Downtown Los Angeles Engagement Session | Marina and Jervae

Marina and Jervae had so much fun in Downtown Los Angeles for their engagement session. They were so comfortable and relaxed in front of the camera they were up for a few things Gina and I suggested as we went about the day. 

We started off near MOCA in Los Angeles, had some fun near the water installations then made our way towards the historic Bradbury Building. Although we had limited availability to the building, Marina and Jervae really worked their modeling skills!

Jervae wanted to work in his speedbike into the session and we couldn't be happier to make sure it happened. Marina hopped on the back and the chemistry between them definitely shined through. 

We had a very unique spot in Los Angeles to view the Downtown Skyline from afar and because we love the big city, we had to make sure we included them against it. 

If their engagement session is a precursor to their wedding, we know it's going to be a beautiful day to look forward to. 

We're so excited for them and we can't wait for their wedding at Malibu West Beach Club later this year. 

Make sure to leave them some love in the comments below, and if you know of anyone who is engaged, feel free to share our new phone app with them: Chris Holt Photography App

Always,

Pasadena City Hall Engagement Session | Michelle and Daniel

Pasadena City Hall lends itself to a beautiful backdrop for engagement sessions and Michelle and Daniel's relaxed session did not disappoint. We started on the second level of the building and moved towards the front as they got more and more comfortable in front of the camera. You can definitely feel the love between them and it certainly shows in their images. 

Although we can't share too many details of their wedding yet, we do know their wedding is going to be intimate and gorgeous, just like them. We're so grateful to be able to be at the beginning of their lives. We are privileged, or should I say, honored to be able document their wedding later this year at Surf and Sand Resort in Laguna Beach. 

Enjoy these images, friends!

Three Tips for Planning Your Wedding

Planning a wedding can be exciting as all of your ideas begin to develop. You may soon realize that there is a lot of energy that goes into every facet of your day and can become overwhelming for some. Creating a planning schedule leading up to your wedding day can help relieve the stress that comes along with balancing your day-to-day "life" schedule and wedding planning.  

So we've included a few tips below to help you plan your wedding.

Meaningful Dates:

One of the most important dates in your life will be your wedding anniversary. You can use your first date anniversary or use the month you and your fiance made it "official". You may also want to make a note of important dates you would not want to be married as well. For example, other weddings that are already planned, graduations and parent's anniversaries. One key tip to be are of, flowers and food may be a significant part of your wedding also, so be sure they are in season for your preferred date.

Budget:

There are many variables to consider when creating your budget. California weddings typically take place during spring and summer with Saturdays as the most preferred day of the week. In regards to your budget, Friday and Sunday weddings may be easier to plan if Saturday's are already booked for your preferred wedding date. Keep in mind, some venues and wedding professionals may provide an "off-season" price for winter weddings.

If you don’t have one already, click here for a budget worksheet to help you stay on track: Wedding Budget Worksheet

Wedding Planners:

One of the most invaluable wedding professionals you can have before and during your wedding is a wedding planner. A wedding planner is someone who can assist you during your planning. This isn’t what you may think. The key word here is, assist. You will still be in charge of making the decisions, but a good planner will help you plan your wedding. In our experience, wedding planners and coordinators make sure the wedding day timeline is adhered to, the other wedding professionals are where they need to be and everything is in place throughout your wedding.

Here are a few benefits from the wedding planners we have the pleasure to know and work with:

Kristeen LaBrot Events | www.kristeenlabrotevents.com

Email: kristeen@kristeenlabrotevents.com

Kristeen, owner and principal contact and 2014 Winner of California Wedding Day's Best Wedding Planner in Los Angeles, shares her advice on wedding details below.

She specializes in providing graphic design for monograms, save the dates, invitations and wedding programs for her clients. She has your best interest at heart and will respect your budget by looking for the best deals available to you.

“Make sure you’re including a detail because it’s special, not because it’s the hot new thing on Pinterest”

— Kristeen LaBrot

Charis Events & Design | www.charisevents.com

Email: info@charisevents.com

Grace, owner and principal contact, has over 10 years experience planning bridal showers and weddings. She provides a distinctive design with the color palette and current trends inspired by her couple's story. She believes in quality over quantity and only takes on a select number of events to provide the utmost service to her couples.

Bonus Download!

We hope these tips help you plan the memorable wedding you want to have. Our bonus tip is to create a schedule to meet with the wedding professionals you want to ensure they are available on your wedding date and are in your budget. Fill out your info below to get a pocket planner to make sure you have everything covered!

