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: Molly & John at Overbrook House, Bourne, Cape Cod

Molly and John put on an absolutely magical day at the Overbrook House in Bourne. So much thought and love went into this event, I felt truly lucky to be a part of it! Both bride and groom are chefs, so needless to say, all the edibles were delicious. Add that to a setting that exudes nothing but whimsy and romance and you have a wedding to remember! But first, Molly’s lovely details, including a bouquet with a feather from her favorite rooster who used to live on her friend’s farm; the rooster is also a symbol of John’s Portuguese heritage, so it is extra-meaningful to them!

And because it takes the ladies a bit longer to prepare than the gents, the boys got to play some croquet on the lawn while they waited!

The ceremony took place beneath a large oak tree on the property, and pumpkins and sunflowers abounded! The symbol of the acorn was incorporated into many aspects of the day; Molly’s mother had recently found two acorns fused together, and just by chance, the acorn was already the theme of their invitations! Molly also wrote a poem about acorns which a friend read during the ceremony, and the mothers participated in a planting of that special double-acorn for the couple. It was all so lovely and personal and fit well into the farm atmosphere of Overbrook.

(Was that not the cutest I’m-so-excited-I just-got-married hop you’ve ever seen?)

The Overbrook House grounds are full of romantic, beautiful spots for portraits, and we took full advantage of all of them! Molly and John are so in love, it was easy to capture it photographically. They are also a hilarious, spunky duo, so we got some quirky shots in, too, including a fake “interrupted by the paparazzi” sequence, balancing on a diving board, and a guest’s idea, “floating away with balloons” – both the serious lovey-dovey shots and the absurd ones were so much fun! I could have spent all day wandering the property with these two …

Molly and John had a full day of fun planned for their guests. First up, a delectable lunch. Then, a trek through the trees to a reception in the barn. Everything was beyond beautiful!

Molly and John, you could not be a sweeter couple and it could not have been a better day. Thank you for having me be a part of your day. It was gorgeous in every way!

Venue: Overbrook House, Bourne, MA

Florist: Bourne Florists

Catering: Soulfire BBQ

Cake and Desserts: Cakes by Nickia, Babycakes and Confections

Music: The Goodtime String Band

Hair: Kaitlyn McAllister of Salon Cu

Featured: Crystal Blue Wedding Studio Blog

Julie Sterling Photography has been featured on the Crystal Blue Wedding Studio Blog! This blog is the go-to resource for everything wedding in the Cayman Islands and is indispensable for brides planning their destination weddings in this tropical paradise. Danielle of Crystal Blue is such a delight and so knowledgeable; her website is truly amazing.

Laura and Sacha‘s gorgeous island event was just published on the blog and looks lovely!

Take a peek: http://www.crystalblueweddings.com/cayman-islands-wedding-at-the-caribbean-club-and-luca/

The following is taken from Crystal Blue Weddings, all copyright to Danielle and Crystal Blue. Thanks for showcasing our work!

 

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I’m so excited to share this wedding with you today, you have no idea!  Why, you ask?  Well, Laura (the bride) is an avid Crystal Blue Weddings reader and she and I corresponded throughout her planning process.  The wedding planner in me just loves the whole process and seeing it all come together (beautifully) in the end.  Plus, after it all, I feel like we’re friends and I just love when my friends get married!!

Let’s start at the beginning…

When the guests arrived to Grand Cayman, they were greeted with a welcome bag full of goodies!

Good start, right??  The couple and their guests enjoyed a welcome dinner at Hemingways just a few steps down the beach from Caribbean Club and of course a few days of lounging on the stunning Seven Mile Beach!

Moving on to the wedding day, Laura and Sacha exchanged vows on the pristine beach of the Caribbean Club followed by dinner and dancing at LUCA.

The clean white color palatte with pops of teal and green really made a beautiful combination for this day!

Gorgeous letterpress menus…dying.  You guys know how I feel about stationery and that color–we are destined for each other!

Congratulations Laura and Sacha!  Thank you SO much for allowing us to share your day and we wish nothing but the best for you!

Providers who made this day happen ::

Accommodation and ceremony venue ::  Caribbean Club

Coordination, floral and event rentals ::  Celebrations

Photography ::  Julie Sterling Photography

Reception venue ::  LUCA

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

Wedding: Laura & Sacha in the Cayman Islands

I had the absolute pleasure of photographing a destination wedding in the Cayman Islands earlier this month. My good friend Catherine Conkle, an amazing Los Angeles-based wedding and events planner, introduced me to Laura and Sacha and together, we executed a wonderful wedding, if I do say so myself! This was our setting at the Caribbean Club on Seven Mile Beach:

With a backdrop like this one, how could a wedding not be amazing? And so it was. Laura and Sacha planned every detail of this event, with Catherine’s help, and it was just beautiful in every way!

Laura and Sacha were gracious hosts to their twenty-six guests (twenty-eight if you include me and Catherine) and had little gift bags (side note: rum cake is delish!) and lovely Jordan almonds as presents of thanks for the attendees:

For a destination wedding, I think it really helps to have a wedding coordinator; Catherine and I were able to help with many aspects of the day, including making the bridesmaids’ bouquets and the groomsmen’s boutonnieres! We had a lot of fun arranging flowers for the cocktail tables, as well, and putting together the darling message-in-a-bottle guestbook Laura dreamed up:

This gorgeous couple got ready for their sunset ceremony on floors two and three of an oceanfront villa (floor one was the party site later in the night):

We planned to do our individual bride and groom portraits, and family portraits, before the ceremony, since the sun would be going down fast post-wedding. It worked out great!

The sunset ceremony was beyond gorgeous. How romantic can you get? Water, sand, sky, and your nearest and dearest in rows of white chairs before a canopy facing the sea. Perfection. Laura and Sacha surprised their guests by placing seven blessings taped to the underside of chairs and asking people to check beneath their seats mid-service. Those with the blessings got to stand up and read them out loud – so touching!

As the sun dipped below the horizon, we got a few quick group portraits and enjoyed creating some lovely beach-side portraits of the newlyweds. Cavorting barefoot in the sand is the BEST!

Then, it was time for a delicious dinner at the Caribbean Club’s excellent restaurant, Luca. There were heartwarming toasts and belly warming food, a perfect combination:

After dinner, the party resumed at the Villa for dancing and dessert:

It was a magical day and night. Congratulations, Laura and Sacha!

To see more of this fab destination wedding, see the slideshow here: http://www.juliesterlingphoto.com/LauraSachaWeddingSlideshow/index.html

Andrew at 8 Months Old

On a recent sunny Sunday, I spent the afternoon with Andrew and his parents at their apartment and in a nearby park, and it was fabulous! Andrew is an alert, impossibly blue-eyed eight-month-old and had a ton of energy and patience with my photographic shenanigans.

Truly, when’s the last time you saw eyes like that? They are incredible! After our tummy time on that gorgeous rug with various toys and games, we said goodbye to a very fun chair shaped liked a bear …

… and went to a nearby park to smell the roses, get tossed in the air, play on the swing sets, roll around in the grass, and have a generally lovely afternoon.

It’s always fun to hang out with little ones and their families, but Andrew’s parents are especially sweet. We got a few family shots, as well, of course!

Since Andrew and his family is kind of almost sort of related to me in a way, I know I’ll be seeing a lot more of him as he grows, and I can’t wait!