Brandi Welles Photographer Blog

Silvia + Nick | Los Rios Historic District Engagement

Brandi — Tue, 15 May 2012 19:00:59 +0000

Silvia and Nick must have read my mind when they chose The Los Rios Historic District in San Juan Capistrano for their engagement shoot. It’s one of my favorite places to photograph because the light is always phenomenal and it has the same quaint, Spanish charm as Santa Barbara, one of my favorite Southern California cities.

Silvia chose the perfect coral pink dress for the occasion, and I had a great time just walking around the district with them, chatting about their wedding in July which also happens to be at another favorite location of mine, Villa Del Sol (which is ALSO Spanish themed). Don’t you love it when everything just falls together naturally like that? Perfect couple, perfect location, perfect dress, perfect photographer…okay that last one may have been stretching it a little.

On that note – meet the perfectly adorable, Silvia and Nick…

Dang Silvia, you will be one gorgeous bride.

And Nick, you ain’t so bad yourself. As long as you don’t forget your “lesson plan.”

Can’t wait for their wedding in just a few short months!!!

Happy Tuesday! xoxo

Gaby + Brandon | California Center for the Arts Wedding Photographer

Brandi — Fri, 04 May 2012 20:19:13 +0000

It has been such a pleasure getting to know Gaby and Brandon during their engagement, and getting to spend their wedding day with them was an even bigger honor. I’ll just come out and say it…I’m crazy about these two. When I first met Gaby, she pulled out a photo of herself on Halloween dressed like Prince (and pulled it off quite perfectly might I add). I knew right then we would get along just fine. I met Brandon shortly after that and his charming personality won me over instantly. Not only is he a total gentlemen who will NOT let you sit in a chair until he pulls it out for you, but he also appreciates my awkward made-up songs that accidentally make their way out of my mouth while I’m shooting (it’s not pretty).

Instead of turning to each other and giving the “crazy” symbol that usually accompanies this behavior, Gaby and Brandon laughed and told me they do the same thing (probably a lot more in tune then I) at home to each other. And then it happened. Brandon sang me his version of “the sweat pants song,” which I will not repeat here because I would probably get into some serious trouble. I’ll just say one thing. It.Was.Amazing.

Since we’re being all honest today, I’ll throw a little more truth your way: I was actually kind of sad when their wedding day was over. Why? Because I secretly want to be best friend’s with Gaby and Brandon. There. I said it.

Now, for the prettiness that was their wedding day…

Gaby and Brandon had a traditional catholic ceremony…with a twist. They wanted to incorporate a little bit of Brandon’s background into the ceremony, so after their first kiss they “jumped the broom,” which is an African-American wedding tradition. Pretty neato.

I love that they had a mariachi band playing outside of the church after the ceremony.

The gorgeous Gaby and studly Brandon…

Gaby changed into an amazing sparkly-feather dress during the reception. Love!

Congrats you two!!! Don’t think for one second that I forgot about our bowling night!

Leanne | College Graduate Photography

Brandi — Tue, 01 May 2012 19:07:43 +0000

I just love shooting portrait sessions. They are so fun and laid back, and I always enjoy getting to know my subjects better and watching their personalities really shine in front of my camera. Leanne and I worked together as servers, and although we chatted at work, we never really got a chance to get to know each other. When she asked me to photograph her for her graduation announcements, I was super excited! I knew it would be a great opportunity to learn a little more about her. We had fun running around her (soon-to-be) alma mater Cal State Long Beach, and then we drove to a little park nearby with lots of spring flowers, complementing Leanne’s adorable shinning personality.

Meet the lovely Leanne…

Isn’t she just the cutest???

Congrats to following your dreams, Leanne! I know you will be successful in everything you do.

Exploring Austin & one of my best friend’s wedding.

Brandi — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 19:08:20 +0000

I’m finally back to blogging after a whirlwind of a month! During my absence I was a very busy girl. One of my best friends, Marcella, got married in Texas just a couple of weeks ago!!! So I flew to Austin for a bachelorette week with the girls where we spent some time relaxing and exploring the city before her wedding. I instantly fell in love with Austin’s buzzing energy and rich culture. The food, music and art scene, lush landscape, historic buildings, quirky (to put it lightly) people, and some of the best vintage shopping I’ve ever experienced. It’s definitely on my top five list of the coolest cities in America that I’ve visited (so far).

