St. Mark’s Presbyterian Church
2200 San Joaquin Hills Road
Newport Beach, CA. 92660
(949) 644-1341

Turnip Rose
1901 Newport Blvd
Costa Mesa, CA 92627
(949) 645-4114

Lakerrrrrrs!!!! You know that Tommy and Elizabeth are serious Los Angeles Lakers fans when they choose Gold and Purple for their wedding colors! Kobe was on the invite list, but I guess he was unavailable. Definitely one of the more chill couples that I have met, they helped keep a very relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere on their day by giving out lots of hugs, smiles and laughter (a little early morning Starbucks and McDonalds didn’t hurt either) . . .

Gold shoes required . . .

Elizabeth . . .

Shazam!!!

Ceremony in Newport Beach at the contemporary and beautiful St. Marks Presbyterian . . .

Photos and reception followed at the fantastic Turnip Rose in Costa Mesa . . .

Usually guys are a little conservative when I ask them to jump off of something. First time was the charm for this group . . .

Lakers in full effect . . . (flowers by Amanda Heer at Fantasy Floral Designs)

OK, let’s keep the Lakers color theme going!!! The Tunrip Rose Grand Ballroom . . .

Tommy and Elizabeth set the tone for the enitre reception with their awesome and loud grand entrance. They had the entire ballroom on their feet cheering and clapping as they danced in and just kept dancing and dancing and dancing. SO much fun!

Most of the reception was loaded with about a 100 song set chosen by Tommy himself – there was NO stopping.

Check out Orange County DJ Bruce Battleson shredding some beats . . .

If you went to this wedding you were definitely sore the next day and you won’t forget how much fun you had. You know who you are!

Thank you to all the vendors who participated in Elizabeth and Tommy’s wedding day:

Day of Coordinator – Lilly Tokuyama
2nd photographers – Jeffrey Neal and Greg Bumatay
DJ/MC – Bruce Battleson
Cake – Rockwell’s Creative Cakes
Florist – Fantasy Floral Designs, Amanda Heer
Hair – Christopher von Kolen from Paul Jean Salon and Tary Ho of The Thuy Project.
Photo Booth – Cheesy Photobooths

This wedding was recently featured at LA Style Unveiled.

To view other weddings photographed by Hoffmann at the Turnip Rose in Costa Mesa, follow these links:

Turnip Rose Wedding

Turnip Rose Wedding

A few weeks ago I drove to beautiful San Diego to knock down three engagement sessions in three hours! Wha?!?! Before you give me a hard time, let me explain a little . . . this was actually an educational session set-up by San Diego Shootout for the purpose of photographers getting together to take pictures, share ideas and show off all our new equipment, hahah. Of course, Nikon took the best pictures that day!! Again.

The shoot went down in Little Italy which turned out to be a great place for engagement photos with lots of different backdrops and photo opps. “Shootout” had three very different couples with very different styles. You can see, it was fun to work with all of them . . .

I classified this couple under “alternative” and so it was easy in post-production to lay on some textures and let their personalities come out even more in the photographs . . .

During the shoot I ended up getting a parking ticket from Officer Raspberry (that is her real name and she was not in a joking mood), and so in the spirit of education I took a picture so I would remember for next time . . .

This next couple earned ‘cute points’ and I filed their style under “Surf/Coastal.”

For the last engagement session they went with colorful and exotic. I likey!

There wasn’t really a great reason for photographing the HD signage but hey, it sort of matched . . .

Something that couples can take away from this blog is that there aren’t many set rules on what you can wear for your engagement session. Think about the end product – the images – and what you want people to read about you. Show your style and your personality! Be you!

Beyond photography, Little Italy turned out to be a very satisfying dinner stop. You can just guess what kind of food is available.

Balboa Fun Zone
600 East Bay Avenue
Newport Beach, CA 92661-1347
(949) 673-0408

Crystal Cove State Park
8471 North Coast Highway
Laguna Beach, CA 92651
(949) 494-3539

A great time of year for engagement pictures in Orange County is ANYTIME!! A balmy 70 degree winter day in Newport Beach and I met Alyssa and Todd at the Fun Zone in Balboa, Newport Beach. Todd was feeling pretty uneasy about the whole picture session, but he loosened up quickly and you’ll see he turned out to be a natural. We actually had a great time eating pizza, dancing in the streets and just genuinely looking good all over the place. I wasn’t kidding about the pizza . . .



Some dilapitated ocean front property in Newport Beach made for a nice back drop . . .



After we were done playing around at the funzone, Alyssa and Todd lead the way to Crystal Cove State Park. I honestly had never seen the tide so low before, the beach looked like a stretch from a science fiction movie . . .

One of the many reasons I am excited baout Alyssa and Todd’s wedding day later this year is because they are so playful with each other. I know their wedding day is going to be so much fun . . .

