Oahu based family and wedding photographer providing family photographer for all Hawaiian Islands.

I’m a guest at the wedding of Frank and Jen

12.31.08

Following the island-wide power outage this past weeken, Scott and I went straight from a lunch birthday party for my niece, Lauren, (picture us with a bunch of 2 year olds in jumpy air castles), to a formal-clad celebration of Jen and Frank’s wedding. Frank and Jen are high school sweethearts and seem to have been literally just waiting to be old enough to make a lifelong commitment. Jen just graduated with her college degree and Frank now works on staff at Hope Chapel as the junior high pastor.

These are just my photographs I snapped with my work camera (hey, we were told to practice with it). The wedding was professionally photographed by Marina Miller of Red Heart Photography. She’s an absolutely amazing photographer who also photographed the wedding of Jen and Frank’s officiant. I had a chance to meet her at that wedding when we were sitting on the same table. I was watching her work (okay, only slightly stalker-sounding) during the ceremony and I really don’t know how she seems so calm and collected. I know the thing nowadays is to have a second shooter or carry two bodies but she breezed through it solo. I saw a sneak peek on her blog. Damn, she’s so good. And she’s absolutely the sweetest thing.

Jen and Frank are stylish stylish. I heard that they always knew they wanted to get married here at the Crystal Chapel in Waikiki. Jen’s matron of honor wore a long silver gown and carried a black feather posy. The reception hall was black and white and silver with long tapered candles as the centerpieces with masquerade masks lying on the table. And then they threw in their quirky fun by handing out glow stick necklaces once the dancing started.

(Pastor Scott, Pastor Stanton, Pastor Kanani, and Pastor Carl)

(I thought it was so endearing a third of the crowd was from Jen and Frank’s ministry)

(The day that was 8 years in the making)

Pastor Tom, the high school pastor, was the officiant. He just had his own wedding back in June of this year and Jen was a bridesmaid. Tom and his wife, Grace, did the decorations in the reception hall. No pictures there…I was too busy eating and trying to get Scott to dance.

(during their personal vows)

Most couples decline when asked if they want to do their own vows. Frank looked like he was fighting back tears during his vow. I didn’t even hear Jen’s. She leaned into him, looked him in the eye, and whispered her vows to him. It was obvious that they were sharing that moment and reveling in the commitment they were making, it was so endearing.

(the trendy couple)

(Scott with his second favorite girl-Haley)

(Rob and Deb and their grand-daughter, Haley)

(some of the men of Hope Chapel: Rob, Scott, Carl, Frank, Tom, Stanton, and Trevor)

It was great to get out the camera and practice my skills again. Things are just starting to feel normal again following the Christmas craziness. I have a session for Haley’s Christmas photos tomorrow morning. I’m trying to plan out when I’ll have a lull in sessions so I can send my camera in for cleaning and upkeep.

3rd times the charm-Mele Kalikimaka

12.24.08

I’m scared to even start this post. The last two times I’ve started, I’ve literally been at this point when the phone rings and a big case has come in. Ooops, have I unwittingly divulged that I might be blogging from work. Not true, I completely deny it.

Well, Merry Merry Christmas. Isn’t my husband a doll? I couldn’t believe he was so agreeable in letting me try out my idea for this year’s Christmas card. It was the Thursday that it was gushing buckets from the skies and we had no electricity the entire day. The rain stopped for 30 minutes and I rushed us outside. Absolutely no sun in the sky and Scott kept squinting in every picture and claiming “It’s too bright…it’s too bright, I can’t open my eyes.” So, I gave up on trying to find a “open eyes/smile” shot and we used this one. I love it, it’s one of my favorites. He makes me laugh…every day.

He can also make me cry. I blogged earlier about the recession and us deciding to forgo a Christmas tree. Well, several days later, I came home about 8 in the morning from work…opened the door, and there was this beautiful Christmas tree standing right in front of me. I must have been tired because I instantly started crying. It was the sweetest gift Scott could ever have given me. I’m walking around, tears in my eyes, taking off my backpack…when I think….wait, what if this is Stanton’s tree and I’m crying over my brother-in-law getting himself a Christmas tree. So, I creep into our dim bedroom and sniffle as I nudge Scott gently “who..sniff sniff…whose tree is that?” I don’t remember, but I think that even half-asleep, he had some wise-ass reply…but I didn’t care because I was right…it was our tree and I cried even more. I love our beautiful beautiful, already brown and dying Christmas tree…it is be-yu-ti-ful.

To all my friends and family, I wish you a Merry Christmas. Despite the hard times of the economy, this Christmas is proving to be completely filled with joy and laughter. Last night, I opened the gift from my sister. She got me a huge case of Coke and Scott a huge case of Dr. Pepper. Hee hee, she knows us so well.

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