Ashley Rose Photography

River June Haack. The Beginning

2012-01-23T12:46:00.000-08:00

I was able to document a miracle about 2 weeks ago ....

my sweet friend Jesi Haack welcomed her sweet baby girl into the world and I was able to

capture that beautiful event for her and Mr. Haack!

I am in absolute awe of how beautiful River's birth was!!! Truly an amazing experience :)

I feel so blessed to have been there =)

Welcome to the world RIVER JUNE HAACK! I adore you lil girl :)

Mr. Haack was prepared :)

If you know the Haack's then this photo makes sense :)

They made a stage baby to just do a dry run on the birth... LOL :)amazingness !

Valentine's Day Mini Sessions!

2012-01-20T06:00:00.000-08:00

I am so excited to announce my first set of Mini sessions!

Since having Crew each holiday is so much fun to capture

and since Valentine's Day is one of my very FAVS I knew I wanted to come up

with some fun stuff for kids :)

I will be posting some sneaks of the what the sessions will look like this weekend

but wanted to get out all the info asap!!!

EMAIL ME to sign up =)

Here are the details!

Saturday, Jan. 28th / Sunday, Jan. 29th in COSTA MESA, California :)

Timeslots :)

3:00pm

3:20pm

3:40pm

4:00pm

4:20pm

4:40pm

*if you want to book please email me the following

which date you would like

your 1st and 2nd time slot

how many children and their ages/gender

*also this doesn't necessarily have to be just for kiddos!

I have some super cute props that would be adorable for a engagement session too :)

Again check back this weekend for sneaks of the valentine's day mini's!!!

Or just follow my FACEBOOK to see the sneaks first :)

Court & Matt. The Question

2012-01-09T06:00:00.000-08:00

2012 Engagement Sessions have begun!!! :)

First up is Court & Matt!

They live in Long Beach, right by the beach so we started our session right near their home.

And their adorable lil pup joined in for some photo time too! I could have stolen him :)

Courtney & Matt are so sweet together! They needed lil to no direction in their cutestness!

They are just adorable together :)

They are tying the knot @ the amazing Calamigo's Ranch in Malibu and I am so excited for

their sweet wedding day!

New Year- New Resolutions!

2012-01-05T12:27:00.000-08:00

Que cliche New Year's Eve blog post...

Sorry but I couldn't help myself!

I am bound and determined to keep my New Year's Resolutions this year =)

First up was creating (and keeping up with it as well) a FACEBOOK Business Page!

And I did it! It's such an awkward thing to ask people to "like you" .... but I decided that ultimately it's a great thing to do for my business :)

You can LIKE ME right HERE!

Now all my SNEAKS will be shown here so future brides make sure you follow it :)

Another resolution I made was to branch out more in different areas

of my photography business.

On it's way soon :) Valentine's Mini Sessions for kiddos!!!

I am so excited for all the ideas I have for this : ) I will be posting info soon!

Also another fun thing I decided to offer this year.... Mini Mentor Sessions :)

I have taken a few workshops which have been so amazing, but I will truly never forgot

my mentor session one on one with a photographer when I was first starting out.

It pushed me to another level and I am forever grateful for that one on one session.

Over the years I have always wondered about what other photographer's did in

so many part's of their business and wished someone would have shown me

that stuff when I was starting out... so EMAIL ME if you are interested in learning more

about these Mini Mentor Sessions :)

And a post wouldn't be complete without a photo :)....

so my lil man on Christmas Morning!

*Note that we totally wrapped up stuff he already had and had him reopen them...

he was way more into the wrapping paper than anything :) lol!

2011 - in Weddings

2011-12-31T06:00:00.000-08:00

Happy *Almost* New Year!

2011 has been an amazing year, full of ups & downs...

It was a learning year, trying to juggle being a wife, photographer, friend and new job of mommy.

As tough as it's been I feel extremely grateful to be doing what I absolutely LOVE

and being able to watch my son grow up :)

To all my 2011 couples I am sad to see you go but truly so honored to have captured your beautiful wedding days!!! Thank you for choosing me to document such an amazing day!

I cherish your wedding photos as much as you do :)

To my 2012 couples..... So excited for what is to come!

Excited to become friends, document your day, and excited for you to begin your lives together!

Okay I apologize I am usually not this SAPPY... :)

But I am just trying to be thankful everyday for the goodness in my life!

So now onto my 2011 in Weddings ;)

2011- Dresses.Shoes.Flowers.Rings

2011-12-30T15:00:00.000-08:00

I am such a sucker for all things pretty.

I get so ridiculously excited over my bride's dress, shoes, flowers and rings!

I just LOVE all that stuff :) so this might be my favorite lil wrap up of all things girly in 2011 =)

2011 - Engagements

2011-12-30T12:00:00.000-08:00

Now onto 2011 Engagements wrap-up! ;)

Marisa. Peter. & The Twins. The Beginning

2011-12-30T06:00:00.000-08:00

I realized that the more maternity and family shoots that I do I am falling in with them!