Vertigo Event Venue: Event Planners Association | Holiday Party 2014

Event Planners Association - Southern California Chapter: 2014 Holiday Party at Vertigo Event Venue

A few weeks ago we had such an amazing time at the Event Planners Association Holiday Party held at the modern, elegant and sophisticated Vertigo Event Venue just outside of Los Angeles. Vertigo opened in early 2014, was featured on Grace Ormonde Wedding Style Magazine, and is slated to be the "go to" wedding venue for 2015. 

We were able to meet new people and reconnect with old friends. We feel wedding planners are key to your wedding day to make sure your day runs smooth and on time. A good planner will alleviate the stress of making sure everything happens as it was planned and enjoyable for you. This has been our experience and if you want to meet with one, we can definitely help you find a planner for you. 

As wedding planners work hard throughout the year they also deserve to have fun and party well, right? Here are a few images from the EPA Holiday Party. 

Apparently Christoph Brown, aka "The Amazing Etch Man", had Jack from Vox DJs surprised! Haha!

Benny Golbin also provided some sweet jazz to begin the festive night.

The Beverly Belles added a classy touch of holiday cheer with their swing and boogie-woogie style of Christmas Carols. They were definitely the hit of the night!

As I mentioned, Vertigo lends itself to a modern, classic and elegant space for weddings and receptions.

We are so grateful to have worked with Michael, Nonee, Katy, Jerry, Carissa and the rest of the staff and ownership group to feature their beautiful venue. They truly have a passion for providing your wedding one of the most remarkable venues you can find. 

Kim, Chief Marketing Officer of the EPA, gave a few words on the growth and talented work that the planners have put together over the past year and then it was time to party!

Cristina Barragan, President of Event Planners Association, received the Outstanding Leadership Award for her exceptional work over the past year. She is also the owner of Posh Peony | Floral and Event Design and her work is phenomenal. I listed her site above, but you can click on it here: Posh Peony | Floral and Event Design Many Congratulations Cristina!

Lastly, the vendors on display throughout the night definitely did not disappoint. Rose City Coffee was there showing off their lattes and explained their philanthropic work through coffee. Based out of Pasadena, they work with homeless and transitional youth to give them gainful employment and train them to become talented baristas in their communities.

Fantasy Frostings displayed their delectable desserts, SmorePlay showed off their custom smores and portable smore bar, iCups demonstrated their novelty cup and string gifts, and Phhhhoto showed us how to make a short video from a few photo booth pictures. Super. Duper. Cool.

Andy from Royal Films also filmed a short video of the whole event. Check out some of his fun work of the night!

We couldn't be more grateful to be a part of such a talented group of people and we look forward to working with more of you. Vertigo was the perfect place to entertain everyone and we can't wait to shoot more weddings here in the near future.

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Awesome Vendor List:

Venue: Vertigo Event Venue

Food/Catering: Vertigo Event Venue + Rose City Coffee

Florals: Lotus & Lily

Live Entertainment: The Beverly Belles + Benny Golbin

DJ: Vox DJs

Video: Royal Films

Cake/Dessert: Fantasy Frostings + SmorePlay

Photobooth: Phhhoto

Photography: Chris Holt Photography

Wedding Albums are Modern Treasures

Wedding albums are the way I was able to see my grandmother and mother's wedding day. It was a way for me to see my aunts, uncles and cousins when they were "cool" and stylish. I remember laughing at my grandmother's style with her cat eye glasses, having a ball with my aunts and uncles. She was having the time of her life and so was everyone else! It made me wish I was there. And in a way I was, because this was my family. These were the people in my life celebrating a moment and although I couldn't hear the music or laugh with their jokes, I was able to relive those moments through their wedding album.

This is the reason why we photograph weddings the way we do. We capture your images to tell your wedding story in a way that will be put into a hand-crafted, leather bound book. We don't use cheap album companies where your album will fall apart in a few years. The albums we provide will last for generations to come.

The digital images are awesome to share with friends and family on facebook and social media. They allow you to relive your wedding soon after it happened. But they may not last forever. You may forget which computer you saved them to or where the link is to access your gallery. And this is why we believe albums are important. 

The album is definitely an investment. It's an investment that will realize it's value when your children see you laughing, celebrating and having the time of your life. Your wedding is an investment in your life and your wedding album is the treasure you have to show your family and friends how you celebrated. Take a look at our Album Info page and let us know when your wedding will be. 

We'd love to document your wedding and create a beautiful album for you and your loved ones!