Archive for April, 2008

jeannette & matt: wedding

April 30, 2008

“a beautiful life”

A few Sundays ago, I had the awesome opportunity of second shooting for my friend – the talented Christine Farah aka Crissy =). Jeannette & Matt’s heartfelt wedding was held on the rooftop of the Luxe Hotel in Beverly Hills, CA and was beautifully coordinated by Events by Ricci. The wedding embodied simplicity & style, but the main ingredient to Jeannette & Matt’s wedding day was family. Jeannette & Matt were joined by their wonderful family & friends including their 5 super cute children, who were all in attendance to celebrate not only the union of two very special people, but also to celebrate a lifetime of happiness ahead for this incredible family.

The emotional “first look” that left both Crissy and I a lil’ teary eyed:

jeannette and matt wedding

jeannette and matt wedding

Always a mom first:

jeannette and matt wedding

Getting a lil’ creative before the ceremony:

jeannette & matt wedding

jeannette & matt wedding

jeannette & matt wedding

jeannette & matt wedding

The gorgeous bride and her gorgeous bouquet:

jeannette & matt wedding

jeannette & matt wedding

jeannette & matt wedding

Oh what a beautiful day!

jeannette & matt wedding

jeannette & matt wedding

Some of the chic details:

jeannette & matt wedding

The happy bride & groom enjoying themselves:

jeannette & matt wedding

And the guests enjoying themselves – I think the kids had the most fun at the wedding!

jeannette & matt wedding

The cake!!! Did I mention I love wedding cake?! =)

jeannette & matt wedding

jeannette & matt wedding

I just love this pic!

jeannette & matt wedding

Shot to end the oh-so-wonderful night!

jeannette and matt wedding

jenn’s wedding shower

April 23, 2008

“written in the stars”

I’ve fallen a bit behind on my posts, so bare with me!!!

Remember when it was really, really HOT a few Saturdays ago??? Well, not even the heat could stop me from having such a great time shooting Jenn’s wedding shower. I just love wedding showers – there is just so much anticipation in the air and everything is so dainty and girly =). Jenn was surrounded by her wonderful family and friends who are eagerly waiting for Jenn & Andrew’s June wedding. I guess some people are just destined to be together – Jenn & Andrew have known each other since they were 5!

**Jenn – Thanks for welcoming me into your home and having me capture such a wonderful occasion. I’m sure your future with Andrew will be a bright as the stars =). xoxo, Kim Le

What clever & cute invites!!

<code>jenn's wedding shower</code>

All of the amazing details incorporated Jenn’s favorite color: purple =).

jenn's wedding shower

The beautiful bride-to-be looking so radiant and happy!

jenn's wedding shower

And why wouldn’t she be?! Her girls went out of their way to plan the perfect shower for her:

jenn's wedding shower

And she got lots of super fun and fab gifts. I just love the socks!! Good call Amber! =)

jenn's wedding shower

jenn's wedding shower

And of course shots of the elegant engagement ring. FYI – it’s the slightly smaller one in the pic on the right =P

wendi's baby shower

Jenn’s bevy of beauties:

jenn's wedding shower

Soon enough!

jenn's wedding shower

roc-a-way

April 17, 2008

“big pimpin’”

Awww yeah!!! Last night I had the bestest time getting down at the Jay-Z & Mary J. Blige concert at the Hollywood Bowl. It was my first time at the Hollywood Bowl and it’s such a beautiful venue and so cool to be watching a concert under the stars. Ms. Mary did her thang while Mr. Jay brought out the sickest beats. I was hoping Jay-Z’s new wifey Beyonce would make a special appearance, but nevertheless Jay-Z & Mary J. did not disappoint – they ended the night with the most amazing fireworks show I have ever seen!

No cameras were allowed, but I got this pic from my camera phone. Not the same clarity as my SLR, but you get the gist:

nina & eric engagement

nina & eric: engagement

April 13, 2008

“no one”

It was a lil’ early on a Sunday morning but Nina, Eric & I didn’t mind at all – we had such a great time shooting their engagement session in Long Beach, CA.  Nina & Eric are so genuinely nice and easy to talk to.  They have such sweet souls and their love could not be more evident than it was on this early April morning.  They nailed every pose I asked them to do, but in particular they were pros at the kissing shots.  I had to keep on saying: “break it up you two!” =P.   

