Chris and Genevieve Targoni

I had a pleasure of being able to be a guest at my good friend Chris Targoni's wedding. I think that this was this first time that I have been a guest at a wedding in probably 5 years because I am normally "working." Chris and Genevieve had an awesome wedding on the beach in Carpinteria. I took a few photos just because I couldn't help myself.

I was looking through these photos, and I realized that almost all of my friends at this wedding work at Reality Carp (or they serve there). Sean and DJ above and Cody and Jessica below.

Matt, Amber, Zoe and Ryan.

This is Chach, and probably the best cupcake toast that I've ever heard!

The youth group leaders/kids from Reality. When I first met Chris, he was still in high school. We did discipleship together for a couple years, although I think that I learned more from him than he did from me.

Congratulations!

Edgar and Jennifer Cabrera

I got to shoot a really fun wedding this weekend for Edgar and Jennifer in Santa Barbara. It has been crazy down there the last few days due the the Jesusita Fire that has been going wild and burning down homes. My mom has been working at the Red Cross shelters (she's a nurse), because about 1/3 of the city was on mandatory evacuation notice. That said, Edgar and Jennifer had to make some changes for their wedding because it has been raining ash in Santa Barbara. They moved the reception from Elings Park to the Lion's Park in Carpinteria, though Jennifer had never even seen it. I was impressed that they were not stressed or worried about anything because I probably would have been. You can se more photos in their slideshow by CLICKING HERE. 

Here are some shots from the day:

My brother, Mikey, was shooting the wedding with me, and in the morning, he was hanging out with Edgar while I was with Jennifer.



Peeking out of the windows to get a glimpse of the guests filling into the sanctuary at Calvary Chapel.

Their story is so CUTE! I smile every time that I think about it. They found me through my cousin, Rylee, who teaches at Coastline Christian Academy in Goleta. Edgar and Jennifer both have children who go to school there. They were both chaperoning for a school field trip to Sacramento, when they just happened to be in the same car on the ride home. They hit it off, and here we are, at their wedding :) Below you can see their kids, who were their bridal party. 









They had a "cake reception" at Calvary right after the ceremony for all of the people who came.


They also had a traditional reception (the one that had to get moved because of the fire) in Carpinteria. On the way there, we stopped to take some photos out on the bluffs in Carp. The tall grass made for some really unique shots. 

The groom normally rents a suit or tux, so they are always down to do anything for the photos. The bride on the other hand, searches high and low for the perfect dress and they are often pretty expensive. I'm always glad when brides are wiling to go somewhere that is risky for their dress, but good for photos. I'm sure Jennifer got a bunch of stickers in her dress, and it got dirty while we were out in the dusty field, but I think that the photos made it worth it-just my opinion.




Mikey was laughing at me because I had to run like I was hunting through the grass to get to the right spot. Oh yeah, I was holding the bouquet too :)


The pan pipes player was a cool addition to the environment at the reception. He played music on the pan pipes from all over South America.
Another cool addition to the reception was the bounce-house for the kids. 
I love the energy in this shot!
We snuck out for a couple of quick shots at the beach in Carp during sunset.

A guy ran out with some wine for the Bride and Groom. It was pretty classic.
This shot is really fun :)





This was one of the coolest things that I have seen at a reception. Photos don't even do it justice. The kids all practiced and put together a dance together for their parents. It was so AWESOME!!




It was a perfect day! Thanks!