Katie and Mick {album}

So I've never done this before, but I'm posting Katie and Mick's album slideshow along with images of the finished album! I'm so excited. :) I am testing a new album company, and Katie and Mick's rock star wedding seemed like just the right wedding to be displayed in this new incredibly awesome and edgy album.

This is an 8x12 40 page flush mount album and I LOVE IT! It's not too big, not too small and has SO many cover options that a girl could just go crazy! I chose this particular fabric cover because it was so representative of Katie and Mick's rockin' red wedding. I also included a 4x5 image on the cover. So pretty. :)

The other thing I love about this album is the fact that it lays completely flat. Seriously, my heart sings at the beauty of this album. It was so much fun to design! I absolutely love it!

You can check out all the layouts for this album by watching the slideshow below. And really, if you'd like to see it in person give me a call and we'll set it up!

Click the image below to start the slideshow

Nicole and Ryan {wedding}

Could Nicole and Ryan BE more beautiful!? Seriously, these two are so gorgeous, and so very much in love and really, so awesome. They were married at Berghold Vineyards in Lodi, California on June 7 and it was such a joy to be a part of their wedding. I was joined by the talented Zach Anderson who second shot for me and was a fantastic burro. :)

I started off at Wine and Roses with the bride and her bridesmaids getting ready. I was seriously in love with the bathroom there (as you could tell from my previous post)and had a blast photographing all the little details. It was so fun to hang out with Nicole and her wonderful family and friends as she got ready for her wedding. Then we were off for some portraits! I had some fun with these girls for sure!

While I was with the ladies, Zach headed over to Ryan's parents where he and his men were getting ready. I think their group pictures might be a little more - um - colorful than the brides. :) Zach did a great job with the boys!

Then it was off to Berghold for some vows and some partying! Ryan and Nicole had a beautiful ceremony! It was lovely to watch them promise their lives to each other. Then they were down the aisle, and ready to party! We did some group shots, and then it was dinner time. Their EXQUISITE meal was provided by the amazing All Seasons, All Reasons catering. Then is was off into the vineyards for some sunset bride and groom portraits.


Nicole and Ryan has one heck of a party! With a photobooth, pumping music and a crowd who was more than ready to dance it was impossible not to have a great time celebrating the new family that had been made.


Many thanks to Nicole, Ryan and your delightful family and friends. It was so wonderful being a part of your wedding! Happy forever you two!

Check out the slideshow for more images of this perfect pairs wedding!

Click the image below to start the slideshow

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall...

I'm editing Nicole and Ryan's wedding right now, and found this picture I took in the bathroom of Nicole's suite at Wine and Roses. I kinda love it... a lot. :) The bathroom was amazing! I can't wait to show you the pictures I took in it. :)

Things are busy around here with editing galore and trying to keep my house from looking like a bomb went off in it. Check back soon for a slideshow!

Tina and Brett are Married!

I just wanted to share this lovely picture of this lovely couple before I crawl into bed and try not to think about the fact I have a meeting with my personal trainer at 9am. Seriously! Could Tina and Brett be more beautiful? No! They can't! Because if they were the world would implode from all the beauty! For reals!

Dustin and I had a wonderful time photographing this wedding whilst training a new assistant, Trisha who is seriously so gosh darned cool we could hardly believe it. PLUS! We got to hang out with our great friend Mike Simmons as he did their video! It was Team AWESOMENESS in action! I can't wait for you to see more of Tina and Brett's incredible wedding! Check back soon for the slideshow!

Ruth and Darin {day after}

Oh Ruth and Darin! I love you! I love how much you love each other, and I love your willingness to be awesome at any time. I can't even begin to say how much fun we had doing this Day After session. We drove around Monterey, worked the full morning sun like no one's business, ate a yummy lunch and then worked it some more! It was a joy to spend the day with Ruth and Darin and just adoring them even more. We were able to get some seriously sweet images that again, just would NOT be possible on a wedding day. We got a little wet (not too much), a little dirty (and sexy), and were able to see some marine life. All in all, the perfect day.


Thanks again to Ruth and Darin for being so blasted cool and for making time to make some seriously rockin' images. We love you guys, and hope you love these pictures as much as we do! HUGS!


click the image below to start the slideshow

Ruth and Darin {wedding}

I honestly don't even know where to begin with this one. Ruth and Darin are some of the most amazing and wonderful people I've ever met. They were a joy to be around, and I have never felt more like a member of the family than I did with these two. It was such a pleasure photographing their wedding! I had a blast, and I think the pictures prove it.

As always, I started the day off with our bride. She and her bridesmaids and sisters and mom and auntie all got their hair and makeup done together at Salon Blu in Monterey, California. Ruth is absolutely stunning! She made such a beautiful, graceful bride because she's just beautiful and graceful every day! Once the hair and makeup were done it was off to the hotel to get ready. Ruth had so many little details! It was awesome becuase I LOVE photographing details. The shot of her shoes in the window is one of my favorite shoe shots ever!

