Estela + Cliff

I had the honor of meeting the Bishop of the Diocese of San Bernardino Gerald Barnes. How? Well I had the higher honor of being the photographer at Estela's and Cliff's wedding, where Bishop Barnes officiated. The ceremony was celebrated at Our Lady of the Assumption Catholic Church in San Bernardino.
It was touching to see the two families joining together as one. The children from both sides seemed really emotional and excited to begin a new life together as one big happy family. The celebration continued at the reception in the church hall with dancing, eating, and live music, courtesy of Estela's son, Esteban and friends (see below!).

Please click on the pictures to see more detail.

Trashing the Dress at the Santa Fe Dam

I had the pleasure of hosting a Trash The Dress Photo Session this past Sunday at the Santa Fe Dam Recreational Area in Irwindale. The turnout was great! We had about 20 photographers participate with 15 brides/models. It was a chance for everyone to meet, exchange ideas, share techniques, and have great pictures taken. For those that are unfamiliar with this wedding photography trend, some brides choose to "trash the dress" after their wedding day is over. This type of photo session gives the bride a chance to be totally carefree with her dress and pose in some outrageous scenes that couldn't have been done before the big wedding date without damaging the dress in some way.
The Santa Fe Dam was a great area to host this event. It had so many different types of environments, from a beach area, to a rocky outcropping, to a woodland area, and so much more! I have to thank the great people at the Dam for helping me with the event. In fact, we even got some of the lifeguards to dive in on the fun! I also have to give a special thanks to my family: Natalie, Alvin, and wife Gisela for not only helping with the coordination, but being my assistants during the photo shoots as well. My friend Albert Vergara from Lunch Salon , and Lori Truman from Mobil Beauty Makeup were life savers, as they were the only hair stylist and make up artist who were there and pretty much took care of every single bride in two hours! Another life saver was one of the brides, April Cenora. April, and her friends from Preferred Mobile Music & Promotions (PMMnP) donated use of a generator to provide electricity for the event. A series of small miracles made the event a success, as well as all the participants who totally dove into this event and had a lot of fun. With such a great success, we'll probably have to do this again!
As you can see from the pictures below, the brides threw caution to the wind and didn't hesitant when it came to trashing their dresses. More than half also got into the water as well! And yes, that last picture is of yours truly. I just couldn't pass up an opportunity of having my picture taken with all the lovely ladies!
To see pictures in more detail, just click on each picture to enlarge it.

Nancy + Roger....at last!

Nancy and Roger finally tied the knot..........after nine years! No, the engagement period didn't last that long. Nancy and Roger actually got married about nine years ago in a civil union by themselves. However, they knew that they always wanted to do it right and fully celebrate their wedding vows with their family and friends. So this past weekend the big date finally arrived, and with help from everyone, the wedding day was a big success! The wedding celebration took place at one of my favorite churches, St. Denis Catholic Church in Diamond Bar. Afterwards, the partying began at the Sierra La Verne Country Club until the wee hours of the morning. Congratulations Nancy and Roger!

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Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's day to all the moms out there, especially to my wife and my own mom! As a father of two very young children, I've finally realized how valuable and hard working moms really are. To show my appreciation, I didn't want to just give my wife another Mother's Day gift. So what kind of gift could I give her that would show her how great she is and how much I appreciate her hard work? Well, I did it the best way I knew how: photography! So with a little help from the kids, I took a self portrait with them to show what it would be like without my wife's help. I hope you enjoy the results and that it inspires husbands and fathers to further appreciate the work moms do!

High Tea for Hardworking Heroes

I had the honor of attending and volunteering my photographic services for a special event. The Victim Services Unit of the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office had their 3rd annual Staff Appreciation Tea Luncheon at the quaint and bucolic Etiwanda Gardens in Rancho Cucamonga. The event was organized by Chief Marilynn Kimball to honor the hard working ladies in the Victim Services Unit and to reward them for a job well done. The unit works with victims of crime in all aspects, from counseling, to restitution, to assistance during the trial process. These are the “behind the scenes” people in our criminal justice system. The District Attorney of San Bernardino County, Michael A. Ramos, and Assistant District Attorney, Jim Hackleman both were in attendance and gave inspiring speeches that expressed their appreciation to the ladies. Afterwards, everyone enjoyed high tea. The ladies went all out and even dressed up for the event! After tea, various gifts from supervisors were raffled off to some lucky winners. Advocate Lorna Soulier and Supervising Advocate Janet Hulse also used their talents to decorate the entire event. In fact, they have their own part time decorating business “Due Angeli the Decorano.” To the ladies of the Victim Services Unit: keep up the great work! Everyone appreciates what an important role you play in making the lives of crime victims better.

Daisy's Quinceañera Celebration!

Daisy celebrated her quinceañera with a bash this past weekend! The day started off with a celebratory mass at St. Bernard's Catholic Church in Bellflower and continued to Simon's Waterfront Banquet Center in San Pedro. The party lasted through the night with Daisy and her friends putting on a great show. They waltzed for guests and even performed a surprise dance that rivaled the Broadway cast of Chicago! Mexican Folkloric dancers and great food rounded out the rest of the evening. Daisy's parents Polo and Ana put a lot of work and planning into this celebration, but they didn't forget to let loose and party too! Happy 15th Birthday Daisy!