Archive for June, 2011

Recently, I had the opportunity to photograph another Yelp Elite event. Yelp is a huge part of my life. Whenever I want to go out to eat and want to try a new restaurant, I will always consult first with reviews on Yelp.com to figure out where to eat. Or to find a dentist. Or a tailor. I trust my fellow Yelpers. And I even have my own Yelp page, where prospective clients can read reviews of past clients.

This Yelp event was off the hook! The Vegas Community Manager, Misti Y, and her crew did an awesome job organizing the event. One look at these pictures, and you wish you were a part of the Yelp Elite crew.

This event was held at Red Rock Casino, an upscale hotel and casino. We were lucky to sample food from not just 1 or 2 Red Rock restaurants, but 3! Here’s some of the amazing food from T-Bones, Cabo, and Hachi. They came in the cutest bamboo dishes and the food just kept coming out. They also took care of us with a range of speciality drinks. I’m getting hungry just looking at these pictures again!
Appetizers at Red Rock Casino

Then we moved to Red Rock Lanes, the bowling alley inside the casino, where dessert was waiting for us. There were dozens of assorted cupcakes and cheesecake pops! I was blown away at how many desserts were displayed. At first I panicked because I thought all the cheesecake pops were taken before I could get a picture, but then I found out later that there was an entire separate display of just cheesecake pops. I was only looking at the cupcake display. Wow.
Cupcake and cheesecake pops at Red Rock Casino

Free swag included Yelp bags, a Yelp watch, Gavin Degraw tickets at Red Rock, and some other Red Rock discounts. Yelpers were happy to show off their swag!
Yelpers excited for bowling and free goodies

..and did I mention that we got to go bowling?! The bowling alley is huge and has 30 lanes. They turned off the lights for cosmic bowling and it was really fun! I even bowled a game in between taking pictures.
Cosmic bowling at Red Rock Casino

See all the photos at Yelp’s Flickr site or read about the event on the Yelp blog.

Congrats to Kerry and Matt, who just got married last weekend! You may recall their baseball themed engagement session last fall. I am so giddy about seeing their picture that I took in in the New York Times! The Times is one of my favorite newspapers, and every so often I will read the featured celebration in the Weddings section because I love to read about how they met and how they overcame the bumps they experienced in their relationship. Sometimes when there’s a lot of depressing news being reported, it’s nice to flip to the Weddings section and read a happy ending.

Photo in the New York Times wedding section

Brides, if you are planning to submit a wedding announcement in any newspaper, read their guidelines carefully before your engagement session so you know exactly what they want. You don’t want to risk rejection just because your picture does not fit their standards. The New York Times has a set format and very specific guidelines. For example, the eyebrows of the couple are supposed to be on the same level (I kid you not! It actually says that!). So it’s difficult if one person is taller than the other! I had them sitting down, which helped some, and it took a few tries to get it right but we did it!

What makes it extra special is that their wedding announcement is featured prominently with their photo and not lumped into the “More weddings and celebrations” section that you see below in the bottom left (there were more but I cut it off in the screenshot). It is quite an honor to get featured, especially in June which is one of the busiest months for weddings! Here is the link to the original article.

Wedding announcement in the New York Times

When I first met Harpreet and Kevin to talk about their engagement session, I knew we would be instant friends. We talked as if we already knew each other and chatted like old friends would do. And the more I talked to them, the more I knew that they were meant for each other, even though I knew them for a whole 5 minutes. Harpreet told me that she read by blog before we met and knew she would like me already because I mentioned that I really love food. Lol! I have been really busy lately so I haven’t had time to work on personal pictures, but I will try to post more personal posts and pictures of food!

Harpreet and Kevin are getting married in California next month, but they live here in Las Vegas and wanted a location that didn’t feel like Las Vegas. After scouting a few places, they really wanted to do it at Lake Las Vegas, which is a beautiful place for engagement photos. We started off the session with this really cool bridge.
Couple walking on a bridge at Lake Las Vegas

Harpreet and Kevin are so cute together and totally in love!
couple cuddling at lake las vegas

las vegas engagement photography

The English gardens are beautiful and make me feel transported to another land.
Engaged couple at Lake Las Vegas

Harpreet was laughing for most of the session. I couldn’t get over how cute they are!
Engagement session by Las Vegas engagement photographer

Lake Las Vegas engagement session

This bridge was modeled after the bridge in Florence, Italy…everything’s a replica in Vegas! It’s so pretty and colorful.

Engagement session at Lake Las Vegas

This is their “blue steel” look. Then they got the giggles and started acting goofy. Love it!
Couple having fun at Lake Las Vegas

If you’d like to see more pictures, head over to my Facebook fan page or portfolio site!

Colleen + Paul married!

June 15, 2011

Last month, Colleen and Paul flew in from New York to get married here in Las Vegas. I didn’t meet them until 2 days before the wedding, and we only talked on the phone until then. But Colleen was really sweet over the phone, and they sounded like a very laid back couple. When I met them in person, I got to know them a little more, and they were so calm when I met them. There were no jitters that I could see, but maybe because they have been dating for over a decade!

Forty of their closest friends and family flew out to celebrate their wedding day with them. It was a beautiful, intimate wedding held at Caesar’s Palace.

I loved Colleen’s flower girl! She was so precious and had on the cutest flower girl dress! The wedding gazebo is out by the pool so that’s why we are passing by the towel station.
walking through Caesar's Palace

Caesar's Palce wedding by Las Vegas wedding photographer

The gardens at Caesar’s Palace is gorgeous! They recently changed the rules and no longer allow brides to bring outside photographers, so this may be my first and last time photographing here! So sad!
Outdoor wedding at Caesar's Palace Las Vegas

I found out Paul absolutely hates taking pictures, so I tried to do the bride and groom portraits as fast and painless as possible. I am not sure if Paul would agree, but he looks happy that I’m taking his picture here!
Las Vegas strip wedding photography

While waiting for the limo, I was able to sneak in a few more portraits by the front gardens of Caesar’s. Such an adorable couple!
Couple kissing outside of Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas

Couple strolling around gardens at Caesar's Palace

Colleen ended up hiring a limo to take them to the reception at Maggiano’s. Originally she wanted to walk since it’s only a block, but it is one very looong block, especially when it is hot outside and you are in a wedding dress!
Couple walking to limo in front of Caesar's Palace casino

Couple making their entrance at their Las Vegas wedding reception

Paul used to compete professionally in motocross, and so Colleen surprised him with a motocross cake! I love the originality of the cake and how the tires make up the layers of the cake, and was really well designed.
Couple having their first dance at Maggiano's in Las Vegas

Colleen had pink uplighting, which was a great touch to the dance floor! And yes, that is the flower doing “the sprinkler”! Love it!
Couple cutting a motocross cake at their Las Vegas wedding reception

Dance pictures covered by Las Vegas weddding photographer

You can view more pictures on my Facebook fan page or portfolio site!