Blog

I’ve sat down so many times to write this post, and now I’m laughing because I’m here at 4:00am on New Year’s Eve, determined to get my thoughts out onto this blog of mine. It’s been hard to write it out because 2014 has been an incredible year and I don’t know how to express it without sounding cheezy! I just don’t know how to express the gratefulness I have for the people I’ve met, the couples I’ve photographed, their wonderful families, the people I’ve worked with here at WRPB, the moments I’ve had the privilege of capturing, the colleagues I’ve gotten to know so well, the family that has supported me, and for my Disney family who have been so incredible to work with. It’s been a wonderful year, and I wish I could put it in a time capsule and open it up again somewhere down the line and remember how beautiful it all was.

It was the year I met Kelcie and Larry, who are two of the most incredible people I’ve ever known…. and the year my photos of them were featured in People Magazine (I’ll never forget standing in line and buying ten copies for my family with George Clooney on the front, and the look on the face of the cashier at Target who must have assumed I was a huge Clooney fan, haha). It was the year I full on sobbed as I took photos of the Cast Members on Main Street as they cheered for Kelcie and Larry. They helped me remember what working at Disneyland was all about.

It also was the year where~while I don’t post about it here, I started photographing more corporate events and creative content. I’ve seen some pretty spectacular events and have had some fun adventures, including a recent trip to a warehouse in the middle of L.A. that didn’t look like much but was full of treasures inside.

This was the year that my team really started to come together. My photography business is such a big part of myself, and this was the year I found people I can trust to care as much as I do. It was the year I got to see Belle and Scott’s dragon cake, smile and watch Maggie and Dave’s friends dance the night away, and take photos of Mark and Steven in some of that magical Disney snow. I’ve seen some beautiful weddings like Paige and Brian’s. I’ve also seen the sweetest traditions~like Jen and Justin’s cake pull, and Rupesh and Stacey’s beautiful ceremony. So many times I’ve stayed well past the time I should have stopped photographing a wedding because it’s always hard for me to leave friends, like it was with Holly and Brandon. I’ve seen touching first looks like Ben and Nancy’s, and I’ve been inspired by JP and Doris to take swing dancing lessons. I’ve watched as Adriana surprised Jon with a stunning carriage, and smiled about Keri and Tony’s fun Space Mountain photos that they always take together, and I saw one of my favorite bouquet tosses ever. I watched the artistry and love within Christine and Matt’s incredible Art Deco wedding, and even travelled to my home town for Sergio and Rebecca’s wedding. I watched an impromptu wedding reception performance of Love is an Open Door by Derek and Liz, and photographed so many beautiful same sex weddings~these weddings are near and dear to this HRC member’s heart.

I’ve made some of the silliest jokes, and was touched when my team still laughed at them anyway. I laugh out loud every time I think about the silly jokes I made with Julio and Aya, and Richard and Maridyth, or about the time I tricked Kate and Jerico into pulling on the electric door in Toon Town~not because I wanted to take a picture of them with the door, but because I knew they’d never pulled on it before and it would surprise them. Hee hee! And then there was the time I hid under the flower table and surprised Kelly, the Disney florist. Sometimes I like to think of myself as a bit of a prankster. :p

It was the year I met Push The Trashcan at Janna and David’s wedding, saw some of the most incredible shoes I’ve ever seen with Sabrina and Oscar, did an entire wedding with what I thought was a broken finger, and met one of the most fun group of ladies I’ve ever met at Jennifer and Mary’s beautiful wedding (Jennifer has such an eye for detail, and her bouquet was one of my favorites of all time). I had an amazing time getting to know Stacey and Jonathan, smiled with Yvonne and Richard~who I’m so excited to hear are having a baby, and explored the Adventure Suite with Shelly and Michael~wow, what a day their wedding was! I watched the fireworks with Karen and Mike during their reception, and teared up during Samantha and Scott’s touching Fairytale First Dance that was designed by the talented Matt Natsby of Bouquet Sound. I traveled to San Francisco and had some wonderful adventures during Ariel and Richard’s wedding, got to know Christine and Jeremy’s sweet family during their wedding, and watched the world of color with all of Matt and Elissa’s wedding guests. I got to see Rod smile one of the sweetest smiles I’ve ever seen as he watched Catherine walk down the aisle during their Disney Wedding. He turned to me while we were taking photos and said, “I just can’t believe how happy I am right now”.

I had a blast at Mindy and Bryan’s Star Wars wedding, and Sarah and Kevin’s fandom wedding. I never thought I’d show up at a wedding and photograph someone painting themselves green. You never know what life will bring! I felt inspired with Jaimie and Alan’s beautiful woodland wedding details, and watched Erin smile through her cold because it was her wedding day to Carlos and she was going to have the best time ever, no matter what! I was treated to the most entertaining performance at Kyle and Teddi’s wedding, and some touching and incredible vows at Tony and Gregg’s wedding…and also some pretty fancy dance moves. So many couples I’ve photographed have started expanding their families. It’s been a treat to see Christie and John, Sheena and Paul, Joy and Eric, Rebecca and Sergio, and so many other past couples become parents.

When I look back at it, I can’t believe how much we’ve done this year. And I can’t tell you yet what it is yet, but we have some big plans in the works for 2015!

I guess when it gets down to it, I really just want to say thank you. I know I’m going to come across as all mushy and stuff, but seriously…thank you for everything. Whether you have us at our wedding, or have taken the time to comment on our photos (Marlo, Hope, Carrie!), you have helped make 2014 wonderful.

I hope you all have a great and safe New Years, and that your 2015 is full of adventure~because it’s true when they say that adventure is out there, I’ve seen it first hand 🙂 Happy 2015, everyone!