Katie Neal Photo Blog

Then Comes Marriage : Douan & Paul Part 2 | The Reception

Katie — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 09:15:17 +0000

Be prepared, there are going to be A LOT of photos! This Reception was INCREDIBLE. Not only is the couple stunning, but there was tons of fun dancing, beautiful details, and colorful outfits. I really enjoyed capturing the ceremony one day, and the more playful and relaxed reception the next day. I hope you enjoy the story, theirs is a beautiful one!

Venue: Sheraton Carlsbad Resort & Spa

Wedding Dress: Jim Hjelm

Bridesmaid Dresses: Various Designers

Shoes: Badgley Mischka

Second Shooters: Ryan (my hubby) and Ashley Perez

Her traditional outfit which she wore a bit later in the day…

My sweet second shooter got stuck in traffic thus Ryan was sent to get the photos of the guys getting ready. I’m so proud of him, he got some GREAT shots!!

Such a fun group of guys! The studs relaxing by the pool…

The cute couple…

LOVE this!

Love the sweet interaction in their hands.

Two perspectives!

Yep, Ryan grabbed this one below…it’s one of my absolute faves. You go babe!

While I grabbed a shot of Douan, Ry grabbed one of Paul. Such a cute pair!

I put these two together because I loved them both, and wanted to show both outfits together! So fun!

Grabbed a last shot before she changed into her traditional outfit…

Douan had a gorgeous group of girls in her bridal party…

Love this shot Ryan grabbed below:

And this one from Ashley…

This is Douan’s grandmother, I was slightly obsessed with her. I took lots of photos of her. She’s just so cute. This is her looking at Douan and Paul.

Everyone just loved watching Douan and Paul, it was so sweet.

Love this, Douan’s grandma on the left, and her mom on the right.

Ryan not only captured this photo, he got her to smile. I love her sweet smirk! Or maybe she’s thinking “what are you doing? get out of my face!” Either way, I like it!

While I was with Douan, Ry grabbed this great one of the bouquet!

I could’ve laid on the dance floor and photographed these lanterns all day…

THE cutest cake toppers I’ve ever seen!

Douan and Paul’s first traditional dance, love their all out laughter in this!

And then their contemporary first dance…(Paul looks like he’s totally ready to get his groove on!)

The photo on the right is from their first dance which I love because of the lighting, the mood and that it shows the amazing singer in the background. The one on the left is when they let loose and partied. I like the dychotomy.

I love this photo. The feel of it, how it shows a bit of their interaction…it just has a story to it!

My perspective of Paul and his mom, so sweet!

Love this one Ashley nabbed!

Douan and her brother…

The cake!

The bouquet toss (LOVE the lady in the background!)

And to end the post, one of my favorites from the evening. Paul wrapped Douan’s garter around a football an tossed it to the gentlemen. Not only is it a fun action shot, I love the spilling champagne and the videographer about to be taken out by the guys!

Whew! That’s it! Douan and Paul, you’re so rad. Again, so glad I was there to capture all of this amazingness!

Then Comes Marriage : Douan & Paul Part 1 | The Ceremony

Katie — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 15:40:38 +0000

Yep, you read the title right. I’m having to split my blog post up into two parts! I had the pleasure of capturing Douan and Paul’s Two Day Celebration. The traditional Laotian wedding ceremony was at a private estate on Friday, and then the 500 person reception was on Saturday. Yep, 500 people!! But for today, we’re focusing on the ceremony. It was SO special to be a part of their ceremony, which was full of tradition and sentiment, all originating in their ancestral ties to Laos. The ceremony was spoken in Laotian, thus I didn’t know what exactly was going on, or what each individual act meant, but I so enjoyed just taking it in, and experiencing a wedding ceremony that was so unique compared to the typical weddings I get to capture. I hope to capture many more Southeast Asian weddings. They sure know how to throw a party! Douan and Paul, you two are perfect for each other, thank you for inviting me to be a part of your story. Can’t wait to get together and do your Day After Sesh!

Thanks to my dear friend Harmony Ayala for assisting me for the ceremony!

Isn’t Douan STUNNING!?! I’m slightly jealous of her perfect skin.

That’s Douan’s mom on the right. One of the cutest moms ever. I love Douan in the left photo, she looks so serene!

