There was no hesitation when a friend of mine asked me to donate my photography services to a very good cause. With so many people affected by cancer (some who I know personally), I hope that my lil’ contribution can help in some way. A boudoir session with yours truly (as the photographer of course ) will be auctioned off at the 1st Annual Cancer Palooza this Sunday, August 1, 2010 at the Auld Dubliner in Tustin. The event supports i’m too young for this (i2y), an organization which reaches out to young adults fighting or surviving cancer. So please show your support this Sunday or visit i2y’s website to see how else you can contribute. If you bid on the boudoir shoot but don’t want to take your clothes off, you can just hang out with me for 2 hours. Hanging out with me is worth every penny .

After their HOT engagement session, I didn’t think this couple could get any hotter. But on their wedding, they proved me very wrong. Despite a 90 degree day in Malibu, Diane + Rudy were no doubt the hottest things that day. I can go on and on about how stunning this couple is, but the number of photos I just had to blog below pretty much says it all. Keep scrolling because this couple just gets HOTTER!

Special thanks to my lovely + talented friend Jean Tsai for shooting with me that day. Jean got these sexy shots of Diane’s killer heels:

Did I not warn you this was going to be a HOT blog post?!

Diane got ready at the contemporary Westlake Village Inn. She worked it E-V-E-R-Y-W-H-E-R-E.

Ok I’ve been giving Diane lots of loving on this post. Time for Rudy to get some face time. And as you can see, he’s not too shabby either .

I never seen a groom work a bouquet like this. Thanks Jean for another sexy capture .

And the bridal party? H-O-T and F-U-N.

Um yeah. HOT.

And when they are not being undeniably hot, they are being undeniably cute…together.

Ok so I kind of developed an infatuation with Diane… By the way, Diane’s gorgeous veil was designed and made by her aunt! Talk about lovely DIY!

A swing + one sexy couple = total hotness.

Vendors:
Getting Ready Location – Westlake Village Inn
Church – St Maximilian Kolbe Catholic
Reception Venue – Calamigos Ranch
Makeup Artist – Makeup by Liz
Hair Stylist – Gwen Huyen Tran of Live Cut Dye
Florist – Heavenly Blooms Florist
DJ – First Choice DJ
Photography – Kim Le Photography
Assistant Photography – Jean Tsai

You might remember this fabulous couple from their downtown LA engagement session. We had such a blast and I knew their wedding was going to be nothing short of amazing! Myling + Yem are so sweet, charming and of course completely made for each other. I didn’t tell them this, but I actually shed a few tears while hearing their vows. It is always so emotional to see two people so love. The Mr. + Mrs. have new beginnings headed their way in New York, but knowing these two, they will do just fine! Congrats to Myling + Yem!

Ok is this proof that Myling looks gorgeous no matter what?! Here she is getting her makeup done by the talented Angie Pham!

And here is the beautiful bride all done!

Lovely details, especially the florals from Flowers by Helen.!

Some of my favorites of the day:

Some fun bridal party shots:

Gorgeous couple + gorgeous light!

I think this last photo speaks for itself!

Check out Myling + Yem’s wedding slideshow below or by clicking HERE.

Vendors:
Ceremony + Reception Venue – The Clubhouse at Anaheim Hills Golf Course
Reception Catering – Seafood World
Hair & Makeup – Angie Pham
Florist – Flowers by Helen
Cake – Filigree Cakes
Chiavari Chairs and Chargers – Elegant Chiavari Chairs 4 Rent
Table Linens – Quality Chair Covers
Limo Rental – ULC United Limousine & Charter
String Trio – El Real Chamber Players
Paper Products – Select Graphic & Printing
Lighting – OC Audio Visual Solutions
Photo Booth – Pixel Photo Booths
DJ – DJ Z Productions
Videography – Artisan Productions
Photography – Kim Le Photography
Assistant Photography – David Do

I’ve been dying to post these pics from my recent trip to New Zealand!!!! This was an extra special engagement session for me not only because I got to travel to such a cool destination, but also because I was documenting the trip for a very special friend of mine. I have known Jackie for about 9 years now and through the years, we have lived, laughed, cried and danced together . We have shared many life experiences together and I am so happy that she finally found her H.A.L.F. in Corey . After Corey proposed, we talked about doing a destination engagement session, but somewhere relatively close. So where did we end up?! Only 6,500 miles from Los Angeles duh. This you-can’t-pass-up-deal surfaced for New Zealand, we trade a few text messages and hours later we booked our tickets for a 4 day trip! Did I mention we booked our tickets only two weeks prior to our departure date?! Yes this was very spontaneous, but ended up being very worthwhile, as you can see from the pics below . We flew a total of 26 hours to spend about 72 hours in New Zealand. Even the customs people thought we were crazy. Another talented photographer, Jason Huang of Table 4 Weddings and one of his couples joined in on the spontaneity and the six of us were off to hopefully take some nice photos and more importantly find some sheep!!!!

We stayed in Auckland and spent all of our time in Northern New Zealand. If you ever plan to go to New Zealand, I would suggest going for more than 4 days so you can travel to the Southern region where I hear it is just breathtaking (the Lord of the Rings trilogy was filmed there). I have to say though Northern New Zealand did not disappoint. And we were lucky because although it was the start of their winter, it was not that cold (maybe by Los Angeles standards it was) and hardly rained.

Our plan to maximize our 72 hours in New Zealand was to sight-see and do our photo shoots at the same time. The first stop was Brick Bay Winery where I found what I was looking for – SHEEEEEP!!!! I was probably the only one excited. I REALLY wanted to do a pose with the sheep but as we would get closer to them, they would run away. I think it was because I was wearing my boots with the fur, my UGGs . I tried to apologize to them but they weren’t having any of it. So enough of my rambling and let me introduce you to the happy couple and some of my favorite sights in New Zealand :

SHEEEEEP!!!

