Any time of year is a good time of year to get married in Southern California. And, although the vines were bare, Saturday, January 14th was a very good day to get married at Wiens Family Cellars! The weather was calm and the temperature was perfect as Greer Wayland and Scott Sheldon said, “I Do” just before sunset.

The day started with photos in the vines. For our Temecula Wine Country weddings, it is not uncommon for me to take photographs of the wedding dress out in the vines. But the images you usually see include green, leafy vines plump with grapes in the summer sun. With the vines just bare, naked winter twigs, I expected a completely different effect. As a fan of black and white photography, I was anticipating that the harsh, twisted shapes of the black vines would make a cool and artsy backdrop to the dress. Wow, was I right! The results were awesome!! When I came back to the bridal suite with her dress, Greer couldn’t wait to see what I’d shot, so I gave her a sneak peek. She and all of her bridesmaids were “oohing” and “ahhing” — and this was just the beginning of the day! So, I knew it was going to be a good day.

Since Greer and Scott would be seeing each other prior to the ceremony for the signing of the ketubah, we planned for a “First Look”. The “First Look” is where, in a private moment before the chaos of the wedding day begins, we capture the first time a groom sees his bride in her dress. It opens up the morning or early afternoon for portraits of the couple and their bridal party, and generally allows the photography schedule, and the couple’s day in general, to run more smoothly. I love First Looks. Not only does it work to de-stress the couple from any pre-ceremony jitters they may have, but it enhances their excitement. You can just see the anticipation in Scott and Greer’s faces. They were both smiling so big. And their smiles were contagious, because I was smiling big, too!

The start of the day was great, and the rest of the day just kept getting better. From the sunset ceremony to the hora to the cake cutting to the “photo booth” portrait station, Greer and Scott were such a fun couple. And, clearly, very much in love.

We just held their viewing session at our studio today and showed them the highlights of their images. So, now that it won’t spoil their surprise, here is just a sample of the 975 final images they received on their image DVD. Now, we start on their custom album design!

Congratulations, Greer and Scott!
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2011 was a great year for Loren Scott Photography! We were busier than ever and had the pleasure of photographing weddings and engagement sessions for a bunch of really awesome couples. Rachel and I have selected some of our own personal favorites from 2011, and we also asked our happy couples to pick out some of their own as well.

So, here they are, from the beginning of the year to the end…

KIMBERLY + TONY

From Kimberly and Tony’s February engagement portrait session at the Mission San Juan Capistrano, this was Rachel and my favorite shot.

And from their wedding at Etiwanda Gardens in Rancho Cucamonga, this shot captured their excitement moments after they said, “I do!”

KELLY + TIM

Kelly and Tim selected this image as their favorite from the engagement session to be their mounted 16×20 on display at their wedding.

And this fisheye shot of the green grape vines at Wiens Family Cellars in Temecula was one of my favorites from the wedding day.

CASSANDRA + ROBERT

Cassandra and Robert were a naturally quiet couple who let loose during their wedding and reception at Coyote Hills Golf Course in Fullerton. Here are some of our favorites from their wedding blog post.

COURTNEY + JAMES

“”There are so many wedding and engagement photos that we love, but [these] are our absolute FAVORITE!!!!!

Our favorite engagement photo is the one where our dogs, Nikki and Jake, are running towards you, and James and I are kissing in the background We just love this photo! It is so cute!!! James and I love our dogs, and just the fact that you were able to get any pictures of us with our dogs is amazing, especially with them running all over the place and not following directions, ha ha! I also love how you captured our dogs’ personalities – Nikki (the boxer) is so serious, it looks like she’s pointing at something far off in the distance; Jake (the bulldog) is happy go lucky, he’s looking right at the camera and smiling…so funny!!!” – Courtney and James

This was one of my favorites from James and Courtney’s engagement session…
- Rachel

The one where James and I are standing on the dock at Monteleone Meadows, and the rays of sun are beaming over us is BEAUTIFUL!!!! When I first saw this photo, I did a double take! It almost looks fake, ha ha! How could a moment like that actually be captured on camera??? I love how green all of the trees are and how vibrant all of the colors are; I love how rustic the dock looks! It’s just a perfect photo!!!” – Courtney and James

Thank you again for all of your hard work. We just love how all of our photos turned out, and are so thankful for them. We even went and purchased a fireproof safe to put our wedding CD in, ha ha! They are more precious to us than anything that we own. Thank you for that.” – Courtney and James

MONIQUE + RANDY

“It was not hard to choose which one was our favorite engagement picture, we love this one! We both have the same relaxed expression on our faces, it has to be our favorite picture of us of all time!” – Monique Smith

“This was our favorite wedding picture. We both are so in the moment, I remember when we took these it felt like no one else was around even though everyone was staring at us!” – Monique Smith

A few months after their wedding on the Spirit of Newport yacht, Monique and Randy were back at the ocean for a Fearless Bridal session (also known as a “Trash The Dress” session). These were some of our favorite shots from that session.

