the andrena blog

The E: Rebecca & Roy

2008-07-18T11:34:00.001-07:00

Rebecca and Roy will be married in beatiful Tulum, Mexico, next March, and I can't wait for their wedding. We did their engagement session on the early side (a few months ago, actually) because they currently live in two different states. Such are the busy and complicated lives of talented doctors. I'm excited for these two great people to finally live in the same city because they're so fabulous together.

The E: Farah & Imran

2008-07-18T11:28:00.000-07:00

Farah and Imran were on a tight time schedule, so I actually did their engagement session the same week that they got married. This couple is so cute and playful, and they both have fabulous laughs. I'll be blogging their wedding soon.

The E: Jayati & Harjot

2008-07-15T11:44:00.000-07:00

Jayati and Harjot will have two wedding ceremonies -- one in Fresno and one in beautiful Udaipur, India. I was already booked for both their dates -- so sad -- but I loved getting together with them for an engagement session at UCLA. Check out the new graduates who were wandering the campus and got roped into one of my shots. And check out the new graduate footwear. What's up with that?

The E: Kavita & Vikas

2008-07-15T00:16:00.001-07:00

Kavita and Vikas will be married in August at the St. Regis. They've both recently relocated to Texas, and I hope they'll enjoy the great community in Houston.

Simran & Shahrooz

2008-07-13T01:38:00.000-07:00

Simran and Shahrooz were married in a dual-ceremony wedding at the LAX Hilton. (Leave it to me to post a sneak peek more than a week after all the wedding images were delivered to the couple.) The day started off with a Sikh ceremony, then, after a quick clothing change, everyone moved on to a heartfelt Persian Muslim ceremony. Put Punjabis and Persians in a room and you can't help but get a truly amazing reception. This was definitely a crowd that knew how to party. This couple is just the sweetest, and Shahrooz adores Simran so much. It's truly a joy to watch these two together. Coordinated by the lovely Sonia Sharma, with floral artistry by Beverly Blossoms, makeup by Chisu Kim, hair by Peggy Barks, and DJ services by Ajay at Kumba. (Apologies: I believe there was a Persian DJ there, too, but I will have to add his name to the blog posting later, as I don't have it right now.) With second shooting by the fabulous Yoshi Morimoto.

Sumita & Neil

2008-07-03T19:41:00.000-07:00

Sumita and Neil were married in a beautiful South Indian ceremony at the Waterfront Hilton in Huntington Beach. Sumita's stunning purple and orange sari (or saree) was just beautiful, and the couple couldn't have been happier as the ceremony drew near. This lovely and super-cool couple relocated to Chicago shortly after the wedding, so I'm happy that I'll see them again in November for Sumita's brother's reception. With coordination and decor by the wonderful Nikki Khan at Exquisite Events, flowers by Shirvan Designs, and DJ artistry by Ajay at Kumba. With second shooting by the uber-talented Yoshi Morimoto.

Vivi & Erik

2008-06-24T14:45:00.000-07:00

Vivi and Erik were married in a gorgeous South Indian ceremony at the St. Regis. Though it rained off and on all day, this couple spend the entire day bathed in joy and smiles. What could be more fun than a chance Times Square meeting that ends up in marriage? A Tonka T-shirt underneath the groom's reception outfit. A big thank you to Vivi for the incredibly thoughtful and generous gift she sent me after her wedding. I also have to thank this wonderful couple for their patience with my delay in blogging their wedding. I'm actually shipping their wedding to them this week, but only found the time to blog it today. Apologies all around, and I hope they enjoy this sneak peek. Coordinated by the fabulous Lisa Simpson, with floral artistry by the incomparable Square Root, hair and makeup by Design Visage, and DJ awesomeness by Nish Sangani at Sound Nation. With second shooting by the always fabulous Yoshi Morimoto.

Behind on Blogging

2008-06-11T09:52:00.001-07:00

I've been so busy with shooting that I'm totally behind on blogging. Coming soon: The weddings of Vivi & Erik (coordinated by Lisa Simpson), Sumita & Neil (coordinated by Nikki Khan) and Simran & Shahrooz (coordinated by Sonia Sharma), and the engagement sessions of Rebecca & Roy, Jayati & Harjot, Kavita & Vikas and Farah & Imran. Not to mention several portrait shoots. Blogging always takes me a while, because I like everything to look pretty, so I sometimes have to put off blogging in favor of shoots or meeting client deadlines. Just wanted to say thanks for your patience. I have this weekend off, so I will definitely be blogging soon. First up: Vivi & Erik!

