Sweet baby girl!

There is a sweet baby girl in there ready to meet her mommy & daddy.
I'm off to Miami for a SWEET wedding. Photos to come.

HAPPY FRIDAY EVERYONE!



love.love.love.love!

Let's hear it for the girls: A bridal fair!

Hello Lovelies!

You are cordially invited to the best bridal party event in town. The bridal event is not your average bridal fair, seriously! Some of the best wedding professionals will be there including, yours truly:)
Lots of goodies, great vendors, signature cocktails and snacks at the swank BellaPelle Skin Studio in San Francisco.

I'd love for you all to be there! Bring your friends, your mom, your aunt, your grandma— anyone who wants to gush in all wedding goodness. Not only are there going to be lots of eye candy, it's a great way for your bridal party to get to know me!

I'd love to see you all there— & don't forget to bring your besties!

Xo,
Christina



Here is a list of all the amazing "hidden gems" that will be in attendance:

Photography: Weddings by Christina Diane
Skin Care + Pampering: Bella Pelle Skin Studio
Invitations + Stationary: Savor the Date
Wedding gowns: Amy Kuschel
Bridesmaid Dresses: Bella Bridesmaid
Flowers: Design in Bloom
Cakes & Baked Goods: True Confections
Jewelry: Frolick

fun + romance, yes!

Engagement sessions should always be FUN...






...and always end up being romantic. Thanks Nestor & Michelle for making this sunday such a FUNday!

Young, sweet LOVE.

This couple especially reminded me of how great LOVE is! Such a beautiful couple in such a beautiful location. Enjoy:)

Sherran & Garry: Longshadow Ranch Winery, Temecula, California

Wineries are so pretty in the fall; my favorite part are the warm colors of the leaves! Sherran & Garry are, not kidding, two of the most amazing people in the world. Sherran a vivacious catch & a half and Garry an awesome, warm-hearted loving man. I was so happy to be a part of the awesome day at one of my favorite wineries in Temecula— LongShadow Ranch!. Below are some of my favorites from their November wedding! Enjoy:)

Handmade Goodness: The Planner

I'm so EXCITED to share my latest Etsy find, this lovely piece of handmade goodness I call my planner. Since my engagement, I've seriously been spending a ridiculously amount of time on some of my favorite wedding blogs and Etsy. I'm on a serious mission to make my wedding, and I seriously mean make. Handmade, vintage, hand-me down or supporting my favorite Etsy artists!

What I love about this planner are the sweet details. I found hidden envelopes that act like pockets to store things, old paper from the early 1920's, original handwritten notes from the 1920's, old amaaazing recipes and the KICKER, my birthday is stamped on one of the pages! I seriously had no idea my birthday was on there— it was icing on the cake for me. Enjoy the photos, and if you love this one of a kind planner like me, check out the artists Etsy page HERE!

My love. My Story.

Many of you have been asking me what's the story? How'd it happen? When did it happen? Was it ROMANTIC? The short answer, San Francisco, December 7th and no. But, the reality is, is that I wouldn't expect anything else from Rabbit. Now you might be saying— You deserve the down on one knee, etc... Don't you worry there will be more goodies to come, promise!

Back to the story: It was December 7th, which if you know your US history you might remember it's the day we went into WW II. Talk about romantic, right? The same day that WWII began? At least its memorable. Now, Rabbit is not very good at surprises and he was just like a kid in a candy shop, super excited and super antsy. He said to me: "Babe, I love you and I want to give you your Christmas present early." I, of course, wanted to wait until Christmas Day to get my gift, but like I said before— he really couldn't wait. He said " You have three choices: a Wii, a bicycle, or... here it comes an engagement ring!".

For a moment, I was in shock. I had an idea it was coming. (Many of my friends knew this as well). But, when & how was always the question— and I just don't know if there is any way to surprise me, REALLY. And then, you give me the choice between a Wii and a ring, really? I absolutely said "A RING, A RING" and then retracted and said "All 3, All 3". Sadly, I didn't get all three.

We got in the car, drove to union square, parked and then here comes the best part— it HAILED. That was the most romantic part of the whole day, s-e-r-i-o-u-s-l-y. As we jaywalked across the street, from the Union Square to Tiffany's, it literally hailed on our heads, how sweet. We (he) didn't purchase the ring at Tiffany's, we actually went down the street to DeBeers because we liked the matching options best:)

So that's my very un-romantic story, but so, totally, US and that's what I love— that's what I love about him. He's just Rabbit!

We did it backwards, we bought the wedding band first, but its so simple and beautiful & I love it. You may remember my latest post on my heirloom.The thought crossed my mind of using the ruby ring that was my great-grandmothers'. But, I don't want to ruin it— my great grandmother was so tiny (only fits my pinky) and I'd rather wear the gorgeous ring around my neck. I might replicate the setting, we will see— the possibilities are endless!

Hope you enjoyed my little love story.

A beautiful story: The Heirloom

I'm such a fan of thoughtful gifts; gifts that friends make for me, letters— anything thats sincerely invaluable. This Christmas I got one of the best Christmas gifts ever— an heirloom passed from my grandmother to my uncle to my dad to me! It's my great-grandmothers wedding band and engagement ring! It was such a delight to see! I've always wanted an heirloom, something that I can cherish and then pass down to my children.

I'm a bit of a nosey girl, I love history, which was actually my first choice in degree before I switched to photography. I especially love learning about my ancestors, my family and where I came from. I called my grandmother, (dads mom) who lives in Texas to tell her that the rings now belong to me. She was so thrilled for me and wanted me to promise that they will always stay in the family. Well, that's definitely a promise I can keep!

I'm always curious; I wanted to know MORE! So I asked my grandmother: Whats the story? What are their names? Where did they live? Where did they meet? How old were they? Where did they purchase the ring? How long were they married? You could hear it in her voice that she was so excited to share these things with me and this is how the story goes...

My great-grandmothers name was Inez Thompson. She lived in South Dakota where John, my great-grandfather to—be, also lived. Both their parents had neighboring farms. My grandmother told me that in those days my great-grandmother was raised as a southern lady; as a woman who was only there merely as a decorative wife. When they were 15 both their families moved to Valier, Montana. A year later, when they were 16, both their families moved to Rathdrum, Idaho. And that same year at sixteen years old they married!From what my grandmother says, their wedding day was glorious, and I can only imagine how beautiful it was!

The Rings:

The rings were purchased via catalog, either Montgomery Ward or Sears. My grandmother told me that the rings were platinum and ruby. Sadly, I went yesterday to this lovely place in San Francisco where I was told that the ruby was synthetic. Nonetheless, the fact that the ruby isn't real doesn't bother me a bit. It's a beautiful gift, a beautiful ring and a BEAUTIFUL story! I'm so proud of where I came from.

Enjoy the beautiful photos below! My favorite part is the engraving on the inside of the wedding band: 11.25.31. NineteenTHIRTYone, wow! I can promise you that I will engrave my wedding band just like my great-grandmother did!

❤ Mariachi LOVE ❤

I get so excited when I get to see Mariachi bands. They just remind me of growing up (near San Diego) and give me that happy & excited feel inside. I get so excited that sometimes I just want to join in on the celebrating fun!

Sue and Marco's wedding was one of my favorites this year! The stylish getting ready moments took place at the oh-so-fabulous Claremont Resort; the nuptials at the, kid you not, prettiest church in the east bay; the portraits at the lush and gorgeous Piedmont Park; and the merriment of celebration at the stylish and beautiful Montclair Women's Cultural Arts Club. It was so hard to choose all my favorites from this pretty wedding... but here they are— the keepers I just had to share! A big congrats to Sue & Marco. You two have such an amazing love and it completely resinates in the photographs. Enjoy:)

Mr & Mrs. Rabbit

As I'm sitting here watching E!: Khloe Kardashian's wedding, I realized that if Khloe can display her life as a "bride to be",  so can I. If you didn't know already, I am engaged!

I feel so lucky to be a wedding photographer because I get to be apart of an enormously special day. I get inspired by every little love story, every grandma or grandpa that I meet, every kiss and all the amazing details that capture the day.

I didn't realize how insanely beautiful this wedding business is, until now. Because I am my clients, I am the bride to be. We got engaged on December 7th and since then have been utterly obsessed with planning. I spend endless hours on some amazing wedding blogs including: Style Me Pretty, Something Old, Something New, The Ritzy Bee, Ruffled, Kiss the Groom and Snippet & Ink. I am enamored with details galore, color, decor, dresses and oh—so—beautiful photos! I have so many ideas and feel so blessed that I have had the opportunity to witness some of the most beautiful weddings— I'm just so happy that it's my turn.

I feel like it's super fitting for me to turn my wedding blog into a blog that showcases all the goodies that I LOVE and not to mention the weddings I LOVE to shoot. I'm so grateful for everything that I have shot thus far in my career & am so VERY grateful for the future.

The photo above is one of my favorite photos of Rabbit and I. (Yes, that's his nickname and everyone including my momma call him that). I'm so excited about 2010 and so excited to share with you my little loves of inspiration!

San Diego, America's Finest City: Erin + Greg 10/02/09

I grew up in San Diego and I was lucky enough to have a dad that fished every weekend; I pretty much grew up on a boat, in the water and by the beach. The first weekend of October I found myself to be in such a nostalgic state— I was happy to be back in San Diego, by the beach, in the water and on a lovely boat! My dear friend Erin was marrying the man of her dreams on a beautiful cruise, during the sunset, and, while guests gazed at the gorgeous San Diego skyline! I was so happy to be in San Diego and was so grateful of the opportunity to shoot a great friends wedding in such a special place that's so close to home. Erin & Greg have the most contagious laugh— there was not a moment of silence at their wedding, rather, laughing and merriment all night long. You also might have noticed Greg kissing Erin's tummy; they just welcomed baby Kaiya into the world on December 23rd. Congrats to Erin & Greg on a blissful life together and a new beautiful bundle of joy! I love you all:)