Sarah K Chen Photography

Connie has the style, grace and smarts that every woman envies. A modern day Jackie O if you will. We’ve met on quite a few occasions and even had dinner together one night and I love how effortlessly poised she is. And not only that, she’s kind, and funny, and so thoughtful! When we first met, I had just blogged about my first wedding anniversary so she brought us a little momento for the occasion which I thought was super sweet. I met William for the first time at our engagement session since he’s doing his fellowship in Northern California and I have to say that William is Connie’s perfect match.

We started off at The Getty and found some gorgeous light that day!

And who doesn’t like a romantic stroll through the gardens at The Getty?

And then we were off to The Viceroy in Santa Monica for a different look and feel! I am completely enamored with Connie’s outfit! The ruffled cami under the black wrap top with the chunky red necklace? So cute! I’m thinking Connie should be my style guru from here on out.

Red heels = turning up the heat!

I love reading and have always dreamed of having a home library so when we saw this room, I just about died!

We wandered poolside and found this little hideaway with one of The Viceroy’s signature yellow chairs and had to put them to good use!  Every weekend should be spent like this, don’t you think? No cares, no worries, just you and your love and all the time in the world.

Phyllis made me cry. In a good way of course! Phyllis had sent me a gift package way back when I had just announced my pregnancy. Being newly pregnant is a strange thing. You know you’re pregnant, the two six pregnancy tests prove it, but you don’t look it and you’re not quite feeling the baby move inside of you so it’s a bit surreal. You’ll tell people you’re pregnant and they’ll look at your belly and just have to take your word for it.

Having received a thoughtful gift of pampering mommy-to-be products from a new client literally brought tears to my eyes. Ok, yes, I was probably a bit hormonal as well, but that’s besides the point! It was a really sweet and thoughful gesture and I really appreciated it especially since it wasn’t evident that I was really pregnant.

The Mama Mio products Phyllis sent me have quickly become a favorite of mine. I use the Tummy Rub Oil and Super Rich Cream morning, noon and night hoping to keep stretch marks at bay (so far so good!). And even if they don’t, no harm done because the products smell absolutely heavenly and keep my skin so incredibly soft. I highly recommend these products! Thank you Phyllis for thinking of me and the little one!

Phyllis and Dan looking oh so cute!

I love their shoes! Such classic “his” and “hers”….and Phyllis’s feet are so dainty next to Dans! I love it!

And my favorite shot of the day! Check out this insane light!

And another angle captured by Jeff.

And then we made our way to the beach before the sun set for the evening. There’s something so serene, nostalgic and romantic about this last image that makes me love it so much.

I couldn’t have asked for a better looking couple in Carmela and George! I love how cute they are together! If he’s serious, she’s serious. If she laughs, he laughs. If she’s fierce, he’s fierce. They’re just that in sync with each other and it was so much fun capturing these moments for them!

Carmela and George are so cute when they laugh together!

I like a sassy girl! I bet George likes that about Carmela too!

His and hers blue jeans.

Loved this yellow wall we found! I stood in the middle of the street to take these shots and Carmela and George had to yell, “CAR!” so I wouldn’t get run over. LOL! Thanks guys!

So fierce and yet, so tender. I love it!

Carmela and George, I can’t wait for your wedding later this year! You two make such a beautiful and fun couple!

Jill and Istvan are the kindest, most genuine people you will ever meet. And while I wouldn’t say that they’re opposites, they compliment each other so well that I can’t imagine the two of them apart. She puts him at ease, he makes her eyes twinkle, and I love the way these two interact and laugh along side each other.

Jill and Istvan live in NYC, but married in San Clemente, California so I shot their engagement session the week of their wedding when they were in town. We started at the Laguna Beach Surf and Sands Resort where the two of them would be staying the night they say, “I Do.”

I love the light we found in this little passage way!

And then we headed down to the beach where Istvan asked Jill to spend her forever after with him and caught the last light before dusk set.

This is my absolute favorite capture of the day! I love the vintage parasol Jill brought with her to our session! So perfect!

I know I’ve been a bad blogger lately! I’ve been so busy the past two months with work that blogging has been on the back burners lately. But I have so many things to share with you guys in the upcoming weeks! At one point I had a destination wedding, a family session and 6 engagement sessions all within 11 days. It was slightly crazy, but also crazy fun! So be on the look out for more engagement teasers!

Anyways, my sister in law, mother in law, and my dear friends Tracy and Tina threw us a fabulous baby shower recently at our place! With my current work schedule I honestly didn’t think we’d end up having one, but we did and it was perfection!

We revealed our little one’s name at the shower!

Favors, cake and floral arrangements.