I never thought I would!!! I think a big part is just being able to document this time,

it's a completely different feeling than wedding anticipation :)

Marisa contacted me right before christmas and we were able to do her shoot last week!

You might be wondering why the rush....

Well Marisa is expecting TWINS and she is right around her 3rd trimester.

*Fun lil tip for mommies to be... if your doing maternity photos usually the best time to do them is around 30 weeks :) you are still in the cute phase of your pregnancy.

(I know :) I have been there!)

Anyway since they aren't quite sure when the twins will make their appearance they wanted to make sure and document this time as soon as possible!

Oh and did I mention Marisa & her husband Peter are expecting a BABY BOY & a BABY GIRL!!!

I am green with envy :)

Love it!

Anyway onto Marisa & Peter.....

I know you both are going to be wonderful wonderful parentsto those little babies!

So happy for you both :)

I cannot wait to hear their sweet names :) when they arrive!

2011 - Portraits

2011-12-29T12:00:00.000-08:00

I have never done a year wrap up post before so this year I knew I just had to!

And I am sooo glad I decided to do it :)

Just reflecting upon my year I feel so incredibly blessed by each and every one of my clients!

I can't believe that this is my job and I am able to document such amazing times in people's lives!

To start off I had to break down my year! So first up 2011 ... IN PORTRAITS :)

Holly & Jason. The Beginning (Some Sneaks!)

2011-12-29T06:00:00.000-08:00

Our sweet friends Holly & Jason are expecting a bouncy baby girl very shortly :)

and I was able to snap some pics of their *first* christmas with her!

Some fun sneaks of their session @ a Christmas Tree lot =)

Goldie & Parker. The Day

2011-12-28T06:00:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday!!!!

I am still catching up on blogging :) and just a couple more 2011 weddings left to share!

Hooray!

Goldie & Parker's adorable wedding took place @ the beautiful Redondo Beach Historic Library!

I loved capturing their beautiful wedding :)

Fall + Library Wedding = PERFECTION! It was so perfect for them!

They had sooo many amazing moments at their wedding but I think my favorite had to be

when Goldie walked down the aisle.

As Goldie walked down the aisle towards the love of her life, Parker (he) met her 1/2 way....

and they made their way down the aisle to the alter TOGETHER.

I thought it was the most amazing way to start their life together, right there, in the aisle :)

Amazing!

Another sweet detail they did was their table numbers were actually different animals.

But monogamous animals! Only the ones that mate for life :) sooooooo cute!

Okay I have chatting long enough, now onto the photos!

Parker & Goldie got each other the SAME WEDDING GIFT!

Pretty sure this means they are PERFECT for each other :)

Welcome to the World Baby Decker!!!

2011-12-14T06:00:00.000-08:00

My amazing friend Carissa just had a bouncing baby boy (well in Nov) ;)

and I was able toshoot a lil bit of her sweet new family.

Carissa & Brian welcomed their son, Decker August Jowett on November 8th, 2011.

I can't even explain how honored I felt to capture their first photos together as a

family of 3. I kept getting so teary eyed editing these photos! I am such a sap :)

Brian and Carissa are going to be such amazing parents,

just spending this short time with them and Decker was unbelievable....

As silly as it sounds, I could just feel so much love in the room.

Decker is such a lucky little boy to have you both as parents!!!

Ack... okay getting teary typing.

Cariss- I know you are going to be such an amazing mother. I love you and Decker so so much!

Crew is so excited to have a new lil man friend :)

they are going to be besties! I know it :)

Sweet proud uncle :) (carissa's brother)

Sweet proud GrandParents!!! :) (Carissa's mom and dad)

Crew's 1st Birthday Party!

2011-12-11T23:00:00.000-08:00

*WARNING THIS POST IS LONG!!!!! (hey! my lil boy only turns 1 once :) )

I honestly don't even know where to start....

I probably started planning my son's first birthday party when he was 3 months old.

Anyone who follows me on PINTEREST knows this :)

I was pinning ideas forever for his party!

But Jeff & I finally came to the "theme" of a Surf Party for our little man!

My husband loves surfing and for his 1st birthday gift from us we had a surfboard made for him,

complete with a bright blue 1 painted on it and his baby feet

(imprints from the hospital) on the bottom of the board :)

When I actually saw the completed board I burst into tears!

I adore it! He will actually be able to ride it (in a few years) and he can keep it forever :)

So anyways that is how we knew we had to throw him a Surf Party :)

and because I am a crazy perfectionist I wanted to throw some other fun elements into it.

Hence the OMBRE Surf Theme :)

I must say the girls @ POSH PAPERIE were truly my biggest source of inspiration and help!

They contributed sooo much and I am so grateful for Elizabeth & Karrie!!!

It all started with the invite! K & E completely designed everything for this beauty!

I knew I wanted hand drawn fonts and that was about it :)

They came up with the most amazing invitation ever,

seriously so blown away by how creative they are!!!

They created Kraft Boxes (with a beautiful blue ombre address wrap)

filled them with shades of blue sand.

In each box were 3 little cards.

1 - said Crew is ONE

the next one was all the party info

the last one was a lil sizing help.

