Roy and Cacie

Mother's Day 2009

Last Mother’s Day was one of the hardest days of my life. I woke up around 6am cramping and bleeding. I rushed to the ER only to receive confirmation of my greatest fear- I had lost the child I was carrying. The nurses and staff were all in a pleasant mood. Not knowing why I was there, they insensitively asked if I was a mother. I spent that day mourning the loss of my child and loving and appreciating the two that I still had with me. Losing four children has made raising the other three so much easier. When they are cranky and throwing fits, and keeping me up all night, I just hold them tightly and thank God that He gave them to me. I do still have those days where they drive me insane, but I have learned to appreciate the frustrations. I love these babies, and I thank God that He has allowed me to mother them.

I am a Mother

Becoming a mother has been a challenging journey and a life changing experience. I’ve had to deal with things more difficult than I ever expected to experience and I’ve felt a love greater than I knew was possible. Through being a mother I have learned so much and have become a better person. Being a mom is difficult and frustrating, yet it is the best and most fulfilling thing that has ever happened to me. I love being a mom, and I thank God for this wonderful experience, opportunity, and responsibility.

Jessica and Cain

My name is Jessica and my fiancé’s name is Cain, We meet seven years ago in high school. I was the super athletic girl who ran extremely fast and he was the boy who "helped" me with my math homework, From that point on it has been what every girl could ask for, we went to Catalina Island for our anniversary, and went to the Bahamas just because. I would get roses once a month, reminding me how much he loved me. All my girlfriends envied our relationship, but i knew i had a good catch. Then for Valentines day in 2009 he decided to get us a Hotel right next to Disneyland for the weekend, being as we had annual passes, it was a great idea, little did we know that weekend was a life changing weekend. Cain and I were going to Disneyland every other weekend and for some odd reason he wanted to go to Disneyland on Saturday April 11th 2009, we never went on Saturday, it was always way too packed. So before our trip to Disneyland I made an appointment to see my doctor because I wasn't feeling myself and while I was at my appointment I got the shock of my life my doctor informed me I was pregnant. I was so nervous, but I didn't know how to tell my fiancé (boyfriend at the time) so I get ready to go to Disneyland and I'm thinking of all the different ways to tell him. We get to Disneyland and I refuse to get on any rides, which he finds very weird since I LOVE going on rides. Then at around 5pm we get dinner, so i figure oh that's a great idea, I'll tell him over dinner! So we go up to the Blue Bayou restaurant (the one inside Pirates of the Caribbean) and he sends me to look at something and we some how got a table I was so happy. As were eating I tell him the news that im pregnant. we are so happy and we are talking about our future, and once were finished he insists that we get a dessert, as I look up the waiter is bringing me this beautiful silver platter with our dessert and I look over and there he is on one knee and he asked me " Jessica, Will you spend the rest of your life with me?' I instantly start crying and say "yes, of course" that was one of the best day of our lives. We gave birth to our beautiful daughter Rebecka Lynne on November 24th, 2009 We decided to have a longer engagement because I decided i didn't want to be pregnant for our wedding. now we've started our wedding planning and couldn't be more excited.

Cecilia and Jose

We are Cecilia and Jose. We got together freshman year at Rialto High School and have been together ever since. We’re both 20 years old and attend college full time. On top of all this, we have a 3 year old daughter. We are good kids trying to succeed in life not only for ourselves, but for our daughter. It was on April 25, that we got engaged. It happened at a baseball game, the Angels vs. the Yankees. At the moment none of us work. It is hard to find work and especially on our schedule. While Jose is in school Cecilia is watching their daughter and while Cecilia is in school Jose is watching their daughter. Although it is difficult at times, we have our families support. We have been through so much together and want to get married. We are starting to save up money to have a beautiful wedding with our friends and family. If all goes well our wedding date will be on the day we got together just 7 years later on March 31, 2010. Please help us get married! Thank You!

Erica and Jeffrey

“‘Infinity and Beyond’…plus one!” You might recognize this quote as some-what familiar to the famous animated Disney Film ‘Toy Story’, except with our own little twist, ‘…Plus one!’ That is how long our love for each other will last, infinity and beyond…plus one!