**Nina & Eric – What can I say??? I wish I wasn’t booked for your wedding day – I am sure your wedding will be filled with great memories and lots of joy. Hopefully, we will get to go out for some Persian food soon =).  xoxo, Kim Le

I fell in love with this blue wall:

nina & eric engagement

Kissing shot #383,569 =):

nina & eric engagement

Eric sure knows how to make Nina smile:

nina & eric engagement

And keep her close =)

nina & eric engagement

Nina has such beautiful eyes and a smile to match! 

nina & eric engagement

I’d be smiling if I had this ring too! ;)

nina & eric engagement

Who knew Long Beach had such unique shot locations???

nina & eric engagement

Like the incredible  Lion’s Lighthouse for Sight in the Long Beach Harbor: 

nina & eric engagement

Wanna see more??? I know you do! Click HERE for Nina & Eric’s SLIDESHOW!

tgiw

April 11, 2008

“californication”

So what does “TGIW” stand for???? Thank goodness it’s warm!!! =)  I know, I’m super cheesy.  But, today feels like the first day in a long time we are truly experiencing Southern California weather and I am loving it!!!! In honor of this momentous day, here’s a pic I took a year ago on the beaches of Santa Monica. Can’t wait to sink my feet into the warm sand again!

sandals on beach

Enjoy the nice weather this weekend everyone!!!

wendi’s baby shower

April 10, 2008

“oh baby baby”

I feel incredibly blessed for the opportunities I get time and time again as a photographer.  It is a true honor to be a part of the most important days of someone’s life.  Last Saturday was no exception as I continued to follow Wendi’s journey in life (see her & Dustin’s amazing August wedding by clicking here) as we celebrated the soon-to-be addition to the Damico family.  

Wendi’s wedding coordinator and dear friend, Brigitte of Save the Date! Event Planning, did another incredible job of setting up all the details.  Wendi’s other dear friend and my lovely sister, Kim was the caterer extraordinaire for this event. 

**Wendi & Dustin – Words cannot describe how happy I am for you and your family.  I know you will make the greatest parents and shower DJ with oodles of love and affection.  I also know that DJ is destined to become a brilliant baseball player – although I’m not sure if he’ll play for the A’s or Dodgers =).  Whatever the case, I sure hope to be there to capture every step of the way!  xoxo, Kim Le

How cute are Wendi & Dustin?! They plan to name their son “DJ” or Dustin Jr.

wendi's baby shower

Every inch of the clubhouse was beautifully decorated and baby-fied by Brigitte. =)

wendi's baby shower

Here were just some of the carefully planned details:

wendi's baby shower

wendi's baby shower

The shower was a complete surprise for Wendi. I think her friends thoroughly enjoyed tricking her!

wendi's baby shower

As usual, my sister made sure everyone was well-fed =) Check out the super cute name cards she made too!

wendi's baby shower

The beautiful mother-to-be:

wendi's baby shower

What shower would not be complete without “baby” games and what event would not be complete without a pic on my blog? =)  Plus here’s the winning sneak peek of DJ.  I can’t decide if he looks more like Wendi or Dustin…hmmm…

wendi's baby shower

Some of Wendi’s lovely ladies:

wendi's baby shower

I just love Wendi’s look of excitement as she opened a gift for baby DJ – an outfit from Dustin’s favorite team!

wendi's baby shower

And of course a baseball themed cake…I told ya baseball is gonna be in his blood!

wendi's baby shower

kimmy & dzi: engagement

April 9, 2008

“happy together”

I was so excited for the opportunity to shoot an engagement session for my friend Kimmy and her fiancé Dzi. I was equally excited when they told me they wanted to shoot their engagement session at UCLA. A sense of nostalgia always comes over me as I remember my days strolling down Bruin walk with my oversized backpack and without any sense of responsibility or a care in the world….ahhh…the good ol’ days =).