Then it was off to San Juan Baptista Mission for the beautiful ceremony. Ruth and Darin waited to see each other and it was something else. Dustin was in the perfect shot to get Darin's reaction shots as Ruth came in the door. I am so proud of him for nailing these shots. (I even called him when I was editing to tell him what a great job he did I was so impressed!) I seriously got chills when I saw the tears in Darin's eyes. And he wasn't the only one! Their ceremony was beautiful (and all spoken in Spanish!) and there was seriously not a dry eye. Once the vows were said and ring exchanged, Darin and Ruth were ready to PARTY!

We headed next door to the mission at Casa Maria for their amazing reception. Despite the breezy weather, dinner was served on the patio and a good time was definitely had by all. From the tasty food supplied by A Moveable Feast to the Tequila/Sake toast (as Ruth is Hispanic, and Darin is Japanese)to the dancing that went on into the night it was non-stop fun from beginning to end, and I was thrilled Dusty and I got to be a part of it.

I also have to give a BIG thank you to my beloved Jenny and Drew. I photographed their wedding in February of 2007 and they have seriously set the tone for all the great things that have happened around here over the last couple years. Jenny and Ruth were college roommates and I was so excited to see them again at the wedding. Jenny was even a bridesmaid! Jenny has referred loads of her classmates from UC Fullerton's Optometry school to me and I feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to meet so many amazing people because of her and Drew. HUGS to you both!

Thanks again to Ruth, Darin and their wonderful group of family and friends. Thank you for letting Dustin and I into your lives on your big day and not holding back. It was a joy to share your wedding day! You are an incredible couple and we simply adore you!! Check out the slideshow for images of this wonderful couple! And check back for their Day After session slideshow later this week.

Click the image below to start the slideshow

Oh Sunset... how I love you.

Saturday Dustin and I celebrated his birthday by celebrating Nichole and Julian's wedding! I just have to say thanks to their DJ Mike of Creative Memories for letting us steal the bride and groom away for some couple shots in the beautiful sunset light. It was awesome to be able to capture some lovely images of this lovely pair. To all my brides and grooms getting married this summer, don't forget to set a little time aside around sunset for some pictures like this! It's a great chance to have some "alone" time on your wedding day and really be able to connect to each other.

Thanks to Nichole and Julian for being so awesome and scheduling this in! Check back soon for their slideshow!

Happy Birthday and Happy Father's Day Dustin

Today is my beloved husband Dustin's 29th birthday, and tomorrow is Father's Day and even though we just walked in the house from shooting a wedding together all day long, I couldn't not sit down and share how grateful I am for this wonderful man. Dustin has made me a better person from the first day we met. He has given me the incredible gift of believing in me far more than I have ever believed in myself. If it wasn't for him and his big thinking, Sarah Maren Photography wouldn't exist. He saw what I couldn't, and then held up a mirror so I could see too. I can't tell you how grateful I am for the man who is my best friend in the world, the father of my child and the love of my life. Dustin you are the sun and moon and stars. Thank you for making my life even better than I ever imagined. You are beyond a dream come true. Thank you for loving me, and for loving our Lauren in a way that melts my heart and turns my soul to mush. I love how much she loves you, and I love that she has your smile. Thank you for being the best dad and the best husband. Happy Birthday! Happy Father's Day! Happy everyday!

Tawny and George {Day After}

Yes, that's right folks we're dedicating a whole post just to Tawny and George's Day After (or Post Wedding Bridal or Trash the Dress or whatever you want to call it) session. We met up with them the day after their stunning and beautiful wedding and headed over to Oceanside for some fun and frolic.


We started things out near the library and civic center. It was fun being congratulated by passers by and as it was Memorial Day, we really kind of had the run of the joint. I am a sucker for parking garage light (it's just so nice!) so I was thrilled to see the parking garage was practically empty! We spent some quality time making some quality images.

Then we made our way toward the beach stopping along the way whenever we saw something fun. It was just tons of fun hanging out with Tawny and George and making some images that rocked it out! I am such a fan of the Day After session. Images like these are some we just couldn't get on a wedding day! It was awesome to make these pictures because I am stinkin'
proud of them!

Thanks again to Tawny and George for braving the Memorial Day beach crowd, and to Desiree and Amanda for joining me for the shoot again. I seriously appreciate all of your hard work, and I think these images show just how awesome you guys are.

Check out the slideshow for a taste of Tawny and George's day after session. This isn't even half of their finished images from the day. :)

Click the image below to start the slideshow

Can someone pass the Advil?

I shot a seriously amazing wedding yesterday! It was blast from start to finish and I am just so grateful that I got to be a part of Nicole and Ryan's ridiculously awesome wedding. These two are IN LOVE in a BIG way and it was wonderful to behold. I mean, seriously, look at them!
It was so fun hanging out with this beautiful couple on their big day. It just made all gooey inside! :)

I also have to give a big shout out to (dare I say it? I DARE!) the lovely and talented Zach Anderson for trekking out to Lodi from San Francisco to shoot with me. Zach is awesome and it was a joy to work with him. While the guests were eating we took a few moments in the photo booth to capture our awesomeness.


Check back soon for more pictures from Nicole and Ryan's wedding! As for me, well, the 12 hours of shooting has done me in, so I'm going to go take some Advil and rub some Icy-Hot on my lower back. Have a great Sunday everybody!