Saying our "Little Grom's sizing is... " .

We have a big guy, so he has been out of 12month clothing for quite some time :)

I knew I needed to let people know this :)

Onto all the decor details!

Ombre tables: I tied in the ombre (graduation of color) theme into the party in several areas.

3 shades of blue table cloths covered the party table.

Then I created a kraft paper extra wide runner/table cloth to go over each table as well.

I hand painted each place setting onto the kraftpaper along with shades of blue waves :)

Centerpieces: Each table had a juice jug filled with sand anchoring giant round blue balloons.

Strewn about the tables were mini blue beach pails filled with goldfish

and painted number 1's on them.

Each painted place setting had ombre dipped bamboo cutlery wrapped in twine on it.

Drink station:

We had milk, oj, apple juice, mimosas (for the adults) and chocolate milk shots!

And of course coffee, lots of coffee.

Cereal Bar:

I wanted fun foods for kids so what better than a cereal bar!

I ordered super cute cereal "bowls" trays from GARNISH

(actually I bought a ton of super cute party supplies from them!)

and had a ton of cereal complete with a jar of milk to top them off!

Pancake Station:

We had a pancake (& waffles too!) station, tons of toppings to add on :)

plus fruit cups (shark fin toppers), granola bars, and muffins!

Desserts:

My wonderful friend Melody (My Sweet & Saucy Shop) designed Crew's beautiful sweet table!

She made a super cute mini cake just for Crew, Ombre blue! Umm it was amazing!!!

Cutest thing ever!

Shark fin cake pops! Rice Krispie Treats, yummy mini cupcakes, it was all perfect :)

Mel set up the desserts on Crew's surfboard with scattered bits of sand and of course trays full of goldfish! Seriously LOVED everything!!!

The favor bags were strewn about the table. Super cute screen printed bags from

Wedding Chicks filled with gummy sharks!!! =) LOVED!

Okay finally onto the photos! Sorry again, super long post :)

Vendors :

Paperie: Posh Paperie

Desserts: My Sweet & Saucy Shop

Favor Bags: Wedding Chicks

Rentals: Found Rentals (dessert table) & Signature Rentals (tables/chairs)

The Invitation :)

Placesetting

I made the photo back drop, just photos of Crew in his 1st year of life!

Posh Paperie created the poster for me -quote from the sweet book "Love you Forever"

Cereal Bar

Shark fin fruit cups

The Birthday Boy's thrown for the day!

The super cute "Crew is One" Sign Posh Paperie made!

Cake time!

Kinda liked cake. Kinda :)

Recent Press. The Knot/Southern Weddings/Brides SoCal

2011-12-09T12:00:00.000-08:00

A huge THANK YOU to all my wonderful wonderful couples this year!

Without you I would not have these wonderful images to share =)

Recent PRESS for me below:

Rodney : from Sabrina & Rodney's beautiful Wedding in Southern Weddings Magazine

An oldie but goodie wedding : Lauren & Jeff's Wedding Alter featured in Brides SoCal

Ashley & Justin's amazing vintage summer camp wedding featured in The Knot So Cal

Melissa & Chris. The Day (Part 2)

2011-12-09T06:00:00.001-08:00

Onto Part 2 of Missy & Chris's amazing amazing wedding!!!! :)

Check out all the details missy and her friends did, seriously sooo many awesome ideas!

I am in love with everything!!! :)

Vendor breakdown:

Venue: Smog Shoppe

Dress: Saja

Makeup: 1011 Makeup

Paperie: Wedding Paper Divas

Catering: In-N-Out

Dessert: Cool Haus

Everything else was a labor of LOVE!!!

Super cute INVITATIONS !!! Missy works for Wedding Paper Divas/Tiny Prints :) so no surprise there!

Love this whisky bar for the gents!!! :)

Ombre love!

My super sweet couple from last year! Jeff & Lauren !!! :)

Missy's Aunt read love letters read during their ceremony from her grandfather to her grandmother.... it was one of the sweetest things I have seen EVER at a wedding! So amazing and touching!

In and Out for dinner/ Cool Haus for dessert!!! PERFECTION!!!

Melissa & Chris. The Day ( Part 1)

2011-12-08T06:00:00.000-08:00

Yup another 2 partner wedding blog post!

Sorry folks but it was too hard to narrow down images ;)

So get this... I had 2 weddings this year both:

@ the Smog Shoppe & Beatles Themed!

Seriously crazy =)

Especially because they were so close together that neither one knew about the other!!!

And both were completely different and unique :)

Melissa & Chris were married back in October and the amazing

GREEN WEDDING SHOES featured their wedding on her blog- see feature here .

I am finally able to post it! Hooray!

And this is just part 1 of all the amazing details :)

Thank you Missy and Chris for allowing me to capture your amazing wedding day!

I adore you both and wish you the best in marriage =)

Check back for Part 2!!!

Cook Family. The Beginning

2011-12-06T06:00:00.000-08:00

I have a TON of catching up to do on this little blog of mine!

First up a SUPER CUTE family session :) the Cook Family!!!

