My last wedding of the year is over! And, what a way to go out! Christi is poised and gorgeous, and Daniel was so in love with his new wife. I loved being a part of their day and all that it entailed. Christi had planned an amazingly gorgeous and elaborate set up. It was held at the lovely Strawberry Farms and the ceremony actually took place just up the street at Irvine Presbyterian [which I actually wasn't a part of, but I did get to sneak a few pictures in the moments I was there...]. Now, my pictures are with my new camera and I tried to edit some of them [just through my iPhoto] so forgive me if you think they’re lame… but I like them! Here they go, in no particular order: Christi’s rocking the red pumps during portraits prior to the ceremonyCocktail area:Monogrammed napkins, of course!Yep, we hung all of those lanterns!This was really amazing and different. Christi wanted the escort cards all hodge-podge looking in pinecones and when the candles were lit, they came out soo beautifully! They may look a bit more “messy” than what we in the industry are used to, but I think it’s a gorgeous change of pace!She provided enough “The Art of Kissing” books to have one on each table. So cute!Gift table [Christi used wood cut outs all over- for the table numbers, the welcome table, the cake, the candy buffet, and here...]Guest book tableView from the walkway up to the Verandah patio area.The “Welcome” table:Another shot of the escort card tableView of the Barn from the Verandah pathSome pictures of the barn:Wreaths for the doors compliments of Bella Blooms [as were the rest of the gorgeous flowers!!!]The candy buffet that Christi provided, in addition to her favors [which you'll see in a bit!]Framed copy of their invitation that we used on their welcome table [in the cocktail hour] and then moved inside to their sign-in table [pictured later].The cake!!They had a special down-light to spot light the cake!Her favors were boxes of home made english toffee!!!These “thank you” cards were tucked inside each guest’s napkin.Table shots:The “Generation” table was such a hit! It was really a great way to incorporate their families into their day!Their guestbook:[This is a shot of it outside at the Verandah, before we brought it in]This box of CDs were for the guests to take to share their photos with Christi and Daniel. It was located on the sign-in table.Centerpiece shot:Christi gave each child their own bucket of crayons and a custom coloring book!We took votives and lined the entire path from the Verandah to the reception. As the night went on, this is how it looked:A few ceremony snap shots:Tissue packets for the guests.Floral clusters for the pew candles.A sneak at the ceremony [from the pastor's cheat sheet]:Luminaries for the church stairs:Basket of programsChristi provided a basket of bells for each guest to take and ring as they left the church. So cute!!!Front of the Sanctuary:The actual ceremony:And after:And onto the reception!Their grand entrance was a quick one- they only introduced their parents and Christi and Daniel [since there were 10 bridesmaids and 10 groomsmen, this made the entrance quick!]. And they went straight into a welcome by the Bride’s parents and then a blessing of the food!LOVED this moment. Honestly, their evening was so full of moments like this, it was hard to pick pictures that captured them perfectly!Christi had NO lights on in the whole building. The room was down-lit by about 8 amber-colored lights, and twinkle lights kept the ceiling lit and warm. The rest was depending on candles- even the bathrooms! The bathrooms [as you'll see] were warm and glowy and amazing!A few words from Daniel’s parents:The rosary on Christi’s bouquet was a family heirloom and made for some gorgeous pictures![I know I'm not a photographer but I LOVE my new camera!!]Onto the speeches [from the 2 Best Men and 2 Maids of honor!!]Cake table decor:Glowy, glowy goodness!Cocktail napkins for the bar:Lanterns lining the beam to the restrooms [these also lined all sides of the dance floor- but I'm not sure if we got a good shot of it...]First Dance!Daniel picked up Christi and twirled her after their dance ended- soo cute!Father-Daughter:More Barn Decor:[By the way, Christi made 4 sets of these letters. One for the Verandah, one for the barn, and two for the church!]Mother-Son:Candles in room corners:Bathroom Decor:The ring bearer and flower girl tried their hand at dancing:And the big finish!And Daniel having a moment with her:One more pic of the candy buffet:Picture Matte to sign on the sign-in table:Guest book cover:These two large lanterns framed the barn doors:Cake cutting!!:LOVE this “trusting” face on Daniel!A few words from our groomA better shot of the CDs Christi made for the guest’s to take and give them pictures:The toss!!The Garter!This is Daniel LOOKING like he’s really going to snap it. But, in truth, he turned around and walked it over to the guy who he thought should have it. It was a total RIOT and the crowd loved it!Christi used Fifty Flowers to order rose petals in bulk. She got a great price and they arrived on time and fresh. We had a TON for decor and still enough to fill two of these baskets for the guests to grab a handful before the grand exit!A shot of their table numbers:And by candle light:Christi groovin’ in her going-away dress before the last two slow dances of the evening:And the last two:This picture below is so great. The whole crowd circled around the bride and groom during the last dance as the couple danced in the middle. It was hard to get pictures of, but it was such an amazing moment!And, the grand exit:Petals, petals, petals!Bye bye to Christi and Daniel, and bye bye to 2007!Honestly… the two of them did SUCH a great job of soaking in their day. I took over 600 pictures with my new camera and these are the best of the best! I’m glad I get to be picky and choosey about them! Congrats to the newlyweds and I know from the love they share, their years to come will go by quickly and filled with joy!