We meet the usual way, through a mutual friend, except it was in an extremely unusual manner …

Jeff, my fiancé, and I had never met me before except he chose a Friday to call me using our mutual friends’ cell phone over and over and over and over again throughout the day.

So, we chatted on and off throughout the entire day without ever having met before, until we finally had a chance to meet that night before going into a club downtown. I was to wear a black top with white pants so that he could notice who I was.

Needless to say, he introduced himself on the sidewalk outside the club, bought me one drink inside the club and disappeared for the rest of the evening…

I thought he wasn’t interested, yet four years later he proposed to me on that very same sidewalk and we are to be married the same Friday we meet, six years later – January 27, 2012!

To Infinity and Beyond…plus one! Please help us get there by voting for us to win the Engagement Session with PS Photography!

Here’s wishing to your own ‘infinity and beyond’!

Nikki and Ryan

Ryan and I met in June 1996, in Santa Barbara, where we both worked together in a restaurant on the pier while attending college. We laughed, joked, sang, took lunch, went out together, counseled each other about our dating relationships and genuinely cared for each other. Although we managed to keep our distance romantically, we remained close friends for those three years.

Now this is where destiny comes into play. I moved away to Lake Tahoe and then Hawaii and lost touch with Ryan. This was back in the days when email was in its infancy and the web was non-existent. Basically we had no contact for three years. Me and my sister decided to travel to Europe before I attended law school.

We took the train from France to Italy. While we were changing trains in this extremely busy train station, I was waiting in line to purchase my tickets. I had been staring straight ahead, when I got the idea to turn around. Just as I did, I saw Ryan. I thought, “Oh my God! This can’t be!” Ryan was walking past me. We freaked out! We hugged and I screamed and was so excited to see him there. What are the chances of ever seeing an old friend on the other side of the world when you haven’t seen or heard from them in years?? This encounter was absolutely kismet.

Ryan was with an ex-girlfriend at the time. She was none-too-happy to see me and Ryan hitting it off like no time had passed since we saw each other. Anyhow, long story short, we exchanged email information, kept in touch and began dating four years after that encounter. I think Ryan’s line when we began dating was, “I’ve waited ten years for this moment.” This persuasive argument that won me over hook, line and sinker!

Curt and Jean

January 27, 2008 - we met face-to-face for the first time. We'd been talking on the phone and in email for a couple of weeks. Starbucks - isn't that where everyone who meets online gets together? He was nice, and a couple of days later, he asked me out to dinner. I couldn't turn him down - he was so sweet! Dinner was nice... but when he asked me out for Valentine's Day, I opted to babysit for my sister. Three days later, he picked me up to spend the day at Laguna Beach, with roses, chocolate, and a Valentine's Day card. The day was perfect - he anticipated my every need and desire, as if he'd known me forever. I couldn't have asked for a better day, and once I got to know him, I knew that I'd waited for him all my life. We haven't been apart for more than a day or two since then - and on July 11, 2009, on the same beach where we shared our first kiss, he asked me to be his wife! On August 21, 2010, with my daughter and my sister as my maids-of-honor and the rest of our families looking on, we will be married!

Charlene and Justin

My fiancé Justin and I met online! We never believed something like that could work, but it definitely worked for us! We have been together since September 10, 2008 and engaged since July 8, 2009. We have overcome some struggles in our relationship, mainly financial as we met right when the economic downturn began and continues to remain this day. Because of that, our original wedding date of August 28, 2010 is being postponed until financially things improve. We cannot wait to be able to plan our wedding without the stress of putting a financial burden on our families. As of now, we are happily enjoying our relationship and only hope things get better down the road financially, for everyone. Justin proposed to me re-creating a book similar to the one seen in the Pixar movie “Up.” It is one of our favorite movies! The whole proposal was a complete surprise to me! Justin labored over the whole book by hand as everything on there, including the binding, leather, & paper was all put together by him! He proposed after coming back from a 2-week vacation in his family’s home in Washington state. Describing my relationship with Justin, the man I will proudly call my husband and father of my children, I feel forever fortunate! I have met such a wonderful man with an honest & giving heart. Attempting to describe us in 250 words is an arduous task and I’m only left to say that I am SO excited for our journey!