Christine is a sister of one of my past brides and

I absolutely loved shooting her beautiful family :)

Gary & Christine have an adorable (15month- a bit older now :)) son, Graydon

who completely stole my heart!

I cannot wait until Crew is that age!

He was soooo sweet and adventurous :)

We roamed around their neighborhood of beautiful San Clemente on a overcast day

(which creates some beautiful light!!!)

and it was so fun!

Something about capturing these moments with families

touches my heart so so much.

I know how much I adore photos of my family

so I feel so blessed to give that to another family!!!

Thank you Cook family for letting me shoot you guys :)

Hoping we can do it again -maybe with the pups and another addition to the fam!

xoxo

Happy Birthday Baby!!!

2011-11-22T06:00:00.001-08:00

Preface:

I am writing this birthday post to my baby boy on the eve of his first birthday.

This is crazy. I truly cannot imagine my life without my silly little man.

A year has pasted and this bouncing, chubby, rolly, polly guy has changed my life

more than I imagined. And not just in the typical first baby cliches either.

I miss sleep. I miss late night movies. I miss having my husband all to myself.

But I wouldn't change any of it.

I live in a household full of men and I LOVE it. I never sleep in and I LOVE it

(okay part of me doesn't love it, but it's worth it)

With everything that changes and shifts you find new balance in your life.

It's kind of crazy the amount of clarity a baby brings.

I never realized how hard this job would be.

Not being a photographer. Being a mom.

It's one of the hardest things I have yet to do,

but also one of the most amazing things I could have ever imagined.

I stopped posting letter's to Crew on my blog

but thought it would be fun to do one in honor of his birthday.

7:55am- Nov. 22nd, 2010 Crew Holden Rose was born.

Dear Crew,

You are 1. And with that short sentence your mommy has turned into a puddle. You will realize this soon about girls. They cry... sometimes a lot :)

My sweet Crewster... Happy Birthday my love! I am so proud of all you have accomplished this year. I will probably write this in your bday card when you are 20, but still I think 1 is your best year. Your daddy and I are so extremely blessed to have you as our son, you have taught us so much in the past year. I can't believe you came into our lives a year ago and you are already a lil man. I cannot wait to watch you grow up sweet boy! We can't quite figure out your little personality quite yet... you are independent but definitely a momma's boy ;)

You are rambunctious and determined and kind of a terror to the dog!

You don't toss out the smiles for free. You are inquisitive and like to study people.

It takes a lot to get a grin or laugh outta you. If people only knew all they had to do was sneeze,

and you are a laughing fool :)

You are quite large for your age baby boy. But I think the bigger the baby the better :)

let's face it, this is the age where you can get away with being the beefiest baby on the block!

Fun things about you:

Hair: Strawberry Blonde

Eyes: Blue

Weight/size: 30 lbs/ 2 & some 3 t clothes

Favorite food: Green Beans, Cheerios, Sweet Potato, Cheese

Favorite person: Bubbles. Yup the dog is def. your fav

Favorite word: Dada... You said Mama first but now all you say is Dada! Sometimes RawRaw (which we think is the dog)

Favorite song: "Happy Birthday" , "The Bunny Song" , "You are my Sunshine"

Favorite activity: Bath time for sure! You are a water baby

What makes you laugh: When mommy and daddy dance for you, sneezing, coughing, spitting is a new one...

What you don't like: hmmm. you pretty much like everything. you'll eat anything! and it shows chunky monkey :)

Now we are off to Disneyland for your birthday! Woo hoo!

And a couple sneaks of your 1st birthday party (I will be able to post photos soon!)

;)

Out of the Office

2011-11-18T06:00:00.000-08:00

I am going to be out of the office today (Friday, Nov. 18th) until Weds. Nov. 23rd!

I will be returning emails upon return!

Thank you for your patience =)

A little sneak of some goodness that will be shared next week!!!

Vossler Family. The Beginning

2011-11-17T06:00:00.000-08:00

It's absolutely terrifying when a fellow photographer asked you to shoot their family.

Melissa was my first.

Melissa Vossler is an amazing wedding/portrait photographer in Orange County,

and asked me to document her family of 5 now! ;)

Her youngest daughter is born 1 week after Crew!

Mind you he is twice her size :) but I think they are destined for love in the future!!!

I was a wee bit nervous photographing 3 kiddos under 5 but I have to say that

I adore Melissa & Trei's babies! Seriously made me consider having 3 kiddos ;)

Trei & Melissa are still puppy love teenagers,

just watching them together was so cute!

While they were so comfortable being best friends & husband and wife,

they were also just like giddy youngsters @ the same time!

I loved it! Such an amazing marriage :)

Trei and Melissa have 3 BEAUTIFUL babies...

Lucas, Olivia, & Madelyn!

Each of them stole my heart, such sweet and cuddly lil ones.

I think my favorite moment was when Lucas wanted to hold my hand,

and then of course Livvy had to too ;) so we all walked hand in hand through the woods!

Umm... heart explosions!!!!

Melissa thank you so much for allowing me to capture your beautiful family!