Some of my faves from the day…

There’s something I just love about this next one…

I just think Paul looks at Douan so sweetly. You can tell they are so happy together!

Douan and Paul, again, THANK YOU for trusting me to capture your day. It was so special to be a part of it with you!

Then Comes Marriage : Maritha & Robbie

Katie — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 16:02:40 +0000

Maritha and Robbie are the epitome of awesome. Seriously, I don’t think I’ve EVER met a kinder, sweeter, more endearing couple. You may remember them from our sweet Solvang engagement back in June! Not only are they SUPER thoughtful, their families are incredible. They were always checking throughout the day to make sure we were okay, hydrated, that we had everything we needed, and that we ate when the bridal party ate (yep, they are just that cool). The wedding was so special to capture for so many reasons, some of those being 1) They had never kissed before 2) They are super in love 3) Joy just flows from them. Maritha and Robbie, I love you and feel so blessed that I got to capture your beautiful day. Thanks for inviting me into your story.

The girls got ready at The Dry Bar which is SUPER rad.

Writing a sweet note to Robbie…

The sweetest bridesmaids ever…

All handmade…so incredible.

Love this!

Their first kiss ever. How cool is that?!

Words cannot express how much I love these next few images…

Love that they ended the night with a traditional tea ceremony!

AGAIN, THANK YOU MARITHA AND ROBBIE! I’m so lucky to call you FRIENDS!

Vendors:

Venue: The Salt Air Club, Santa Monica

Florals: Mae Chan Floral Design

Wedding Dress: JCrew

2nd shooter: Harmony Ayala

Then Comes Marriage : Nicole & Dan

Katie — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 04:37:28 +0000

Put on your seatbelts folks! This is going to be one hum-dinger of a post. Once you see the photos, I think you’ll agree, that the gorgeous wedding deserves a lengthy storyline! Nicole and Dan are some of my favorite clients ever. When we originally met up to do their engagement session (see HERE), she wanted to make sure they grabbed a few drinks with me beforehand, so they were a bit “loosened up” for the shoot. She then went on to tell me that they are totally non-photogenic. Um, really? Because I BEG TO DIFFER. Not only are Nicole and Dan super cute, they brought on a dream team of vendors for their big day, and I cannot say I’ve ever seen a more beautiful wedding. We’re hoping to see this wedding grace the pages of a bridal magazine next year (cross your fingers for us!). Nicole and Dan, I love you and thank you for letting me be a part of your amazing day! Vendor details:

Venue: The Condor’s Nest Ranch

Event Design/Styling: Carter and Cook

Flowers: Lynne Lucente (watch out, they are INCREDIBLE)

Paper Design: Posh Paperie

Hair/Makeup: Beauty-to-Be

Cake: It’s All About the Cake

Calligraphy: Dear Darling

Lights and Linens: Allie’s Party Rentals

Shoes: Michael Kors

Wedding Dress: David’s Bridal

Tuxes: Friar Tux

Bridesmaid Dresses: Vera Wang

Super Fab Second Shooters: My hubby, and my sweet friend Harmony Loves who rocked it out!!

Nicole you are so beautiful!

I owe my hubs BIG time for the next two shots. Harmony captured photographic proof, but I won’t be releasing it to the public. But, I had to get up on his shoulders to capture what I was envisioning. So glad I did.

I wanted to steal all the flowers and place them everywhere in my house. They were some of the prettiest I’ve ever seen.

Um, hire Carter and Cook. You will NOT be disappointed. They are So creative!

One of my fave cake shots!

Sweetest first look ever!

Coolest setting ever!

Yep, a hay bail lounge area. Yep, the geniuses Ashlyn and Heather of Carter and Cook once again!

One of my faves!

The craziest group of groomsmen I’ve ever taken photos of! hehe!

The details! To die for!! Major thanks to my friend Harmony for helping me grab the oodles of details at this wedding (and for helping me second the whole day!)

Posh Paperie…they are some amazing women!

Never have seen a better Escort Card display!

My super hot husband grabbed these two. I mean really? He thought he messed up these shots. I LOVE THEM!

I love this! Dan is so hilarious.

Married!

Love this! And I love that they gave me ample time to take photos of them together!

