So here we are! It's a new day at Ashleigh Taylor Photography...or at least a newly formatted blog at a new address. If you haven't updated your bookmarks and rss feeds, please do so now. The new address is http://ashleightaylorblog.com/And now...after all the hard work my HUSBAND put into to making this blog better, I can finally share Thomas & Erika's wedding!

Thomas & Erika's Clarke Estate Wedding

Erika & Thomas are a wonderful couple who just wed at the Clarke Estate in Santa Fe Springs, and I have had the pleasure of getting to know them over the past 6 months. I took their engagement pictures back in January, when I was first starting to think about wedding photography as a possible career path! Erika and I also became fast online friends soon after, as we both discovered that we were planning our weddings with the aid of the Knot boards. It was fun to talk wedding with her and bond over the process of planning. Then back in the Spring, Erika hired me to shoot her B-Pics, which was also of course a total blast!! When Erika invited me to tag-along as a third shooter at her wedding I was thrilled! I knew her wedding would be fab, and was looking forward to capturing the day!I was right!! Erika's wedding was FAB! Beautiful setting, beautiful decor, beautiful couple!! Erika & Thomas are so in love! When you are in their presence, you know that you are in the presence of something special. A true romance. The way they look at each other. The way they take care of each other. Their tenderness. The smile in their eyes. It's definitely swoon-worthy.Being the third shooter, I decided my focus of the day would be the details. The beautiful details Erika spent a year putting into place. And also the emotional details. The stolen looks. The moments of joy. The moments of love. The little things that make up the story of the wedding day. Because really guys, that's what my main passion is: telling stories!!!Thank you to Christina of TinaMolina Events for coordinating the day beautifully, and Robert Hill Photo for letting me tag-along. Also thanks to the beautiful venue, The Clarke Estate, for providing us with such a great backdrop for such a splendid event!The Clarke Estate10211 Pioneer BoulevardSanta Fe Springs, CA 90670And now...please enjoy these pictures below, and also be sure to check out the SLIDESHOW.

Priscilla & Chris are probably the funniest & funnest couple I have ever met. There isn't a dull moment with these two! I learned this during our shoot at the *fabulous* Griffith Observatory. One minute they would be joking and making silly faces, and then the next minute, practically out of nowhere, they would pull out the fiercest Top Model poses! Love it! Just from the few hours I spent with them at Griffith, it is clear to me that Priscilla and Chris know how to have a good time, and know how to inject their lives with joy, laughter, and FUN! And that, my friends, is a recipe for a long, happy life together! So glad these two are engaged and will be married real soon!!!Also, for those who don't know the Griffith Observatory is such a beautiful and fun location! Can't think of a better place to take engagement photos...but it's also just fun to get away and spend the day there. There's a lot to see, do, learn & explore...but it's also nice just soaking in the views! I highly encourage you to check it out!!Griffith Observatory2800 East Observatory RoadLos Angeles, CA 90027Anyways, I digress... I'm sooooo excited for these two's wedding in just a few weeks! I know it will be a blast! Now on with the photos:

Hello Blogosphere! I have returned from my wedding and honeymoon, and proud to say that now I am a MRS. Thanks to all for your patience during the last month of my wedding planning! Things got really stressful for awhile but everything turned out perfect!! Have faith brides, the light at the end of the tunnel is brilliant!A few weeks before my wedding I shot Priscilla & Chris's engagement session at the Griffith Observatory. They have been patiently awaiting the photos...and I am still working on a full blog post...but here's a little teaser to whet their appetite. Enjoy!Please stay tuned for more pics from their awesome engagement session!

I have been sooooo excited to blog these pictures, since, well the very day I shot them. Trouble is there were too many! I had such a hard time narrowing them down. You see, when Leslie & Cody were asking me about engagement picture locations, I asked them what place was the most meaningful to them. With some hesitation I got the answer, "Catalina Island...but you wouldn't be willing to shoot there would you?" UM, YES!!! I was elated! Catalina Island has always been one of my favorite places!! It's just so magical there. I really could write an essay about how much I love Catalina...but I'll spare you. Basically, to be able to do a photoshoot on the Island is a dream of mine...and getting to spend a lovely, summery day with an amazing and sweet couple made the whole thing just heavenly.  And, I took a lot of pictures!Leslie & Cody are just awesome. Cody flies planes, these two scuba dive, they go sailing and boating, they have been to some of the most amazing sounding beach destinations ever! And on top of being totally cool & fascinating, they are just really fun, down to earth, and very caring people. Plus, they clearly have good taste...I mean, they are having a beach wedding (like me), and their wedding colors are pink, orange and lime green (like me), and Leslie's dress is by Pronovias (like me). hehe ;) Anyways, I could go on and on about how much I adore these two, but I won't. Because its 1:00AM and you guys came here for the pictures! So here they are....and there is also a SLIDESHOW! So make sure to watch that too (I told you I couldn't narrow down the pics).

