A Dinosaur Third Birthday Party

Last weekend, August turned three! As requested, we threw him a dinosaur birthday party. Grammy and Grandpop and Aunt Rachael all flew in for the occasion and we decked the house out in dino-craft ideas Pinterest so nicely provided for me (I can execute a dinosaur balloon, but I cannot dream that up on my own …). You can see my Pinterest inspiration page here; judge for yourself how we did copying it all! Thank you to all the wonderful content creators out there. August loved his party.

At three, Augie is kind, curious, smart. The questions he asks us keep us on our toes!

Here’s the three-year-old and his party:

 

Seattle Babies: PEPS Group Baby Birthday Party

Everyone who has a baby in Seattle knows about the PEPS program – an acronym for “Program for Early Parenthood Support,” PEPS is a great way to meet other parents with babies the same age as yours and start to build a supportive community in your new wild world of parenting. Since I moved to Seattle last year with an almost four-month-old and didn’t know a soul with kids, PEPS was my savior. I actually did two programs, back to back!

I was thrilled when a friend of mine asked me to come and help celebrate a group birthday party for her son’s PEPS group. Seven babies, all turning one together! All the kids rumbled around happily and got to sample delicious rainbow cupcakes from Cupcake Royale (the adults took part, as well, because who can turn down cupcakes? Not this girl!) Take a look at the adorableness that is a one-year-old communal birthday party!

 

Wedding: Jennifer and Richard at The Victorian in Santa Monica, CA

Jennifer and Richard had a fairy tale day at the gorgeous Victorian in Santa Monica, my hometown! It was wonderful to capture all the elegance for them at this amazing venue. They both had many lovely details that made this day extra special. It was a fun day and night! Thanks, you two, for having me be a part of it! Without further ado, take a look at all the amazingness:

Venue: The Victorian

Catering: Duck Duck Mousse

Florist: Accent on Design

Wedding Coordinator: Catherine Conkle

Cake Artist: Pasadena Baking Company

Celebrant: Julie Laudicina

Hair and Makeup: Trim Salon

Wedding: James & Kim at the Bedford Village Inn, NH

Earlier this fall I had a wonderful time with James and Kim at their Bedford Village Inn wedding up in New Hampshire. What a beautiful place! Everything happened at the charming yellow inn and was just gorgeous, from the lush garden ceremony to the fairy light-studded reception. Take a look at all the fun!

See their engagement session!

Wedding Venue: Bedford Village Inn

Florist: Apotheca

Cake: Jacques Pastries

Musicians: Chris Fitz Band

Makeup: Kim Bowen

Hair: Liz Kidder

Wedding: Nicole & Erik at Clark’s Cove Farm in Walpole, Maine

It was an absolutely perfect summer day for Erik and Nicole’s nuptials at Clark’s Cove Farm in Walpole, Maine. When I spoke to them about their wedding, Nicole and Erik told me they wanted a simple, playful, vintage feel to their day, and they more than achieved this. With beautiful wildflowers, tea lights and luminaries, embroidery hoops hanging from the barn ceiling amidst white lanterns, lawn games, and delicious food (the best I’ve had at a wedding all season!), everything was relaxed and enjoyable, a pure delight.  Take a peek, starting with stunning flowers, shoes, dress, and jewelry:

The ladies got ready in a carriage house on the property, while the gents prepared in a suite connected to the barn. Everyone was in good spirits!

Nicole and Erik chose to do a “first look,” which I love, so we placed Erik in the garden and led Nicole to him … so sweet!

From there, we roamed the expansive property and took many portraits of Nicole and Erik before their guests started to arrive. It is so nice to have time to do formal groups and photos of the couple in this leisurely manner! And what a place to take photos, too … gorgeous!

And here’s my favorite little guest … what a sweetie!

Congratulations, Erik and Nicole! You put on a lovely day and a fun party and I was so happy to be there for it all.

Venue: Clark’s Cove Farm

Wedding Coordination: Emily Elizabeth Events

Food and Cake: Trillium Caterers

Officiant: Maria Northcott of A Sweet Start

Wedding Dress: Melissa Sweet

Andrea’s Bridal Shower at Upstairs on the Square, Cambridge

I had the wonderful experience of photographing Andrea’s bridal shower at Upstairs on the Square in Cambridge – the best little restaurant with the most personality. We had the Zebra Room all to ourselves and oh, what a decorating scheme! White and black and pink pink pink! Add in a springy green brought in by Andrea’s shower hosts and it was just beautiful. A tea party is a classic and fun shower theme and I never, ever turn down a scone. Or a candy bar!

Andrea’s friends and family were so sweet – there were heartfelt toasts and much spirited conversation. The groom even stopped in as a surprise with flowers for his bride!

Thanks for having me, Andrea! Best of luck with your wedding!

Wedding: Jenny and Brian at Minerals Resort in New Jersey

A few weeks ago I drove down to New Jersey to photograph Jenny and Brian’s wedding, and what a weekend it was! Jenny is one of my friend’s former roommates, so I’d met her a number of times before and I already knew what a complete and total sweetheart she is. Needless to say, this knowledge made me super-excited to be a part of her wedding.

Jenny was a happy, relaxed, laughing, beautiful bride. Brian has an equally wonderful temperament and was also a joy to work with. AND, because he’s Scottish, their wedding had tons of Scottish details from his clan, including kilts and a little dagger slid into one sock. Awesomeness.

