I had a great time photographing the Garcia family a few days after Christmas. With so many of them spread all over (some coming from Mexico), it was a special treat to have them all together for family photos. Special thanks to my friend, Mike Alvarez who provided some translation services for me.
I'm excited to share this sweet family on the blog today! I have known Emily (the eldest Younger sister) for five years now, so I was thrilled when she asked me to photograph her family. We chose to photograph on the University of California, Irvine campus because there are three UCI alumna in the family. Go Anteaters!
This family looks like a gorgeous Calvin Klein ad and they are just as sweet and as fun as they look in these photos! We chose to photograph the family in Dana Point at Lantern Bay Park while they were in town on vacation because it holds a special place in their hearts. I especially enjoyed photographing the sweet great-grandparents together!
Abbey and Eric's wedding was a lovely mix of solemn tradition and serious fun! They were married at St. Norbert's Catholic Church in Orange, CA and their reception was held at the Estate on Second in Santa Ana, CA. Abbey and Eric wanted to make sure their guests had fun and they certainly accomplished that! The reception was complete with a mac and cheese bar, taco bar, gourmet salad bar and MORE. My favorite part was when Abbey appeared halfway through the night having "Project Runwayed" her dress into a dress that let her dance better. So awesome!
Vendors
Photography: Smetona Photo (with special help from Zac Mullings of Mr and Mrs. Weddings)
Church: St. Norbert's Catholic Church in Orange, CA
Reception: Estate on Second
Wedding Coordinator: Christie Grisenti
Videographer: Akros Media
Florist: Chris Lindsay Designs
Catering: Jay's Catering
DJ: David Newton of VOX DJs (He was awesome!)
Makeup Artist: Cassandra Ranslow
Hair Artist: Alison Naylor
Bride's Dress: Pronovias
Bridesmaid Dresses: David's Bridal
Mens' Suits: Combat Gents
Lindley Scott House wedding in Azusa, California near Azusa Pacific University. Pink and gold interracial wedding. Groom in royal blue suit. Photography by Kristin and Dustin of Smetona Photo Wedding Photography. Orange County and Los Angeles Wedding Photographers
Read MoreIt's hard to describe the joy I feel with this session! Miss Eliana is the lovely daughter of two of my dearest friends, Jon and Serena. I met Serena when I photographed Jon's proposal to her. Since then, I have had the honor of photographing their engagement, wedding, and now their firstborn! Oh the feels!!!
This first photo is especially sweet to me because it is one Smetona Photo took at their wedding and now hangs in their home. How their love and family has grown!
To say we had a blast at Amanda and Zach's wedding at Las Sendas in Mesa, Arizona, would be a HUGE understatement! Their wedding was such a total blessing and joy to be part of and we were honored to capture it! We are always thrilled to photograph the weddings of fellow California Baptist University and Amanda was and is such a dear friend. We are so thankful that she has met an amazing man in Zach!!! Enjoy all the photos from their fantastic wedding day below!
Special thanks to all the amazing vendors:
Venue: Las Sendas | Mesa, Arizona
Wedding Dress: Maggie Sottero
Florist: The Wildflower AZ
Cake Artist: Lily White's Party Cakes
DJ: Sound Trax Entertainment
"Our vision is sort of a Disney meets Lord of the Rings. We want something romantic and rustic, and to tie our two themes into the wedding very subtly. Let me know if you are interested!"
That was what Lauren's email said when she contacted me about doing her and Thomas' wedding photography!
Um....YES!!!!!! was my answer!
Lauren and Thomas' engagement session in Balboa Park in San Diego was amazing! For the beginning of her session Lauren wore her Grandma Jeanne's 1940s lace wedding gown. She said it was the dress that her grandma had worn on her wedding day and was married to her Elton for over 60 years! What an amazing way to honor her grandparents' marriage!
