Cathleya + Mark
Wednesday, June 25th, 2008You may also know them as Mr. and Mrs. Penguin from Weddingbee! I’m just realizing what a cult following Mrs. Penguin has because in the last couple of weeks I’ve run into quite a few people in Northern and Southern California who all have told me that Mrs. Penguin is their all time favorite blogger on Weddingbee and how they can’t wait to see her pictures!
Well wait no more!
Cathleya and Mark had a beautiful wedding where they were surrounded by loving family and friends, had the most incredible DIY details, and had everything set against a romantic vineyard backdrop. Thank you both for allowing me and Jonilyn to be part of such an important day! We hope you two all the best in love and life!
And a big huge thank you to my dear friend (and amazing photographer!) Jonilyn of Jonilyn Photography for flying up to Sacramento with me to help shoot Cathleya and Mark’s big day! You’re the best and I couldn’t have done it without you! You all be sure to check out her blog for her teaser pictures as well!
Cathleya getting the finishing touches of her makeup.
The rings.
And check out this gorgeous ring that Mark got for Cathleya as her something blue! It was beyond gorgeous!
I couldn’t resist one more shot of it. Can you guess where the ring is?
Here’s a hint….
I love this shot of Cathleya with the silhouette of her wedding gown in the background.
Meet Billie, the much beloved pooch in Cathleya’s family! How cute are her pink pearls and pig tails? And I’m so smitten with her underbite! So cute!
Once all the girls were dressed and ready, we all headed over to the beautiful Villa Toscano to take some pre-ceremony portraits. Cathleya and Mark had their first look under the shade of a willow tree.
The lovely soon to be wed couple!
Cathleya looked especially gorgeous on her wedding day.
Peonies, orchids, and one big sparkly bauble!
I have to show you all the gorgeous back of Cathleya’s wedding dress! I love a dramatic back!
And the lovely bridesmaids…Everyone was so relaxed and fun the day of!
The guys strike a pose.
How sweet is this little flower girl? A little shy at first, but by the time the grand entrance came around, she was jumping and waving to everyone around!
Cathleya designed and crafted the details herself. They’re all kinds of incredible! Quilled table name cards and gocco’d boxes filled with gocco’d coasters and color coordinating jelly beans all topped off with a tissue paper pom!
I love how clean and crisp the reception set looked. Bright whites with pops of tiffany’s blue, grey and pink.
The wine glasses and ring charms served as seating cards for guests. Perfect for their vineyard wedding!
And my favorite detail of the day? The hand crafted birds on their wedding cake! How sweet are these? A dear friend of Cathy’s made this for them and I have to say they turned out amazingly cute!
There’s nothing like dining al fresco on a summer evening.
Right before the start of the ceremony we got permission to shoot in their wine cellars!
And one last shot of Cathleya as we all waited for the ceremony to start.
Isn’t the setting so romantic?
Billie Jean making her debut! I was amazed that she came prancing down the aisle all by herself! I can’t say Akira would have done the same.
And not to be out done…. the sweet little flower girl.
Cathleya being walked down the aisle by her proud Poppa. He was happy and smiling all day long for his little girl.
And the long awaited kiss…
Just married! I always love the look of a newly wed couple as they walk back up the aisle! There’s so much happiness and excitement in everyone’s faces.
And then it was time for a quick outfit change and on to the Thai Water Ceremony where loved ones pour blessed water over the hands of the newly wed couple and wish them many blessings.
I loved Cathleya’s ceremonial Thai outfit (It secretly made me want to be Thai!) - lol! I’m totally not kidding either! How beautiful is this?
Cathleya and Mark received MANY blessings from loved ones that day! :) And while they got dressed back into their wedding attire guests were treated to tray passed hors d’oeuvres, wine, and got to amuse themselves with the polaroid guestbook.
The new Mr. and Mrs. S! They made their grand entrance to UCLA’s Fight Song and everyone was doing the 8 clap as they made their way into the tent. It was beyond awesome!
First dance as husband and wife.
How cute are they?
And as the sun set over the vineyards, Jonilyn and I snuck Cathleya and Mark out for a few more portraits.
A few funny moments during the speeches and slide show.
June 25th, 2008 @ 11:58 am
As one of Cathy’s friends, I am in tears. You totally captured her personality and the love she and Mark share. Great job!
June 25th, 2008 @ 12:05 pm
OOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHH MMMMMMMMYYYYYYY GGGAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWW, let me go back and look at this a million times again. I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE IT! I heart you Sarah!