MEGAN + JOHN

“My favorite picture is the one where John and I are standing in front of the side door and he is kissing me on my temple and he is standing behind me and I am smiling and looking at the camera. It is the second picture on my Facebook profile picture. I also like my current Facebook profile picture!

I like both of those pictures because it reminds me of the happy moments of our life and they sum up the happiness of our lives and of that day in that pic. I really like the one with our backs and my head on his shoulder because it is so natural to me and is our personality and it’s romantic.” – Megan Proctor

CHARLINN + CHRIS

From Charlinn and Chris’ engagement portrait session, Rachel and I love this first shot because of the beautiful colors, and the next image is the one that Charlinn and Chris selected as their mounted 16×20 for display at their wedding.

From their wedding, although there was greenery all around, we really loved these two shots as black and whites.

KATHERYNE + CONRAD

“I think we have settled on [this] being the one that captures why we came to Temecula. I love the view of the vineyard and the mountains, just seeing the mountains in these pictures conjures up so many amazing memories of trips to California, the lighting is great and says warm summers evening and reminds me of a sunset skydive when you get that orange glow over the mountains (we don’t get many of these in the UK, mountains or warm evenings ). This picture also captures my dress and shoes really well, so although not the best picture of me kissing Conrad every time I look at I am longing to be back in California. I also love that Conrad is holding the flowers!” – Kathryne Vaughan

“It’s great to have a picture of us laughing / smiling that does not look awful (laughing shots of me often have terrible views up my nose or in my mouth!). We had a lot of fun that day and this picture reminds me why it was such a good idea to have our friend perform the ceremony, I am not sure we would have got a moment that personal with a stranger.” – Kathryne Vaughan

“And finally this one — my Dad looks so pleased and proud.” – Kathryne Vaughan

MARY-ALICE + CLINT

“From our engagement session, I absolutely love this picture because it is a candid shot that shows how much we enjoy being in each other’s arms.” – Mary-Alice Navrkal

Rachel and I also love this image from the session because it is such a natural, unforced romantic shot where these two a gazing lovingly into each other’s eyes.

“From our wedding, I love the photo of us leaning over the bridge because you can see how genuinely happy we are to be married.” – Mary-Alice Navrkal

ALEX + CHRIS

When we asked Alex and Chris for their most favorite images from their engagement portrait session and their wedding, Alex replied that they loved them all and that we could pick whichever ones we wanted for this post. It wasn’t easy for us to chose either because this couple is so freakin’ adorable together that there seriously were a ton of awesome shots to choose from.

Here are two of our favorites from their engagement session, the first of which they both really loved and selected as their mounted 16×20 print for display at the wedding.

And from their wedding, we really loved these images which show the love between not only Alex and Chris, but also Alex and her dad during the Father-Daughter dance, and also the loving glance from Alex to Chris during her mother’s toast.

JENNIFER + SHAWN

“First I must say how hard it was to just pick a few favorites because all of Loren and Rachel’s work is truly amazing. We chose this picture because it was the first pic Loren shot during our session. We were both a bit nervous in front of the camera so he showed us a quick peek of it before we moved on to do more photos. We loved how it looked!!! This made us feel so much more comfortable as the engagement session progressed.” – Jennifer Anne Percival

“We chose this one because of how we are looking at one another. We really loved that barn door and the color and uniqueness it brought into the photo.” – Jennifer Anne Percival

“This is my favorite picture of my confident bride showing that million dollar smile plus the unbelievable sky and vineyard. Loren Scott was able to capture many beautiful layers in this picture.” – Shawn Percival

“This is probably my favorite photo of all. It’s soo “Reservoir Dogs” and all of our guys look very suave and cool.” – Jennifer Anne Percival

GREER + SCOTT

I love this two-panel collage from Greer and Scott’s engagement session because it exactly captures their fun personalities that I experienced during their session. Their wedding is coming up on January 14th, and I can’t wait to be around their happy faces again soon! — Loren

I love these two images of Greer and Scott because they just look so absolutely comfortable snuggled up together. And the kissing image is absolutely sweet! – Rachel

JILL + AARON

“I love this one because we are perfectly framed in greenery. You also caught such a special moment where we both look so happy. I feel like you can see the love in this picture. Looking forward to more pictures like this one in exactly five weeks!” – Jill Liggett

In addition to that favorite of Jill’s, this was the image that both Jill and Aaron selected as their mounted 16×20 print for display at their wedding.

