Gloria and Nick are Married!

Gloria and Nick are probably the luckiest people in the world..why you ask?? Because it rained the entire day of their wedding! The day started out nice and sunny and soon after I arrived at Gloria's house, the rain started to pour..and pour..and pour!

Any other couple would have let the rain bum them out but not Nick and Gloria. They were as happy as can be and it was so wonderful to see them just enjoy their day :-)

Their ceremony took place at the Danish Lutheran Church which was very beautiful and well lit! I can't even tell you how many dark church's I've shot in so to see a well lit church was almost unbelievable!

Their reception was at one of my favorite restaurants, the Summit House. The decor was beautiful and the lighting..*sigh* I love when couples splurge on professional lighting..it really does make a world of difference!

Here are some favorites from the day!





I LOVE this shot!




Awwww..too cute!

I wonder what he's thinking..

Since it was raining..we took advantage of the beautiful light inside the church..





I love their cake topper :-)




Had some fun with in-camera blur!

I'm a bad blogger..

I know..I know. I have been lagging on the whole blogging thing but with good reason though!! My website/blog designer and I have been hard at work at getting my new website and blog ready to go live. I promise.. once I get my new shiny blog, I'll be a posting machine! I am, as they say, "over" my current blog and really just can't wait to post on my new blog!

It's coming..soon..very very soon..so stay tuned!!

Ashley & Tyson : Married!

Last year, my friend Drew called to tell me the great news that she was expecting a baby. Her due date was very close to a couple of her weddings so she hired me to cover one of the weddings in case she went into labor early, etc. Drew really wanted to make it to both of her weddings though because she is extremely dedicated to her clients and cares about them a great deal. However, she almost didn't make it to this one! Drew and her hubby got into a car accident the night before! Everything seemed okay but then Drew started having contractions! To make a long story short, the contractions stopped, Drew went home and planned on coming to the wedding the next day..I know...she is crazy! Crazy for her clients, that is ;-) I can see why too..Ashley and Tyson are just the sweetest couple and I was so touched to see not only the love they have for each other, but the love their families have for them.

The day was beautiful, the details were gorgeous, and the Venue was to die for! They had their ceremony and reception at the Ebell Club in Long Beach. It was the perfect combination of urban scenery and old world charm. If you haven't considered this venue, you must! It's probably one of my most favorite locations that I've shot at.

Before I end this post, I must thank Drew for asking me to come along to help shoot such a beautiful wedding! Definitely one of my all-time favorites Drew! :-)

I must also thank Ashley and Tyson for being so kind to me! Have a wonderful time on your honeymoon!

Here are some favorites from the day:

Check out Drew's belly! OMG..she is one dedicated woman...that is all I have to say!







Ashley and Tyson's first look was so cute..they were so emotional..it was beautiful!

A day in the life of Maddy and Ella!

I had the pleasure of capturing Alice and John's little family the other day. Alice is expecting her third daughter in March and really wanted to capture this moment in their lives before the little one arrives. Since Mom was on bedrest, dad was 100% in charge of the girls and did a phenomenal job!

Here's a sneak peak into the life of their growing family!

Being a twin takes team work! Here they are making sure that Daddy's heart rate and blood pressure are okay :-)


Jumping on the bed..oh joy!



Daddy attempting to draw Maddy and Ella..


Story/climbing on dad time is always fun!


oooohhh...I love the light on Ella's face on this shot!


"How ya doin' mom"?


Maddy and Ella have such a beautiful mommy! She definitely has the pregnancy "glow"!


Our best attempt at a family picture!


"Baby Olivia..can you hear me?"


Awwww..Mom and Dad love each other..perfect ending to their family story!

Jazerai and Josef: Engaged (sort of)

What a beautiful family! Jazerai and Josef are "technically" already married but they will be celebrating their love all over again in March with a beautiful ceremony and reception at the Amada Plaza.

Their little boys are too-die-for-cute! They were little troopers while we tried getting some "lovey dovey" shots of their parents..even though I would hear an "eeeewwww..mom and dad are in llooooovvveeee" every now and again ;-)

Here are some favorites from their engagement/family/portrait session..enjoy!!

Maryann and Josh: Married

My first wedding of the year! I couldn't have chosen a better couple to start the new year off with! Maryann and Josh are just two of the sweetest people and I'm so glad I was able to capture one of the most important days of their lives for them!

Their wedding ceremony was very unique..because...it was the longest ceremony I have ever experienced in my entire life! LOL..it lasted about 1 hour and 50 minutes..not like I was counting or anything ;-) We were all laughing about it afterwards and it was actually quite nice not having to be rushed..after all..the shortest ceremony I've ever shot was 8 minutes long..now that is fast!!

Their reception was held at the Amada Plaza in the Atrium where the roof is retractable. However, it was covered because of the rain! Luckily though, it didn't rain until after the reception was over! All their guests had a great time and were dancing up a storm!

Here are some favorites from their day..enjoy!

Rachel & Daisuke

What a way to start Christmas early! Rachel and Daisuke got married on December 22nd, 2007 at the Kyoto Grand Hotel. It was my first time shooting there and I had so much fun! They have a rooftop garden which is awesome and a wonderful place to get some lovely pictures of the L.A. city skyline. As always, Flower Allie Weddings did such a wonderful job with the decor and flowers..loved the flowers Allie!

Rachel and Daisuke traveled all the way from Japan to get married in CA where Rachel is originally from. I had such a lovely time getting to know them..they are just the sweetest couple!

Their wedding was earlier in the day so we got to hang out after the reception for some more pictures of just the two of them...I loved that! Since the wedding was over, they were so relaxed and you could really see it in their photos! I can imagine how stressful it was planning a wedding overseas! I'd be relieved too ;-)

Since I haven't posted a wedding in awhile, I thought I'd post some extra pics to make up for it..enjoy!!

















These were taken after the reception..Rachel and Daisuke make such a beautiful couple!

I'm Back..Happy New Year!!

*sigh* It was nice being in NY for my little vacation with the hubby BUT..I'm very glad to be back in Cali!!

People always ask me if I miss living in NY and at times, I do miss it but every time I visit, I realize just how much I love CA. Don't get me wrong..NY is cool and all but in the winter, it's so cold and gloomy. I actually love gloomy weather but in NY, it's extra gloomy..at least it was when I was there.

Anyhoo, it's a New Year and I'm so excited for what's in store! My new website and blog are going to be ready very soon..*I hope*!

In other random news:

1. Mochi has been acting a little strange ever since we got back from NY. He was staying with my parents and I think they spoiled him too much because now, he demands attention from us constantly! He also is a little bit down which leads to me to believe that he misses his grandma and grandpa!

2. I've been promising my hubby this for soooo long but with the new year upon us, I feel like I have a fresh start and I think I'll be able to follow through with this: Absolutely, Positively, no working on my computer past 6:30pm. Doug has been so patient with my working till the wee hours of the morning but he deserves better than that. After all, if the tables were turned, I know how annoyed I would be if he was doing the same thing.

3. I need to find a) an awesome hair stylist b) a good doctor . Do any of you blog readers have any recommendations for me? You can email me at: trista@tristalerit.com if you like..I'd love to hear from you!

That's all for now..check back tomorrow for some pretty pictures from a wedding I did right before I left for NY!

Happy New Year everyone!