dec 14: a month of charitable giving -- american cancer society | sf bay area photographer

i'm not sure about you, but whenever i see one of those commercials about celebrating another birthday, i can't help but feel grateful for the american cancer society.  cancer is such a vicious disease,  it seems like it is everywhere i turn these days -- from family to friends to my favorite tv characters and fictional book heroines, i just can't escape it.  so i help in the little way i can, by donating to the american cancer society throughout the year. 

james and i met sandy and john at a cooking class years ago, and we love seeing them every year.   enjoy today's family holiday photo, taken at hotel del coronado. 

happy holidays!

dani + james

wedding: lisa and tim part 1 | san diego wedding photographer

i knew it when i met lisa for the first time that the wedding pictures were going to be out of this world.  then we started talking, and she told me she worked for bobbi brown, which made me a little giddy.  and then we met for the engagement session and i saw how gorgeous she looked and how handsome tim looked and seriously, the wedding couldn't come soon enough.

a few weeks ago, lisa and tim got married on a perfectly beautiful july day in san diego, and everything was absolutely perfect.   i met lisa and her gorgeous bridesmaids at the loews coronado resort for a little pre-wedding primping, while james headed over to meet tim at mcrd.  when i walked into the room, all the girls were ready for some prepping camera fun, which makes my day so much easier. plus, i got to work with the amazing matt and tiffany from enjet media for the video (you might remember their fabulous wedding last year)

the simple and beautiful bouquets were done by the floral department in san diego...

when i walked in, all the girls were in these cute little dresses, they looked super glam even before getting fully dressed!

lisa got her makeup done by hailey townsley, and this was absolutely one of my most favorite bridal looks EVER...

then it was time for putting the dress on, which took the whole team of bridesmaids + mom...

 

 

lisa's dad was so excited to see his beautiful little girl in her dress...

there were so many cool pictures of the groomsmen, i wasn't sure which one i liked best, so you get to see them all...

ok, back to the girls, and time for a little celebratory toast...

 after the champagne toast it was one final touch-up and then off to the ceremony...

in the lobby of loews there are these amazing mirrors that caught my eye when i walked in, perfect backdrop for lisa...

 

WOW!!!

 a nice pre-ceremony photo of the girls, more of them on the next post...

 right before we left, i had to get one final shot, and it is one of my favorites. so glam, so gorgeous, i love it



waiting...

family and friends, make sure you register here to be notified when all the images are online, and check back soon for the rest of this fabulous wedding.

wedding: shannon and josh

as shannon and josh's december wedding was approaching, james and i were keeping our fingers crossed that the rain would stay away. every weather report said something different, but on the wedding morning, the sun was shining brightly and rain was nowhere in sight. the girls got ready at the sheraton harbor island, a short way down from where they were holding the ceremony and reception at tom ham's lighthouse.

absolutely gorgeous!


and the groom looking handsome...

shannon chose the most fabulous colors for her wedding, pool blue and red. for those of you who are as obsessed with paper source as i am, you'll instantly recognize the coolness.

shannon and josh chose to do a first look, which is always fantastic for photos, love the expressions here and how happy they look to be getting married!



we headed over to coronado, and there was no rain in sight, only bright sun (bad for photos) and lots of fun. we started at the ferry landing and then headed down to a tiny little park that looks like it was built for pictures. perfect...

i was just a little obsessed with how amazing shannon looked...




some wedding party fun...


a little pre-ceremony prepping...


and then for the ceremony...


i don't remember what it was, but something was super funny...


and now you are husband and wife!


following the ceremony it was time for the grand entrance and reception fun...


shannon and her dad surprised everyone with a fast-paced boogie...


super cute!

and finally, the cake cutting, super delicious cupcakes, love it!

shannon and josh, best wishes on a lifetime of happiness, beer and adventure!