“better in time”

• I know I’ve been really bad with my korner talk lately. I’ve been so busy with wedding season in full force and all of my travels. I’m actually leaving today for another trip - heading to the East Coast for a phamily wedding & reunion! It’s gonna be fun and chaotic - typically phamily fun! =) So once again I will be away and will have to return all my lovely emails when I get back next Wednesday.

• Quick reality recap: I knew Joshua was gonna win SYTYCD! I can’t believe Fanny Pak got booted off and SoReal Cru is still around. I don’t know why but I’m watching that “Date My Ex” show on Bravo with Jo & Slade - it’s so fake, but nevertheless it’s on my Tivo. My new addiction is “Flipping Out” on Bravo - very interesting to see them flip homes and the guy is so OCD! Whew!! And that doesn’t even cover the Olympics! A lot to say there, but all I have to say is that the Chinese gymnasts are not 16! They look too young! GO PHELPS! Ok, I’m done with TV talk - was that quick enough??? =)

• Here’s also a quick recap on my wonderful trip to CABO with the bf. We spent4 relaxing days (*sigh*) at the magnificent Pueblo Bonito Pacifica Holistic Retreat & Spa in gorgeous Cabo San Lucas. The resort was just amazing - it was like being a giant spa - everything smelled, sounded and looked great. The service was impeccable and the amenities were endless. Oh and you have to be 16 and up to stay there. I love kids and all but not really on my Cabo vacation! The resort was away from Downtown Cabo so it was very secluded and quiet. I loved it! We even napped on this daybed right on the sand and fell asleep to the ocean waves…*sigh* again. And then we had a couples massage under a hut right on the beach….*sigh*. I know, I have a hard life =P. So we had all these activities planned and guess what? I got food poisoning!!! Yup, I ate these really fresh yummy fish tacos at the marina and next thing I know I was going back and forth between the bed and the bathroom. So we ended up just relaxing around the resort for the most part - which was definitely not a bad thing! We did manage to squeeze in some parasailing before I got sick. I was scared - being afraid of heights and unable to swim is a bad combo for parasailing don’t cha think? But when I got up there, it was very peaceful and I kinda just took it all in. I feel fortunate to have such wonderful trips like these with such a wonderful certain someone that all the bad things that could or did happen didn’t seem so big at all. Anyhoo, with my sickness and the hot, hot weather and humidity, I got tired of carrying the SLR around so I didn’t come home with as many shots as I had liked. The bf got quite a few on his point and shoot but I have to filter those first and show ya later =). So here’s some snapshots! Here’s the entrance to our hideaway…yes another *sigh*…I can still hear the water flowing…



The gorgeous view from our hotel room:



The bf parasailing - he reminds me of a monkey here =). Bye hun! See ya later!!



The infamous Arch near Lover’s Beach. Isn’t the color of the water amazing?!



And finally the bf snuck the SLR and caught this shot of me as I was meditating on Lover’s Beach. Ok I wasn’t really meditating - I sensed I was being watched by the paparazzi and decided to strike a pose =).

• I have oodles and oodles of bloggin to do when I get back - 3 weddings, a wedding rehearsal, an engagement session and oh yeah details of my East Coast trip, so please stay tuned! =)

“can’t help falling in love”

Caroline & Stephen were happily married on July 26, 2008 at the lovely Historic Cottage at San Clemente State Beach. The cottage is truly a hidden gem tucked away in San Clemente State Park with gorgeous views of the Pacific Ocean and just a short walk to the sand. Caroline & Stephen’s wedding was colorful & intimate, much like their unique love and wonderful personalities.

I had the opportunity of working again with the fabulous Amanda and her crew of In The Now Weddings and Events, who ensured that every colorful detail was carefully in place and every event ran smoothly.

Caroline & Stephen - Your wedding was sooo vibrant and beautiful. Thank you for being so easy to work with and making my job that more enjoyable. I know there will be many more colorful moments ahead for the new Mr. & Mrs. Madrid! =) xoxo, Kim Le

Lets start off by checking out a piece of the gorgeous setup. Look at these colors!!!

Ok I think this has got to be the cutest cake I ever seen in my life. It was sooo cute!!! And they had this cool Dia de Los Muertos figurines next to it:

On the other side of the cake was more representative figurines of Caroline & Stephen, personally equipped with their cat and dog =). I decided to use these cute cake decorators for my ring shot:

Now here comes the beautiful bride:

What a great setting!

I love these next few:

I love it when couples honor their moms during the ceremony.

Sealed with a kiss!!!

Some of Caroline’s lovely accessories:

And now we have a few moments to ourselves for some couple pics down near the beach and railroad tracks. It was nice to get away and just have them enjoy each other, even if it was a lil’ hike back uphill! =)

We found such great spots!

I love Caroline’s model-esque face in this picture. So fierce! =)

Now back to the reception and the guests. Here’s a peek at some more of the colorful and amazing details:

The first dance - these two are so cute!

Followed by the father-daughter dance and mother-son dance. I love these moments!

The bridesmaids were so pretty in peach!

And how about these cutey pies??? =)

The night continued on with more dancing…including a new twist on the money dance! And yes Stephen is a twin!!! =)

That’s all folks!

Actually to see more, just click HERE for Caroline & Stephen’s Slideshow!!!