Kimmy & I have been friends since our UCLA days and I’m so happy that Kimmy has found someone that makes her laugh and smile they way Dzi does. Kimmy & Dzi also met on campus – although they didn’t start dating til after graduation – what took you so long Dzi???? =P

**Kimmy & Dzi – I am thankful that you let me capture your present & future and I am equally thankful I got the opportunity to relive some of my glory days. I’m sure you have plenty of good days ahead =). xoxo, Kim Le

We started off at the amazing Royce Hall.

kimmy and dzi engagement

Where the light was just as amazing as the architecture:

kimmy and dzi engagement

I may be a lil’ biased but I think the campus is just so beautiful with so many great places for photo ops.

kimmy and dzi engagement

kimmy and dzi engagement

I spent many of my UCLA days on these steps in front of Kerchoff Hall…studying of course! =P

kimmy and dzi engagement

Dzi was just so sweet to his bride-to-be.

kimmy and dzi engagement

So Dzi found this coin and we thought it was just so symbolic of his & Kimmy’s future – 100 years and counting!

kimmy and dzi engagement

If you are familiar with the UCLA campus – you know there are squirrels everywhere. And not just any squirrels – these squirrels are extremely well-fed and not afraid of anyone or anything. This particular squirrel was taunting me throughout shoot and I finally got a shot of the lil’ rascal!

kimmy and dzi engagement

Kimmy & Dzi tried really hard to remember the 8-clap. I’m not really sure they succeeded, but look how much fun they have together!

kimmy and dzi engagement

“So happy together…”

kimmy and dzi engagement

Gotta show off the bling!

kimmy and dzi engagement

A lil’ flare and a whole lotta smooching! =)

kimmy and dzi engagement

“good morning sunshine”

There was a slight overcast last Sunday morning at the Marina, but Charisma & Ryan’s fun-loving nature brought plenty of sunshine to our engagement session. We had a great time exploring parts of Marina Del Rey and Culver City that sadly I never ventured to living in Los Angeles for the past 10 years. Charisma & Ryan share such a sweet tenderness between the them. Ryan was always by Charisma’s side – making sure she kept warm on this chilly morning. Thanks Ryan for being such a gentlemen and thanks Charisma & Ryan for showing me some new places in LA and letting me capture your love along the way.

We started off in the Marina where it didn’t take long for Charisma & Ryan to warm up:

charisma and ryan engagement

Didn’t take long at all… =)

charisma and ryan engagement

charisma and ryan engagement

 

charisma and ryan engagement

We then headed off to the canals in Venice.

charisma and ryan engagement

charisma and ryan engagement

I would love to live here!

charisma and ryan engagement

charisma and ryan engagement

Last but not least:

charisma and ryan engagement

See more images by clicking HERE for Charisma & Ryan’s SLIDESHOW!

nkotb today!

April 4, 2008

“step by step”

Oh HAPPY FRIDAY!!! It’s true – it’s going to happen! NKOTB is reunited and ready to conquer the world again! NKOTB announced on the Today show this morning that they will release an album this summer and a fall tour!!!!!! If you saw the show, it was raining and still groups of fans (who looked a lil’ older than the usual teen crowd =)) showed up and were screaming their support for the “kids”. If I lived in New York – I would have been there too! One woman even had one of those gigantic NKOTB buttons that I had back in the day!

Click HERE to see a their appearance on the Today show!!! Their first live performance will also be on the Today show on May 16, 2008 – I’m setting up my TIVO now!

If you’ve been following my blog – you know that I’ve been in love with the “New Kids” since I was a lil’ girl. Click here for proof! I just can’t wait to go to their concert (and yes I’m going to find a way to go!!!) and sing along to “The Right Stuff”, “Cover Girl” and all their other songs!!! Remember:

Step 1: we can have lots of fun.

“Step 2: there’s so much we can do…

LOL – I can’t believe I remember the lyrics. I think I was 10 when that song came out. So, here is a current pic of our favorite “kids” all grown up and looking fine. The first pic in 14 years!!!

nkotb

(left to right): Joey, Jonathan, Donnie, Jordan and Danny. Umm…yeah…they look pretty good to me!!! I still don’t know about Danny (right), but I think I’m going to start signing my name “Mrs. Joey McIntyre” again… I don’t know about Jonathan’s wavy hair in the front either. And I miss Donnie’s cut up jeans and Jordan’s hair tail…LOL! I bet my sister is getting a kick out of this! =) If it’s possible, she’s a bigger NKOTB nut than I am! She remembers Jonathan’s birthday! HAHHAHAH….