Kelly here again to present the newly married Angeli and Rich.

These two chose one of our favorite ceremony spots in San Diego. If you sit on the right side of a plane while flying into SD, chances are you’ll spot its blue dome overlooking the coast. If haven’t guessed it, it’s the Immaculata at the University of San Diego.

After talking with Garrett, he gave Angeli and Rich the thumbs up because he’s always glad to get ample time with a bride and groom like he got with them. From a photographer’s perspective this means more time to get great shots. And when the photos are one lasting thing you’ll have from your wedding, it’s awesome when people recognize the importance of the time they have with the photographer.

Check out these stylin’ peeps as evidence:

Let’s not lie to ourselves. Once wedding plans start up, at the forefront of our minds is how we’re going to look in time for the wedding i.e. our weight (collective groan). I’ve recently re-awakened to this issue as a bridesmaid in my brother’s upcoming wedding, and unless Pillsbury dough girl midriffs become the new supermodel physique, I’m looking to reduce the stomach pooch.

Luckily my tech savvy mom (Hi mom!) alerted me to a website that tracks your weight loss progress and helps you achieve your weight loss goals through nutrition and exercise advice. Turns out there’s a slew of these websites available. Let me overwhelm you with them:

Gyminee

• Pro: Gyminee appeals to me because it gives me yet another reason to love my iPhone. Says Gyminee: “You can use your iPhone to track the exercises you perform while you are in the gym or at the track and also search for foods and keep up with your diet and calories. Results are automatically uploaded to the Gyminee™ servers, so you can view your progress at any time from the main website.” You don’t need an iPhone, however, to track your diet, workout, and goals in a visually pleasing way.
• Con: I might spend more time messing with my iPhone than actually working out.

My Fitness Pal

• Pro: No frills tracking site. I like this one because it just feels less overwhelming than other sites. Probably more for the Type B personality who doesn’t need to track every last molecule in their body.
• Con: Nothing too visually exciting. I don’t want my website to feel as drab as the weight loss process can at times.

extrapounds

• Pro: Shrug. It’s another weight loss tracker. I’ve never used it so it might blow your socks off once you sign up.
• Con: What were they thinking with their cartoon weight loss trackers?! I suppose it’s creative or good for parents who are concerned about their child’s weight issues, but not for an adult woman. If you’re going to lose weight with a cartoon kind of bend, go for the video games. Wii Fit? Yes please. Dance Dance Revolution? YES! If you’d like to buy one or both of those and drop them off at the studio for me, I will TOTALLY accept it.

diettv

• Pro: If you’re clueless about the world of weight loss and fitness it looks like this site has A LOT to offer in terms of giving you direction. Type A personalities–this might be your site. Track everything from food intake and exercise to water intake and your sleep schedule, all on a visually pleasing interface.
• Con: Type B personalities like me might be overwhelmed by everything there is to track. I look at this page and become fearful of how much time I’ll waste just logging my activities. But hey! It might work for you!

traineo

• Pro: Visually this might appeal more to the males in the group. Some of the other sites definitely seem to be geared more toward the females and their concerns and the guys can log onto this one without feeling emasculated. It looks as though this might be more geared toward those who are more concerned with their workout routine rather than their weight.
• Con: Maybe it’s just me, but I get a little bit of a clinical vibe from it–and now that I think about it, it might be because the site isn’t jam-packed with ads. So that might be a pro.

WeightWatchers

• Pro: Accountability. I’ve known quite a few people who have successfully done weight watchers. Because you actually meet with a trainer and/or other people, the pressure is on for you to please them and, in turn, yourself. Plus they have all the online progress tracking that these other sites have.
• Con: It’ll cost you compared to the other sites.

If you have experience with any of these sites (good or bad) share your thoughts in the comments section.

You may remember handsome Gabe and Jennifer Aniston look-a-like Ramey from an engagement session posted here not too long ago. Well they finally did the deed and tied the knot in Santa Luz. Check out their pleasant day. 100% contentment and love…

Our good friends Paul and Linda wrote us a while back and asked if we would do a portrait session for their daughter Kylie.  Since I’m pretty much still a kid at heart, I figured Kylie and I would get along fine.  We spent some time  exploring a local park, collecting pine cones and “gold rocks” as we went along.  (fyi - they weren’t rocks!)