Austin is a little slice of southern heaven. Not a minute was wasted during our trip. Some highlights for me were bike riding along the river, gorging on tex-mex at the famous Chuy’s, shopping along South Congress, rafting in the Guadelupe river, bar hoping with old friends, and driving around town soaking up the warm southern weather in our convertible. It was such a blast just being with my best friends and hanging out in a truly amazing city. I’m already bugging Will to go back.

After a few days of exploring Austin, Will arrived in town and we drove out to the country side for Marcella’s wedding in Brenham, TX. Everything was so incredibly beautiful, from the blue bonnets growing along the road, to the big beautiful house turned bed and breakfast we stayed at during the wedding festivities. Marcella was a stunning bride – and every time I looked at her in her beautiful wedding dress – the waterworks started to flow.

I cannot believe how fast time has flown by since we were all just crazy young college girls living together at our creepy old art studio in Santa Ana. All of a sudden we are REAL women, with careers, and homes, and husband’s or fiance’s, and it’s all just so amazing and surreal. Marcella’s wedding day was such a joyous occasion, and I am so happy for her and her new husband, Alex.

Next up, one of my other best friend Kaysha’s wedding in November!!! I’m sure I will cry like a little baby on her day as well.

Even though I was a bridesmaid, I just couldn’t help myself and HAD to snap a few iPhone photos on her wedding day:

Congratulations Marcella & Alex!!! I’m so happy for you both and your new life together as husband and wife. <3

Justine + Joey | Anaheim Wedding Photographer

Brandi — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 17:53:19 +0000

I cannot say enough good things about Justine and Joey. They were amazing to work with, stinkin‘ adorable, super fun, down-to-earth, incredibly kind, and just all-around wonderful people! Justine and I went to high school together back in the day when vans were cool, MTV still played music videos, and Limp Bizkit said it was all about the “Nookie.” We hardly had it all figured out back then, but watching her stand next to Joey at the alter with their two adorable little ones and all their friends and family at their side, I knew that now she has figured out what truly makes her happy.

I felt so honored to be apart of a wedding that positively exemplified a couple and their lives together. It had all the comforts of home, from a backyard reception in Justine’s childhood house, catering by Cortina’s Italian Deli where Joey worked when he first fell for Justine, and their favorite local date night spot Hotel Menage as their first look and getting ready location. It was the perfect wedding that not only celebrated their roots, but also planted the seeds for their future.

Justine and Joey, words cannot describe how thankful I am for your trust and appreciation. You are both not just wonderful clients, but friends.

I just loved all of the girlie pink accents Justine incorporated. Reminds me of Spring.

Hello, J-Lo!!!

I just love these last two of Justine. Talk about a stunning bride!

Beth + Adam | Laguna Hills Marriott Wedding Photographer

Brandi — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 18:10:08 +0000

You know that feeling you get when you see two people who are just so cute and perfect together that your swear you see little cartoon butterflies and birds swirling around their heads every time they are together? The couple that everyone says, “Now THAT is what love is all about.” Well, Beth and Adam are SO that couple. It’s like they stumbled right out of a Disney fairytale, and their gorgeous wedding was the epic conclusion to their story.

It was such a joy being a part of capturing Beth and Adam’s story alongside an incredible team of professionals at the helm such as Agape Planning and Kaysha Weiner, who had me along as her second shooter. Now, without further ado, I bring you the gorgeous fairytale wedding of Beth and Adam…

Beth and Adam, I know that your journey together from here on out will make a killer sequel.

The week, according to my iPhone photos (snowed in)

Brandi — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 20:08:09 +0000

This weekend we went on a little snowboarding excursion to Big Bear with our good friends Drew and Erik. I feel so spoiled living in Southern CA. We are right next door to everything, with the beach just a few minutes from us, and the mountains only an hour away. So whenever we get the chance to sneak away for a little snowboarding getaway, we are all over it!

When we planned this trip we had no idea how the weather conditions would be. We just assumed since it was the end of the season we probably wouldn’t get much fresh snowfall. Boy, were we wrong!!! We found out a few days before we left that there was going to be a big storm coming through on the same days that we planned our trip. We got super giddy for the fresh powder but made sure to pack lots of extra layers and head up early before the storm caught us on the drive up. Everything worked out as planned and right before we strapped our boards on, it started snowing. Hard. It continued to pour down the entire day (and weekend) covering the mountain in a thick blanket of white, giving us all the fresh powder we could ever dream of! Being a southern california girl born-and-raised, I had never even witnessed that much snow before. Let alone snowboarded in it. So.much.fun. However, getting the chains on our car in the middle of a snowstorm afterwards- not so much.