You guys are the funnest bunch ever =)

I LOVE THIS IMAGE :)

Esther & Daniel . The Day (Part 2)

2011-11-16T14:00:00.000-08:00

Part 2 of Esther & Daniel's wedding day! =) Woot woot!

Quite possibly the most beautiful chargers ever?!?! :)

Esther & Daniel. The Day (Part 1)

2011-11-16T06:00:00.000-08:00

Okay this is going to be a 2 part-er for the blog =)

Be sure to check back later today for part 2!

Esther & Daniel's GORGEOUS wedding was featured on Style Me Pretty a couple weeks ago

and I am so excited to share more goodness from their day!

I fell in love with Esther via email :)

she was always sending me lil bits of what they had planned (which I love!)

and was just the sweetest bride.

Daniel is the perfect compliment to her! And so unbelievably caring and attentive.

I couldn't have asked for a better/mellow-er couple =)

Esther & Daniel hired the amazing - IN THE NOW weddings

and I knew the day was going to be fantastically put together!

My expectations were completely blown! Wow do those girls outdo themselves!!!

Check out the SMP post for all the DETAILS : )

along with the In The Now blog for more goods!

Thank you Esther & Daniel for trusting me with all your heart!

I LOVED being a part of your amazing wedding day :)

Love you both!!!!

Umm Daniel seriously got his wife to be the most amazing Gucci tote for their wedding day!!! Wow. Insert JEALOUSLY... :)

Rose Family. The Beginning

2011-11-14T06:00:00.001-08:00

I had the lovely privilege of shooting my brother in law, Mike, sister in law, Autumn, and beautiful niece, Sienna, this year for their family photos!

I dont do a ton of family shoots, I've actually decided to just do them for friends/family now ;)

So this was a bonus! Family and photo time!!!

Little Miss Sienna was definitely a hard egg to crack, but I know those kids well...

Crew is JUST LIKE THAT!

After trying a ton of stuff to make her smile about 1/2 way through we realized that she was super smiley anytime we mentioned "Uncle Jeff" (my hubs!)

Seriously Sienna LOVES him!!!

Quite possibly more than I do.... :)

Talking about Uncle Jeff worked like a charm! Instant smiles :)

So just some of my favs from our day @ The Lab!!!

Love you Roses ;) thank you for letting me capture you guys!

Aren't they the CUTEST? :)

Wimberley & Brian. The Day

2011-11-10T21:00:00.000-08:00

I finally get to blog this wedding! Hooray!

I am hoping to catch up on all my beautiful weddings in the next 2 months :) so stay tuned!

Wimberley & Brian had an absolutely charming wedding at The Villa in San Clemente :)

one of the sweetest venues in Orange County for sure!

Wimberley & Brian's sweet day was featured over on the BE INSPIRED blog earlier this week.

So excited to be featured on Leila's blog :)

and now I get to share this amazing lil wedding with you!

Some fun info on the day:

Venue: The Villa, San Clemente

Event/Floral Designer: JL Designs

Cake & Desserts: My Sweet and Saucy Shop

Videographer: Stereo Waltz Films

Linens: La Tavola

Lounge Furniture and Church Pews: Found Rentals

Overall Wimberley wanted a soft romantic feel for her wedding.

Their color palette of gold, white, cream, mustard, beige and grey... with chocolate brown to anchor it together with their venue created such a beautiful airy and soft feel to their wedding.

Carissa (JL Designs) used white & cream roses, peonies, veronica, lilac, scabiosa, tulips, and lisianthus, and spray roses with a touch of greenery for the bouquet.

All the bouquets were wrapped in mustard or beige velvet, and the boutonnieres were wrapped in mustard or gray corduroy (sooooo stunning!)

Wimberley grew up in Texas so she wanted to incorporate some "cowboy flair" without going overboard and too themey.... so they brought in subtle hints of her upbringing... worn gray and cream antlers accented lounge tables for an interior design feel. Her family created a custom spice rub and packaged them in metal tins for favors! So sweet!

This was a 2nd marriage for the groom and his 2 daughter's have grown especially close to Wimberley... one special part of the day was when Brian and his girls serenaded Wimberley with the song "She's everything" by Brad Paisley! I was in tears!

Onto their photos! There's a ton because this post has been hiding for months! =)

Thank you W & B for allowing me to capture your beautiful love and family!!!

I adore you two!

Fav First Look!!!

Elyzza & Michael. The Day

2011-11-07T06:00:00.000-08:00

I have been wanting to post this wedding FOREVER! :)

So glad that I finally can!!!

Elyzza & Michael's wedding was featured on the lovely wedding blog,

100 Layer Cake yesterday {Hooray!}

Their wedding was amazing! Elyzza & Michael are so easy going and just adorable!

Elyzza's smile is so beautiful and every time she would smile Michael lite up =)

Seriously they are cuter than puppies these two!

Onto their day....

Christina from Simply Modern Weddings was the designer/coordinator extraordinaire for this stunning wedding!

