If you are a Disney fan then you are going to LOVE this wedding! If you are not a Disney fan…..I have to say neither am I, but Disney weddings are pretty fantastic! From the service to the food, to the gorgeous ballrooms, to the horse drawn Cinderella Carriage complete with a royal court and glass slipper holding your rings which are brought to the bride and groom mid-ceremony, it really is a treat. Mickey and Minney will even come to your wedding reception. Sound cheesy? Well it is not, it is actually classy and really well done. If you have ever wanted to feel like a princess, this is your place. As we traveled to one side of the hotel to the other, through the grounds all the little girls and even adults faces lit up to see the bride and her “court.” It was very cutesy and this couple has been together forever and has been waiting to be married for quite along time. This daytime easy going fairytale wedding truly was a delight! The reception was tipped off by Andy Nation of Just Imagine DJ. Ask him about his “Venice Dance!”

Andy Nation- Orange County Wedding DJ:
http://www.justimaginedj.com/

Disneyland Hotel Website:
http://disneyweddings.disney.go.com/weddings/california/collections/overview

 The Venice Dance, done by Andy Nation, Imagine That DJ is fun for everyone!

First off, I LOVE this venue for engagement, couples, and family shoots. The Mission San Juan does not host weddings, but for a nominal fee you can do a photoshoot there. I know I always rave about my couples, but this couple in particular was also VERY happy and VERY into their shoot and each other!!! They are a cute couple at first glance, but then get them in front of the camera and WooHoo…..they are SUPER photogenic!!! I just LOVE them! Not to mention they are most obviously head of over heals for each other. My assistant Willie was very impressed with them, and my assistant is VERY hard to impress! I have to say again, I have never had the pleasure of shooting at The Mission in San Juan Capistrano (Orange County, Ca.) before, and it was simply amazing! At times I felt like we were in a foreign country and the pics look like we were in a foreign country. We had so much fun, and this shoot captured artistic images, funny pics, romantic and sexy steamy scenes all in one and that is what I strive for in engagement shoots! The couple as they are…in all forms…goofy, hot, and detailed simply all in one!  Sarah and Richard will be wed August 18th, 2012, at one of my favorite OC venues, Via Del Sol in Fullerton, California. The venue has a quaint Spanish theme which is an outdoor venue with the indoor feel and privacy as if you have rented your own Spanish villa. A “must see” venue to appreciate!

Via Del Sol in Fullerton Website:
http://www.thevilladelsol.com/

The Mission San Juan Capistrano Website:
http://www.missionsjc.com/

Just in case you missed the first blog on this engagement shoot I attached it below. This was a GREAT shoot, and I had a lot of images and versatility that I wanted to show. The first half of the shoot was shot in Downtown Laguna Beach, which is very urban and colorful. The downtown area has a lot of nooks and cranny’s where you can put a couple to make it look like you were at several locations. Natalie and Phil changed a few times as well to make it look like different places on different days. After we shot the urban downtown shots, we did some boardwalk and beach shooting. I am not a huge fan of shooting on the sand and/or at the beach. Unless I can use a downtown area next to the beach or it is the couples favorite place to be,  I try and talk my clients out of it. At this point, beach engagement shoots are very cliche, but if I can include things other then just the beach it can add to the shoot. With every couple the engagement shoot is about who you are as a couple, that is what I strive to capture. The love, happiness, sexy chemistry, etc. I like to capture it all and talk to the couple as we shoot to get them comfortable and forget we are shooting. I get a more natural feel when the couple is comfortable and into one another. I encourage my clients to dress how they normally would and not to get to “dressy” or formal for the shoot. That is what the wedding day is for. With this couple I really wanted some rustic and sexy shots as well, so I shot them in the brush off of the side of the road in Laguna Beach. We had a great time, Natalie and Phil are naturals in front of the camera. They will be wed the first weekend of August at the Surf and Sand in Laguna Beach coordinated by the wonderful Natalie Good with A Good Affair, and their pics are going to be AWESOME. We will do an underwater trash your dress session as well that will be tons of fun and very sexy! 🙂

PART 1 of this engagement shoot- Urban Downtown Laguna Beach
http://jaimeehubert.blogspot.com/2011/05/hot-laguna-beach-engagement-shoot.html

