Pacific Weddings Magazine – Real Wedding by L’amour Photography

We are honored to announce that L’amour Photography has been featured in the Real Weddings article in the latest edition of  Pacific Weddings Magazine Summer/Fall 2010.

Pacific Weddings Magazine Hawaii Real Wedding by L'Amour Photography

Michelle and Mark were such an amazing couple, beautiful inside and out. Their Hawaii destination wedding was held at the historic Bayer Estate with a  turquoise blue and ivory color scheme adding vibrance to starfish and sand dollar accents of their beach themed wedding.  Michelle looked classic and elegant in her cream colored wedding dress which Michelle had altered to fit her dreams of the perfect wedding dress.  She had the front of the skirt of her wedding dress shortened, showcasing her Badgley Mischka shoes, and each layer of  her voluminous dress was lined with satin ribbon. This fashionable bride worked with Designs by Hemmingway for her wedding flowers and decided to go with a simple white orchid corsage instead of the traditional wedding bouquet.

Stay tuned for more on this beautiful wedding.

Pacific Weddings Magazine – La Plume Editorial featuring L’Amour Photography

L’amour Photography has been published in editorial “Plume” featuring the vintage inspired wedding accessory line, La Plume Couture, in the latest edition of  Pacific Weddings Magazine Summer/Fall 2010.

"Plume" editorial in Pacific Weddings Magazine

La Plume Couture features gorgeous hairpieces, hats, bracelets, feather bouquets and purses all with classic and vintage beauty. These accessories can make an ordinary wedding into a truly unique wedding.  Check out the “Plume” article in the current addition of Pacific Weddings Magazine on stands now to learn more about this new accessory line and see more photos by L’Amour Photography.

Oahu Wedding Photographer – La Plume Couture Vintage Wedding Shoot

When we were approached to photograph the new La Plume Couture line, we knew we would have a great time capturing all of the intricate details.  The historic Bayer Estate was the perfect backdrop for these photos featuring feather bouquets, beaded purses, and vintage hats.  L’Amour’s own, Wendy, even modeled some of the items with makeup and styling done by Heather Belle.

Click here to see a behind-the-scenes video of L’Amour Photography’s Eric and John in action. Video done by Christine Nix.

Hawaii Wedding Photographers – L’Amour Photography’s new ad in Pacific Weddings Magazine

Debuting our new logo in Pacific Weddings Magazine Summer/Fall 2010 Edition. Check out our advertisement on stands now!

Hawaii Wedding Photographer Magazine Ad L'Amour Photography

Pacific Weddings Magazine is the essential bridal magazine for weddings in Hawaii, California, Mexico, Fiji and Pacific Coast areas.   Unlike many other wedding magazines that read more like a directory of websites, stores, and wedding vendors around the United States, Pacific Weddings Magazine offers brides and grooms useful information on planning and designing the perfect setting for an elegant and stylish destination wedding in the Pacific.  With articles spotlighting high-fashion wedding gowns, vibrant bouquets, intricate decorative details, beautiful and touching “Real Weddings,” and stunning photography from wedding photographers around the world, this is a perfect resource for our brides planning their Hawaii destination wedding from afar. Check out the latest addition on stands now.

Look for this edition of Pacific Weddings Magazine on stands throughout the West Coast of the United States.  Also, see if you can spot all of the pages with L’Amour Photography wedding photos!

Hawaii Wedding Photographers – L’Amour Photography has a new logo

From the very beginning, L’Amour Photography has been evolving and always getting better.  We are excited to reveal our new logo and a few changes to our website.  Same awesome team of wedding photographers, same quality images, but with a new logo! Out with the old, and in with the new!

L'Amour Photography Hawaii Wedding Photographers new logo

Vote for Best of Honolulu 2010!

It’s that time again to dub a select few businesses the title of “Best of Honolulu”!

Click this link to vote for L’Amour Photography for the “Best Event Photographer” under the “Quality of Life” Section at the bottom area of the Ballot! Get your vote in now, the contest ends 11/30/2009.

Thanks for your votes! We greatly appreciate it!

Oahu Wedding Photographers – L’Amour Photography – Our past 13 days

The last 13 days for us have been jam packed!  Just the way we like it! We are extremely grateful for each of the awesome couples we have gotten to work with in the last two weeks.  We have had the best time photographing and meeting each of these couples.

Seven weddings, one “post-wedding” session, one portrait session, one senior portrait and two days of the Wedding Expo.  We have traveled around Oahu to beaches, hotels, resorts, cliffs, etc.  In just the last two weeks we have photographed at the Westin Moana Surfrider in Honolulu, Waialae Beach Park, Turtle Bay Resort on the North Shore, Kaka’ako Beach Park, Haiku Gardens and Haleiwa Joe’s Restaurant in Kaneohe, the Blowhole lookout point and Sandy Beach, Royal Hawaiian Hotel, Sheraton Waikiki, and Hilton Hawaiian Village.  Wow, my fingers are tired now from all that typing!

Phew! No time for rest. We are flying out to California tomorrow to photograph a wedding in the Bay Area.  We are so grateful to do what we love, work together, meet all of these great people, travel for work and visit our family and friends in California at the same time. LIFE IS GOOD !

We have changed our name to L’Amour Photography!

We are very excited to announce that Leslie Mansperger Photography has changed its name to L’Amour Photography!

We have upgraded our packages and added some new products to help us continue to offer top of the line services and products. We’re very excited about the new name and the new services we are able to provide!

Apart from the name and some upgraded products, everything will remain the same. The website, our contact information and packages previously booked will all remain unchanged.