For the later part of their session, we chose to channel their favorite Disney movie, Tangled. Thomas introduced Lauren to the movie because her green eyes, blonde hair and gorgeous smile reminded him of Rapunzel. Lauren is currently training a sweet lab, Charlotte, to be a companion dog and she even made a guest appearance at the session. With a little Disney-esque magic, we even incorporated floating lanterns at the end! What a magical engagement shoot! I CAN'T WAIT for the wedding!!!!!
Sophie and I had a fun time exploring the JW Marriott in Palm Springs for her senior portrait session! She's from Texas, so I had a fun time blending her western and California sides! Enjoy!
Palm trees, flamingo and tropical colors galore! I had a great time photographing this lovely family in Palm Springs at the JW Marriott. The portraits are in honor of grandma and grandpa's 50th wedding anniversary! Aren't they adorable? 50 years and still cuddling and smiling together!
I had an amazing time galavanting around Denver, Colorado with Jordyn and Taylor for their engagement session! Our day started before the sun rose when we headed out Red Rocks Park, the home of the historic Red Rock Amphitheater and where Taylor proposed.
In the evening, we took a few photos at the park they both grew up playing in as children. We then went to the spectacular Daniel's Park just south of Denver. Once in awhile, I feel I'm photographing in locations that are just so magnificent the photos don't do it justice. This was one such occasion and I think you will agree! Enjoy Jordyn and Taylor's engagement photos and be on the lookout for their wedding photos later this year!
I adore Alex and Victoria and have been so excited to post their images! I loved working with them on their engagement session and the were a true joy on their wedding day. They had a gorgeous wedding at the Talega Golf Club in San Clemente. My favorite moment from their big day was when Alex teared up in the ceremony. What a sweetheart! ENJOY!
This blog post is waaaayyy overdue. As in, today is their one-year anniversary overdue. However, we think Kelsey and Robbie will forgive us especially since since their wedding; we got pregnant & had a baby and now Kelsey and Robbie are pregnant and expecting a little one of their own. What a difference a year makes!!! So, in honor your anniversary, Kelsey and Robbie, here is your blog post. We are proud to say that we called you friends when we photographed your wedding and we call you even dearer friends today! We love doing life together with you and there is so much we are grateful to God for through you. You have picked us up food from the grocery store, painted us paintings, cleaned our house, fixed us meals and MORE!!! Thank you for being God's grace and kindness to us! We are so thankful for you!!!
Kelsey and Robbie's wedding day was so much fun and sweet for us! Their wedding was held at The Women's Club of Orange in Old Towne Orange. It's where our church (Sovereign Grace Church of Orange) meets every Sunday. What a sweet moment to watch to fellow church members become husband and wife where we worship together every Sunday!
Our favorite moment was when Robbie and Kelsey had their first look. What a reaction!
As if their wedding couldn't have been more fun, they served brunch for their wedding reception. Complete with a mimosa bar and ALL YOU CAN EAT BACON!!! Robbie loves bacon and we love him for his love of bacon!
With the holidays and other weddings, we have gotten a little behind with our blogging! Well, it’s a new year and we are excited to share all the amazing weddings and engagement sessions we have been working on!
For this wedding, we are headed south of the border to Mexico! Christie and Sebastien tied the knot at Las Rocas Resort and Spa in Rosarito, Mexico. We had an amazing time hanging with their friends and family for the intimate event overlooking the ocean. The margaritas (seriously the most amazing margaritas ever!), guacamole and carne asada were plentiful and delicious!!! Our favorite part of the day was when we headed down the cliffs to the ocean below for Christie and Sebastien's sunset photos. So romantic and lovely!!!
Photography: Smetona Photo Venue, Band, Cake, : Las Rocas Resort and Spa Flowers: San Diego Flower Company Bride's Hair: Abby Mock of Indigo Hair Bridal Gown: Maggie Sottero from Enchanted Bridal Shoppe Bridesmaid Dresses: Anthropologie