June 25th, 2008 @ 12:21 pm
Astounding. Can I pretend to get married again?
seriously. Cathy and Mark are obscenely gorgeous and you captured the event perfectly.
June 25th, 2008 @ 12:28 pm
So glad you are back in business:) These were well worth the wait!!!
June 25th, 2008 @ 12:34 pm
Wow! That first wine cellar shot is FABULOUS! These are all gorgeous Sarah!
June 25th, 2008 @ 12:54 pm
everything looked gorgeous. the shot of the ring on the shoe is fab!
June 25th, 2008 @ 12:54 pm
I’ve been waiting patiently, and as always - you’ve more than delivered. Beautiful, stunning shots, Sarah! : )
June 25th, 2008 @ 1:08 pm
awesome shoot, sarah!! I have also been patiently waiting for these.
thanks for the fix! 
June 25th, 2008 @ 1:14 pm
Lovely, Sarah! Just lovely!!
June 25th, 2008 @ 1:30 pm
Stunning! The Penguins must be so happy - what a beautiful job you did!
June 25th, 2008 @ 2:09 pm
Oh my gosh, the photos are amazing! *tear* Cathy and Mark must be so excited! Gorgeous pictures for a gorgeous couple!
June 25th, 2008 @ 3:40 pm
Really great job, Sarah. Just stunning!
June 25th, 2008 @ 3:47 pm
beautiful! just beautiful….
June 25th, 2008 @ 6:14 pm
Sarah -
I’ve been struggling all day with trying to figure out what kind of message to leave you here. These photos shoot straight to my heart. We were on such a limited budget and it was a big decision for me to lose the deposit on our old photog and take a chance on a photographer that so freely and openly admitted that she was quite new in the business but — looking through her portfolio, clearly had the eye and mind of a well seasoned photographer. I knew in my heart it was the right choice to go with you, and boy was I right on this one!
I have to say, with all my heart, that you were one of the best things to happen to this wedding. The day was beautiful, but through your lens, 1000 times more!
Despite the fact that I consider you a professional in every sense of the word, it has been a pleasure to get to know you over the past months, and I consider you not just an extraordinary vendor of mine, but a friend and one of the most key components to making our wedding truly amazing.
I wish you all the success in the world, and this is not the end for our relationship, but just the beginning, as there will be many more milestones in our lives that I hope to have you capture. Thank you so much to an absolutely amazing photographer, a wonderful friend, and a glowing mommy-to-be!
A Big Giant Hug,
Cathleya
June 25th, 2008 @ 6:17 pm
Wow! pictures are absolutely amazing. Sarah, do you know where I can find the blue ring at? I am in love
June 25th, 2008 @ 8:52 pm
Wow Sarah…. These pictures are amazing!!!! You have really outdone yourself! So proud of you! Can’t wait to see you on Friday!
June 25th, 2008 @ 9:16 pm
such gorgeous and amazing pictures..you’ve done it again Sarah!
June 25th, 2008 @ 10:53 pm
I always love your detail shots. Another great job, Sarah!
June 26th, 2008 @ 2:30 am
You have such an incredible eye Sarah and I’m so happy to be your friend and partner in crime
June 26th, 2008 @ 3:24 am
lovely photos, as usual!
and of course i can’t help but comment that that little pup looks a lot like lucy! (but there is no way that lucy would have been that well behaved at a wedding!)
June 26th, 2008 @ 6:20 am
i’m crying. seriously. you two are a stunning couple. your wedding incredibly beautiful. and oh my, sarah did a WONDERFUL job capture everything.
congratulations cathleya + mark!!
June 26th, 2008 @ 9:39 am
Sarah, I believe this is your BEST wedding to date! Amazing pictures. I just get better and BETTER! See!!! I knew you had the talent way back when!
June 26th, 2008 @ 10:49 am
I’ve read all of Mrs. Penguin’s posts on Wedding Bee and she is my favorite blogger. I agree with the previous comment that this is your BEST wedding session. All of the phtos are beautiful.
June 26th, 2008 @ 11:27 am
very nice images. they’re sharp, crisp, very good colors. awesome.
June 26th, 2008 @ 1:04 pm
These photos are soooooo incredibly amazing!
June 29th, 2008 @ 9:16 am
you’re goooooooooood sarah.
July 29th, 2008 @ 10:06 am
Go bruins! I have had to sit through so many USC Fight song grand entrances… I have to get some bruin alums like this
Absolutely stunning pictures Sarah! What a fun wedding.