But you’ll have to give me a day to recover, first!

Until then, this will have to tide you over: 

Has basically consisted mostly of the airport.   

When Josh and I decided to fly this year to Sacramento instead of drive [like the rest of his southern California family, and like we always do], we were relieved that we were able to spend some extra time at home finishing up some loose ends in our busy lives before Christmas and NOT drive for 8 hours! The 58 minute flight was about the same for us cost-wise as driving our Yukon up there in gas. So, we took a chance.

The flight up was great. Our week away was soo needed, and great! But today… ugh. Our flight out of Sacramento was 20 minutes late to board/take off. Not too terrible. The hour that it took to reach Long Beach was easy and quick [not too turbulent] and we landed safe and smooth at 12:30pm. When 2pm hit and we were still waiting for our luggage… we started worrying.

Now, I know that this ISN’T the most terrible of flying experiences… but for a dang HOUR flight, I expect my luggage to arrive safe, swift, and with everyone else’s that flew with me!!! We left the airport around 2:30 pm, after being there a solid 2 hours and having to complain and write up a report for half an hour after that. Of course, then, out of the blue… 4 bags show up on a cart. 2 of them are ours. We are safe. I was already worried about my wedding tomorrow and having my hair and makeup products packed in my suitcase and trying to replace that in a night so I can function tomorrow.

Needless to say, it was a long and frustrating day. And the hub and I GREATLY thank our friend Chase for circling at Long Beach for 2 hours waiting for us!!! Here’s a pic for kicks from the new cam:

And one of the Josh from Sacramento:

Now we’re in the 24-hour countdown to Christi and Daniel and I am nothing less than THRILLED! Tomorrow is going to be a long and amazingly beautiful day!

[And this is, officially, the ONLY thing] are the trees. Sometimes, growing up in the busy suburban area of southern Orange County makes me forget what real nature is like. Venues like Rancho Las Lomas, being nestled in the hills, remind me. But still, it’s nice to get away for a few days to experience the view from my sister in law’s home: 

Thank you, Canon 30D.

It’s almost unreal. She lives basically AMONG the trees. They actually built their house from the ground up and had to build around the existing nature. Folsom, where they live, is turning into quite the area itself… reminding me more and more of Mission Viejo, our home town, every time I visit. But, you just can’t beat the land and area up here.Of course, we do have the beach. I’d say in the end… we still have the better deal. Oh yeah, and it’s about 41 degrees here today. We have a WAY better deal!

Tomorrow, it’s back home to my own bed and a nice, busy, wedding-filled weekend! Stay tuned.:)

He got me this for Christmas:

Since my digital camera has, in the past year, lost it’s charger [note that I blame the camera itself and not ME in the losing of the charger...] and has SUCKED pretty bad at staying in focus for important moments during weddings, I knew I really wanted a new camera. We debated what type to get because I wanted something really nice but not really “professional”… but I wanted something that I could really learn on and play around with creatively. He stunned me with this gift. I was totally taken aback with it.

Here’s my debut shot from the new cam!

Note my little brown patch in my eye… THAT’s how crisp the pictures are! I’m so unbelievably stoked. Just wait for next year’s events and blog pictures!

Have a merry Christmas Eve [and I've got something up my sleeve]
Presents and fun [...the day hasn't begun!]
Family is great [and there's no time to wait]
But what matters the most [and I'm not one to boast]
Is the love that surrounds… and it more than abounds.
:) 

Okay, I’ll stop now
The MERRIEST of holidays to you all! I’m up in Folsom, California with the Auer side of my family [that means that the 17 of us in my husband's immediate family are all stuffed into two houses and enjoying games and meals and movies and fun together for a whole week!]. I’ll be back in town on Friday. Although I’m away, I’m still an email addict. I promised Josh [the hub] that I’ll check it only twice daily- in the morning, and at night. So, know that you can still get ahold of me- even if my phone is off!  Hopefully the holidays will be soaked in and enjoyed by all. Here’s a picture to tide you over.  

Looking a bit mischievous, aren’t I? Well, I’m ready to reveal my Christmas presents to all! But, I’ll have to wait just a few more hours…

 And I’m 100% convinced that all of my brides feel this way the week before their wedding. Thanks to Christi for letting me sneak this shot! All of us want to avoid the bridezilla moments! 

Has anyone seen the ABC show Pushing Daisies? If not, check it out! It’s really the most beautiful show to watch ever! The colors in it are insane. And, for those of you that have, our Christmas picture this year followed suit quite well, don’t you think?

Thanks to the wonderful Jered Scott for his shooting and unbelievable editing of these photos. Mom and Dad are sure to get a kick out of them. [More on what's contained in this year's gift later this week...]