make-a-wish... come true

back in december i volunteered to shoot a christmas party for the make-a-wish foundation in san diego. i was so inspired by the wish kids that i immediately offered my services to make-a-wish for some upcoming events where they might be able to use my abilities. i was thrilled to get a call back less than a week later with a request to help with a wish.
this wish was for brandy.
brandy was born with a congenital heart defect and has seen a lifetime of medical challenges by the age of 15, but still has a smile brighter than the las vegas strip. her wish was to celebrate (a little early) her 16th birthday with all of her friends and family, a la my super sweet 16, at the fabulous hotel del coronado. lindsay (brandy's wish coordinator) said that at the heart of brandy's wish, she wanted to have the time of her life, thank her family and friends for being so supportive, and feel pampered. all three of those things were achieved. this party was incredible!
kim and i were just two small niblets on this huge event corn cob. along with brandy and her family, we send out a massive mahalo to everyone that helped make brandy's wish come true. i hope i got everyone here:
wish fulfilling angels - make-a-wish
venue - hotel del coronado
hair and makeup - marinello schools of beauty
brandy's dress - betsey johnson
planning/coordination - the bridal bar
dj / izzy - wayne foster entertainment
videographer - eagle lion video
lounge rentals - kool party rentals
layout/design - wedding elegance by nahid
floral/decor - embellishments floral & event design studio
candy station - candee by sandee
invitations - dolldine designs
linens/lighting - indulge contemporary catering
floral/lighting - crown weddings
floral/decor - hartworks floral designs
photography - ohana photographers (hey, that's us!)
if i missed anyone that helped, please let me know. i don't want to leave anyone out. thanks everyone!
happy super sweet 16 brandy... and many more!

brandy looked absolutely beautiful for her party, but then again, doesn't she always.

brandy's mom gave everyone a huge surprise when she grabbed the mic and sang a song to brandy. it was a pretty sweet moment.

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brittany and zach's engagement session in coranado ca

errrrrrrttt! that's the sound of kim's little posting joy ride coming to a screetching halt. i turn my back for 2 seconds and she drops a couple posts faster than a crack fiend drops evidence in a footrace from the cops.
kim fans can just skip to the photos now if you like. i understand. (turning to wipe away my tears)
here's my version of brittany and zach. please forgive the crudity of this post. i didn't have time to draw up flow charts or timeline graphs to go along with the images :)
brittany and zach, let me begin by saying congratulations on your engagement, and thank you so much for asking us to shoot engagement photos for you. considering who will be shooting your wedding, receiving your request to photograph this fun and exciting moment in your lives really humbled us.
for everyone that's not a wedding photographer in southern california, i'll let you know why we feel the way we do about shooting for brittany and zach. brittany has been photographed by about 10 bizillion photographers from all over the planet, each of them awesome in their own way, many of them experts in the industry. zach has also been in some of those shoots, but i think his number is closer to 5 bizillion. basically what i'm saying is they could have asked any one of those photographers to do this session for them and they would have been thrilled to do it, but they asked us. a one in 10 bizillion opportunity. so we got that goin for us, which is nice. :)
and now, a quick history lesson.
i met brittany a couple years ago when i was at a photography workshop. brittany was one of the models (aka guinnea pigs for our newfound skills) at that workshop. we didn't get to talk much, but when it came time to shoot i really enjoyed working with brittany. she had a smile that could light up the whole oc, and a heart to match. when the workshop ended several of us agreed to "keep in touch" like every group does at the end of a journey together. i headed back home to be an average everyday normal guy and brittany continued being her awesome self. as agreed, many of us have kept in touch, even if only through email and twitter. life has a way of keeping everyone busy.
prior to doing this session, i had not seen brittany in-person for about two years. much has happened in those two years, including (but not limited to) two very awesome things. one: brittany cut off a huge lock of her silky long hair and gave it to LOCKS OF LOVE, and a very obvious two: her engagement to zach. going into our shoot i knew next to nothing about zach, but within minutes of meeting him i knew that he had a good heart. he had a kind way about him and a smile that let me know he was blessed in life. it wasn't until near the end of our session that i learned zach is the pastor of the youth group at his church. it suddenly all made sense. these two are perfect together. i am so happy that God brought them together. they are both wonderful people that deserve every bit of happiness life has to offer. if you'd like to know more about their love story just take a look at what brittany wrote about her noah (aka zach) on her blog.
that's all i have to say about that. now i'll show you all what i'm talkin about when i say that brittany and zach are awesome! here are a handful of shots from our fun afternoon in coronado.

see what i mean about her smile. that's love right there.

today's top story in zach's world :)

if you can dream it, you can do it!

dear diary, jackpot.

check that shopping cart rockin the blue steel

i absolutely love this series with brittany's beach cruiser and the schweet longboard skateboard that her grandpa made for her.
these shots prove that brittany and zach are as fun as they are hot.

mmmmm, burger lounge. what? where am i? sorry guys, that place smelled soooo good.
back to you britt and zach :)

**sizzle**

i love how happy these two are together. i could literally take pictures of them all day long. sharing and shooting moments like this are the reasons why i love what i do so much.

hey... guys... you're fogging up my lens :)

remember that scene in wayne's world when garth's dream girl walks in and looks him in the eye and he gets knocked back against the jukebox. that's the look zach was going for.
nailed it.

as a general rule, you should never mess with a guy on a powder blue beach cruiser :)

what would a visit to coronado be without getting your toes in the sand?
i don't know, and i don't wanna know :)

again brittany and zach, thank you so much for driving all the way down (in gnarly traffic) to hang out with us in san diego for a bit. we had a shopping cart full of fun with you guys. if this session is any indication, i know you will both have a lifetime of happy memories together. congratulations.
we can't wait to see what images your awesome friends, the lovely jasmine star and the talented mr david jay, come up with at your wedding in october at strawberry farms in irvine. your wedding is going to be amazing!