HEIDI MORGAN PHOTOGRAPHY » Exclusive wedding photographer for the refined and the elegant. Monterey, Pebble Beach, San Francisco, Napa. Available for worldwide destination wedding photography.

Welcome to a very special weekend of photos for newlyweds Juliana and Philippe. Because of their roots and family/friends around the world, this special couple had not one, not two, but three weddings last year. As for this weekend in Paris, Claire Morgan and I sought to depict their love against the beautiful Parisian backdrop. We worked with the local venues and the weather to share their love story. Although the language they speak changes by the moment, their eyes share the unspoken truth — they are madly in love. It was undeniable when they first met, and remains so today.

We began with a wonderful venue that Philippe is a longtime patron of — and introduced Juliana to once she made the move to Paris. It was quaint and both the champagne and the legendary macarons they sampled were a lovely prelude to the dinner that we all enjoyed that evening.

Philippe is a charismatic and doting husband and his entreprenurial spirit pervades his life and relationship. Juliana has a history in marketing and business and is a budding Parisian consultant. Claire and I couldn’t help but notice how passionate she is about life — and about Philippe. Are you able to feel these qualities in this ultra-romantic sequence of images?

Because the eve was young and we had big plans, Juliana and Philippe suggested a walkabout. They broke all the rules (straws in espresso cups and champers glasses? oh my!) and braved the emerging rain — stopping to browse for even more beautiful macarons!

I won’t lie to you; it was soooo hard to select from the images of this multi-faceted shoot. I would like to share, however, that many couples ask me about lighting and about weather. My style of shooting brings light where needed and works with the elements. See what you think as we played with light and weather — natural light and flash, raindrops become “starlight”. Love!!!

Au revoir, Paris!

Eiffel Tower

 

  • Aida - July 6, 2013 - 7:47 pm

    A beautifully captured story. Romantic, sweet, and oh so French. Lovely work my dear Heidi. xoxoReplyCancel

I am busily working through my shooting and editing schedule, but wanted to take a quick moment to give you a sneak preview of the to die for shoot that Claire Morgan and I did in Paris with newlyweds Juliana and Philippe.

Share some love with them as they await their photos, friends!Paris Engagement Photographer

  • Mae - July 16, 2013 - 3:32 am

    Hi, My fiancé and I wants to take an engagement photoshoot for a couple of hours in Paris October 2013. May I know your availability and rates?ReplyCancel

 

It is always an honor to shoot a wedding. I take great care in finding my “right couple” for Heidi Morgan Photography so that the rest just — well, flows. There is another kind of honor that is often bestowed on me, and that is of hand-selected second shooter. There are weddings that principal photographers choose not to handle alone. Sometimes these are high profile or celebrity weddings; other times, there are hundreds of guests, details or angles that must be shot simultaneously.

Recently, Christine Bentley had one such wedding. In this case, OC Housewives’ Tamra Barney and her fiance Eddie Judge were set to wed at the St. Regis Monarch Beach in Laguna Beach, California. Kaitlin and I (of Heidi Morgan Photography) were asked to shoot by Christine’s side at this top secret two-day event. We were stoked to see the production that goes into a televised event and appreciated the Bravo photographers allowing us to essentially connect ourselves to their hips.

Thank you so much team Christine Bentley for the honor of shooting with you. I love the photos that Us Magazine featured from the event, and know that there are many, many more that will help Tamra and Eddie remember the abundant details at this lavish and star-studded affair.

And so it is,

Heidi Morgan

 

Meet Josh and Jessica, a couple who has endured a long distance relationship for more than a year now. They met when Jessica attended college at UCSC and Josh lived locally with his family. Fast forward a few years and the relationship has bloomed to include family outings and tropical vacations, frequent flights to and from her [new] home base in Texas and Joshua’s home in Oregon.

She is on the executive track with HP and even her thoughts are well organized. Josh is a helicopter pilot with a free spirit and a smiley expression. The two love good food, good sake, and travel — oh, and Josh’s baby sister Dakotah!

This week, the pair reunited for a family holiday in Santa Cruz. We ordered perfect weather for their informal e-style session near the Crow’s Nest at Twin Lakes Beach.Seeing their expressions throughout the session, it was evident that this might be practice for an — ahem — different and more grand type of session in the future. No worries, and no pressure, Josh and Jessica!

Getting back to the shoot itself, we didn’t overly stylize it because we wanted to celebrate the local environment. Ever feel like there are a million people around but you are the only ones present? I’d imagine that this is how Josh and Jessica felt, as there were a million people around and they were the only ones featured. As a photographer, I am interested in isolating out the distracting elements; however, sometimes the distractions are part of the story. We saw people, extraneous railings, and aged driftwood throughout the beach and harbor.

Of course, to reinforce Josh’s willingness to engage in this shoot, we had to allow an occasional bite or two!

As the light changed, we just allowed it to do so; they gracefully pivoted around its dancing colors. This was the beauty of chasing the light; I loved the intimate moments between the two as the sun set. Looking back at the images now, I adore the couple’s sunset dancing and the light kisses.

