All Strung Out

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Hear that voice on the latest CVS commercial? Well, it belongs to the beautiful Kathy Fisher, whose work with the band Fisher has been featured on numerous CDs, in tons of movies, and in many high-profile national commercials. Kathy, along with guitarist/pianist Mark Governor, cellist Peggy Baldwin and others, will be playing at the Ford Amphitheater on Sunday, June 15th (Father's Day). I had the pleasure of shooting the promo photos for this cool new band, whose concert will be called "All Strung Out." Not familiar with Kathy's extraordinary voice? Just do a search on "Fisher" on iTunes, then check out the album "True North." You may recognize the song "Breakable," which appeared on the "Great Expectations" movie soundtrack. I'm particularly partial to the songs "Too Late" and "Miss Ophelia." Talented, and cool peeps to boot.






Labels:

Posted by Dina Douglass [+]

The E: Yasna & Ketan

Thursday, January 24, 2008

Yasna and Ketan will be married in July, with the wonderful Yogi Patel at Sheer Romance serving as coordinator and all-around decor guru. I have to publicly make fun of Yasna -- which I cleared with her first -- because she has never been to India. Ketan! Get this girl to India!






Labels:

Posted by Dina Douglass [+]

Marwa & Kelly

Monday, January 21, 2008

The effervescent Marwa and uber-swank Kelly were married on a yacht with a reception at the Fantasea Yacht Club in Marina Del Rey. Marwa was all smiles while getting ready at the Marina Del Rey Marriott, and we all marveled at her couture Monique Lhuillier dress (one of only three in existence). Poor Kelly had a horrible case of the flu and could barely stand up. A cup of hot tea with whiskey and sugar helped him get through the ceremony, and he was eventually able to put his flu aside to trip the light fantastic with his beautiful bride. A blend of hip-hop and Arabic music punctuated the reception, as did cartwheels, handstands and splits by various young cousins. With second shooting by Yoshi Morimoto.
















Labels:

Posted by Dina Douglass [+]

The E: Dimple & Sagar

Saturday, January 19, 2008

Dimple and Sagar will be married in July, with the talented Smita Mohindra coordinating. Poor Sagar. He was sick with the flu but he trudged through our engagement session without complaint. Go Trojans!







Labels:

Posted by Dina Douglass [+]

February in India

Thursday, January 17, 2008

Andrena Photography will be closed from February 5th through February 26th, as I will be shooting Tara & Raj's wedding in Udaipur, India, and then taking some holiday time (with my good friends Christine Marie
and April Robles) to travel through Mumbai, Kolkata, Varanasi, Mathura, Agra, Old Delhi and Amritsar. We'll be on planes, trains, in cars and on foot, so email accessibility may be a bit spotty at times. But I will try to check in every few days. I will be available for meetings through February 3rd, and again after the 28th. If you have any questions about my availability while I'm gone, just send me an email and it will provide contact information for a colleague who can check my calendar. Thanks so much, and hope you're all having a great January.

Labels:

Posted by Dina Douglass [+]

Jahnvee & Arka

Jahnvee and Arka were married in a Bengali ceremony at the La Jolla Woman's Club, and I will be eternally grateful to them for providing non-stop chai to help ward off the bitter cold. This great couple was game for anything -- even hiking down steep cliffs in their wedding outfits, and lying in the dirt. Jahnvee gets style points for wearing three beautiful outfits, but I have to tell you: Arka gets top groom honors for providing the best wedding cake I had all year. I also loved his answer to my query about how much his wedding hat cost. "Well, I don't know. But you can only get them in India, so since plane fare is about $1500, it cost $1500." :) Mandap and DJ artistry by the ever-stylish Hetel and the team at Kumba. With second shooting by the talented Yoshi Morimoto.

















Labels:

Posted by Dina Douglass [+]

Referrals - Indian Weddings

Monday, January 14, 2008

So many brides ask me for referrals that I thought I'd publicly post the list that I usually send out. I hope these referrals are helpful, particularly to those who are planning their weddings from out of state. Many of these vendors are very busy, so it's sometimes helpful to call as well as email. While many of these vendors have extensive experience with Indian weddings, they also do non-Indian weddings.

HAIR & MAKEUP

Oscar Naranjo
Ziba Beauty
Bookings via Reema at 877-777-9422
Did makeup for the following Andrena Photography couples (bride only, of course), all of whom are visible on the Andrena Blog: Cathy & Anoop, Bhakti & Ronil, Pinaki & Eric, Sheetal & Sagar, Geeta & Rahul, Achala & Arul, Sarika & Nikunj, Tina & Neel, Farah & Imran, Yasna & Ketan.