Wendy & Eric - a sneak peek picture from our wedding

If you have any questions at all please contact us.

All the best,

Wendy & Eric

Video by Kai Media of L’Amour’s Wendy and Eric with the Oahu Wedding Association

Our friends over at Kai Media have been having some fun with some of the footage from the recent Oahu Wedding Association briadal fashion show. The opening shot is Wendy getting her hair done.. followed by both of us dorking around doing a husband and wife photo shoot.

Enjoy!

Hawaii Wedding Photographer – Janeen and Wesley’s Wedding

Congratulations to newlyweds Janeen and Wesley who were married in a beautiful ceremony at Haiku Gardens in Kaneohe on Oahu.

Oahu Wedding Association (OWA) – March Meeting at Masako Formals

Wendy and I spend a lot of time hiding behind cameras at weddings. It sorta goes with the job. This last Oahu Wedding Association meeting we got a chance to walk a mile (or a few runway lengths… I tend to over exaggerate) in the shoes of our Brides & Grooms. We got to play bride and groom, again, and get all made up to model some of Masako Formal’s wedding attire.

Not only did we get to rock a wicked tux and wedding dress, we had a chance to work with some of our fellow OWA members in a much more up close and personal role than we normally get. Wendy and I were both sized and dressed by the lovely staff at Masako Formals. This turned out to be a repeat for Wendy, since she actually bought her wedding dress from them a couple months back.

I was fitted for a silver Italian tux. It turns out that it is a very popular look for many of the Japanese weddings here. It further turns out – I don’t fit the normal Japanese sizes. No snag there though – they brought the tux to the back and was quickly back out with the tux adjusted to my size. Go go gadget tuxedo!

Not only did Wendy get to wear another beautiful wedding dress, she was pampered with makeup by Wendy Robin of Studio W of Honolulu. Now this part gets confusing – I have to describe Wendy Robin’s (the make up artist) work on Wendy Leslie (the wife). Wendy R. is an INCREDIBLY talented makeup artist and a wonderful person. She was trained in Hollywood, worked in paris for print photographers, and then came back to LA to do makeup for the stars. The list of people that she has worked with reads like the who’s who list of Hollywood – Matt Damon, Carmen Electra, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, James Earl Jones, Bernie Mac, Jack Black, and Jaime Pressly the just name a few. She has skills. Numbchuck skills, bowstaff skills… She has plenty of skills. Wendy R. did an airbrushing job for Wendy’s makeup. I lucked out and only got a quick powder. Ahhh the joys of being a man.

After all the prep, we had a BLAST walking down the runway in front of all of our peers in the industry. It was so much fun and I felt like the luckiest guy in the world to get to escort the most beautiful woman in the world down the catwalk. We were both lucky to have some of our wonderful photographer friends there to capture the whole shabang.

All in all it was a GREAT evening. It is always such a treat to hang out with so many amazing people. We are really blessed to work in this industry with these people. Millions of thank yous go out to OWA for the opportunity to dress up and party like its 1999… I mean 2009.

-E

Check out Geralyn’s cutting (it slices, it dices) hair-do, and Mona’s convertible Kimono -

Special thanks to Grant Gomes for snapping the below collage pics for us!

And to Eugene Kam for the below (yes ladies and gentlemen – that is my wifey! I’m a lucky guy!) -

Hawaii Wedding Photographer – Bernice Puahi Memorial Chapel at Kamehameha School and The Willows Restaurant

Eric and I started this wedding day with heading over to the Royal Hawaiian Hotel to capture the bride and bridesmaids getting for the big day! I’m always excited to shoot somewhere new and was particularly excited to finally get to see the newly remodeled  Royal Hawaiian Hotel in Waikiki.  When Eric and I moved to Oahu back in October of 2008 the Royal Hawaiian Hotel was closed for renovation and just recently reopened.  So, needless to say, I couldn’t wait to finally getting to shoot at  “the Pink Palace of the Pacific.”

Lauwa’e enjoyed some good girl time with her bridesmaids while getting her hair and makeup done by Jaque Rojas.  I hung out with the ladies as they got ready while Eric headed over to the wedding ceremony venue to capture the groom, Jay, and his brothers getting ready at The Bernice Puahi Bishop Memorial Chapel at Kamehameha School. This was our first time shooting at this venue and we were instantly struck by its culture and beauty.

The lively group of family and friends headed over to the The Willows Restaurant for a delicious dinner. Not much of a public speaker myself, I always am in awe of people who can give funny and touching speeches at weddings.  Jay’s brothers and sons definitely have that gift. I will have to get them to mentor me in case Im called upon to make a speech.  (I mean, I have gone to great lengths to get out of speeches. I even spent weeks scanning photos and putting together a slide show to take the place of a speech for my good friend Brittany.  Somehow I managed to shut the power off to the DJ while doing my slideshow and ended up rambling “im sorry” into the microphone while we all waited for the DJ to re-boot all his equipment!… but I digress)

Eric and I broke from our “pre-wedding” diet (30 days to go!) to try some of Lauwa’e and Jay’s wedding cake and oh my gosh it was definitely worth it. This cake was done by one of our favorite cake artists Sunshine’s Cake Creations. We never cease to be amazed each time we see and taste Vikki’s work.

Best wishes to Lauwa’e and Jay. Thanks so much for allowing us to be part of your beautiful big day!

Happy Belated Valentines Day from Wendy and Eric Leslie-Mansperger!

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!

Our “Do It Yourself” Wedding Invitation Extravaganza Weekend

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.

Wedding Cafe Honolulu – Workshop with Leading Oahu Florists

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)