This engagement session was a blast. We went all over Honolulu to get some interesting backgrounds to showcase this couple’s love for each other. To get some shots with interesting architecture we took Marlissa and Daniel to some of the most distinctive buildings in Honolulu, including Honolulu Hale, ‘Iolani Palace, and Aloha Tower.
We really meant to put up this blog on Valentine’s Day, I promise. You know how little projects turn into huge projects. Things just keep jumping onto our plate (it’s a very nice problem to have!).
Valentine’s Day is one of my most favorite days of the year right after Halloween. I mean, I like Valentine’s Day so much that I’d take it over Christmas! Our Valentine’s Day started out by shooting a short wedding at Haiku Gardens in Kaneohe. To our surprise, the couple actually met in our hometown of San Jose, California. We always like working with clients from California and reminiscing about familiar places that we miss. Its like taking a little trip home in our minds : )
We gave ourselves the night off and had a great time together. Our first Valentine’s Day as a married couple!
Below are two Valentine’s Day cards we received from family: Eric’s 89-year-old grandmother sent us this hilarious chimpanzee card that made ridiculously loud kissing sounds when we opened it. The other card was from Eric’s Mom and Stepdad. A chipmunk with a camera! It doesn’t get much cuter than that!
We hope you and your loved ones had a great Valentine’s Day too!
Eric and I love making stuff, but honestly with the Wedding Photography business keeping us busy, we have unfortunately put our own wedding planning on the back burner for far far too long. Heck, I only ordered my wedding dress earlier this month (to the shock and dismay of the ladies at Masako Formals in Honolulu…”Your wedding is this MAY???”) For those of you who don’t know, Eric and I are actually already married, and had a civil ceremony in September 2008, but are having our actual wedding back in the California Bay Area this May!
With my history in 911 call-taking, I have mastered the art of multitasking and really feel out of my element if less than 5 things are going on at once. So of course for Super Bowl weekend, we decided if we were gonna sit and watch the game for that amount of time we can FINALLY get our own wedding invitations done.
Our very good Wedding Planner friends Michelle and Justin from Au Lait, Inc. lent us their expertise and manpower in crafting over 100 invitations. If only everyone could be so fortunate! Eric, Michelle, Justin and I spent … well, I’m not going to admit to how many hours getting each paper slice perfectly strait and every envelope licked and stamped. After a few needed breaks for refreshments (beer) and snacks (Clausen pickles), the fruits of our labors finally paid off and most have been sent out, squeaking by just under three months before the wedding.
Mucho mahalo to Michelle and Justin of Au Lait, Inc for their skills and to their Shiba Inu “Inuki” for playing the role of official mascot of the Leslie Mansperger Wedding “Do It Yourself” Wedding Invitation Extravaganza Weekend.
Congratulations to Sue and Manny!!! This happy couple had a short Hawaiian beach wedding and then headed over to our neck of the woods, Kaneohe, to Haiku Gardens for an intimate wedding reception.
Eric and I are always happy to head over to Haiku Garden and Haleiwa Joe’s for weddings, dinner, or just some pupus and cocktails at happy hour! This wedding party was super nice and the happy bride and groom were so in love and enthralled with each other that we hardly had to suggest any poses, they just naturally looked great interacting with each other. That always is a blessing as I prefer more photojournalistic shots of couples just being in love and being themselves! Not only were Sue and Manny super cute, I loved their style. Sues shoes were reminiscent of my own wedding shoes for our civil ceremony last year. You gotta love a girl who wears black and white wedding shoes!
If you live in Oahu and have not been by the Wedding Cafe yet, you absolutely must! This dual purpose cafe combines yummy drinks and treats with a plethora of wedding planning resources. You can browse through tons of Bridal Magazines, local wedding photographer’s albums, venue information and more. Let me tell you, if I had been able to come to the Wedding Cafe early on in our wedding planning, it would have saved me tons of hours of searching for good magazines, books, and contacts.
Not only do they offer all of these resources, but they also offer weekly workshops on every aspect of wedding planning: Budget and time lines, hair and makeup, florists, photographers, etc. Eric and I rushed over from shooting the Special Olympics Punt Pass and Kick with the NFL Pro Bowl Players (including Eli & Peyton Manning!) to attend the workshop on Tabletop and Decor. The room was absolutely packed with soon-to-be brides and some soon-to-be hubbys too!
The professional panel gave advice on what to consider when picking out floral arrangements and decor. One of my favorite tips was to ask for organically grown flowers to accent the cake to prevent any pesticides from making their way onto your wedding cake! Eric and I are always looking for “green wedding” tips and loved Debbie Hemingway’s suggestion to use live plants as centerpieces that can be planted after the wedding instead of just thrown out like other flowers.
So, in closing, as I pass out from a busy busy week…. Check out the Wedding Cafe at Ward Center and learn all about weddings and local resources. GI Joe put it best: “And knowing is half the battle!”
Here are some photographs of the lovely floral and decor displays by the following companies:
Designs by Hemingway (photo directly below)
Floral Inspirations
My Florist
Passion Roots
Spinning WEB
Su-V Expressions
(photo collage of these displays directly below)
Volunteering with the Special Olympics is always an honor for us. These athletes have the most amazing attitudes, most welcoming personalities and the biggest hearts. It was an exceptional treat to see these athletes joined by some of the most talented and famous football stars in the world, the Pro Bowl Athletes of 2009.
Eli and Peyton Manning, joined by Stephen Gostkowski and Jordan Gross, volunteered their time to coach 30 of Hawaii’s Special Olympic athletes at this years Punt, Pass and Kick event. In addition to the excitement of meeting and playing with these awesome football players, mascots from the Bears, Ravens, Buccaneers, and Texans provided extra entertainment, high fives, and hugs.
(check this article for updates on info and pictures!)