This picture was taken at the dive site on Catalina. A very special place for Cody & Leslie!

And click HERE if you want to see the awesome slideshow!

I was absolutely honored to be asked by Huy & Tran to photograph their engagement ceremony. They are two of the warmest, genuine, and caring people I have ever met. Their families were full of love, and Huy & Tran definitely had that starry-eyed look that newly engaged couples should always have!I have to admit I had never been to, or ever heard of, a Vietnamese Engagement Ceremony prior to being contacted by Huy & Tran. But it was truly one of the most beautiful ceremonies I have ever witnessed-- full of tradition, family bonds, and symbolism. It was all about the introducing and mingling of two families, and that's such an important part of engagement. I imagine that by the wedding day these two families will be so comfortable with each other, and completely united as one. I love that. Man, I wish I had had an engagement ceremony ;)After the festivities were over, I did a short engagement session with Huy & Tran at the beautiful Pacific Palms Resort. That would be a great wedding location, just as an fyi to future brides! :) Anywho, enough talking...let's get to the pictures!The groom and family bring gifts to the brides' house!The gifts are presented to the bride's family.And the bride's family accepts them! I mean, who wouldn't accept gifts, right? ;)The representative of the bride's family welcomes everyone to the house.And the bride's mother uncovers the gifts!The bride is presented, and the families are introduced to each other.The engagement ring is presented!!And then get this, the bride is presented with MORE jewelry!! See, I told you I wish I had an engagement ceremony ;)Prayers are made to their ancestors.Afterward, there was time for families to mingle and get to know each other!  I just couldn't resist posting pictures of the little ones who were there!At the closing of the event, the bride's family returns some of the gifts to the groom's family.And now for some pictures from our session at the Pacific Palms Resort...This shot really shows the beautiful earrings Tran just received! Jealousy! :)Thank you again, Huy & Tran for inviting me to share your day with you and capture your engagement. It was truly an honor, and I wish you and your families much love, health and happiness!

I'm finally blogging the last set of pictures from the April 19th Marathon Boudoir shoot! Just like the other two ladies I photographed, Laura is fabulous and totally foxy! We laughed and chatted so much that by the end of the session I felt like we were old friends. I LOVE when I feel that comfy with my clients, and when they feel that comfy with me! Laura brought so much of herself to this shoot-- bubbly personality, poise, confidence, and personal style (including awesome details like the veil & bracelet she will be wearing on her Big Day)! No wonder the pictures turned out so awesome!! Take a look...

Laughter is totally sexy! See...

Who's that girl? It's Laura being super-fierce!

Thank you Laura for being so great to work with! I know your fiance is gonna flip when he sees these :)

I don't know if I mentioned this, but I had a KILLER time during the marathon boudoir shoot I hosted on April 19th. Three completely fabulous women, who all definitely brought sexy back. I already showed you Vanessa's pictures... So now let's move on to the next lady, who shall remain anonymous! Since I want to protect her anonymity, I only have a few shots I can show you-- but believe me, there are many more spicy pictures that will be for her eyes only! And, of course, for her fiance's eyes as well!!

I apologize for being a little MIA, and not posting on yesterday's Wedding Advice Wednesday. I've been working feverishly on Vanessa's b-pics, because this girl is getting married in just 2 weeks! Wow!! But now I finally have some teasers to share!I absolutely love when girls walk into a Boudoir session and give it their Top Model all-- working the different facial expressions and poses! And that's exactly what Vanessa did. Tyra would be proud! I think she looks simply stunning in her pictures! So I'll stop yapping and start sharing...

*One last note: I've noticed on my last three posts that when I uploaded my photos to wordpress the color got compressed and is looking a little off. On my monitors these blogged photos are much more muted and have a slight green to them, that is NOT there on the edited files on my hard drive. I'm trying to figure out a way to rectify this as I want my work to be seen the way it was inteneded (which is not muted and greenish)...So please, bare with me!!