Theresa & Robert

2008-06-03T14:41:00.000-07:00

Theresa and Robert were married at the Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel. Theresa is the sweetest, and is always sending me cute, happy notes. She was so excited before her wedding, and it was fun to share in her enthusiasm and joy. Robert was of course delighted to be marrying the wonderful Theresa, but he didn't send me any cute notes. LOL. Coordinated by the lovely Dawn Eastman and Christy Vosges at A Blissful Event in San Diego, with flowers by Elegant Touch Floral Design, video by Aron and Robert at Reel Life Pictures, DJ services by DJ Mohsen, makeup by Jesse Professional Makeup Services, and cake artistry by Let Them Eat Cake. With second shooting by the always fabulous Yoshi Morimoto.

Anastasia

2008-05-28T19:20:00.000-07:00

Anastasia is a beautiful child, and I was thrilled that she was so much fun to shoot.

Sabrina & Alex - Belgrade, Serbia

2008-05-25T01:07:00.000-07:00

Sabrina and Alex live in London, but when the time came to say their vows, both had their hearts set on Serbia (Alex's birthplace). More than 200 guests flew in from all over the world to attend this lovely couple's wedding, and if memory serves, more than 24 countries were represented. The ceremony took place at the breathtaking Serbian Orthodox Saborna Church in Belgrade, which was built in 1840 and is considered one of the most beautiful churches in Serbia. After the ceremony, guests made their way to the dramatic fortress of Kalemegdan, which was rebuilt in the year 535.

Sabrina's spectacular custom Vera Wang dress was hand-flown (by the groom) from New York to London, and then from London to Serbia. It would be an understatement to say that this gorgeous dress required its own seat on the plane. Sabrina was truly a princess for her wedding to her prince.

Sabrina and Alex had planned a lavish antique fairytale theme for their wedding, complete with magical decor (think European fairytales of yore, not Snow White). But this wonderful couple's grand decor plans were thwarted by over-zealous border agents and customs personnel. A huge truck full of decor made its way down from London, only to be stopped at the border and refused entry. The truck driver also was put into a holding tank for no good reason, and was eventually let out on Sunday (after the wedding). As we all sat at the airport on Monday waiting for our flight home, so, too, did all the beautiful peonies and other flowers that had been flown in from Holland . . . only to be refused entry by airport customs.

Truly, I have never seen anyone work as hard as world-class floral designer Andrew Devonport and the team from London's Wild About, and coordinator Susan Smith from Smith and Niemierko, also based in London. I don't think any of these people slept for the first three days, as their sole mission in life became getting the truck / flowers into the country. After days of frustration, the team ultimately went on a massive scavenger hunt throughout Belgrade to try to put something together. They came through in a big way, but those of us in the know were still very sad that the original flowers and decor were refused entry. In all my years of working with weddings, I've never seen people work harder under worse circumstances.

The wedding was glorious despite the decor snafu, and I was so happy to be a part of such a wonderful celebration. Sabrina and Alex, thanks so much for finding me, and for including me (and my talented colleague Rebecca Bouck) in your wedding. I hope your honeymoon was amazing.

Welcome to the World, Kieran!

2008-05-24T18:57:00.000-07:00

Rupa and Jerry did their maternity shoot just a few weeks before their son Kieran was born, so you may remember them from a recent blog posting. I had the opportunity to meet Kieran this past Thursday, and he was just too cute.

Pooja & Amish

2008-05-24T18:54:00.000-07:00

Pooja and Amish are busy doctors. But not too busy to have a baby. :)

Renuka & Yogesh

2008-05-19T15:36:00.001-07:00

Renuka and Yogesh live in Sacramento, but were married in a three-day celebration here in Southern California. I was so excited to shoot their wedding as this was my first Fijian Indian wedding. I always love learning about new traditions and seeing different things in ceremonies, such as the application of the bride's sindoor while fully covered, which I had never seen before. I was also impressed that Yogesh's family chosen to caravan from Sacramento to Orange County on the wedding day. Though he initially was going to be part of the Sacramento-to-LA caravan, Yogesh wisely chose to fly instead, thus ensuring that my head didn't explode from the stress of wondering whether he'd make it on time. With second shooting by the talented Yoshi Morimoto.