Kylie is super cute.  Enjoy!

In 2006 Amy Sutherland published an article (found here) in The New York Times when she was writing a book about exotic animal trainers and how she applied some of those training lessons to her own marriage.

Now, before you strap the shock collar on your spouse or reward him or her with Pup-Peroni Jerky Treats, please oh please know that we want the “Relevant Reads” category to serve as a resource that simply gets conversation going in your relationship. Of course if obedience school improves aspects of your love life, we’ll take full credit, but if things start going south because of an article we posted, we, uh, moved…and, uh, cannot be contacted.

I give you…Kelly and Anthony.

Recently married at the Martin Johnson House at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla, word has it that these two brought together family and friends from continents near and far.

When I asked Garrett about Kelly and Anthony’s wedding, he took a nice, long pause to say that in all of the weddings he’s been to, he heard some of the best speeches at this one. You can’t ask for more than the gift of thoughtful words…
Hope you enjoy the images :)

Liz and Andy and I met down at Balboa Park on a really great Monday night. If you’ve been down there, you know that it can be a pretty crowded place. This night was one of those nice, quiet nights where you feel like you’ve got the place to yourself. So we took advantage of it! Of course the Prado is beautiful, but we also went around to the back side of some of the museums, just to get off the beaten path. And of course Liz and Andy (aka Anthony :) ) did a great job. I really enjoyed seeing them warm up to the shoot, and to each other, as we walked through their session. Thanks you two!

Looking for a unique place to hold your wedding? The Museum of Photographic Arts (MOPA) offers all the state-of-the-art, twinkly-light, modern hipness that your heart can handle, on top of its elegant location at the Casa de Balboa in Balboa Park.

Of course we wouldn’t highlight this place if there wasn’t an equally cool, hip person behind the scenes to help your big day make a big impression.

Enter Jenna Kemp.

Jenna joined MOPA this past February as their sales & event coordinator, but she’s been sales-ing and coordinatin’ for over 14 years–and she was quick to point out that “After all these years I’m still passionate about what I do.”

Originally from Edmonton, Alberta, Jenna began organizing events for the Provincial Museum of Alberta and later moved into corporate events all over the U.S. and Mexico. The allure of the art world was too much to resist, however; so she returned to her roots in the museum world.

Among the features that Jenna and MOPA can offer your masterpiece wedding:

• The Joan and Irwin Jacobs Theater: get married underneath the stars (even though you’re inside) and (nerd alert!) utilize all of the top-of-the-line technological juiciness that the theater to make your wedding a bona fide production.

• David C. Copley Atrium: big enough for 150-200 people at your reception and travertine floors (perfect for the moonwalk).

• Hello! It’s a night at the museum! Every step offers an engaging new experience of world-renowned photographers flank the atrium (drool).

Check out more detailed info on MOPA’s Web site or contact Jenna at events@mopa.org or 619.238.7559 ext. 290. She’s around as many as 6 days a week. When I marveled at her hefty schedule she replied, “As my father says, ‘I can sleep when I’m dead.’” Now that’s dedication!

This is a good story, trust me…

So Kate and I had spoken on the phone a couple of times before she and Nick actually came by the studio.  Every time I’d see her name I’d think, “Why does this girl’s name sound so familiar?”   Apparently she was thinking the same thing about my name.  When she walked into the studio for our consultation, I had one of those “What you talkin’ ’bout, Willis” moments.  We both froze, pointed at one another, and said “Where do I know you from?!”  We realized that we went to high school together up in L.A.!  The funny part is that neither of us really keep in touch w/ high school friends, so what are the odds of this happening?  Needless to say, we took that as a sign that this was meant to be.  :)

We also happen to live within a mile or so of each other, so Kate and Nick and I cruised down to downtown Encinitas for their engagement session.  I really loved their energy, and their very sincere love for each other.  Enjoy the images…

We love food. Seriously, it just makes us happy, and today we made a lunch stop at a local place in Del Mar called Board & Brew.

Tub o’ Tuna and a side of special sauce is all you need to know. Trust us.

Grab your peeps, order some tuna sandwiches, head down the road for a picnic at the cliffs north of Torrey Pines State Park and the Soledad Lagoon, and watch the waves roll in.