I'm going to add a new feature to this blog called "Wedding Advice Wedsnesday!" The past 9 months of my life have been all about wedding-- I got engaged and started wedding planning myself, and also started a career in the wedding industry! So I'm pretty much sweating all things wedding out of my pores right now, and have learned a lot from the whole experience! I know a lot of brides and grooms out there can feel overwhelmed, so I thought I'd offer my advice-- lessons I've learned along the way! I hope people will find it helpful!Okay here goes... My first piece of advice... ::drumroll::Hire a coordinator!!I know its kind of strange-- a photographer saying spend your money on a coordinator! But trust me, a good coordinator is worth her weight in gold not just to the bride and groom but to all the other vendors. A coordinator will help you stay organized, understand your vendor contracts, create a detailed timeline for the day of, and handle all last minute stresses which keeps the bride and groom calm! A relaxed bride is essential to getting good photographs!! So if you have a coordinator you are actually setting yourself up for better pictures. Also, a lot of brides have trouble creating a timeline that incorporates enough time for formal pictures, and that makes good use of photography time. I of course try to help brides in figuring out how much time to allow for photography, but in the end its really up to the bride to make the final call. A coordinator has a great understanding of how much time all the parts of your day will take (hair and make up, travel time, the ceremony, etc.) and therefore can help you make a realistic timeline and make sure you stick to it! That is very helpful for getting in all the pictures you want and getting them done on time! In general, a coordinator will make the day go smoothly for the bride and groom but also for all the vendors-- and that allows us vendors to do our jobs better! So I highly recommend to your brides to find hire a good coordinator!!And..... if you are looking for an awesome coordinator, I highly recommend Paola Spagnoletti of Just Chic Events! She's my right hand gal when it comes to my own wedding, and I'd be LOST without her ;)

I absolutely love veils because I absolutely LOVE veil shots!!So I cannot wait to share this stunning veil shot I grabbed during Sunday's Marathon Boudoir shoot! It's my photo of the week :)

Of course there are many, many other gorgeous shots from my sessions on Sunday that I cannot wait to share, so stay tuned for more teasers tomorrow!!

I shot Julie & Mark's "Mr. & Mrs." session in Beverly Hills a few weeks ago, and it was really a blast! Julie looked stunning in her Alvina Valenta dress and Mark looked smashing in his suit! Very 90210 chic! I could tell they were happy to get back into their wedding attire and get to re-live the moment one last time. And Julie even got to make use of this fun little headpiece she bought from Etsy but never got around to wearing on the wedding day!That's why "Day After" ( be it Trash-The-Dress or Mr. & Mrs) sessions are so fun! You get the opportunity to let loose in your fancy wedding clothes-- this time without a strict time-line or worrying about dirtying up your dress. You can also try out some fun accessories that you didn't get to wear on your big day! I get asked to distinguish what the difference is between Trash-The-Dress and Mr. & Mrs... They are both very similar style shoots, so here's how I approach the two: Trash The Dress can be done with just the bride, or with bride and groom, but the implication is that you are really going to be fearless when it comes to getting your dress dirty. There are different ways to dirty up the dress-- in the ocean, in a grungy urban area, in the forest, or hoping in a fountain! The options are endless and make for truly edgy pictures! A Mr. & Mrs. session is more a couples shoot for the bride & groom-- the point being to get a few more extra fun & romantic pictures in your wedding attire. Sure the dress might get a bit dirty, but you aren't going for the "let's soak it or roll around in the mud" vibe. :)Now that I've cleared that up, let's look at the Mr. & Mrs!

I shot Alice & Louis' engagement session at UCLA, which is one of my favorite places to shoot! It's so pretty there and I love to incorporate the beautiful sculptures into my photos. And it doesn't hurt when you have a super sweet, adorable and charming couple to work with! Alice & Louis were a blast and it was so touching to see how in love they were! Sigh... This is why I love my job-- I get to meet so many awesome, in love, interesting people!Alice has been dying to see these so I'm gonna stop writing and let the photos speak for themselves! I hope you enjoy!

I love this shot of her ring! Isn't it pretty?

Hi all!I'm planning to hold a Marathon Boudoir shoot on April 19th at the W Hotel in Westwood. I have five spaces available and need a minimum of three girls to participate.Having boudoir photos taken can be an empowering experience, and I think the photos themselves are truly a gift, not just for your significant other, but also for you! Women need to take the time to celebrate themselves, their bodies, and their utter fabulousness! My sessions are always safe, private (just me, you and the camera-- but if you want a bring a friend you are free to do so), and tasteful. I am respectful of your boundaries, and areas you'd like not to focus on. However, I'm also great at bringing out your fun and flirty wild side, and will work with you to help you get the sexiest pictures possible! I've been told by past clients that the boudoir session helped them feel sexy and gorgeous! And that's my goal-- that all my clients leave the session feeling super-fierce!Here's what the session includes:

• Photo shoot at the beautiful, four star W hotel in Westwood. We will be shooting in their Fabulous King Suite
• 1.5 hours of photography
• 3-4 outfits
• A disc of 50 fully edited images
• Printing rights-- you can get your pictures printed wherever you want

The total cost for the session will be $200Please contact me if you have any questions or are interested in booking. My email is ashleigh.layne@gmail.comThanks!