Tammy and Gregory

Our romantic story begins actually before we met. In 2008, my mom and I went on the Golden Princess on and cruised to Mexico for a week. Gregory was on the same ship, but instead of working in the traditional dining room where he usually works, he was assigned to anytime dining (he's a head waiter). We never met. He was supposed to stay on the Golden Princess for another year with the same itinerary to Mexico in 2009, but at the last minute, he got reassigned to the Star Princess for the 7-day Alaska itinerary in 2009.

In June of 2009, my mom and I cruised to Alaska on the Star Princess. He was not only working in traditional dining where my mom and I ate, he was working our section and table.....so we finally met!!!! We hit it off immediately. The last day before we disembarked, he gave me his # and email and asked to stay in touch with me. We've been talking every day ever since!

I visited him in Poland in January to meet his family before his next contract started on the Ocean Princess in February. We were waiting at the airport for my plane when we started talking about what the future holds for us, and that’s when he proposed! For 14 hours on a plane back to LA, I was busting at the seams. I called my mom the next day and first thing she said was, “I knew it!”

Danielle and Andrew

Andrew and I met in high school in Huntington Beach, Ca. Funny story actually. We were in choir together, when I was a Freshman and he was a Senior, and I never even looked at him twice before this night. We were doing a Christmas Concert at an outdoor Christmas tree lot and he wasn't able to sing in the choir with us because he was also in the Jazz Band and was getting ready to do a solo. Didn't know he was even there or existed at that point. We sang Jingle Bells, and Oh Holy Night, and all the famous songs and then were exhausted by the time we were done. A friend and I stayed to watch the Jazz Band perform and thank God we did! Andrew was up first. He sang Zoot Zoot Riot and the whole time he was up there putting on the best show. Swinging his hips around like Elvis Presley (who I am the #1 fan of) and winking at the girls in the audience. My jaw dropped as soon as I saw him. The whole time I was just standing in the middle of the crowd with my jaw to the floor. I swear I must have been drooling! Haha. So after that night was over I looked for him at school and noticed him everyday in choir. When I got up the nerve to talk to him I realized he was so nice! I asked him to the Sadie Hawkins Dance (the dance where the girls ask the guys) and then found out he had a girlfriend! =[ I was bummed. So I moved on quickly and was still nice to him and said hi of course. I met someone else and he was amazing. His name was Eddie and we were together for 2 1/2 years. He tragically passed away in a car accident in Dec. of 2002. Life was miserable after that. Another 3 years had passed, and for a lot of that time I wasn't ready to date anyone, when out of the blue Andrew gives me a call. I hadn't talked to him in years because he had graduated and I was still in high school. He just randomly asked me out to dinner. So I accepted and was in shock! I remembered how gaga I was over him years before. So we went to dinner and a movie. Everything went great and he asked me out for the next 2 nights as well. We got along so great that he invited me to his house and wanted me to meet his family. I met the family and thought they were great. The best part was, I walked into his bedroom, and it was an ELVIS SHRINE!!!! It was history from there. I had to rush him over to see my room which was the pink girly version of his! A month later we were watching a movie, and I know this isn't the most original proposal or anything, but he rolled over and looked me straight in the eyes and said "Babe, I know I don't have a ring yet, but I love you, and I don't think I'll ever find another like you. Will you marry me?" I was in shock. A few tears ran down my face and I said "YES!" This was on November 18th of 2005 and for Christmas that year I recieved the most beautiful diamond ring. I feel so blessed to have him in my life. I pray that everyone will experience a love like ours and will find their soulmate. We would have liked to be married already but unfortunately money had been tight. We had a beautiful baby girl on April 14th of 2008 and are planning to get married on May 16th next year. I graduated Cosmetology School and am working part time right now, and he is a Certified Medical Assistant and is returning to school next week to get a degree in Phlebotomy. Life is pretty great and we can't wait to be married and seal our little family. Thanks for reading our story!