They had our moms bring some photos of us as babies to decorate the house. Guess who this cuteness is?

My sister in law even made this sign in mat with one of my baby bump self portraits (entitled: Lost: Sight of My Feet at 27 weeks).

Family Picture!  My father in law, mother in law, my mom (my dad couldn’t make it), me, Jeff, and my sister in law Crystal.

And of course, a portrait (by Ming) of our first furry baby! Doesn’t Akira look so happy in this picture? When I saw it upload the first thing I thought was, “She’s smiling!” Too cute!

One of the games we played was “sniff and guess the baby food flavor” game. Oh. My. God. Who knew baby food could smell so bad! Kerrie’s husband Greg pleaded with me, “Sarah, please don’t ever feed your baby any of this stuff!” You know it’s bad when someone guesses the flavor of a jar of baby food to be “Ass.” LOL! Good times!

Thank you girls for taking the time out of your busy lives to help welcome our little one into the world. Jeff and I had such a great time at the party and loved getting to catch up with so many friends we hadn’t seen in so long! And a big thank you also goes out to our family and friends who traveled a ways just to make it to our shower!

The hotness. There’s just something about Yvonne and Mike when they’re together that just oozes hotness all over the place. Even when they’re holding two of the cutest, most cuddliest, fluffy white dogs they’re hawwwwt.

I am so  loving the intensity between these two in the next photo!

Yvonne and Mike brought along their little babies, Kiki and Coco along for the shoot and they were just the cutest pups ever!

I can’t wait to shoot your wedding next year at Rancho Las Lomas! I’m just not sure I’ll be able to handle the hotness when you two are all done up and looking even hotter!

Christy and Ted met at a local concert a while back. He wore a funny hat that she just had to comment on and from there the rest is history. Christy and Ted married at the Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach, California in the central courtyard and then partied the night away inside the great hall.

A big huge thank you to my dear friend Jonilyn for shooting with me at Brittany and Brian’s wedding Friday and then at Christy and Ted’s wedding on Saturday! And not to be out done by the photographers, Kerrie of Platinum Weddings by Kerrie also pulled the back to back wedding duty that weekend as well! I know, I know, we’re all hardcore.

Christy’s gorgeous Manolo Blahniks that she purchased for 1/4 the original price! They fit perfectly with her retro glam look!

Christy commissioned an artist to design her invitations and look how cute they turned out! It’s Christy, Ted, and their sweet golden retriever Ginger.

Their lovely art deco rings!

Ted’s mother loaned her beautiful diamonds to Christy to wear on her wedding day as her something borrowed. So gorgeous!

Christy all done up and looking so incredibly beautiful!

And putting on the finally touches.

Christy and Ted looking oh so relaxed and happy before their ceremony.

MoLAA has these amazing pink walls that I simply couldn’t get enough of!

Christy’s Dad walking her down the aisle.

Apparently, the officiant is the same one that was on The Bachelor! I don’t really watch televisions, but word on the block was that he’s been on tv!

Just married!

I love the look on my couples faces as they walk back up the aisle as husband and wife!

Then we snuck off for a little bit for more photos around MoLAA before they joined their loved ones for cocktail hour.

We even got to shoot inside the museum which was such a treat! Normally, I get kicked out of places like this. LOL!

Christy and Ted are both librarians and so they had a theme running throughout their wedding. I love their escort cards! It totally brought me back to my childhood when my Mom would take me and my brother to the library every week to check out as many books as we wanted!

Tables were named after sections of the library.

First dance as husband and wife.

And then it was time to party!

Brittany and Brian married on a gorgeous summer day at the Surf and Sands Resort in Laguna Beach, California and had such a beautiful and unique wedding filled with the most amazing details ever! Kerrie of Platinum Weddings by Kerrie did such an amazing job helping Brittany and Brian plan their big day as it turned out beautifully and ran smoothly. And of course, I loved working with Jonilyn and Kim Le at Brittany and Brian’s wedding! You girls rock and make the day so fun!Brittany’s amazing dress getting a little sun on the balcony.How cute are Brittany’s yellow polka dot heels?Brittany all done up and looking absolutely stunning! I love the simple beauty in this photo so so much.Brittany and Brian’s first look moments. I love the look of happy anticipation on both their faces!And then a quiet moment between the two of them. I love how at ease Brittany is when she’s with Brian.I know some couples are concerned that doing a first look moment will take away from the ceremony, but I don’t think that that’s usually the case. It’s a whole difference experience when you see each other during the ceremony. All eyes are on you, you’re surrounded by those that are nearest and dearest to you, the music is playing, and you’re this close to marrying the love of your life. It’s touching and emotionally charged regardless of whether or not you did a first look.They gifted each other with a yellow rose which I thought was so sweet.Have I mentioned how much I adore petal tosses?And then it was down to the beach for some portraits as husband and wife!Check out the incredible reception decor! Jocey of Joceybella Invites really outdid herself when designing Brittany and Brian’s paper goods! It really pulled the look of their wedding together in such an elegant way.Brittany and Brian decided on a New York City theme for their reception details so all the tables were named after NY landmarks like The Met and Yankee Stadium.Christine from The Spiraled Stem did an amazing job with all the florals, wouldn’t you agree? Everything was bright, lush, elegant, and just plain gorgeous!  Loved the damask table linens that matched so well with their paper goods!Brittany and Brian’s sweet heart table!And I just have to include this shot of Brittany and Brian captured during Brittany’s father’s “Father of the Bride” speech. It was so cute and you really got a sense of how much he cares for his baby girl and how happy he is for their new life together.