This wedding was such a dream team of talent!!! Seriously they made my job easy :)

Design/Coordination: Simply Modern Weddings

Florals: Honey & Poppies

Paperie: Paper & Thread

Hair/Makeup: 1011 MakeUp

Sweets: My Sweet & Saucy Shop

Venue: MOLAA

Dress: La Soie Bridal

Shoes: Yves Saint Laurent

Groom's suit: Burberry

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-30T21:45:00.000-07:00

So just a little Halloween post from my fat baby shark ....

I have come to realize that Crew will be by far my hardest subject to shoot. ever ;)

I had a whole concept in mind (like the crazy photog mom that i am)

and wanted Crew to be a chubby shark for his first halloween!

I even crafted little striped felt fishes as accessories (see crazy photog mom reference above) :)

Well everything didn't go quite as planned.... take a looksy...

"Mom I hate this..."

"Yup... still hating it.... "

Full on meltdown!

Daddy to the rescue with snacks! =)

Okay things are better.... for about 2 minutes....

And yup. We are done.

Can you tell he is over getting his picture taken?! :)

And this is about as much of a smile as I got ;)

Oh well... I was just happy to get any photos without tears!

Happy Halloween to everyone!

Love, Crew Rose

Melissa & Kevin. The Day

2011-10-25T06:00:00.000-07:00

Melissa & Kevin are just the sweetest!

I flew to San Francisco for their chic, beautiful, and stunning wedding day =)

It was perfect.

They are some of the kindest people I have ever met

and I just knew their wedding would be magical!

The weather was wonderful! And for SF that is always up in the air :)

Melissa's gown was stunning, and I don't think I have had shoe envy this bad in a long time!

Check out those LOUBS!!!! Gah! Glitter LOUBS!

And being able to shoot their portraits @ Crissy Field was a dream!!!

Seriously it was breathtaking!

Thank you Melissa & Kevin for allowing me to tell the story of your amazing wedding day.

SoCal is going to miss you too dearly!!!

Enjoy your photos friends :)

Sweetest thing. Kevin has been friends with one of his groomsmen since they were 4/5 (roughly)

and found this note he had written one of them back then! Amaaazzzing!

Posh Paperie Girls

2011-10-23T20:30:00.000-07:00

I had the lovely privilege of shooting the ladies of Posh Paperie and their beautiful families!!!

I feel so incredibly blessed with the friendship of Karrie & Elizabeth,

they truly are the sweetest girls ever!

And I use them for soooo much stuff it's ridiculous!

They are in the midst of helping me repackage :) and I am thrilled!

If you need any paperie goods they are your girls!!!! =)

So here are some shots of their adorable families :)

quite possibly the easiest kiddos ever to shoot!

Love you K & E!

Kelly & Curtis. The Day - Part 2

2011-10-20T09:34:00.000-07:00

Part 2 of Kelly & Curtis's beautiful airplane wedding day =)

Seriously still in awe of everything Kelly created!!!

You can see all the details for part 2 here on Green Wedding Shoes :)

Now onto the photos :)!!!

Kelly & Curtis. The Day - Part 1

2011-10-19T06:00:00.000-07:00

So this is going to be another 2 part-er wedding blog post!

After my blogging drought I feel like it's the least I can do =)

Kelly & Curtis seriously blew me away. I swear Kelly is possibly the most creative person -EVER!!

She is actually building my new blog for me! I am sooo excited about it!

Onto their wedding though!

Kelly created sooo many things for their wedding, including her wedding dress.

Yup... she MADE HER WEDDING DRESS! Seriously! =)

Kelly & Curtis's wedding was featured on Green Wedding Shoes yesterday,

so please check out PART 1 & PART 2 of the feature for all the details!!!

And check back for PART 2 of their sweet day on my blog soon =)

Thank you Kelly & Curtis for being so unbelievably sweet

and kind. I truly felt like family @ your wedding!

Thank you for allowing me to play a small role in the greatest day of your lives (thus far :) )

Enjoy your photos!!!

Krystle & Josh. The Day

2011-10-18T14:00:00.000-07:00

Finally I get to blog this sweet and utterly adorable wedding =)

Krystle and Josh were married @ the lovely Red Horse Barn back in August and

I love love love the character of their wedding (and of course K & J too) !

Burlap + Navy + Jesi Haack Design Team = A+++ Wedding

Krystle & Josh's beautiful day and all their details

was featured on the always charming

wedding blog, The Loveliest Day!

Check it out for loads of details and sweet advice from the bride & groom ;)

One thing that I thought was the sweetest thing was the fact that Krystle & Josh were married on the anniversary of her grandma & grandpa's (omi & opa's) 56th wedding anniversary!

There was such a huge feeling of family @ their wedding, it was amazing to just be a part of it :)

(even as just a vendor ;) )

Thank you Krystle & Josh for 1) letting me capture your beautiful day! 2) being so patient on this blog post :) xoxo

No shame....

2011-10-04T06:00:00.000-07:00

I realized that I have absolutely no shame in what I will do

to get the shot I want on a wedding day....

I came to this realization after my lovely & amazing 2nd shooter Marissa sent me this gem....