Vendor Details:
Coordinator: In The Now Weddings and Events
Florist: Floral Event Outlet
Catering: Country Garden Caterers
DJ: After Dark Entertainment

“i kissed a girl”

To be continued…

On a side note, I have some good news and some bad news. Bad news first - you will have to wait another week for my korner talk! I know, I’m sure you are really gonna miss me go on and on for another week =).

But wait for it…. here’s the good news, (well for me and the bf at least =))!!! I will be out of the office for the rest of the week - the bf and I are leaving today for a vacation in beautiful CABO!!! One of my dear brides had to reschedule her wedding because of family conflicts and I seized the opportunity to turn my availability into some free time for myself. Work-life balance people! Anyhoo, I promise to return your emails upon my return =).

Have a great week everyone! I know I will!!! =P

“a family affair”

Family is very important to me so I always feel so honored when I am asked to do family portraits for others. Families may come in all shapes and sizes but it’s the the essence of the family that makes a family truly special and that is exactly what I bring to life in my photographs. I like to showcase the unique cast of characters that make up such a lovable clan. So here I am introducing 3 generations of the Ngo-Yen family. Aren’t they just a lovable bunch?! I actually went to middle school and high school with Anh, so I felt really lucky to capture these memories for her and her family! It’s amazing to see how her family has grown!

Clockwise from top left: The Dad, lil’ Megan, lil’ Madisen, the Mom, John, Anh, Tee and Steve!

Haha, I just love these “jumping” shots of them!

One of my favorite shots of Anh & her mom holding hands:

There are some seriously good genes in this family!

Here’s more proof:

And more…beautiful sisters:

I just love this shot of lil’ Megan - isn’t she adorable?!

“bye bye”

So my birthday is officially over now… I got to share a wonderful evening with the bf and some close friends. The bf brought over lbs of one of my favorite foods: yummy crawfish from The Boiling Crab and a delicious chocolate birthday cake. My roomie Katie also baked me some super cute and fabulous birthday cupcakes. Couldn’t have asked for a better time with great friends and great food.

Check out our crawfish flower - I know we are strange. I love the crawfish - it’s sooo garlicky and spicy!

I’m lucky to have such great roomies! Katie is quite the baker!

My favorite part of bdays?! Just like weddings - the cake! Props to the bf for picking out such a super cake! YUM!

Thanks to everyone else for all the lovely birthday wishes!!!

“like a boy”

Yep today is my B-I-R-T-H-D-A-Y!!! =) So starting after my 21st birthday, I started to not feel so happy about birthdays. Yes I know being twenty something or even thirty something isn’t really “old“, but it’s crazy to think you already experienced 1/4th or 1/3rd of your life already! But, today I am feeling great!!! I woke up this morning with a smile on my face and thought how lucky I am to be celebrating another birthday. Every year is filled with ups and downs, but overall, I had an awesome 27th year and I’m really looking forward to what my 28th year brings!!!

Here’s a pic of me 27 years ago - on my 1st birthday - circa 1981!!! The picture is a lil’ smudgy and I am loving our clothes back then! Yes that’s me with the mohawk on top of the kitchen table! !!! My cake was in that big white box! And yes I looked like a boy!!! I had very little hair and looked like a boy until I was about 3 years old. I still remember my brother taking me to his school and his teacher was like “awww what a cute little brother you have“. And then he was like “um, that’s my sister“. LOL! Good thing I don’t look like one now!

“we are family”

I first fell in love with this lil’ family when we had such a blast shooting their engagement/family session back in November. I could not wait for this day to come and it finally did! On July 13, 2008, in front of their beloved family & friends at the lovely Tustin Ranch Golf Course, Trish & Matt showed everyone what it meant to be in love and what it meant to be a part of a special family. From Matt reading the cutest, sweetest vows to Trish’s son Raymond to Trish’s eyes swelling up with tears of happiness as her father spoke of how he was so proud of her - I found it hard not cry as I was snapping away.  Their wedding theme was “lucky in love”, but with each moment, I feel more and more like the lucky one for being part of such a wonderful day for such a wonderful family. Trish, Matt & Raymond - thank you for having me there to witness the laughter, smiles & tears. I hope to be there for many more precious moments! =) xoxo, Kim Le

And here we go…starting off with the gorgeous bride:

And all the amazingly stylish details she picked out!

How about the beautiful bridesmaids:

I’m not sure what’s going on here but I love this pic!

Here comes the guys…looking oh-so-cool:

How about Trish’s lil’ nephew - isn’t he sooo precious??!

Now on to the ceremony…which was led by the cutest flower girl and ring bearer ever!

And here comes the beautiful bride with her father:

My absolute favorite part of the ceremony was when Matt read vows to Raymond! He promised they would have lots of fun together. I think my heart just melted at that moment.

Look at how Raymond is looking up at Matt and how happy he is! Sooo adorable!

Finally some alone time…with me of course =)

Now on the reception to celebrate with guests and where the fabulous details continued…I just love Trish & Matt’s “lucky in love” and red & black theme:

*Sigh…*

Enough of Matt & Trish - these two clearly stole the show!

As the night went on…the dancing continued. I love how Matt’s mom is looking so lovingly at her son…

A break from the dancing for some cake action:

Now back to dancing with the super cute flower girl:

The guests at this wedding sure knew how to get down!

My favorite pic of the whole night:

Their chariot, I mean Bentley awaits =)

The proper send-off: