Actually, first we met up with them in the historic district of San Juan Capistrano. We took some photos around the train station and movie theater before wandering Los Rios Street in search of some fun. Some of the ivy-covered walls still look like Autumn, as do the trees in the park. Just our style!

The sky threatened rain all day, but we had such good luck on Los Rios Street that we thought we might press our luck and try a new trail not far up the freeway to get a little different look: fields, flowers, oranges. There aren’t many orange orchards left in Orange County (at least not accessible to photographers) but this one beckons just over the railing, so in we went.  And we’re glad we did! Check out this adorable duo!

Apparently Morgan digs tractors, so to speak, and who can skip the chance to skipper this old jalopy?

Morgan and Ryan were great to work with, and they’re sweet with each other. We can’t wait to help them celebrate their wedding at the Muckenthaler Cultural Center in Fullerton this July.

OK, we have to confess…the balloons weren’t exactly for us.  Officially, the colorful helium-filled bubbles were on hand to help the cute little guy, Nate, in the photo below, celebrate his 5th birthday.

You see, our business officially started five years ago when we found ourselves in Nate’s nursery, photographing him at just four weeks old.  It was his first time in front of the lens, and our first time behind it.  We got a couple cute shots.  Nate was a great guinea pig model and his expressions made the afternoon fun for all of us.  But boy, did we have so much to learn!  Aperature?  What’s that?  Shutter speed?  How does that work?  ISO? How do you adjust that?

But over the past five years our expertise for photography has grown by leaps and bounds, just like Nate!  Thanks so much to our good friends, Greta and Chris, for letting us borrow their son for portrait practice numerous times since that very first session.

We’d also like to thank all our fabulous clients for supporting us as well.  Your trust in letting us record your memories and special events means the world to us.  Thanks so much for an awesome five years!  We can’t wait to see what the next five years has in store for us!

On our own anniversary (which is October 1, 2005 in case anyone is tracking) we often pull out our wedding album and relive all the happiness which was (and continues to be) our wedding. To help Dustin and Katie celebrate, we thought we would put together a few images to remember all the fun details from their big day.

For us, the best part of photographing Katie and Dustin had to be how much time we had to work with them.  We spent a couple hours just on bridal portraits—about an hour on the grounds of the Newport Beach Temple for formal shots followed by an hour of portraits at The Lab in Costa Mesa for photos with a more casual look.  It was awesome not to have any time constraints for portraits before heading to their reception later that evening.

In fact, we had so much fun taking pictures at their wedding that we actually added a special package aimed at budget-conscious LDS couples who still appreciate great wedding photography (check out our Orange County LDS wedding photo package).

So without further ado, here are some highlights from Katie and Dustin’s wedding.

Congratulations love birds!

This cute couple met at the 2005 Anime Expo, one of the largest Japanese animation and video game conventions which happens to be held right here in southern California. It’s like a Star Trek convention for gamers, to which many attendees come dressed as a favorite character. Jennifer came dressed as Yuna and Scott assembled his best Seifer. For fun, why not take the engagement pictures with a similar idea in mind?

Gamers will appreciate all the detail that went into the outfits: her gold sash, his grey suit, the nearly-to-scale weapons, and even small accents like a “Believe” bracelet that harkens to Jennifer’s favorite game moment.

But even without the fun outfits you can see how comfortable they are together.

We enjoyed our afternoon with Jennifer and Scott—they have great personalities make such a sweet couple. We look forward to helping them celebrate their wedding later this June at the Sea Cliff Resort in Huntington Beach. Here’s two last shots, our favorites from the session:

And we’re not the only ones who are in love with Jennifer and Scott’s creativity.  This engagement session caught the eye of Rock N’ Roll Bride, one of the top UK wedding blogs, who just featured the photos on their site.  Be sure to head across the Pond to check it out!

Last night, Keith and I thought it would be fun to take a look at all the photos we’d taken the past 12 months.  Our hard drives are full of 40+ family sessions, engagements, weddings, birthdays, and anniversaries that we had the awesome opportunity to photograph.

But it’s always better to show, not tell, right?  So to visually recap the year, we’ve put together this nifty collage featuring ALL of our fabulous 2011 clients.

So to all our our families and bridal couples, we’d liked to say THANK YOU.  Thank you for trekking through the tall grass, across the sand, or up the hill to find the perfect photo spot.  Thank you for dazzling us with your cute outfits, adorable hair ribbons, and stylish shoes. Thank you for your smiles, giggles, and the little dances in front of our lenses. But most of all, thanks SO MUCH for trusting us with capturing your celebrations, memories, and special moments.

Meet Cate and Ian, a gorgeous twosome we photographed at the Newland Barn in July. Considering Orange County used to be dotted with tons of farms, it’s a shame that so few barn venues exist to give couples the rustic backdrop they’re looking for (although the big barn at Strawberry Farms in Irvine is another good choice).

I started the day by meeting up with the girls at The Hotel Hanford in Costa Mesa while Keith hung out with the guys at the Courtyard Marriott in Santa Ana.

Then we met up at the Newland Barn to take his-and-hers bridal party portraits.

There were lots of cool details, including an abundance of pinwheels which was a dominant icon of this southern-themed wedding.  And guess who made all those pinwheels? The father of the bride!

Finally it was time to get down to business. Cate and Ian chose the water tower as their backdrop rather than the gazebo, just like this prior Newland Barn wedding we shot, and we think it adds a nice touch.

