Kristi and Nate – Ocean Beach San Diego Wedding

A few months ago, Aimee Westcott of Captured by Aimee asked me to assist her at a fabulous wedding at Ocean View Villas near Sunset Cliffs in Ocean Beach. We met up with Kristi and her girls at The Pearl before heading over to the Villas for the ceremony. The swanky hotel provided a deliciously retro backdrop for Kristi to get ready for her big day, and you could feel the love among the group as they helped with the preparations!

I mentioned all the love floating around the room, right? Check out all the love notes that the ladies were writing to Kristi, and she was writing to them.

Since I was second shooting, Aimee let me play around with a Diana lens I have. The Diana lens produces dreamy, vintage-y images because it’s all plastic! I had fun using it to take this portrait of the girls. :)

Emilia of Sweet Emilia Jane did an absolutely gorgeous job with the details for this wedding!

Here are a few more I shot with my Diana! :)

These fun ones were shot with Aimee’s Lensbaby. Mmmm tilt shift!

Oh, hey, while you’re at it, go check out the feature from this wedding on Style Me Pretty! And here’s Aimee’s take on the day!

xoxo,
Lauren

 

Vendors:

Photographer: Captured by Aimee

Design, Centerpieces & Decor: Sweet Emilia Jane

Coordination: Carmin Cerman

Wedding Venue: Ocean View Villas

Cupcakes: Sprinkles

Catering: Toast Catering

Personal & Ceremony Flowers: Blush Botanicals

Musicians: The Mattson 2 / DJ: Eddy Turbo

Hair: Megan Wayt

Makeup: Mandy Freye

Officiant: Patricia Coleman

Wedding Dress: Casablana via 2000 Dreams Bridal/ Earrings: Macy’s

Bridesmaid Dresses: David’s Bridal / Shoes: Steve Madden



National Teen Leadership Program and Colonial Williamsburg, VA

Howdy!

What are you up to this weekend?

I’m spending the next several days at Endicott College to be a staff member and small group leader for the National Teen Leadership Program! It’s a really awesome program where high school students learn about diversity, responsibility, and being a member of their community. I participated in NTLP as a high school student and love that I’m able to give back to so many students, just as my group leaders did for me!

And what’s extra-special is that 2011 is NTLP’s 20th anniversary! That’s right–next year we’ll be legal! ;) 2011 also marks a new chapter for NTLP, as the camp I’m staffing this weekend is the first one to take place on the east coast! Yahoo!!

Since I never can get enough of the east coast, I’m going to leave you with some images I took when I visited Colonial Williamsburg while I was still out in Norfolk. I went for a day, not really knowing what to expect, but had a ton of fun exploring the historical town! And I had a super delicious crab omelet for lunch. Yummy!

I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

xoxo,
Lauren


Happy Tails for JJ

Hey Everyone!

I hope you’re having a wonderful summer so far! It’s actually been on the warmer side of things here in SoCal, and I’ve been soaking it up as much as possible!

I wanted to let you know about an awesome fundraiser that Angela of Powell Woulfe Photography is organizing for a military family.

JJ Proffitt is an adorable three-year-old who was diagnosed with autism just under a year ago. In addition to showing communication symptoms, JJ exhibits concerning behaviors such as throwing himself off furniture and escaping from the family’s home. JJ’s mother, Kristin, discovered Autism Service Dogs of America (ASDA) earlier this year and immediately applied for a service dog for JJ. The Proffitt family has been approved for a service dog, and is now in the process of raising the $13,500 it will take to raise and train the dog to suit JJ’s needs. Kristin believes that the service dog may provide JJ a sense of security and a measure of safety. You can read testimonials from families who were recipients of ASDA dogs here.

Joshua, JJ’s father, is serving as an active-duty Sergeant in the United States Army. With a year-long deployment in the near future, the Proffitt family is hoping to obtain the service dog prior to Joshua’s departure. There’s no question that deployments cause an immeasurable about of stress on family members left behind, and I’m certain that having a service dog will help JJ thrive during his daddy’s next tour.

This is where Angela’s fundraiser comes to play. :)

On Sunday, July 24, Angela is gathering a group of photographers (including myself) to donate their time and take affordable, professional portraits of families at the Orange County Photography Center in Brea, CA. Clients will recieve a mini-session (15 minutes in length) for up to 4 people, with a suggested donation of $25. After the event, the photographers will choose 5 photographs of each family to upload to an online viewing gallery, with the option of purchasing affordably-priced prints and downloads. We’ll be shooting from 10am until 5pm, and you can reserve a spot by calling Angela at 760-317-9752.

What: Happy Tails for JJ – A Portrait Benefit Event
When: 10am – 5pm on Sunday, July 24
Where: The Orange County Photography Center, 590 W. Central Avenue, Suite A, Brea, CA 92821
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Want more info?
Click here to download the event flyer.
You can read more about JJ’s story here and the Proffitt family here.
And feel free to check out this article!

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I hope to see you there!

xoxo,
Lauren


Meagan – Downtown Norfolk, VA

Wow, what a month it’s been since my last post! I spent my last few weeks in Norfolk taking in as much heat, humidity, and history that I could before heading back to SoCal for a fabulous wedding I photographed at the end of June (more to come about that later!). We’re now about a week into July and I can’t believe how fast this year has flown by!

Before I left Norfolk, I met up with Meagan to capture some portraits downtown. She and I decided to start at the gorgeous Epworth United Methodist Church and then ventured westward towards the setting sun. She is a recent graduate of Old Dominion University and was a blast to hang out with! Below are some of my favorites from our evening together.

Apparently, you have to have gorgeous eyes to be a Norfolk girl. I had no idea. ;)

Thanks, Meagan, for the fun photo session!

Now that I’m back home, I’m getting into the swing of things around here, so stay tuned for more updates! I hope y’all had a fantastic Independence Day weekend!

xoxo,

Lauren

p.s. I’ve added yet another social media outlet to my arsenal. If you’re on Pinterest, feel free to follow me here. And, of course, you can always find me on Facebook and Twitter! <3