Jeannie & Madeeha
Couture Bridal Services
Did makeup for the following Andrena Photography clients: Amee & Monish, Shazia & Ehfad and Rhutu & Avikar. Amee and Shazia are on the Andrena Blog. I can send photos of Rhutu upon request.

Jesse (makeup only)
Jesse Makeup Artist
800-406-2969
Did makeup for the following Andrena Photography clients: Nita & Chirag, Sumbal & Eric and Theresa & Robert. Nita’s makeup can be seen in the first image in the Indian Weddings gallery. Sumbal and Theresa can be seen on the Andrena Blog.

David Jiminez (makeup only)
714-494-5291
mac_divad@yahoo.com
Did makeup for the following Andrena Photography clients: Ami & Mehul, Maneka & Manik. Ami is on the Andrena Blog. Maneka can be seen in the Indian Weddings gallery.

VIDEO

April Robles
Robles Video
714-672-0222
April has worked on probably 100 weddings with me, and we went to India together in February 2008.

Aron & Robert
Reel Life Video
866-646-7335

Julie Hill
Elysium Productions
800-373-6085

COORDINATION & DECOR

Smita Mohindra
Ethnic Essence
951-552-5678
Did coordination for DJ & Monty (November 2006), Amee & Monish (July 2007) and Dimple & Sagar (July 2008).

Yogi Patel
Sheer Romance
Did coordination for Arati & Nirav (March 2007), Sarika & Nikunj (March 2008), Tina & Neel (April 2008) and Yasna & Ketan (July 2008).

Sonia Sharma
Sonia Events
310-802-9216
Did coordination for Michele & Sean (2007) and Simran & Shahrooz (June 2008).

Nikki Khan
An Exquisite Event
818-620-2665
Did coordination for Sumita & Neil (May 2008) and Anu & Vishal (September 2008).

Lisa Simpson
Lisa Simpson Weddings
714-305-7112
Did coordination for Vivi and Eric (May 2008).

DJ SERVICES

Parag, Ajay & Hetal
Kumba
800-KUMBA-98
Kumba also does mandaps and lighting.

Raj and Taju
Sound Nation
866-489-8894

DJ Sandeep Kumar
909-241-8721

Hemant
Ambiance AV
310-828-1006
Hemant also offer DJ services

ELEPHANT RENTALS

Have Trunk Will Travel
The elephant who works at Baraats or Jaans is named Tai.
951-943-9227

VENUES

Large So Cal Venues Allowing Outside Catering
(I’m sure there are more, so if you know of any, let me know so I can add them to the list.)

California Science Center (Los Angeles)
Pacific Palms Resort (Industry Hills)
Rancho Sol del Pacifico (Malibu)
Diamond Bar Center (Diamond Bar)

All Hyatts (Huntington Beach, Orange County, Irvine, Long Beach, etc.)
All Hiltons (Waterfront Hilton, Long Beach Hilton, LAX Hilton, Universal Hilton, Hilton Torrey Pines, etc.)
All Marriotts (including Laguna Cliffs Marriott)
Universal Sheraton (Universal City)
Pacific Hills
The Olympic Collection (suitable for sangeets, etc.)
Palos Verdes Botanical Gardens

No Outside Catering, But . . . .

The St. Regis in Laguna has a great Indian chef.
The Four Seasons in Westlake Village has an Indian chef.

Labels:

Posted by Dina Douglass [+]

Happy New Year!

Saturday, January 05, 2008

Happy New Year from the team at Andrena Photography and the soon-to-launch Andrena Studio! Holiday orders, album deadlines, visiting with family and a bad case of the flu have conspired to keep me away from blogging for the past few weeks, but now that all of that is behind us, I start the year off with a thank you to Achala and Arul (see below) for their patience with my delay in blogging their wedding. It was gorgeous, and I hope you enjoy the images.

Labels:

Posted by Dina Douglass [+]

Achala & Arul

Achala and Arul were married at the new Four Seasons Hotel in Westlake Village. The day was beautiful and clear, but rain the previous day, and the resulting snow in the mountains, meant it was also freezing. This fun couple toughed it out despite their shivers, and had to laugh when everyone ran inside right after the ceremony. Coordinated by the talented Seema Syed, the outdoor ceremony was followed by a lavish reception in the hotel's new grand ballroom. At the appointed hour, golden curtains were drawn to reveal a stunning dessert lounge, complete with white leather lounge furniture and a cake made out of ice. Makeup by the ever-hot Oscar Naranjo. Reception floral artisty by Cindy at Desert Rose Florist in Lancaster. Mandap decor by Flowers by Manjit. DJ artistry by Parag at Kumba. Video by
Samson Productions. And dance performances by NDM.



















Labels:

Posted by Dina Douglass [+]