After the ceremony we took some portraits of the bride and groom since they went the traditional route and didn’t see each other before the wedding.

And then…the party! After the first dance, guests dined on delicious burgers catered by In-N-Out.

The best man gave a great speech, but was then upstaged by the matron of honor (her sister Shelly) who sang a touching, funny song complete with her own guitar accompaniment in lieu of an actual speech. Classic!

It was a fantastic night! Cate and Ian capped off their evening with a grand exit surrounded by sparklers. We hope these two had as much fun as we did!

Congratulations to an awesome couple!

And a big thank you to all the great vendors we worked with as well:

Venue: The Newland Barn at Newland House Museum, Huntington Beach
Coordinator: Bre Nelson, Joyful Weddings and Events
Cake: Sweet and Saucy Shop
Flowers: Art with Nature
Lighting: Baker Party Rentals
Catering: In-N-Out Burger

But that’s not all! Our photos from Cate and Ian’s big day were featured on the Wedding Chicks blog.  Be sure to stop by and check them out!

But could it be that her fluffy-headed poodle Buster is the magnet that attracted Joe, her Mr. Right and soon-to-be husband? Inquiring minds needed to know, so we met them for engagement pictures at the Balboa Fun Zone in Newport Beach, the site of their first date.

Buster was kind enough to join us for a bit.

Buster doesn’t do Ferris Wheels. And neither do I—at least not the kind that swings wildly at every turn—but Becky and Joe do, so Keith was happy to climb on board while I watched from below.

A quick stop at the local candy shop brought out the kid in all of us.

After a quick wardrobe change, the four of us walked across to the pier and dipped our toes in the sand.

As the light fell deeper into the horizon and out of view, we wandered back to the Fun Zone for a last shot in front of the Ferris wheel before bidding them goodbye for the night. We can’t wait to see these two again this weekend when they exchange their vows. Congratulations Becky and Joe!

We hinted at a few of their photos in a re-cap we posted last year. But seeing as how today marks their first anniversary, we wanted to share a bit more.  First up, a few details of Diana prepping before the wedding at her parents’ house.

This cool couple picked the University Club at UC Irvine to host their wedding day. We never spent much time around UC Irvine, much less the Club, but it turns out the facility is centrally located to great green areas as well as more urban-looking options closer to the various classroom buildings—perfect for portraits!

And we’d like to point out Diana and Phil had one of most fun-loving bridal parties. Not every group can pull this off as well as they did.

The ceremony took place out on the grass under a gazebo, a nice touch with some flowers.

An added bonus at this facility is Cindy, a super-talented and helpful coordinator who manages to keep everything on track and with a big smile. We’ve met her several times and she’s always super bubbly and helpful. The club itself sports a “library” which serves as a lounge area plus a larger meeting area with high ceilings and plenty of natural window light for fancy receptions. Some draped tulle and soft, colorful uplights transform the room into something special.

As with most weddings, the fun really begins when the DJ takes the reins at the reception and the guests let loose.

A proper goodbye to the guests of honor:

Thanks to Diana and Phil for being so fantastic! And congratulations on your first anniversary! We wish you many happy memories in the years to come.

Are you interested in booking the UC Irvine University Club for your own wedding? We’ve got 5 great tips to help you get your planning started.

Following the ceremony, everyone headed back to a private residence in the hills above Brea to celebrate and dance the night away.  If you missed their sneak peek on our blog, be sure to check it out.

Interested in booking a wedding at the arboretum? We’re familiar with the venue! Check out our suggestions to make the most of your Fullerton Arboretum wedding photos, or view more images from our orange county wedding photography portfolio.

Brides (and sometimes grooms, if they have an opinion on such matters) spend so much time getting every detail just so for their special day, and capturing those details is our favorite part of the day. Shoes, rings, dress, flowers… each piece tells a story about the couple’s personality and preferences.

We loved Kari’s wedding shoes!  The personal touch on the bottom of her shoes is adorable!

Kari said she wanted bright punches of color for accents on her big day.  She got exactly what she had in mind.  Check out this awesome bouquet!  It’s perfect for a Spring wedding.

The University Hills Community Center is a perfect wedding venue.  A large lawn behind the main building looks out over the hilly landscape and nearby Mariners Church.  The reception area itself is also worth checking out—three sides of the building are actually glass doors that can be opened to extend the venue and enjoy the green space.

A highlight for the day—a charming quick peck to end the ceremony.  Their first kiss may have short, but it was definitely sweet.

For reception fun, Kari and Chris hired the guys at Red Carpet Photo Booth.  The booth was available all night and guests climbed in several times for some quick pics.  The best part—when you exited the booth, a printout of your images was waiting for you!

In-N-Out.  We love any wedding where these burgers are served.  As did Kari’s brother.

Plus their hats provide great inspiration for the ring shots.

Our favorite shot of the night—a quick portrait of Kari and Chris.

Congratulation Kari and Chris!  Thanks so much for inviting us to be part of your wedding day.  You make an awesome couple!

And a big thank you to all the great vendors we worked with as well:

DJ: Atmosphere Entertainment
Cake & Cupcakes: Susie Cakes
Catering: In-N-Out, Fresh Fries Truck, Country Garden Caterers
Officiant: Greg Mohr
Photo Booth: Red Carpet Photo Booth
Flowers: Flowers Etc
Videographer: Ahwahnee Films
Wedding Coordinator: Veronica Kelley