VI + STEVEN

“When I look at a picture, I always wonder what was going on during the time it was taken, and this picture will tell of the “those engaged days” that we were fortunate to have. It is one of those pictures you see and wished you had one like it, but the fact that we don’t have to wish and that its us and ours, makes it uniquely special, but most importantly commences our lives together.” – Vi Ly

And, besides the same shot that Vi and Steven selected, this was one of Rachel and my other favorites.

KASEY + TREVOR

“The first image from the engagement session, is our favorite because, the colors are vibrant and it was the perfect candid shot that caught on film who we are as a couple. Always laughing and enjoying our time together!” – Kasey Schultz

Loren captured another image from the wedding, similar to the engagement session, that portrays the same qualities, and is our favorite, not only because of Loren’s artistic eye, but it again captures much of our personality and a moment that we remember fondly!” – Kasey Schultz

Rachel and I also love these candid shots of Kasey during the reception. First listening to her cousin’s emotional toast, and later tearing it up on the dance floor during the Father-Daughter dance.

CHANTALE + ANTHONY

“We both LOVE this one! It’s a solid reminder that at the end of the day nothing else matters but each other. I remember how giddy and happy I was taking these pictures, this one brings me right back!” – Chantale Ley

And, I love this shot of Chantale. She was glancing back over her shoulder and talking with Anthony as I was lining up this shot of her, and this one just worked.

This one below is my absolute fave from Chatale and Anthony’s romantic portraits simply because, with the magical setting and creative editing, it’s become a piece of fine art portraiture. It would make for a beautiful piece of wall art. With the photojournalistic nature of wedding photography, it’s not often that we get to this type of creative portrait for our wedding couples.
- Rachel

SARAH + JEFF

Sarah and Jeff just recently had their engagement portrait session and, thus, have only seen a sneak peek of all of their images so far. But, of those, these two are a couple of our own favrorites.

I especially love this black and white image of Sarah and Jeff, because after spending an afternoon with them, I feel it really just captures what’s special and sweet between them.
- Rachel

JENNIFER + SERGIO

“The reason we chose this photo is because we feel it captures the essence of our love. You were able to catch a moment, which happens frequently for us, where we feel nothing around us matters but the love we feel.” – Jennifer Dominguez

Rachel and I also loved this image, as it captured a true candid moment of laughter between Jennifer and Sergio — of which there were many during their session.

Thank you to all of our clients for a wonderful 2011, and we look forward to preserving many more happy memories in 2012. Happy New Year!

On Sunday, December 11th, Loren and I photographed a beautiful engagement session with Jennifer Dominguez and Sergio Gutierrez at Glen Arbor Park (aka The Dog Park) in Murrieta. Despite the chill factor, it turned out to be a pretty good day for an engagement shoot. The weather was cooperating (as we’d just had heavy rains the week before), the early afternoon lighting was perfect, and the park was beautiful, as always in winter, with green, green grasses and a heap of amber colored leaves blanketing the ground beneath the trees.

Here’s some highlights from the shoot!

~ Rachel

To view the rest of the images from the session and/or to order prints, please visit Jennifer and Sergio’s online web gallery at www.pictage.com/1186409.

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On November 16th, Loren and I had the amazingly fun task of photographing an Old Town Temecula engagement session with Sarah Williams and Jeff Arbuckle. Sarah is a bit of a laugher…actually, that’s putting it mildly! Sarah laughs all the time and her laughter is infectious! It was quite fun watching her interact with Jeff while trying to keep a straight face. The resulting pictures are awesome!

Here is just a small taste of Sarah and Jeff’s engagement collection.

~ Rachel

On Saturday, December 3rd, I was close to home in Murrieta at the World Harvest Church to photograph our final wedding of the year, the beautiful winter wedding of Chantale Stamp and Anthony Ley! I had photographed Anthony’s High School senior portraits a couple of years ago. So, when it was time to plan his wedding, his mother contacted us right away. (Thank you, Elizabeth!)

Chantale and Anthony had a daytime wedding with their ceremony beneath a sea of white paper lanterns. The air was crisp and cool with just a slight breeze — a nice relief from the wind storm we had experienced just a day earlier. Since their wedding ceremony was to short, and followed only by a simple dessert reception, Chantale and Anthony were able to allocate an entire hour after the reception just for their romantic portraits. Usually, we are only allocated 10 to 15 minutes for the couple’s romantic portraits (after the family pictures are taken between the ceremony and reception). Having an entire hour dedicated to portraits of the couple was an awesome experience, and as you’ll see below, the result is a huge variety of beautiful pictures for Chantale and Anthony to choose from!

