Form submitted successfully, thank you.

Error submitting form, please try again.

weddingNovella: Clint & Renee

Clint & Renee’s relationship has brought two families together. Their families are special in that they blend perfectly. They love hanging out. They laugh easily with each other. They are relaxed & down with hanging-out together on the beach, in the pool or hot-tubbing it into the evening. They are chill with party’n it up–together. & they welcomed Eric & I to be apart of their family vacation.

This family vacation was all about Clint & Renee and their marriage in Hawaii on Waimanalo Beach on Oahu. Clint & Renee walked a rose petal strewn path in the sand between rows of their family and were married with a backdrop of Blue Hawaii water with palm trees in the foreground. Are you picturing the amazing-ness, yet?!

I love destination weddings. I know, I know! You’re going to tell me I’m being clique. I mean, who wouldn’t love getting to travel to Hawaii & shoot a wedding with sand between your toes & waves hitting you? But it’s not about that; it’s about the chance a destination wedding gives you to intimately know the wedding guests. Hanging-out long enough that…yes, I feel a little like family now :)

Clint & Renee…thank you for sharing your family with us! Congratulations on your new life together. Mahalo!

Enjoy the slideshow, below or watch it here.

I heart love.

I think my heart breaks a little every time I look at this picture. It just swells with their love & breaks a little…cause there’s just too much love, too much light… to hold it all in.

Ever feel that way?

more from Carly & Garrett’s LOVE-ly afternoon in the alleys of La Grande to come…

DSC_0963

travelNovella: Sherilyn & Jeff in Hawaii

Lucky.

For the last week I was in Hawaii to shoot a wedding. Yes, a wedding with a beautiful bride & groom on a beach. Yes, I got to hang-out with and get-to-know their lovely family before and after the ceremony. Yes we took pictures of the bride and groom with palm trees, and I took lots of pictures of palm trees with no bride and groom also lol. Yes, we took nightly strolls in Waikiki to watch street performers & order take-out cheesecake take-out from the Cheesecake Factory. Yes, we drove oh so slowly along the ocean to the North Shore…stopping to take pictures whenever we wanted. Yes, we watched surfers get pummeled on Sunset beach & then we got pummeled at a much tamer near-by beach. Yes, lucky.

Yes, I ate great food: Hawaiian at the Rainbow drive-in, Giovanni’s shrimp truck on the North Shore, Sushi, a Cheeseburger in Paradise… Oh and we even caught our own fish, grilled and ate them while still at sea. & Yes, if you know me well…you know the list of food went on from there…then it continued into the drink list: Kona coffee…frosty Pina Coladas…ya know…anything with a paper umbrella! Lucky.

& Yes, there were unexpected surprises. Like a spectacular sunset, a chat with a stranger on a beach, half-off hot boots sale! One of those happy chances was to hang-out with Sherilyn & Jeff one afternoon on a cool sidewalk. Under the palm leaves. Barefoot. In love.

Yes, I’m lucky!

8350e83688454

8414


you can also view the slideshow here

Prequel: Waimanalo Wedding

DSC_6943 (1)DSC_7076 (1)DSC_7755DSC_7807DSC_7565DSC_7610

Prequel: vestida blanca at Terra Blanca

e1911e2003e2249e2350

Holly & Bryce

Terra Blanca Winery

fotoNovella: Trevor & Laura

We go way back. Back to middle-school days when Trevor & I were on the same Oddessy of the Mind team. Compared to football or basketball, it might not have been the coolest after school activity–but we thought it rocked! We spent hours and hours making gizmos & gadgets out of chicken wire & paper mache, pvc pipe & duck tape…and lots and lots of marbles. (Yes, it’s rather disturbing how random & incoherent my memory works!) But what I do remember clearly were many good conversations with Trevor as we glued, drilled, taped, painted our projects together. Laura & I go way back to high school. Back to choir class & singing in Con Brio, our girls’ choir. Again, the exact memories are foggy…but they all are filled with giggles & loud laughs, & Mexican gritos: “Ayyy-yii-yii!” Laura, I’m still waiting for grito lessons! lol

Laura & Trevor go way back, also. They started dating part way through their senior year at Hermiston High School & have been turning pages together ever since. We had a fabulous engagement session at L’Ecole winery near Walla Walla, Washington. They have quite a remarkable love story, which they have graciously agreed to share with us as guest bloggers. So look forward to Laura & Trevor penning a few more fotoNovella chapters for us leading up to their wedding in Athena, Oregon this July! 

e7476e7445e7434

Dear Shannon,   

I really can’t thank you enough to doing such a wonderful job.  I keep looking over our engagement shots and appreciate that your pictures reflect us, our relationship and how much we love each other.  In addition to that, they are beautiful and we both had a lot of fun with you.  I’m sure this is all stuff you have already heard about a million times, but that’s how grateful I am.  These pictures really make us look forward to our wedding and future together. 

Regards,
Trevor

Trevor, thank you for the note. & thank you, Trevor & Laura, for letting me tag along on your wine-tasting date! I’m glad we’re friends & I adore you are a couple: so shooting your wedding is going to be blast! Salud!

Prequel: Cecil, Oregon.

e7921
e8016

familyNovella: Trek

e9658e9673e9748e9843e9783

Prequel: Trek

e0629e0586

familyNovella: Gibler Family

It’s official. I’m in the holiday spirit! & I think I can pinpoint the turning point from frosty fall into winter holidays during one particular session: the Gibler family. I had gotten to know all of Bruce & Margie’s boys and their families at some point or other over the last few years, so it was a pleasure to see each of the boy’s little families again & to have the chance to meet the parents. Whom are fabulous (…you’ll see)! 

The Gibler Family decided on a fotosession in Lake Oswego, Oregon at the univeristy where Bryan completed his masters degree. Marylhurst University was decked-out for the holidays! Heavy wreaths hung overtop and on either side of the main enterance. Festive banners lined the long, dramatic walkway. The family was likewise festively dressed for the occasion. Everyone was trimmed in a classy array of red, black, or grey. I was swooning over the sweaters: expecially the littlest red one Soren wore which was handknitted with love in every stitch (or whatever they’re called in knitting!?). And then there is Bruce’s hat–perfect!!! But most of all–it was about their spirit which shone as I captured their family spending a quite afternoon–together. Gibler Family, thank you for giving me a special appreciation for family, spirit & togetherness during your fotosession.

& to everyone else: Happy Holidays!

to view slideshow.

e9971e0254e0451e0564