Come home soon, Josh and Jessica!

  • Aida - November 25, 2012 - 1:42 am

    So beautiful! I smiled through the entire post. Absolute LOVE.ReplyCancel

  • Christine Bentley - November 26, 2012 - 11:48 pm

    love…..what amazing lighting!!!!!!ReplyCancel

  • Cheryl Snyder - November 27, 2012 - 5:20 am

    Absolutely love your work — you are so diverse and you did so much with the changing lighting. Beautiful and brilliant!ReplyCancel

I wish you could have been there for this one. Holly and Dave’s Winters, California wedding was ah-mazing! One of the many reasons this was a favorite was the venue they selected — Park Winters. Equally boho and chic, vintage and fresh, local and international, Park Winters has it all.

I bet that the sand dollars caught your eye as much as Holly’s simple, elegant bouquet. Mine too! These were hand selected and bleached by her mother, Jenny. If you haven’t been to Sand Dollar Beach in La Selva, by the way, it’s a must. In fact, I’m talking Holly and Dave into a “trash the dress” session there once the dust settles.

The mood in the bridal suite was supportive, reflective and celebratory.

I also loved Holly and Dave’s attention to accessories. Dave made sure that his Prada shoes were both stylish and comfortable. Holly’s Louboutin PigaLove shoes were to die for. And yes, they DO spell the word LOVE when paired together!

It seemed appropriate to pair Dave’s shoes with the piano herein since he is a celebrity musician and DJ, officially part of the dynamic duo Gabriel & Dresden.

Special thanks to father of the groom, Phil Dresden, for joining us as artistic director for the morning! Phil envisioned the shoes/piano and ring shots. Hope we made you proud, Phil!

For those of you who didn’t catch our sneak peak on Facebook, Jack the Dog was a must-see guest at the wedding. In fact, his “mug” was on the stamp sent out to each guest!

Jack primarily chose to guard his mama in the bridal suite. No one minded — not even Park Winters proprietors John and Rafael.

Holly and Dave’s floral pieces were arranged by Posh Shoppe Florist.

Hair and makeup styling by Priscilla Wright of Priscilla Francine Makeup.

Dave is charming and can find my eye behind the camera’s lens in an instant!

Remember Jack? He checked in on his daddy’s suite down the hall a time or two before settling into his own wedding attire. Gotta love Sleepy Jack, as he became this character as his mommy gave him a rub or two during the dressing process.

Holly carefully selected her dressing attendants — longtime friend and roommate, mother and mother-in-law, sister- and daughter-in-law. What a lovely group to share the day with.



It was so heart warming when, just before the ceremony, fathers of the bride and groom entered the bridal suite for a sneak peak. Who could have prepared them for this vision? Love it!!!

The Jewish ceremony retained tradition yet was eclectic with Buddhist and contemporary accents; giggles and tears were released aplenty.

I particularly enjoyed the officiant’s presentation, enriched with stories. Holly was the first recipient of Dave’s cooking skills. He is well known for his kale chips! Cindie Wilding was engaging and thoughtful, showing that she had taken the time to actually get to know Holly and Dave prior to their big day.The reception began just as the light began to change and the sun began to set. The DJ played songs hand-picked by the couple, who greeted their guests with organic tomato bars, local cheeses and wines featuring Full Belly Farm. Full Belly also provided the florals for the table centerpieces. Love!

Mother-of-the-bride Jenny hand picked those sand dollars I shared with you earlier. This time, they were used as party favors for each guest.

The beautiful Park Winters fountain was a favorite of both adult — and children — alike. I couldn’t help but snap this photo through a window; nephews of the bride loved this so much that they asked Aunt Holly and Uncle Dave to have another wedding!

I was impressed that Nicole Hankton of Nicole H Life Events was able to work so seamlessly with catering and Park Winters itself throughout the day. Running right on time and without stress meant that Holly and Dave were able to catch a few moments to snuggle and freshen up before the evening’s festivities.

See that peering through the tree? None other than a full moon. Planned by the couple especially for their guests, of course.

The couple’s first dance was a tear jerker, but a wonderful way to start a wonderful night — and life.

Special thanks to Rhonda Thorn for shooting by my side. I am ever grateful for your presence, my dear:)

  • Nicole Hankton - October 25, 2012 - 3:58 pm

    Heidi, these photos are phenomenal! It’s awesome to see the finished product after watching you in action. Thanks for sharing!ReplyCancel

  • Cindie Wilding - October 25, 2012 - 5:57 pm

    Beautiful depiction of a most beautiful day!ReplyCancel

  • Maggie Ford - October 26, 2012 - 4:57 am

    Absolutely BEAUTIFUL photography Heidi!ReplyCancel

  • Tarynn Myers - November 7, 2012 - 11:46 am

    The ability to capture the essence of this event is a testament of your amazing work. Thank you so much for sharing such a beautiful day!ReplyCancel

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