Nicole’s dad SANG to her for his toast. It was so sweet!

The shot on the left makes me swoon. The shot on the right makes me happy!

LOVE YOU BOTH!

Then Comes Marriage : Paige & Ben

Katie — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 20:18:38 +0000

Paige and Ben are super rad. They are totally in love and have some of the best chemistry I’ve ever seen! I think the photos show just how in love they are!

Love these!!

A good lookin’ wedding party to boot!

The wedding coordinator said the church’s rules were that we couldn’t go past the balcony. Even with a telephoto lens, I couldn’t get as close as I wanted! I tried sneaking closer to Paige and Ben, but every time she seemed to be watching me. hehe!

It’s rough to pay attention when you’re a kid on stage…

I heart them…

What do you get when you leave this out???

This!!! The cutest grandparents I’ve ever seen! I hope Ry and I are that cute someday!

Such a beautiful Father/Daughter dance…

Super emotional Mother/Son dance! I cried like a baby.

Super emotional toast from Paige’s brother who’s fighting in the war overseas

A crazy bouquet toss (where did this kid come from??)

And who can forget a spicy garter toss?

One of my fave ring shots ever…

Paige and Ben, thank you for inviting me to share in your day. I had a blast!

Then Comes Marriage : Brittany & Taylor

Katie — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 04:38:12 +0000

I’m back from blogging purgatory! Its been a crazy summer, and with getting lasik surgery, I couldn’t be in front of my computer for a whole week! Brittany contacted me asking if I’d take “day after” photos of she and her man Taylor, as they just didn’t get very many photos on their wedding day due to not enough time with their photographer! Note to brides: Plan for at least 40 minutes for portraits for you and your man. You will NOT regret it, as those are the photos you will really care about after the big day! I had to wait to post this, as it’s going up on Southern Weddings and didn’t want to post it before they did!!

Some seriously amazing talent came together for this day after session! Lindye with Lindye Galloway Events helped “re-create” Brittany’s day, by taking into consideration her colors and theme, and I have to say, not only did she do a GREAT job, but she also is SO creative. The amazing Found Rentals provided all the amazing furniture, and the ladies over at We Like Flowers brought their creative genius together for B&T too! Taylor’s suit is from Howe, Brittany’s dress is from David’s Bridal, and vintage cowboy boots. I had a blast with you all, and I’m in LOVE with the photos Ry and I captured of them!

Then Comes Marriage : Rayni & Joel

Katie — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 21:39:44 +0000

A few faves from their intimate ceremony at Bernardo Winery!

Favorite Ring shot…ever.

First Comes Love | Kathrina & Carlos

Katie — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 00:39:23 +0000

Kathrina and Carlos are two of the raddest people on the planet. Kathrina uses words like bombdiggity and Carlos has mad skillz when it comes to hula hooping! They are high school sweethearts, thus Kathrina wanted to play up the school theme and she came armed with loads of fun props! She even made a fun bunting that said “HS Sweet <3’s!” I am so excited with how their photos turned out. They even took me out to dinner afterwards at Wine Steals…holy moly I’m craving the pizza and wine they ordered for us. It was soooo good! You two are rad, can’t wait to capture your big day in December!!!!

Carlos looks like a hula hoop rockstar here!

See? Mad skillz!

LOVE THIS!

Um, how rad are these two? TOTALLY RAD!

We forgot to have her change outfits earlier…I love the dresses she wore for our shoot!

First Comes Love | Paige & Ben

Katie — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 22:21:54 +0000

Paige and Ben are rad, not only because they are totally in love, but because they are willing to do crazy things for me, like lay in sand and get all dirty. I can’t wait to photograph their wedding in a few short weeks (on my birthday)! It’s going to be an awesome day!!!

She has such a contagious laugh!

Loved this sweet little moment!

One of my faves!

Another fave!

Anytime | Shanda & Nathan

Katie — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 17:00:21 +0000

Wow, I’m just a lucky lady. Another sweet boy with amazing blue eyes has graced my camera! Shanda contacted me about wanting some updated photos of her and her son! She is so beautiful and sweet, and is a phenomenal mom. Nathan was a little firecracker, and totally had me wrapped around his little finger. So fun!!!