I recently did a family portrait session in Sacramento, Ca with the fabulous DuBois family. Talk about one hot mamma and two beautiful children!

When Jana suggested bringing out her Harley for some of the photos, I was like wait, are you serious?! Heck yeah!

I wasn’t sure they’d all fit on the bike, but Jana assured me they would and she was right.

Jana, her two children and her soon to be daughter in law!

Since Ryan and his fiancé had just gotten engaged the week before, we did an mini engagement session for just the two of them as well. They’re so sweet together and total naturals in front of the camera! And I loved that they brought their cruiser along for the shoot. How cute are these two?

And my absolute favorite image from their session! A drop dead gorgeous couple, incredible light, and a beautiful backdrop…what more could I have asked for? Ok, it would have been nice if it’d been about 15 degrees cooler in Sacramento that day. LOL!

And then a little switcheroo!

Can’t you feel the love oozing from these two? They were just so cute with each other!

Jenny and Steve are friends of mine and it was such an honor to photograph such an important day in their lives. Having known them and their love for each other over the years, it made certain points during their ceremony and reception especially poignant for me and I’m so glad to have been able to share the day with them.

Jenny and Steve married at the beautiful Villa Del Sol D’oro in Sierra Madre, Ca. If you’ve never been, it’s a 2/3 scale replica of the Villa Collazi in Florence, Italy and makes a stunning backdrop for a wedding.

Jenny’s fabulous teal shoes! I can’t believe they matched the walls of the bridal suite.

Jenny’s dress had the most intricate and gorgeous lace detailing I’d ever seen on a dress. Talk about dreamy perfection!

They’re yummy rings!

Putting on the finishing touches.

Jenny told me that Steve had gone out and bought her this beautiful locket so that she could honor her Mother and have her with her on wedding day. And that’s so Steve. Thoughtful and sweet and always looking out for Jenny’s heart.

First look moments between Jenny and Steve.

Steve’s groomsmen were giving Steve a hard time about how intensely he was staring at his beautiful bride to be. Not to be out done, he retorted back, “I’m not checking her out! I’m just making sure we got our money’s worth on her dress!” But if you’d seen the way Steve looked at Jenny, you know he was completely floored by how gorgeous she looked on their wedding day.

The gorgeous couple.

Afterwards, we took some time to take portraits around the Villa before the start of the ceremony.

Isn’t the Villa Del Sol D’oro so beautiful and serene?

A shot by Jeff. If you look carefully, you’ll see me and Jonilyn in action.

And a few of the lovely reception details.

Steve’s younger brother was his best man and the speech he gave was like nothing I’d ever seen/heard before! He rapped the entire thing and it was awesome. It told a story, held meaning, made people laugh, and was even touching at the end. I loved it! CLICK HERE to see the video clip on You Tube! You guys have to check it out!

I loved their reaction!

I’m not sure what these means exactly within their group of friends, but I’m thinking it’s some sort of mad props. W00t W00t!

I love this moment that I captured during their first dance. It gives me the warm fuzzies every time I look at it.

But the slow romantic dance was short lived and ended with a bit of fun!

Their reception was seriously off the hizzy! I’d never seen people having so much fun at a wedding before! It could have been attributed to a whole lot of this going on. Rounds and rounds and rounds of shots. Non stop. They’re party animals!

And I just have to include this one last shot. I’d never seen a guy SO DAMN EXCITED to have caught the garter and be the next in line to get married!

Jenny and Steve, I hope you two had a fabulous time on your honeymoon in Mexico! And thank you both so much for allowing me to be part of such a special day with your nearest and dearest family members and friends. I loved capturing every moment and wish you two nothing but love for years and years to come!