                     

I love this hot couple, Natalie and Phil, who will be wed in August at the Surf and Sand in Laguna Beach. Natalie with A Good Affair will coordinate their awesome wedding. They were so much fun to work with, very happy in love and laid back. Their hotness and chemistry show in this shoot….can’t wait for the wedding images! I love this shoot so much that I am doing it in 2 parts. There were too many images and the shoot was diverse, so I decided to show the urban downtown Laguna Beach shots first. We walked up and down the streets of Laguna which make it look like you are in several different places. Part 2 of their engagement shoot will be the boardwalk and sand shots in Laguna, as well as the other location which has my favorite shots, the rustic Laguna Beach Reserve. I love the rustic rock and tall grass shots. I left a few images towards the end of the blog as a “sneak peek” if you will to part 2.  Congrats Natalie and Phil, you are going to be a very gorgeous bride and groom. You are going to rock my camera! 🙂

Natalie and Phils Engagement Part 2- Rustic and Sexy Reserve Shots!
http://jaimeehubert.blogspot.com/2011/05/super-hot-laguna-beach-engagement-part.html

 What is “With This Ring“…..and How could my ring really save a life?

Thanks for asking, I am going to tell you. About 4 years ago, Ali Eastburn started WTR when one night she had a vision much like Oscar Schindler. She imagined him in the movie looking down at his lapel and weeping because his gold lapel was worth 2 more lives, his watch worth 5 more lives….these things of value really equal life. Today….that is still the case!!! When Ali looked down at her wedding ring retailed at over $20,000 she knew she was being called to give it up, to start a charity through radical giving, and to give life to people in need of clean drinking water.

When Ali called me to tell me she wanted to start this charity I thought it was a wonderful idea, until she asked if I would give up my wedding ring. I laughed and replied “Heck NO!” However after hearing her story and realizing the value of my jewelry, I looked down at my $10,000 ring and Movado watch and new I had to do something as well. I told her she could have my first wedding ring, and I took the diamond out of my newer wedding ring and replaced it with a man made diamond. (nobody could tell the difference) I felt really good about it, and have not missed my diamonds since. To date, With This Ring has dug over a dozen wells in Ghana Africa, and is supplying clean drinking water to hundreds of African tribesman. The women of these tribes walk up to 7 miles a day to get un-clean drinking water. The water is infested with parasites and kills their people. The young girls cannot go to school as their job is to fetch the unclean water. Now through the efforts of WTR, hundreds of women and girls days are freed up for education, parasites are gone, and lives are being saved and transformed.

The wonderful part of this charity is the full circle effect it has on everyone. To radically give changes you and to radically receive changes them. The rings and jewelry that are donated are put up for auction at Bidding For Good, thus having a story and great meaning behind them. You can buy the jewelry and know that you are helping an amazing cause, and that someone gave up that ring making it that much more meaningful for the buyer. It is a great charity, and I encourage you to check out their website, follow their blog, and check out their auctions. Also, if you feel led, consider radically giving yourself. Do you need your diamonds, would fake ones make a difference to you? Real ones make a difference to them! You could even consider gold, other jewelry or a cash donation as well. You have more power to help then you think.

The pictures below are from the WTR Charity Gala held at the Disney Hotel, where more then 300 people were in attendance and over $30,000 was raised. Natalie Good with A Good Affair coordinated the event and did a great job as always!  www.agoodaffair.com

With This Ring Website:
http://www.withthisring.org/

Living Water Internationals Website: (find WTR on the homepage)
http://www.water.cc/

A picture taken by Ali of the drinking water used by a tribe in Ghana that she visited, they now have clean drinking water!

This women bought a ring and loves to tell the story, she also donated enough money that night to finish digging the well that her ring was supporting and is planning a trip to Africa to visit the well! AMAZING!

Thank you all so much for participating in my Yosemite Wall Portrait/blog contest. I just put all the names of all the entries in a bowl and had my hubby pull a name. And the winner was Katherine Ellis! Yay Katherine! Just pick your favorite Yosemite image and I will drop ship your 16×20 in the mail to you this week! Thanks for playing and for your support everyone, it really means a lot to me. I will hold more contests in the future so watch for them.