Wow. Soooo awkward....

*and I just realized my blacks (shirt/pants) dont match.

Dont judge. I shamefully hang my head for this fashion blunder :(

but I was able to get THIS SHOT! LOVE IT! :)

The lovely Kelly & Curtis will be gracing the blog soon =)

Goldie & Parker. The Question (Part 2)

2011-09-22T06:00:00.001-07:00

Goldie and Parker wanted to have this engagement session incorporate Parker's highschool

car (since the couple has known each other since HS!) , his rad BMW.

Which of course he didn't appreciate when he had it ;) oh teenagers!

I love that our styling for this shoot was based on the light/car/ and just the two of them!

Some of my FAV images yet!!!

Enjoy =)

Bride Tip

2011-09-21T06:00:00.000-07:00

So again this is just my own opinion....

and when I get my NEW BLOG I think this will be a weekly fun feature =)

but here is my 1st Bride Tip....

Bride's..... this is the ONE DAY that you get to carry around a GORGEOUS bouquet of fresh flowers as an accessory.

I wouldn't mind doing this on a monday as well ,

but I am sure I would get some awkward looks.

Anyway... back to my tip.

Even if you are a DIY bride and are creating absolutely every element of your wedding day..... hire a professional to make your bouquet.

Truly it will be such a special moment for you to see this amazing arrangement.

Bridal bouquet's are tricky! Make sure yours is what you have always dreamed of!

A sneak of my past bride -Kelly's- bridal bouquet!

*Kelly created every detail of her wedding, but left this beauty to the professionals :)

Carmen & Pete (Beatles Smog Shoppe Wedding) Part 2

2011-09-14T06:00:00.000-07:00

If you missed part 1 of this Beatles Wedding Bash - check it out here on GWS!

Also Part 2 is on GWS too =)

So I have to say my new favorite moment of a wedding day is the bride & groom coming down the aisle once they have been pronounced husband and wife!

It's so adorable how excited they are!

Pete and Carmen were no exception! They danced their way down the aisle!!! A.DOR.ABLE!

I could go on & on about this wedding

but instead I will just share the rest of their beautiful day!

Love you Shugars!

Carmen & Pete (Beatles Smog Shoppe Wedding) Part 1

2011-09-13T06:00:00.000-07:00

I am trying my best to do this wedding justice.

I knew from start that Carmen & Pete were going to blow me away with their wedding day.

They are such a thoughtful couple,

that I just knew their wedding would be chalk full of lovelies!

And with the UBER fabulous Jesi Haack on board as the designer, I knew it would be stunning!

Since I had such a hard time narrowing down photos this will be a 2 part wedding blog post =)

I honestly could write about how wonderful everything was, but I want to just write to my lovely Shugars:

Pete & Carmen- THANK YOU. Thank you for choosing me to document your sweet day.

You two are some of the sweetest and truly the most thoughtful people I have had the chance in meeting/knowing/loving!

I adore you two and am so excited for your life together as man & wife =)

Now just hurry up and make lots of sweet shugar babies!

Part 1 details: below :)

Wedding Dress: Watters Too

Reception Dress: BCBG Maxazria

Shoes: Seychelles from Anthropologie

Hairpiece: Lo Boheme

Bridesmaids: each girl picked their own dress/ one even made her own!

Gloves/ necklaces: Dark Destiny (etsy) & Margot Strong / necklaces made by the MOG (Mother of the Groom)

Groom/Groomsmen: JCrew

Getting Ready Venue: The London Hotel

Venue: Smog Shoppe

Designer/Coordinator: Jesi Haack Designs

Invitations: Posh Paperie

Florist: Effusive Flowers

Bouquet: Surroundings Online (Etsy) & Jesi Haack

Bouts: Surroundings Online (Etsy) & Effusive Flowers

Catering: Eco Caterers / Taco King (late night snacks)

Videographer: Floataway Studios

Head over to GREEN WEDDING SHOES for loads of sweet details on the Shugar's Wedding!

The groomsmen boutonnieres: Pete wanted the bouts to represent a part of

something I have given him. Each bout for the groomsmen & groom

was made from vintage atlas map paper from different cities we have visited or would like to go as a married couple. I am a traveler and Pete wants to explore the world with me. Pete’s bout was a map of L.A. (the city we fell in love). The rest of the bouts were made from maps of Lansing, Michigan (Pete’s from Michigan), Australia (our honeymoon location), London, Vancouver, Paris, Portland, Mexico City (Carmen's family is from there).

The bridesmaids carried tambourines instead of bouquets! Such a fun element!

Still DYING over their HEART backdrop :)

Cutest Guestbook ever!

The bridal party danced up the aisle to "Brown Eyed Girl"

Pete's brother Randy got ordained to officiate the wedding :)

The whole bridal party recited a song, " Love " by John Lennon

Most couples do a sand ceremony or a candle lighting, Carmen and Pete had a sugar (Shugar) ceremony! "Shugar" is their nickname as a couple- Shu-coming frome Pete's last name,

and Gar-coming from Carmen's last name.