Happy Monday!

Twenty-Eight

Brandi — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 03:54:50 +0000

Today I turned 28. I’ve been so blessed this year with an over abundance of love, birthday wishes, and fun activities. I wish I could just freeze these last couple of days and relive them over and over again. I guess that’s where this blog comes in. The celebrations started this past Thursday when Will surprised me with front row tickets to see two of my FAVORITE comedians ever, Tim and Eric, in an uncensored intimate conversation with (another fav funny guy) Jeff Garlin at the Largo in LA. We had a yummy dinner before the show at a new restaurant in LA and then laughed our butts at the show.

On Saturday we had a little birthday party at our place with lots of our wonderful friends. Of course knowing me, it was margarita themed, and everyone brought their own tasty concoctions like strawberry basil, mango mint, jalapeno blood orange, and even a BEER margarita (which was surprisingly delicious!). It was such a fun night and I felt so incredibly loved.

Then after a great session at the gym this morning, one of my closest friends Kaysha, took me to brunch at Old Vine Cafe (currently one of my favorite OC restaurants), where I gorged on some fantastic biscuits and gravy that blew my socks off! Afterwards we grabbed some yummy cupcakes at Susie Cakes and did a little dress shopping for Kaysha’s upcoming wedding. Of course I was also completely spoiled by the hubby who got me some cute jeans I’ve been lusting after, and later tonight he’s taking me to a fancy dinner at Flemmings.

So as you can see, it’s been pretty much the perfect birthday. Even though I’m only two years away from 30 now (gulp), turning 28 was a pretty awesome experience, if I do say so myself. Life has only gotten sweeter with each year, and I feel so blessed to be where I am right now doing what I love, with the people I love surrounding me.

Here are some of my iPhone photos from the past week…

Have an awesome week!!!

Staci + Josh | Snowy Big Bear Newlywed Photography

Brandi — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 23:49:09 +0000

I’ve known Staci and Josh for many years. All the way back since our serving days at Buca di Beppo, where they first met and fell for each other. And they weren’t the only couple to come out of that restaurant. Will and I also met there. Not to mention about four or five other couples that are still going strong today. There must be something incredibly romantic about tomato ties and spaghetti marinara that I just haven’t figured out yet. Like Will and I, Staci and Josh recently decided to tie the knot! Since Josh is in the Air Force, they had a simple and sweet ceremony with just a couple of their closest friends and family at Irvine Park. However, they are also planning to have a larger wedding at the end of this year.

Staci and Josh both love to snowboard, so when deciding where they wanted to do the shoot, it seemed only natural to head up to Big Bear for a snuggly snow session. Even after loosing Joshs’ snowboard, sitting in traffic for two-and-a-half hours, and almost missing our sunlight on the mountain, these two were still all smiles and laughs as I got all up-in-their-grill with my camera.

A quick switch into their snowboarding gear (which isn’t easy btw) and we were off…

Staci, you are just too cute for words!

Staci and Josh, thanks for being such good sports through all the speed bumps. And for being your naturally adorable selves.

Gaby + Brandon | Orange Engagement Photography

Brandi — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 22:31:45 +0000

The first time Brandon laid eyes on Gaby she was covered head-to-toe in fur. Yep, you heard right. Fur boots and all. And not the sexy kind. Gaby is that girl. The kind who sacrifices looking hot for a good laugh and you know, shows up to a Cowboy and Indian costume party dressed as a Fur Pelter. Needless to say, Brandon was instantly drawn to her confidence, sense of humor, and mad costume designing skills. Even though she brushed him off like yesterdays newspaper after their first date, he continued to chase her. And he hasn’t let go since. Smart man.

It’s clear why these two fell for each other, besides the fact that they are both SMOKING HOT. They both have electric personalities, loud and infectious laughs, and irresistible charm. Heck, after getting to know them, I was madly in love.

Brandon and Gaby are going to Aruba on their honeymoon. Okay, officially jealous.

Gaby and Brandon, I CANNOT WAIT for your wedding in April. If it’s half as fun as you two are, it will be a fantastic party.