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Tiffany and Mark : Engagement
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F rom a distance, the scene looked the same. The light pink walls of the Lido Theater in Newport Beach hadn’t changed and the ticket booth was illuminated the same it was when Mark proposed to Tiffany ten months ago. Last July, Tiffany walked into the theater with her boyfriend Mark to watch what she thought was a movie. As the lights dimmed and the credits began to roll, Tiffany knew it was a different kind of production. Mark put together a movie proposal that left everyone in the theater teary-eyed and the best part was Tiffany’s acceptance of his hand in marriage.
Mark and Tiffany decided to begin their engagement session at Lido Theater, and as they walked inside the brightly colored foyer, they looked very much the same and very much different from the two people who dedicated their lives to each other. They appeared more confident, more svelte, and more in love.
Documenting their lives and intersections of love means more to me because this is the first time I’ll be able to take part in every part of their declaration of dependence (the proposal, the engagement, and the wedding day). They have an amazing wedding planned this July at the beautiful Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach...I can't wait to hang out with them again and have some fun! :)
Here are a few of my favorites…
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| After shooting at the theater, we headed to Newport Beach to complete their engagement session... |
| If you'd like to see more of their engagement session, CLICK HERE for a slideshow! |
    
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Erika and Ray : Engagement
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S he extended her left index finger and pointed at a vacant group of red tables. That’s where I was sitting when I saw him first. As Erika walked through her high school campus, she recounted the instances she saw Ray from a distance. As a bold freshman, she approached one of Ray’s friends and asked him to give Ray her phone number. Ray was a senior and stud soccer player, so when Erika pursued him, she made her intentions known. A few months later, they walked through their high school as boyfriend and girlfriend.
It seems so weird walking through the quad, Erika said under her breath, The last time I was here my mother was un-enrolling me from school…pregnant girls weren’t allowed on campus. She blinked back tears. Tears of nostalgia, joy, hope. Erika and Ray’s lives have come full circle. After years of dating each other—and pushing through the good and bad times together—they’ll be committing their lives to each other this August.
It was a beautiful thing to witness Erika’s life come full circle. The last time she walked through her high school campus, she was on her way out…with a baby in her belly. Last Saturday, Erika and Ray walked in together…with two sons as their shadows. They decided to have their engagement session at the first place they met, along the hallways and corridors where they fell in love.
I’m honored to be a part of their day and I’m excited to photograph their wedding at Coto De Caza and work along side Courtney Toney and Joyful Weddings and Events for Erika and Ray’s special day.
Here are a few of my favorites…
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| Erika and Ray's kids were SO well behaved I decided to spend the last few minutes of our engagement session with the family |
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Happy Mother's Day, Mama!
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W e sat next to each other in church this morning. She proudly sang with her eyes closed, basking in the adoration of her children. I held her right hand tightly and sang in hushed tones. I, apparently, did not inherent her vocal ability…I sing slightly better than my father, who’s sounds like Frosted Flakes’ Tony the Tiger when he sings.
Four years ago to the date, I sat in my car with JD and cried tears of desperation. Long sorrowful wails of one who is losing someone dear. We were buying last minute Mother’s Day gifts—decorative hats and beanies to cover my mother’s chemotherapy balding—but I truly believed it was our last holiday with her. I feared being alone on days like today. Days when children reflect and articulate how thankful they are to the woman who scraped the burned edges of morning toast, kissed band-aid covered fingers, and hid gas money in their wallet when she thought they weren’t looking. I feared never being able to truly show my mother how much I needed her. So I cried long sorrowful wails of one who is losing someone dear.
Today we sat next to each other in church and sang together. I held her tightly and prayed she knew how much I needed—no, how much I need--her. Later, we spent a lazy afternoon with the family enjoying lunch on an outside patio. Every year we make it a point to go around the table and say what we appreciate most about our mother. I try to put to my emotions into words, but I fear I do a lousy job. For everything she’s done for me, I’m thankful. For the woman I am, I’m indebted. For the wife I’ve become, I’m appreciative. And for the child I always desire to be…well, I’m working on that one ;)
Happy Mother’s Day, Mom!
I love you to the moon and back. |
I 'm Jasmine Star and I'm an international wedding photographer based in Orange County, California. Though I've garnered awards for my work and was voted Top 10 Wedding Photographer by American Photo Magazine, my crowning accomplishment was making meatloaf for the first time last year. I, however, still need to work on making the meatloaf edible.
Beginning just four years ago, I developed a voice and online brand by leveraging social media and developing techniques to empower clients to become the voice of my brand. I live with my husband and fabulous dog, and at times struggle to determine who is my favorite. I love to eat chocolate, run on the beach, and spend too much time writing on this blog. I hope to take the wedding industry by storm. Or learn how to make meatloaf. Whichever comes first.
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| For more information regarding photography services, please contact me through my website or email me directly: jasmine@jasmine-star.com |
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Melissa and Jackson : Engagement
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T hey were friends in college, sharing acquaintances, classes, and school leadership responsibilities. Melissa and Jackson, however, never shared a piece of their hearts with each other. Relationships with others overlapped and intersected, never leaving them both single at a pin-point in time. Then summer arrived.
One bright afternoon, while Jackson was escorting new students through their college campus, Melissa happened to cross his path. And as if a lampshade had been removed in a dark room, Jackson saw her in a new light. The way she smiled—turning her head slightly to the right and raising the corresponding shoulder—and the way she laughed. Her blue eyes pierced his heart, and he was smitten.
Shortly thereafter, the pair sat on Melissa’s couch while the television hummed softly in the background. Out of nowhere, she turned to Jackson and asked why they had never dated. Dumbfounded, Jackson replied she had always been in an outside relationship. Well, Melissa boldly asked, if I wasn’t in a relationship would that change things? Her blue eyes cornered him once again and pierced his heart.
A few years later, Jackson and Melissa strolled the streets of Pasadena and recounted their story. They laughed and squabbled over the details, but one thing remained for certain: They’re meant to be together. They began their relationship as friends and it budded into a lifelong commitment to each other.
Melissa and Jackson are best friends…best friends who happen to be in love with each other.
Here are a few of my favorites… |
| To see more of their engagement session, CLICK HERE for a slideshow! |
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