 

Jenny and Brian chose to see each other before their ceremony, and we had a great time getting some photos of them and hanging out with their families before the big event.

The Minerals Resort and Spa was a gorgeous setting for a wedding, and for wedding portraits. We traipsed around the grounds finding tons of great spots for photos. Aren’t they the cutest?

Before we knew it, it was time to go. The garden ceremony was perfect and so touching.

The bagpiper was incredible!

After a few group and family shots …

… it was reception time!

What a fun group! The party went on into the night and everything was absolutely fabulous.

Jenny and Brian, you and your families were an absolute pleasure to work with – thank you so much! I wish you all the best and hope you enjoyed your honeymoon! Now that you’re moving back up to Boston, I hope to see you again sometime soon …

Wedding: Isa and Nathan in Miami, Florida

Nate and Isa’s wedding in a word? GORGEOUS. Take a look at this duo and it’s the first word that comes to mind:

But before I get into too many portraits, let’s go in order here. First, the details and the preparations for this lovely beachside ceremony at the Newport Beachside Hotel and Resort in Sunny Isles Beach, right north of Miami, in Florida.

Isa put so much thought into all the details – not just her beautiful personal effects, but throughout the whole day. I loved all her accessories and the decor!

Nate and Isa decided to do a first look and many formal photographs before the ceremony, which I love! The setting could not have been prettier for couple and group portraits.

Before we knew it, it was ceremony time!

Isn’t it all too lovely? We took a few more photographs on the beach as the sun went down. Being from the West Coast, I’m used to very bright sunsets over the ocean, but I loved the painterly quality of light we saw on the Atlantic with the sun setting behind us and the hotel.

From the beach we moved into the hotel for a cocktail reception in the spa, and then a reception in the ballroom.

The dancing was incredible!

At some point in the evening, we decided to sneak outside and try a few photos with sparklers. It was crazy out there in the pitch dark on the beach, but we didn’t do too badly, huh? And Isa’s ring is just out of this world.

It was an incredible day and I feel so lucky to be friends with such a wonderful couple. Thanks for having me there, Nate and Isa!

See their lovely slideshow here: http://www.juliesterlingphoto.com/data/web/Isa_NathanWeddingSlideshow/index.html

Chloe’s First Birthday Party

Birthday parties are the best! I had the honor of attending and photographing my friends’ child’s birthday party a few weeks ago, and it was a blast. Chloe has been featured here on the blog before, way back when she was baptized. She’s gotten even cuter (if that’s possible) since then! See for yourself:

I arrived early on the birthday party day to see the beautiful set up Chloe’s parents had put together. Chloe was roaming the scene, obviously excited but not fully understanding what was going on. All she really wanted to do was play with that box of crackers. I love that kids do that, play with the least toy-like thing in the room while ignoring all the actual toys. Cardboard boxes and cracker boxes = fun!

The spread was impressive: delicious tea sandwiches (some cut into hearts!), lovely little pastries, an assortment of veggies and drinks. The snacks were undeniably awesome. The room was cheerfully decorated with balloons and party favor bags, too. Everything looked great!

However amazing the space was, Chloe was obviously the main event. I followed her around and enjoyed her escapades as she visited her family members, cried over an iPhone, unwrapped some of her presents, and tried her first bite of cake. Turning one is a major event!

Happy birthday, my little friend! Thanks for having me at your party!

See Chloe’s birthday slideshow here: http://www.juliesterlingphoto.com/Chloe_sFirstBirthdaySlideshow/index.html

Eli’s Bar Mitzvah Weekend in L.A.

My step-brother and I are almost exactly fourteen years apart, both born on special days in March (he on Pi Day, the infamous 3.14, I on St. Patty’s), and last weekend we both had birthday celebrations! His was a bit more spectacular than mine, however, as it was his Bar Mitzvah!

I flew into L.A. for the occasion, of course, and was so happy to be the “official” photographer for the Friday night service and dinner party before the big shebang on Saturday. And what a shebang it was! Eli absolutely rocked the service, which was followed by an amazing lunch at Upstairs 2, which was followed by some napping time back at the house (at least for me, Tyler, and my sisters), which was followed by an awesome party at 8443 Warner (including an airbrush tattoo artist — what’s up skull and crossbones on my arm! — the In-n-Out truck, and lots of dancing). What fun! Nothing beats a Bar Mitzvah dance party. NOTHING.

But first, there was Friday night, starring the man of the weekend, my brother, Eli:Us sisters were so proud he chose to wear the kippah we brought him from our Israel trip last summer. He loves Sprite, as you can see:

Eli is such a cool customer and wasn’t nervous at all. Or was he? The only sign was a bit of tension in his hands, but other than that, you couldn’t tell at all!

I really enjoyed being home in L.A. to share this special occasion with my bro. It was so great to see the whole family, too! Here’s a shot, courtesy of my husband, of part of my family in our Friday night best (sisters, bro, step-mom, dad, and me!):

After the Friday night service, we went for a celebratory dinner party at the Brentwood Country Club. Yummers! I got to practice my event photography skills there. It was a night of toasts and tearful speeches, and I loved it all!

Congrats, Eli, and mazel tov! You are amazing and I love you.

I’m now catching up on sleep after my red-eye back east, from which I went straight to school on Monday morning, but it was absolutely worth it and I wouldn’t have had it any other way!