony overlooking Dallas’ Victory Park and downtown skyline, lit up magically. Those who follow my work know I love a good nighttime landscape shot as much as I love Korean BBQ.

Now, Black Rock – climbing. Up the side of the rock. In her dress. Demo dive by the local.

The amazing sequence I was able to capture – this is where I’m thankful for long zoom lenses!

And still my favorite frame from the series. I LOVE the perfect spacing between all the limbs and fingers. And I love how graceful Tiffaney looks.

Sorry Vera!

BONUS footage from a GoPro Hero3 I rented for the week. The jumping footage was shot by their friend, Caleb, who was on life guard duty….just in case the dress was too heavy.

I’m so thrilled to share images from Tiffaney and Chase’s wedding in Maui with everyone! These two are some of the most adventurous, nicest, genuine, fun-loving couples I’ve had the pleasure of meeting and working with. You might remember them from their sexy engagement session in Vegas I posted here or you might recognize Chase from the 2012 WSOP. They chose to share the celebration of their vows with their closest friends and family on Maui’s west side, hosting a weekend of sun-drenched activities. I was lucky enough to document their weekend, including an amazing trash-the-Vera I’m posting separately.

To start things off, a touching and emotional rehearsal/reunion dinner at Longhi’s. I’m finding that rehearsal dinners are where I really get to know my couples – especially ones with an open mic! With so many personal and embarrassing stories, the truth of my couples’ relationships reveal themselves. I’m able to witness and learn what it means to be in their inner circle, the jokes they share, and the joy they bring each other. It’s an amazing experience for me, bringing me closer to my couples and meeting their guests for the weekend.

The wedding day took place at Olowalu Plantation House – a gorgeous and subtle property located right next to the water. Tiffaney’s mermaid Vera and Jimmy Choo’s fit in well with the classic decor of the house.

Meanwhile, Chase and his guys relaxed and soaked up their surrounding at the Majestic Maui Estate.

One thing that was loud and clear during the wedding was the significance and closeness of their families. I love moments where parents show how proud they are while their kids show how grateful they are.

A lavender send off – the entire ceremony smelled SO good.

It was bright out.

Darren and his amazing team at Bliss Weddings and Nathan from GRO designs in Dallas put together a dream reception. Chandeliers hanging in mid air? Speechless.

Tiffaney and her friends – beautiful inside and out.

Before the introductions, I caught a quiet moment of Tiffaney and Chase.

Darren surprised the wedding with an authentic luau, complete with coconuts and fire breathers!

Come back tomorrow to check out Tiffaney and Chase’s epic trash the dress. I’d hate to be Vera Wang after seeing these photos.

 Wedding details:
Rehearsal Dinner – Longhi’s Lahaina Restaurant (888 Front Street, Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii 96761) | Wedding Venue – Olowalu Plantation House (810 Olowalu Village Road, Lahaina HI 96761) | Wedding coordinator – Bliss Weddings Maui | Flowers – Bliss Weddings + GRO Designs | Cake Artist – Maui Sweet Cakes | DJ – DJ Del Sol | Wedding Photography – Table4 Weddings | Wedding Videography – HI Focused | Paper goods and programs – Pumpkinhead Paperie | Wedding Dress – Vera Wang | Wedding Shoes – Jimmy Choo | Special thanks to Kim Le Photography for 2nd shooting this one with me!

I was lucky enough to receive an email from Sherry and John, asking me to join them at the biggest party of their lives. Sherry described Atlantis as this magical water park kingdom – “They have water coaster type slides where the water shoots you back up a hill. CRAZY TALK! And then a slide that goes through a shark tank. My goodness.” How could anyone say no to this? So we booked our flights and prepared for an amazing time.

Little did we know the party we were both getting ourselves into. I’m proud to present the Hurricane Sandy Wedding: Atlantis Bahamas version.

Loved the custom chucks!

Here you can start to see the intensity of Sandy’s winds.

Dance party – commence.

We spent a couple hours the day after to shoot some more intimate portraits on the beach.

Funny story – Sherry and John are the reason I got into dub step, largely due to this video. Check out the collage they put together of their entire week, here. Thanks to Kim Le for working on her tan while shooting this wedding with me.

A beautiful and sweet wedding set in the Willamette Valley or Oregon’s wine country.

Photography by Kim Le Photography

]]> http://www.table4weddings.com/2013/03/tiffie-and-dennis-rancho-bernardo-inn-wedding-sneak/feed/ 0 http://www.table4weddings.com/2013/02/new-digs-for-2013/ http://www.table4weddings.com/2013/02/new-digs-for-2013/#comments Tue, 19 Feb 2013 08:57:21 +0000 Jason http://www.table4weddings.com/?p=6865 My deepest apologies for the absence, but I’ve been working on a new look and soft launched a brand new site this week! There are a few aesthetic bugs I’m still working on, but the basics are set and I can’t be happier with the results. So, take a look around, check out the new [...]]]> My deepest apologies for the absence, but I’ve been working on a new look and soft launched a brand new site this week! There are a few aesthetic bugs I’m still working on, but the basics are set and I can’t be happier with the results. So, take a look around, check out the new galleries, and watch some of the films we’re now offering!

I’ll be honest, it sounded like the American Red Cross or Rock the Vote emails I get on a weekly basis. On my phone, I actually swiped to delete, but suddenly decided not to – that I’d read it when I got home. Little did I know that this email would lead me to two loving and caring families faced with devastating news.

Basically, Belle emailed me on behalf of her sister, Vinna and her fiancé, Johnathan. Johnathan was diagnosed with ALS  early this year and Belle wanted to surprise them with a wedding in two months (December 8th).

After having a meet and greet over FaceTime, my heart felt heavy for them and I started to get to work on figuring out how to help. I decided to donate photography and videography coverage for their wedding. So I contacted my long time friend and cinematographer, Enoch, to film the wedding and we started brainstorming ideas to capture this touching, yet difficult situation.

We decided to ask Vinna and Johnathan if we could tell their love story and create some content to share. This is part one of what we came up with:

I won’t lie – this blog post and this video were created to shine a light not only on this couple’s amazing determination and relationship, but also ALS. They’ve set up a gofundme page to help with Johnathan’s health costs. If you feel compelled to donate, please use this link and help them fight this disease.

Their beautiful sea side wedding at the Scripps Forum was unconventional, modern, and entirely personal. Their day was put together by the talented San Diego based team, I Do! Weddings. Enjoy their fun filled day!

Wedding Photography: Table4 Weddings / Second Photographer: Kim Le Photography / Wedding Venue: Scripps Seaside Forum in La Jolla, California / Floral Design: Melissa Barrad of I Do…Weddings! / Wedding Coordination: Lindsay Cross of I Do…Weddings! / Wedding Cake: French Gourmet / Ceremony Music: Tim Altbaum Productions / Wedding Dress: Vera Wang / Bride’s Shoes: Christian Louboutin

*This wedding was featured on Style Me Pretty.

Many thanks to Enoch Lai and Daniel Chee (video) and Mike Tseng (photo) for lending their time and expertise to me.