nautral light

Karina and Kevin: Wedding at Malibou Lake

Karina and Kevin tied the knot this past Sunday at Malibou Lake Mountain Club.  For their wedding they pulled inspiration from the Anthropologie store catalog and chose bright yellow and blue to brighten up their day.  I had a chance to get to know them during their Malibu engagement in December right down the street from their wedding location.  You can peep some of the engagement pictures HERE.  Friends and family may see all the wedding images HERE.

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This beautiful bay window at the reception spot overlooked the ceremony site, and it also made the perfect spot for the dress shot!

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There were so many flowers all over the property.  It smelled so good!  And at sunset, the reception site was so pretty.  I love the twinkling lights.

Malibu wedding Photographer

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When I arrived at the site earlier in the day, I noticed the entrance sign to Malibou Lake.  It had twinkling lights on it, and I just knew it would make a great night shot!  I was pretty much looking forward to picture one all day long.

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A couple of shots behind the scenes.

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Tara & Timmy: Backyard Wedding

This past weekend, I had the great pleasure of photographing Tara and Timmy as they tied the knot at the house Tara grew up in Newhall, CA.  Her style was “shabby chic with a vintage vibe.”  When we first met and she described her wedding to me, it seems she named all the pretty colors of the rainbow and said that would be mixed with burlap and lace.  After seeing them and their vision, I knew the wedding photos would be awesome!   They are both gorgeous and I really love backyard weddings.  Friends and family may see all the wedding images HERE.

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The flowers were amazing!!  A classy mix of white and yellow.  I love the detailing of burlap, lace, and pearls on the stems.

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Tara’s green eyes are stunning!

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The ceremony and reception both took place in the back yard.  Tara created an alter made of a door and windows to represent a home.

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The backyard was so amazing.  Can you believe it fit 200 guest very comfortably?!

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As guests were enjoying some refreshments before dinner, we had time for some formal pictures at the neighbor’s large Oak Tree.

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I love these centerpieces!  Simple, multicolored, and bright.

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Photography: SherriJ Photography
Location: Bride’s Childhood home
Day of Planner: Amanda Andrews
Makeup: Tiffany Baker (Bridesmaid)
Florist: Bonnie Roberts (Family Friend)
Catering: BBQ
Custom Painted Signs: Painted Joy

*UPDATE This wedding has been published on Blueberry Wedding HERE.  (May 30, 2011)

Lauren & Chris: Wedding at the Santa Barbara Zoo!

I met Lauren last year as she started planning her wedding.  As soon as she told me it was at the Santa Barbara Zoo, I was a little confused and thought “wait, you can have a wedding at the Zoo??  That’s genius!”  Lauren is an animal lover, and super sweet.  I’ve been dreaming about her wedding ever since then and I’m very pleased to share my favorites from her wedding day.  Enjoy!

Los Angles Wedding Photographer

santa barbara zoo wedding photography

santa barbara zoo wedding photography

These earrings are special to Chris, it was his mother’s before she passed away.  I think they’re beautiful and it matched Lauren’s dress perfectly!

santa barbara wedding photography

The First Look…

santa barbara zoo wedding photography

Los Angles Wedding Photographer

I think the following series is my favorite set from the wedding.  Such a sweet moment, and Lauren’s eyes just sparkle!

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A unique German marriage tradition, is for the Bride and Groom to drink wine out of the same glass.  And they did, without spilling a drop!

Los Angles Wedding Photographer

Los Angles Wedding Photographer

After the ceremony, guests were allowed to visit with a friendly Penguin and feed the Giraffes.

santa barbara zoo wedding photography

santa barbara zoo wedding photography

santa barbara zoo wedding photography

santa barbara zoo wedding photography

santa barbara zoo wedding photography

First Dance.

Sherri Johnson Wedding Photography

Sherri Johnson Wedding Photography

Lauren and Chris did a lot of nontraditional things, at their wedding.  Like, instead of a traditional wedding cake, Lauren and Chris opted for Sundaes and Root Beer Floats.

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The SJP Photo Booth.

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Lastly, a shot behind the scenes.

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Venue: Santa Barbara Zoo
Florals by: Passion Flowers Design
Photography: SherriJ Photography
Music: DJ Shark
*Update, this wedding has been published on Wedding Channel.