There is so much I want to say about Kristin & Jeremy's wedding-- that it was beautiful, that it was truly joyous, that it was jammin', that it was hot! But even the desert sun couldn't lessen the energy and enthusiasm of the day. Kristin was the most radiant, gleeful bride I have ever seen (well honestly I haven't seen that many brides but she was even more gleeful than the brides in any of the wedding movies I've seen-- and I've seen a lot of those ;)). Seriously, not a minute went by that she wasn't beaming! And Jeremy simply could not take his eyes of Kristin. The love he showed for her would make any girl swoon! Their vows were so sincere and touching, but really their expressions spoke so much louder than their words. These two are meant for each other. I'm certain they have a love that will stand the test of time.But besides the fact that these two oozed true love, the other completely incredible thing about Kristin & Jeremy's wedding was that these two really know how to have fun! Once the party started there was no stopping it! Jeremy is a musician, so of course he gathered a bunch of talented friends to perform. The band was incredible and played classic Motown tunes, but brought a whole new life to them. And then Jeremy himself got up and rocked on the drums for a good twenty minutes. Seriously, it was some of the best live music I have ever heard. And while the band and Jeremy played, Kristin danced and danced and danced! That gal can really kick up her feet! And of course Kristin & Jeremy made plenty of time to dance together!I second shot this wedding with the talented and very cool Adam Sawyers. I can't wait to see the wedding through his eyes. But for now here is my take on Kristin & Jeremy's big day! Below are some of my faves or for more photos check out this awesome slideshow!

If you haven't had your fill of eye candy from Kristin & Jeremy's awesome wedding, be sure to check out the slideshow!

I'm off  to Tucson, AZ to shoot Kristin & Jeremy's wedding! I do not have a laptop right now, which means I will not be able to check my email. I will return all emails on Tuesday March 24th. Please be patient with me-- I promise to return with lots of eye candy! Thanks!-Ashleigh

I have to say, Kristin & Jeremy's engagement session in Santa Monica was one of the most entertaining and fun sessions I have ever done! I mean how can you not have fun with these two? Jeremy is a joker. Every word out of his mouth is hilarious. I think I only caught him making a serious face once, and that was only because I asked him to. :) And Kristin is so carefree and exuberant. She's the kind of girl I wish I was more like-- fearless, unbridled and spirited. They really are a great pair and complement each other perfectly.I didn't ever really pose these two. I spent more time just observing them with each other, and trying to take candid shots. They were always so active and full of energy that I didn't have to give them much direction-- everything just happened organically. I love how the pictures turned out and hope Kristin & Jeremy do too!

Thanks you two! It really was a blast! And now, the photos....

Okay, Kristin just hopped up on the ledge on her own. I'm a scaredy-cat and was totally afraid she'd plummet to her death. She assured me that she was fine and had me shoot away. I'm glad she's so brave because I love this picture. Still, you'll likely never catch me on a ledge like that. :)

On Valentine's Day I got the opportunity to photograph Berdette & Jeff's wedding up in Santa Maria. I loved their wedding because it was pure & simple. It was about love. It was about a girl throwing on a pretty white dress, and rushing off to the church to marry the love of her life. It was about friends and family and food. It was full of love and full of joy. And I was honored to be able to be a part of it all. Berdette and Jeff, you are both such warm and loving people. I know you have a happy life ahead of you!Since this is the first wedding I have to share on my blog, there are a lot of photos I want to post. Lots. So please enjoy this super-sized post!

Finally!! Here are the pictures from Ann & Craig's fabulous engagement session in downtown Culver City. I'm very late at getting these picures up, so I'm not going to say too much; I'm just let the photos speak for themselves. The one thing I will say though is that Ann & Craig are fabulous! So fun, and happy and beautiful. Thanks you two for your patience and being so amazing to work with!On with the pictures!

Just wanted to let all my clients and potential clients know I will be out of the office from today through Monday 2/16. The fiance and I are off to Santa Barbara, yes even in the pouring rain. It may take me awhile to respond,but just know all emails will returned on Tuesday 2/17.Also when I return their will be so much more photo goodness on the blog! First up will be Craig & Ann's engagement session! Yay!Hope everyone has a great Valentines/President's Day weekend! Stay dry!