Congratulations Tyler & Lauren!

Tyler & Lauren got married yesterday!

One of the sweetest couples, I tell you. They had a beautiful wedding (and the weather was perfect) at Clark Estate in Santa Fe Springs, CA. Tamra, their on-site coordinator, was amazing. So if you plan a wedding at this beautiful venue, do yourself a favor and work with her.

Their pastor lead a beautiful ceremony on the lawn of the premises; reception followed just around the corner in the garden area.

It was super fun getting to see Tyler & Lauren's personalities coming out throughout the day. They are such a fun couple! You can tell they already have a lot of fun together, and know how to make each other laugh.

DJing the event was Robert Poff, of Station Identification, who did a fabulous job keeping the crowd entertained with trivia about the couple, a few games and playing some great dance music at the end.

The new Mr. & Mrs. had their event catered by East Side Mario's Italian restaurant, who did something I haven't seen before at a wedding: it was a build your own pasta bar. Guests chose their ingredients, then brought the dish to one of three waiting chef's who cooked on demand and topped your pasta creation with either a pomodoro or alfredo sauce. Yum!

Anyhoo, enough of the typing - here are some of my favorites from the day. By the way, if you like what you see leave a comment!

Blessings,
Christine Lee Smith

Grandma at 94-years-old

Today I went to visit my grandma. I don't see her often enough.

Last week was her 94th birthday. Unbelievable - until you meet her. She's the most alert, witty and amazing woman. I think I may have her health via genetics...maybe.

I brought along my camera today to document the visit, with my dad and Jeri.

By the way, if you like what you see leave a comment. :)

Me (27) and grandma (94).



My 94-yer-old grandma's hands, on the car ride.



My dad.

Jeri! His awesome wife.

My lunch (and a bit of gma's) at Denny's.



Grandma at the table, doing paperwork with dad.



This is my favorite.

Grandma's kitchen. This is what I think of when I think of her house. I used to spend hours at that sink, play washing dishes.

Things in grandma's kitchen.



My grandma isn't a typical grandma. And now I appreciate that about her. She's not a ruffles and pink/purple tissue box covers; she's tough, witty, sarcastic, stubborn, collect trinkets and is amazing.

My dad's first pair of shoes - still sitting on her dresser.

Blessings,
Christine Lee Smith

Basketball Night

Every Tuesday night Matt goes to play basketball with his friends and family down in Garden Grove at Living Spring.

On occasion I'll go play, too. However, last night I decided to take my camera instead.

It was a completely different experience. I've photographed sports before, but honestly, I've never enjoyed it until last night (maybe that had something to do with photographing my hottie). :)

Regardless, here are the results. If you like what you see leave a comment!

Blessings,
Christine Lee Smith

Philip & Lidia's E-Session

Philip and Lidia are so much fun.

When we were planning their e-session they came up with the funnest idea: Kites. Since we were shooting at the Redondo Beach Pier, where Philip proposed to Lidia, it was the perfect place to embark on such an adventure!

The session started by walking around the fun zone and boardwalk areas, then we moved over the sand to try out the kite.

After finishing up there we cleaned up (literally - note to self: never wear tennis shoes whilst shooting next to the water. Crocs are a much better option!), and drove off to the Farmer's Market and The Grove in Los Angeles.

Philip and Lidia were troopers! After enduring a drive to L.A., bad GoogleMap directions, no parking and a setting sun, they were still up for having some fun. :)

Great job you two! Here are a few of my faves from their session... Enjoy! And if you enjoyed this post, leave a comment! :)



















Blessings,
Christine Lee Smith

Lidia's Bridal Shower

Saturday I had so much fun shooting one of my June brides, Lidia's, Bridal Shower at the Mai Tai Bar in Downtown Long Beach.

Lidia's shower was thrown by her bridesmaids and was so lovely and a lot of fun.

As the guests entered they were greeted with a smiling bridesmaid, a lei and a famous Mai Tai. The luncheon shower had some amazing food - Hawaiian pork, rice, salad, and a yummy pizza-like flat bread.

A great Hawaiian two-man band played some awesome traditional hits as well as modern day remixes; it added a super fun flare to the party.

As the afternoon went on the ladies had some super fun games for the guests to play, like "Guess How Old Lidia Was (in this picture)?," "Bridal Bingo," and a "How Well Do You Know Lidia" trivia game and more.

Here are a few of my favorite images from the shower... Enjoy!

Blessings,
Christine Lee Smith

Blessings,
Christine Lee Smith