Andrea & Andres - Cartegena, Colombia

2008-05-06T14:29:00.000-07:00

Andrea and Andres were married in the magical city of Cartegena, Colombia. We didn't get a chance to meet until we all arrived in Colombia, but I of course adored them both. The heat and humidity were incredible, but the lavish black-tie event helped everyone forget the weather. The ceremony took place at Santo Domingo Church, which was the most beautiful church I've ever seen. The reception took place in Teatro Heredia, which was astonishing in its grandeur. Colombians (and New Yorkers) know how to party into the wee small hours, so it's no surprise that their reception didn't end until about 6 a.m. More details (and vendor links) on this fabulous wedding in a week's time, as I'm just setting off for Serbia and don't have all the information. Just wanted to get this blog posting up before I hopped on a plane. Andrea and Andres, thanks for including us in such a wonderful part of your lives. We had a fabulous time at the wedding and at the day-after session, and the post-day-after-session mojitos and conversation were a true highlight. I hope you had a great honeymoon.

The E: Gwen & Mark

2008-05-05T18:06:00.000-07:00

Gwen and Mark are the physical fitness gurus of all time. Gwen is always sending me notes about yoga, and Mark . . . well, that guy doesn't have an ounce of fat on him. Together, they have a smile wattage of, like, 6 billion watts. I'm so excited for their wedding.

The E: Theresa & Robert

2008-05-04T13:22:00.000-07:00

Theresa and Robert were so much fun to work with, and Theresa was a totally good sport when I kept making her take her shoes off. This gorgeous couple will be married in Dana Point in just two weeks.

The E: Shelpa & Rajeev

2008-05-03T15:22:00.000-07:00

I was already booked for Shelpa and Rajeev's wedding day, so they asked me to do an engagement session for them, which I do for a lot of clients. They are an adorable couple and Rajeev is clearly besotted with the adorable Shelpa. I know they'll have a great wedding.

The E: Sumita & Neil

2008-05-03T14:28:00.001-07:00

Sumita and Neil were so much fun to shoot. I always love getting to know people better during our engagement shoots, particularly when we get to geek out about some sort of random topic. Neil also kept fixing Sumita's hair throughout the shoot, which was just too adorable. This wonderful couple will be married at the end of the month.

Sonia Sharma Events - New Web Site

2008-05-02T21:35:00.000-07:00

Talented coordinator Sonia Sharma recently launched a new web site, so I wanted to post a shout-out and encourage everyone to check it out. I took these decor images at one of her recent events. I also did the photo on her site's bio page.

Betty, Hazim & Olivia

2008-05-02T21:30:00.000-07:00

Betty is one of my beautiful brides from 2005, and Hazim is her oh-so-handsome husband. How cute is this baby?

Rupa & Jerry

2008-04-29T01:53:00.000-07:00

I think Rupa may be having her baby today. :)

Simon & Kal

2008-04-29T01:46:00.000-07:00

These are the cutest brothers ever.

Tina & Neel

2008-04-29T00:35:00.001-07:00

Tina and Neel were married at the California Science Center, which was a perfect backdrop for this lovely couple's wedding. This couple couldn't be better matched, and everyone who worked with them just adored them both. With coordination and decor by Yogi Patel at Sheer Romance, makeup by the always fabulous Oscar Naranjo at Ziba Beauty, and DJ artistry by Kumba.

Greetings from Cartegena, Colombia

2008-04-21T12:14:00.000-07:00

I flew to Cartegena, Colombia, to shoot the lovely wedding of Andrea and Andres, who both live in New York. We didn't have a chance to meet before we all arrived in Colombia, but they were both so nice, and their friends and families made me feel so welcome. Almost everyone I've met asks, "How do you like Cartegena? What do you think of our city?" The people here are so warm and friendly, and they definitely know how to party, as evidenced by a reception that ended at close to 6 a.m.

The wedding was in one of the most beautiful churches I've ever seen, and their stylish reception took place in a gorgeous old multi-level theatre. Perfection from beginning to end, despite a level of humidity that really made my hair look comical. I'll be back in the studio on Wednesday, when I'll start working on the blog entries for the many recent shoots that I haven't yet had time to blog. Just wanted to say hi to everyone from beautiful Cartegena, and wish you all a great week.