To represent the union of our two families, they asked their parents to bring a bag of sugar from their kitchens, one from Lansing, Michigan, the other from San Marino, California. The kitchen is the heart of every home. It not only provides sustenance to each member of the family, but also brings the family together. They blended together the two individual bags of sugar into a heart-shaped vase to symbolize our two families becoming one.

Stay tuned for part 2 shortly =)

Marriage. What I've Learned.

2011-09-07T11:02:00.000-07:00

So when I first started my blog I was so eager. Eager to share my heart, hopes & dreams to the internet. Mostly because I knew that NO ONE was reading my blog.

Now I am more reserved. Not because my readership as slightly improved :) but because the internet is a pretty vulnerable place. Opening up means being open to any reaction

you get for your opinion you post. Since this isn't a mommy blog I try to keep my "baby chat" to a minimum. So I was thinking how can I share more about myself (like i used to) but still connect to my clients :)

And *poof* I figured I would share what I have learned about marriage.

By no means am I a marriage expert, nor do I claim to have a perfect marriage ;)

Just thought I would share random things I have learned during my life with my man friend...

* Dont go to bed angry...... UMM okay anyone ever been in this position?! Sorry but sometimes you have to go to bed angry. Being tired + grouchy usually leaves me to make little to no sense in a disagreement. Sometimes you need sleep to clarify everything. :)

*Do you really know someone....... Me and Jeff took the road less traveled. We lived in sin 3 years prior to getting married. Honestly we both knew living together was going to be the hardest thing and wanted to really see what it was like. Its been 8 years now that I have lived with my hubs and I swear I am *still* learning odd and quirky things about him. (bottom line: boys are weird)

*The Woo...... Okay when me and the hubs were dating, the wooing was @ an all time high! Slowly as time goes by you forget about the little things and kind of lose that "dating" feeling.

Add kiddos into the mix and it is so much harder to just focus on each other.

Now we know how precious date nights are =) and a sweet note goes a LONG WAY.

*Your Wedding....... I met with a sweet couple recently and they brought up something that made my heart hurt. They apologized to me b/c their wedding wasnt going to be chalk full of details to be featured on a wedding blog. They were just so excited to be getting married and a ton of stuff didn't matter to them. I have to say this is such a touchy topic. Yes, I do think that details on your wedding day can be gorgeous! If they are sentimental to YOU TWO :)

Dont let the details of a wedding over shine the real reason you two are throwing this shindig!

You are getting MARRIED. Marriage is the reason that I adore my job, to see couples

at the start of their life together on this beautiful day! Just dont lose sight of the amazingness that is marriage.

*Pick your battles....... okay this is an easy one. But easier said than done ;) My mom always used to tell me to pick my battles. I don't think there is anything worse than a person who is *ALWAYS RIGHT*?! I would rather be wrong and happy than right and upset! Sometimes I am completely irrational and find my self mid argument just laughing at being *mad* about something so trivial. This is huge when you are wedding planning. Things can get rough planning your wedding so take a break, dont let the stress of planning come between you two :)

Those are just my random thoughts for the day :) and since I am trying to be more open with my blog I wanted to share!

* and a pic of my lil blue eyed boy ;)

Sabrina & Rodney. The Day

2011-09-06T14:00:00.000-07:00

I dont think I have seen love like Sabrina & Rodney's before. They are adorable.

Almost childlike with their love. So giddy and ridiculously in LOVE.

Their wedding was so adorable & they both just radiated happiness!

Gosh I love these two!

Sabrina & Rodney's wedding really gets me emotional.

I know that being able to play a small role in this amazing day in my couple's life is a privilege. It's an honor to document such an important day for them, and for their whole family.

I didn't realize how much photos could mean until their wedding.

Rodney unexpectedly lost his father just a couple days after their wedding.

His dad had laughed, danced and shared in his son's happiness that day.

I was able to snap some photos of Rodney & his father.

I just wish I could have shot more of them.

Sabrina & Rodney -even though I have been married for 3 years now, I just want to say thank you. Thank you for reminding me on how to love. Loving with truly all that you have.

Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your day. It meant so much to me.

I will miss you two cuties!!! :)

*Also Sabrina & Rodney's beautiful wedding was featured on GREY LIKES WEDDINGS

you can read about some fun details over there, but here are a few:

Venue: Pasadena Museum of California Art

Dress: Coren Kim

Florals: Holly Flora & Primary Petals

Coordinator: Pink Cloud

Cake: Cake Monkey

Animations all done by the Groom ;)

Enjoy your photos!

Sabrina had her bouquet created to look like her engagement ring!!! I love it =)

Rodney surprised Sabrina with flag pins from each of their home countries :)

We visited a bench that they sat at during their first date :)

The ceremony backdrop was one of the raddest I have seen!

Since their friends/family came from all over the world to spend this day with them,

the backdrop was a world map that guests pinned in where they came from =)

Such an awesome piece of art for their home!

They had a fun officiant :)

Father & Son

Cake by the fabulous Cake Monkey

and since Rodney is an animator he created the custom cake topper! :)