BRIDAL SHOWER: MOLLY

I just love getting dressed up and spending a fresh spring morning outdoors celebrating life with friends. And it's even better when there is a special occasion! Molly is engaged to be married this summer to her college sweetheart Jeff and her bridesmaids recently hosted a lovely and bright backyard shower for the bride-to-be. Molly looked so beautiful surrounded by her dearest friends and was showered with gifts, prayers, and many well wishes for her upcoming marriage to Jeff! 

There were flowers everywhere, so it made perfect sense that Molly wore the cutest floral dress...

The food spread was quite delicious, I must say!

 The beaming bride-to-be and her adorable blue shoes!

Pretty tulips!

 The lovely hostess, Casey, prepping for the next activity: Wrapping paper wedding dresses!

Molly: What a radiant wife you will be! This is such a special time in your life and I am so excited for you and Jeff. I wish you two the very best as you begin the wonderful journey that is marriage. Can't wait for the wedding!

WONDERFULLY MADE SEMINAR: BETROTHED

Beauty.  That is what I beheld all around me at the Wonderfully Made Spring Seminar.  The first time I photographed this group back in March to provide them with promotional images for the seminar, I was blown away with their beauty.  Last month, when I photographed this year's seminar, Bethrothed, I again was blessed by the inner and outer beauty and creativity of this wonderful group of young women.

Dozens of pretty little details filled the hall where the seminar was hosted by the Santa Clara University chapter of Wonderfully Made.  The room was filled with sunshine, fresh flowers, homemade desserts, and so many gorgeous smiles.

It was a real gift to be able to document this event because I was not only given an abundance of beautiful things and pretty people to photograph, but I was also personally touched by the powerful testimonies of these girls.  I found myself holding back tears several times as I snapped away, because of the sweet truth about God's grace that they shared with the group.

Here are some of the pretty details that capture the spirit of this beautiful event:

Below is the poster that promoted the event around campus and online... and it featured two of my photos! Pretty sweet!

 One word: YUM!

Aren't these cake pops adorable?! 

 Truth.

In between speakers, girls could do a little shopping for books, shirts, jewelry, etc...

One of my favorite parts of the seminar was the cardboard testimonies. Each girl would present one side of the cardboard, which stated a few words about her deep struggles and then flip the cardboard over to reveal the life-transforming work that Jesus has done in her life. Powerful stuff!

 Most of the lovely group!

Lastly, one of the attendees, Katie, happens to be engaged to be married. After the seminar, a few of the other girls placed the flowery veil on her head and passed her a bouquet, and start cheering her on about the upcoming wedding. A very sweet moment for a beautiful, blushing bride :)

Wonderfully Made: This beautiful seminar impacted my heart. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.  It was a gift to photograph you all and to be reminded of God's deep love for me at the same time.

THE NIGHT WE WERE MODELS

Now, to continue my story from yesterday... After dinner, the plan was to do a group photo shoot at Union Square in San Francisco. Pro-photographer Joseph Pascua was kind enough to dedicate his time to teach the rest of the group how to utilize both existing and off-camera lighting to create compelling nighttime images.

So this is where the post's title comes in.  We needed a couple to be our models for the night.  So I decided to get all Katniss-like and volunteer Kurt and myself to be the tributes subjects a few days prior to the event.  Yes, I realize I am quite short and we are not professional models, by any means, but I love photos so much I could not resist. To be able to have our pictures taken by a whole group of photographers was amazing. Besides, walking through the streets of San Francisco with a group of photographers following after me is pretty much the closest I'll get to knowing what it's like to be famous, right?  Mark Nabong, fellow local photographer and J* Prime, kept things fun by telling curious passersby that Kurt and I were international models. Getting married in Europe this summer. Hah :)

It was chilly out, but my heart was so warm.  I was able to don my gorgeous wedding dress almost one year later and take pictures with my darling love... while simultaneously making friends and learning more about photography.  What a wonderful gift :)

Here are my favorite images from the night:

Photo by U Me Us Studios

Photo by Mark Nabong of Tekniq Productions