Getty Center
1200 Getty Center Drive
Los Angeles, CA 90049
(310) 440-7300

Amy and Nick invited me to take their engagement photos at the Getty Center in Los Angeles and it was as good a time as any for me to make my first visit there! Yes, I feel a little foolish that I have never been to the Getty Center before. Probably because it is in Los Angeles, and you know how hard it is for Orange County folk to get to Los Angeles! hahahaha. Could you imagine that it also turned out to be a pretty cool place to take engagement pictures? Amy and Nick were perfect models – they giggled, smiled, kissed, held hands, even brought a serious face and a change of clothes. Way to go Amy and Nick, good job!

For a couple who started out more nervous than the average, they sure were tearing up the museum by the time we left . . .

The One and Only Palmilla
Km 7.5 Carretera Transpeninsular
San Jose Del Cabo
BCS, CP 23400 Mexico

Sunset da Mona Lisa Restaurant
Transpeninsular 6KM
Missiones Del Cabo
Cabo San Lucas
BCS, 23410 Mexico

I want to shout it at the top of my lungs, “I LOVE MEXICO!” Yes! I have photographed at least 10 weddings throughout Mexico and have had several vacations there myself. I find places like Cancun, Cabo San Lucas, and Cozumel to be so beautiful and fun. Smaller resort areas like San Jose and Zijuajtanejo are so peaceful and relaxing. White sand, dark blue water, stucco, fish tacos, oooooh I want to leave right now!

The wedding of Brycie and Ian was photographed in the wonderful los Cabos area. Anyone who has been to Cabo will really appreciate this first collage as it is made of little pieces that make up the whole. . .

Brycie and Ian invited me to join their entire weekend – poolside lunches, guys fishing (Ian caught a FAT dorado, way to go man), rehearsal dinner and wedding day. The rehearsal dinner took place at the beautiful Sunset da Mona Lisa (formerly called Da Giorgio) which sits on a cliff overlooking the entire Cabo area and sea. We had a great time there with a few casual portraits, Brycie and Ian are lots of fun and very playful . . .

This is what I am talking about when I say the Sunset da Mona Lisa is beautiful! . . . WOW . . .

At the beginning of the wedding day I met Brycie over at the spa where she was in a private room getting her pedi for the day . . .

Getting ready . . . shoes from Manolo Blanik, awesome designer wedding gown by Melissa Sweet . . .



It is pretty classy when the guys have to tie their own bow ties. It took Ian the boys a little bit of time to do this, and you can see they worked up a good thirst . . .


The chapel on the resort grounds of the One and Only Palmilla . . .

Is that Ian, or is it JFK Jr.?? Stud . . .


We spent a few minutes playing on the beach, too much fun. You just can’t beat it . . .

I decided to make another collage to represent the reception. We went WAY beyond cheese and crackers for this one . . .fresh clams, mangos, oysters, JUMBO prawns, wine and tequila galore. All of this cliffside at the One and Only Palmilla Resort . . .

I love it when a wedding comes together! Thank you Brycie and Ian for inviting me to your spectacular and fun weekend. You both were so generous and perfect. Hope to see you again sometime!

Mission San Juan Capistrano
26801 Ortega Hwy
San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675
(949) 234-1300

I always let me clients choose the location for their engagement pictures. It keeps my photography fresh and creative, and also helps relax the couple. Greg and Olga were a little nervous about the pictures, but Olga’s constant giggles made for a lot of fun. We ended up with a great set of pictures on an absolutely beautiful day. The foliage and flowers at Mission San Juan Capistrano were blooming like I had never seen before . . .

St. Regis Monarch Beach
One Monarch Beach Resort
Dana Point, CA 92629
(949) 234-3200

Once again, back at the mesmerising St. Regis Resort and Spa in Monarch Beach, Dana Point. Dayna Lewis from A Very Special Day coordinated this event with Stephanie and Mike, a very solid Orange County couple . . .

Stephanie had a beautiful Pronovias gown which she customized with white ostrich feathers . . .



The florist also used the white ostrich feathers for the luscious bouquet . . .


There must be at least five ceremony locations at the St. Regis. Stephanie and Mike chose the more private Pacific Lawn (on the south end of the resort) . . .





The very recognizable grand staircase . . .

The rest of the evening was filled with shot glasses made out of ice, TONS of crazy dancing, and a delicious cake!

A party to remember, thanks Stephanie and Mike.

St. Regis Monarch Beach
One Monarch Beach Resort
Dana Point, CA 92629
(949) 234-3200

I regularly hear from couples that one of the hardest parts about planning the wedding is cutting down the guest list. Do you think you can get it down to less than 40??? Bob and Keli got married at the intimate botanical garden of the St. Regis Monarch Beach, with a guest list of less than 35 (including children)! Here is a sample from their wonderful day with a small group of friends and family . . .

A beautiful wedding gazebo sits in the midst of Greek statues and beautifully manicured gardens, all overlooking palm trees, the Monarch Beach golf course, and then the Pacific Ocean. . . . can you handle it?




Bob and Keli had their reception in the Wine Cellar of the St. Regis. “The ultimate private dining venue with 100-year-old French paved flooring and stone walls creating a cellar-like ambience; mahogany and custom iron furnishings; wine inventory of 10,000 bottles from around the world and tasting table.” This room holds 50 guests max.

No kidding . . . sunset overlooking Monarch Beach! This shot was taken from the grounds of the awesome St. Regis . . .