Tina + Armando’s Wedding

Friday was a beautiful day for a wedding in Studio City.  I had the great pleasure of joining Tina and Armando with their families at Sportsman Lodge for a outdoor ceremony followed by reception.  Here’s some of my favorite images.  Friends and family may see all the wedding images HERE.

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Tina arrived at the site and got ready in her bridal suite.  I had plenty of time to get lots of detail shots before she put on her dress.

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Kim Williams with Enchanted Florist did an amazing job on all the flowers!  When Tina saw her bouquet, she loved the beaded crystal buttons going down the ribbons that held the stems together.  Nice to see her appreciation for the little details.  Her bouquet was a gathering of white orchids and calla lilies and the brides maids carried a colorful spring mix of pinks, purples, green, and white.

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The guys hanging out before the ceremony… The groomsmen wore purple ties and Armando wore a white tie.

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As guests entered the ceremony, they were given a little purple baggie with a stone inside.  During the ceremony, everyone rubbed warm thoughts and well wishes for Tina and Armando.  Afterwards, they placed the stones in a bowl for Tina and Armando to carry the happy thoughts into their married life.

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We did have a few moments in between group shots to get these beautiful pictures of the newlyweds.

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On the guest sign in table, they chose to frame their favorite engagement picture from the Griffith Observatory!

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Venue: Sportsman Lodge, Studio City
Wedding Planner: Monica McPartland
Photography: SherriJ Photography
Videography: Moonlight Video Productions
Gown: Mary Linn Bridal
Tux Rental: Friar Tux
Cake: Jaqki’s Cake Creations
DJ: Check One2 Entertainment
Florist: Enchanted Florist
Hair: Kim Laurent
Makeup Artist: Stacey Herman
Officiant: Kimber Lee Wilkes
Photobooth: Snap Shotz Photo Booth
Rentals: Mellanie Party Design

UPDATE July 20th.  This wedding has been published on Wedding Channel!  Click the image below to see the post.

Nicholas and Manami’s Wedding: Long Beach Museum of Art

On Saturday, I had the great pleasure of documenting Nicholas and Manami’s wedding at the Long Beach Museum of Art.  I met Nicholas and Manami in the fall of last year.  They are both graphic designers from Alameda, who planned on creating lots of the details of their wedding themselves.  They were in town for a weekend, and at our consultation, they spoke of succulents, a colorful color palate, and an intimate gathering of 60 of their favorite people.   I knew instantly I liked them and have been looking forward to shooting their wedding ever since!  This past Saturday was an absolutely gorgeous day for their wedding, in addition to a great day for the Long Beach Grand Prix that took place a couple blocks down the street.   Thinking traffic would be horrible, I left Santa Monica 3 hours early.  Turns out, I arrived 2.5 hours early… which was just fine by me!  I’d much rather be hours early, than even 5 minutes late.  Below are some of my favorite shots from the wedding day.  Friends and family can view all images HERE.

The first, is a set of images is Nicholas and Manami’s custom wedding stationary that they created themselves!  I especially love the design with the banner, how perfect!  It really set the expectation for their wedding… fun, flags, and f-ruffles!  Ok, I know f-ruffles isn’t a word…  but it kinda rhymed. =)

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When we arrived, Manami was getting ready in her dressing room.   Getting colored shoes to match a wedding dress can be tricky, but I think it’s super fun and modern.  The ruffles on her shoes matched her dress perfectly!

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Sherri Johnson Wedding Photography

long beach museum of art wedding photography

Los Angles Wedding Photography

Nicholas and Manami decided to do a “First Look” before the ceremony… which allowed us time to get these shots of them together.

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Custom fabric balls decorated the isle.  These are so fun and colorful, and a great alternative to flowers.

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long beach museum of art wedding photography

long beach museum of art wedding photography

long beach museum of art wedding photography

long beach wedding photographer

long beach museum of art wedding photographer

The first dance.

SherriJ Wedding Photography

san diego wedding photographer

Photography: SherriJ Photography
Venue: Long Beach Museum of Art
Makeup: Chinatsu Watanabe
Flowers: J’Adore Florist
Invitations: Nicholas and Manami’s own designs.  Contact me for their information!

Sherri Johnson Wedding Photography

*Update June 14th, this wedding has been published on California Wedding Wave.