Annie, my second-shooter, and I had a blast with the new Mr. and Mrs. Ley, who were pretty much up for doing anything we wanted to do and let our creative juices flow. They also brought along an empty picture frame and had some ideas of their own for that, and Anthony had one special shot request for himself, as you’ll see below — one guess which shot that was!

To view all of Chantale and Anthony’s wedding images, visit www.pictage.com/1180684 and sign the guest book.

Congratulations Chantele + Anthony!

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Last month we photographed a really awesome Fearless Bridal session in Laguna with one of our July brides, Monique Smith. Awesome weather, access to a private beach, Monique’s carefree spirit, and Monique’s romantic husband, Randy, all converged together for a perfect storm of picture taking!

Also known as a “Trash The Dress” session, that term may scare some brides, who fear the thought of actually “trashing” their wedding dress. Not to worry. That’s merely an expression for doing something (anything) with your wedding dress that you would not dare do before the wedding. After the wedding, you can afford to be fearless! For more information on Fearless Bridal sessions, click HERE.

We’ll let these images speak for themselves.

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On Friday, October 28, 2011, we were at the Bali Hai Restaurant in San Diego photographing the wedding of Kasey Middlestead and Trevor Schultz. Kasey and Trevor had a perfect bayside ceremony complete with gorgeous weather and a sparkling water view! And following the ceremony was a fun daytime reception on the Bali Hai patio, complete with fun and funky cake centerpieces!

As with their engagement portrait session (HERE), Kasey and Trevor were both smiling and laughing all day. Here are just some of the moments we captured on this amazing day. And a big thanks to Annie for her wonderful work shooting alongside Loren during this event!

To view all images from their day, or to order archival-quality prints from Loren Scott Photography of this event (through our lab partner, Pictage), click HERE.

And, let us know what you think by clicking the “Leave a Message” link at the bottom of the page!

When Kasey and Trevor came into the studio to view their wedding images and select their album cover options, they had this to say about their experience with Loren Scott Photography.

On October 16th, I was at my most popular beach location for photographing engagement portraits — Laguna Beach, just behind the Montage Resort. On this occasion, the happy engaged couple in front of my lens was Vi Ly and her fiance, Steven Aranda.

Vi and Steven are doing a great job of planning ahead, as their wedding is not until next July 8th (at Los Willows in Fallbrook). They just came into our studio today to view the images from their session and select the image they wanted to use for the mounted 16×24 metallic print that they will be displaying at the wedding. There were so many shots that they loved, it took them awhile to narrow it down to just one. I like it when my couples have trouble selecting just one favorite!

Here are some of my own favorites from their session…

To view all images and/or to order archival-quality professional prints from this session, click HERE.

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As I mentioned in the previous blog post, this winter is unusually busy with weddings for us, and Jill Liggett and Aaron Maurice are another of our happy winter wedding couples, with their wedding coming up next February 4th at the Wedgewood Wedding and Banquet Center in Fallbrook.

During their initial consultation with us, Aaron was telling me that he maintains the private wine cellar for someone who lives in the elite Bear Creek community, and they’d like to have their engagement portraits done there. As he was describing this house in Bear Creek with the water wheel, ivy covered walls, and cottage-style theme, I thought it sounded VERY similar to the home of a couple that I know in Bear Creek — Beverly and Dan Stephenson. Beverly and I are both very active in our local community theater and I have been to their home on a number of occasions for theater-related activities. When I asked Aaron if this house he was referring to was the Stephenson’s, he was surprised. Small world! I knew immediately that the grounds around their home would make for a beautiful backdrop for Jill and Aaron’s engagement portraits — and I was right.

Aaron and Jill made it clear that they preferred mostly candid-style portraits over the “look here and say ‘cheese’” type of portraits, which was awesome, because I prefer the more relaxed and natural feel of candid style portraits as well. So, as we moved to various locations around the property, I just made sure that the background looked great, the lighting was great, and let Jill and Aaron be themselves — sipping wine, snuggling, and laughing.

To view all images and/or to order archival-quality professional prints from this session, click HERE.

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Usually, the main “wedding season” runs from March through October. However, this year has been our busiest ever with weddings scheduled in November, December, and next January and February as well! Greer Wayland and Scott Sheldon are one of our happy winter couples and will be getting married at Wiens Family Cellars this coming January 14th.

So, on October 9th, we met up with Greer and Scott at Wiens to photograph their engagement portraits. They were a fun couple to photograph, laughing and cuddling without prompting, and it shows in their images. Here are some highlights!

To view all images and/or to order archival-quality professional prints from this session, click HERE.

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