I had the honor of photographing Patty and Oscar’s maternity session last weekend. You might remember them from their engagement session at Balboa Park or their wedding at Riverwalk. The ironic thing is I was about 7-8 months pregnant when I photographed their wedding and now I’m photographing Patty at around the same time in her pregnancy too.

It was such a fun session because of the beautiful light. Patty literally GLOWED the whole time. Here are a few of my favorite images from the session:

We can’t wait to meet you Paloma! Thanks again for having me, Patty and Oscar!

It’s been awhile since I’ve been behind the camera for an engagement session. Our baby girl is a week away from turning one and I have not regretted my decision to put my family first this past year. However, I have missed capturing special moments for couples and it was a treat to be able to shoot Stephanie and Pat’s engagement session at Petco Park last week.

I have worked with Stephanie’s mom, Gloria, for eight years right now. In many ways, I feel like I’ve known Stephanie much longer because of the stories I’d hear from Gloria at work during our lunch hours together. I call Gloria my “mom at work” because she has always looked out for me throughout the years and given me advice on numerous occasions about lots of different things. It turns out that Stephanie and I are the same age so we went through similar kinds of things during our twenties. It was so nice to finally meet her in person!

It was such a blessing to be able to capture the love that Stephanie and Pat have for each other. Stephanie’s magnetic smile is contagious and Pat has such a strong, quiet presence about him. I can see why they “fit.” After the e-session was over, Adam and I kept saying how much it felt like we were just hanging out with friends and in many ways, I left feeling like I’ve known Stephanie and Pat for years.

One of the things I enjoy the most about e-sessions is hearing the love story that God has written for them (so far!). Apparently, Stephanie and Pat both knew each other back in high school even though they didn’t date back then. God made their paths cross again and now they’re getting married in March.

When Stephanie said she wanted to do her e-session downtown, I was SO stoked to do another urban shoot! Stephanie and Pat are both Padres fans so we started at The Park at the Park.

Special thanks to Gloria for watching our daughter so I could have my husband with me on our shoot.

There is something so magical about Disneyland. Jackie and Antonio truly had a fairy-tale wedding. All the special little details and of course the Disney magic! They got ready at the Disneyland Hotel and I loved that they played Disney music in the hotel areas. It was the perfect soundtrack for the perfect day.

Doesn’t Jackie look like a princess?

Loved this Mickey-sequined bag.

First look

Cinderella’s carriage!

The reception was held at the Animation Studio area in California Adventure.

Mickey Mouse cake

Jackie and Antonio, thank you so much for choosing me to capture your beautiful fairy-tale wedding! I hope you both live happily ever after. Special thanks also to Daniel Galang for your help!

Another beautiful shoot in Julian. Mmm… Julian apple pie.

“Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me.” - Ruth 1:16-17

I loved that Patty used those verses from Ruth in her vows to Oscar. I say it every time, but I continue to be in awe of God’s work in people’s lives each time they share their wedding day with me. If you remember, I shot Patty and Oscar’s engagement session in Balboa Park last fall. Patty just shined on her wedding day in her gorgeous gown and Oscar couldn’t keep his smile off his face. They share such a beautiful, pure love and I am truly honored that they allowed me (7 months pregnant and all) to capture their very special day. Their ceremony and reception were at the Riverwalk Golf Course.

Does she just look radiant?

Patty and Oscar, I wish you all the best. I am excited to watch God continue to work in your lives together. Thank you so much for having me.

Special thanks to Marlo Yoshimoto who came along to assist me. You were such an amazing help!

I just love their beautiful lookbooks. I am obsessed with Anthropologie’s catalogs, but I love that the prices at Ruche are much more reasonable and affordable. Here is their latest summer lookbook!

I had the blessing of taking some pictures of Joanne and Shane’s beautiful gift from God, Chloe. Joanne and I have worked together over many years and her friendship has been such a source of joy to me. I have always admired her strength and faith in God. When I first got engaged, she was so helpful with the wedding planning process. When I first found out we were pregnant, she was so helpful with answering my questions and listening to my worries. I am so lucky to call her friend.

Here are some photos from our baby session with their beautiful baby girl, Chloe.

Joanne’s sister also recently had a baby and we got to get some cute photos with Baby Bella.

Joanne and Shane, thank you for having me! I can’t wait for our baby girls to play together!

I love everything and anything Disney so when Jackie contacted me about her Disneyland Wedding this fall, I was ecstatic! I’ve known Jackie for almost 10 years now and we were closest back in my early college years. She was an informal mentor to me and I always appreciated how she would look out for me when I was a knucklehead freshman who knew little about adult life and relationships. We also worked several summers together as teachers for Summerbridge. Being able to photograph her wedding is such an honor to me and I am always amazed at how God reconnects me to different people in my life.

So I thought I was an avid Disney fan, but then there are Jackie and Antonio who put me and my love for Disneyland to shame! They are season-pass holders and enjoy spending their free time roaming the Happiest Place on Earth. I knew going into this shoot that I would learn so much more about Disneyland and folks, I really thought I knew a lot beforehand. Y’know, the best places to eat, the easiest restrooms to access… all that good stuff. Adam and I sure did learn a lot from Jackie and Antonio from this trip. We had such a blast hanging out together!

Jackie and Antonio met at work. He was a student worker and got less and less work done while spending more and more time with Jackie. They caught the love of Disney from his sister (whom I hear is an even BIGGER fan than they are). Antonio proposed in front of Jackie’s family which just further reaffirms how important family is to both of their lives. They are such a fun couple together and their love of life and each other is contagious.

Can’t wait for your Disney Wedding this fall!

Vanessa and Joe met at college in Michigan. In fact, they met on the first day and have been inseparable since. Vanessa is a jack of all things creative - she designs jewelry (she designed her own wedding ring!) and is a graphic designer. Joe is a budding lawyer. Together, they are such a lovely couple. The best thing about the two of them together is how much they make each other smile. They were such a fun couple to shoot. Capturing the love and happiness they felt was not difficult at all.

It was such a gorgeous day in San Diego and we found ourselves at La Jolla Cove amongst many other San Diegans enjoying the sunshine as well. Vanessa has mentioned that she would bring balloons and I knew I was in for a FUN e-session!

Love all that delicious California sun!

Gorgeous ring!

Thank you, Vanessa and Joe, for sharing a wonderful afternoon with us! We wish you all the best in your August wedding and your marriage for years to come!

Adam and I would like to wish you and your loved ones a very Merry CHRISTmas! 2009 has been such an amazing year filled with so many blessings. We are looking forward to what 2010 has in store for Jasmine Marie Photography!

From our summer trip to the Pacific Northwest in Vancouver.

Happy Holidays!