Jackie waited and waited but the sheep never came around .

But her man did show up!

And because people say when I travel, I never have any pics of myself (there’s usually no one to take it). Here’s a lil’ one of me and somebody .

On our second day, we spent the morning in Auckland and a beautiful day it was. I just love the light and feel of these next few photographs:

We then ventured to Piha Beach for more coastal scenery. Piha Beach is also known for their black sand. Everything was just stunning!

Team Jason ahead:

And just when we were about to wrap up the shoot, the light turned absolutely golden and delicious. The next several photos reminded us of how special it was to be shooting in such a unique place! So breathtaking! I was in photog heaven.

While searching for an engagement dress, Jackie actually found her wedding dress and brought it along to New Zealand (Ok I kinda made her)! But, you are going to have to wait for pics in her wedding dress until after the wedding. Here are some sneak peeks though and if you win if can tell me the designer of this dress from these photos!

All of the food in New Zealand was very fresh and organic. Had the best fish n’ chips ever while I was there:

And here we all are! Yes we are tourists lol and no I don’t know who took this pic. I think it was the ice cream man. Who needs beautiful scenery when you got a nice big picture frame lol.

It’s a wrap! So long New Zealand!

Be sure to leave some comment lovin’ and also check out Jason’s blog for more photographs!

Peichi + Sothea were married at a lovely Japanese garden ceremony on a sunny afternoon in Los Angeles, CA. I was honored to be a part of such a special day for two special people. Peichi + Sothea are so wonderful together and what was even more wonderful is the overwhelming love + support of so many family + friends on their wedding day. Check out the beautiful setting and beautiful palette for their wedding day below!

Special thanks to Peichi + Sothea’s wedding vendors!

Wedding Coordination + Design + Floral – Aqua Fuzion
Hair & Makeup – Angelina Tam of At Makeup Pro
Officiant – Socal Officiant
Ceremony Location – The Japanese Garden
Cake Bakery – Kien Giang Bakery, Inc
Reception Venue + Catering – New Capital Restaurant
Videography – Red 5 Studios
Entertainment + Photobooth – Epic Vibe Entertainment
Photography – Kim Le Photography
Assistant Photography – David Do

It’s funny how our first meeting came about. Gina had contacted me via email and I setup a meeting to discuss the big day with her and her fiance Marcus. When I walked into the meeting, I soon realized that her Marcus was actually an old coworker of mine during my accounting days! None of us knew what a small world it was! We laughed, talked about the glory days, joked about our UCLA-USC rivalry and of course their wedding day. I left that meeting with my fingers crossed that I would get to capture such a special day for such a special couple.

And months later we come to their beautiful day! Even a little (or a lot) of wind could not stop this day from being more picture perfect! Their wedding day was complete with charm, emotion and of course surprises. Thank you Gina + Marcus for letting me share this day with you and letting me share your love with the rest of the world.

This was the first scene I saw when I arrived at the wedding destination and I knew it was going to be a beautiful day .

These are probably some of my most favorite wedding dress shots ever mainly because we had such a gorgeous backdrop to work with. I saw this large room with a chandelier and fireplace when I first walked in and I knew exactly where I wanted to shoot the dress. I apologize in advance for so many dress shots, but it was so hard to narrow down!

The La Venta Inn has the most charming bridal suite ever. I could have shot in here all day!

It really is a group effort to help a bride put on her wedding dress.

One of my favorite images of the whole day is this one on the left of Gina laughing. The moment is so natural and so Gina!

One of my favorite bridal party shots ever!

After I took this shot, I thought to myself, “wow I love my job”.

I just love the charm of the La Venta Inn:

This is how I have come to know Gina + Marcus: super cute and goofy .

The cutest, sweetest details:

Ok I guess this is kinda cool . Gina + Marcus had the USC marching band come and play at the wedding. This is really hard for me to say (I’m still a Bruin for life!) but it was definitely one of the best parts of the wedding day. The whole room came alive and everyone was throwing up signs with two fingers?! and it was hard not to get swept up in the energy and emotion of the moment. Even my second shooter for the day, Aaron turned to me and said “man, I wish I went to USC”. Now I know how they get people to pay all that tuition . I kid, I kid. It was AMAZING and I did the 8-clap in my car on the way home to not feel so guilty for enjoying it.


YES that’s the groom with a guy standing on his shoulders! This was awesome!



And when I thought I couldn’t love the bride anymore, she did this!

You don’t want to miss GINA + MARCUS’ WEDDING SLIDESHOW! You can also view it by clicking HERE.

Thank you to following amazing vendors!

Reception Venue & Catering – La Venta Inn
Hair & Makeup – Susie Chhuor
Florist – Linda Vuong Floral Events
Cupcakes – Torrance Bakery
Veil – Candi Merle Crowning Glory Designs
Dress – Pebbles Bridal
DJ – DJ Allen Layton
Photography – Kim Le Photography
Assistant Photography – Aaron Dieppa

Mui + Huy traveled from Sacramento to shoot their engagement session with yours truly. They love the beach so it was only fitting that we spent a gorgeous Friday afternoon there. It was the first time we met (they booked me via email ) and we hit it off right away! I think engagement sessions are such a wonderful way for me to get to know my clients and vice versa. Plus it’s a great chance for my couples to get comfortable with the camera, not that Mui + Huy needed it all! . Thanks to Mui + Huy for coming to sunny Socal to visit! See you in Sacramento for the big day!