Damara and Erik

Erik and I met about 5 years ago. I always thought he was super cute and funny, but I couldn’t go after him because I was dating someone at the time. About a year later, I was single again and Erik and I started catching up online. We realized that both of us had that crush and started hanging out more. One night at a bar with a bunch of friends, he kissed me. That night, I crashed at his house in his bed, where he slept on the floor next to the bed because he respected me too much. I thought that was so sweet of him. He wrote me the sweetest poems (I still have some of them) and swept me off my feet. We moved into together after three months and have been together ever since. We got engaged on January 23rd, 2009 and got legally married at the courthouse March 27, 2009. We got married early so he could have insurance through my work when he was laid off. We didn’t have a wedding and we look forward to being able to have our dream wedding this time next year. I truly couldn’t be more blessed with best husband a woman could ask for. I cant wait to start a family in a few years.

PS Photography Engagement Story Contest!

I'm about to post the 9 stories we received for our engagement story contest. In order to vote, you must go to our facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/WeddingPhotographyandVideo The name and photo of the couple will be posted in a public album. To vote, just click the "like" button. You may only vote once for each couple, but you may vote for as many couples as you want.

Here is Chris and Sylvia's Save the Date Video!

Here is Chris and Sylvia's Save the Date Video at Venice Beach, CA.

Green Nail Polish

When I was 14 I saw green nail polish in a Delias catalog. I had to have it, but my parents, being more conservative, told me I couldn't get it. For years I wanted that green nail polish. At some point I guess I outgrew that desire and forgot about it.

Lately I've been feeling the need to do more for myself. I've been so busy and I'm always working on projects for others. Although I love my family and work, I'm starting to feel like I'm losing me in it all. So I made a commitment to myself that I'm going to re-energize the me in myself. I'm going to do things so that I'm happier, and thus will have more to offer to my family and clients. I started by buying a bottle of green nail polish. Although that may sound silly, it makes me happy and it fulfills a desire that I had for years. My goal is to bring out the real me, so that I can offer that to you.

PS Photography Southern CA Engagement Contest

Are you engaged to be married? Then enter our engagement contest!

Share your story with us for a chance to win some fabulous prizes. The story can be your engagement story, how you met, and experience you've been through together. It can be about anything that has to do with the two of you as a couple. Your story will need to be 250 words or less and must be sent to engagementcontest@gmail.com before April 30th at 9pm. Your story will be posted on our blog and our facebook fans (we have over 2,000 at this time) will vote on the stories and determine the winners. Voting will start at 9am PST on May 3rd and will end at 9pm PST on May 10th. You must be a fan of our facebook page in order to vote. Each fan may vote one time during the whole voting period.

The prizes are not limited to, but will include the following:
-A certificate for 2 unlimited ride wristbands at Pacific Park at the Santa Monica Pier. This was graciously donated by Pacific Park specifically for this contest. Please check out their site at http://www.pacpark.com
-A Save the Date Video
-A Custom Photo Guestbook for your Wedding
-Save the Date Cards
-Signature Frame with Photo
-An Engagement Session- must take place within 60 miles of Los Angeles.
-Design For Less Events has donated a full service wedding planning and coordination ($2000.00 value)

Be sure to also check out our facebook fan page at http://www.facebook.com/WeddingPhotographyandVideo

We reserve the right to change any of these details at anytime. We also reserve the right to disqualify any contestant if we feel cheating was occurring.

Santa Monica Pier Engagement Shoot

I had the honor of taking Elizabeth and Alex's engagement photos at the Santa Monica Pier yesterday. They were such a sweet couple, and the Pier is my new favorite engagement session location! Although the parking was crazy. I had to drive through a dozen lots before I could find a spot. I guess it was a nice beach day. Anyway, if you want to see some more of the photos, you can check them out on our facebook page.

What are they saying about PS Photography?

“She is one of the best photographers I have worked with. Very detailed, professional and focused on quality. Very friendly , soft spoken and down to earth. She is blessed with the skills of photography. Good Luck Trina and we shall work together again.” -Adam V.

“One word: AMAZING! What a talented photographer! Our wedding was small and very special and Trina really made sure we had wonderful memories. The images were available very quickly, and all of them were fabulous. We also received the CD with all the images within two weeks. THANK YOU TRINA!!!! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!” -Vilte

“Trina is an extremely organized, focused and talented person. She is very passionate about photography and it shows in her work. She is always a pleasure to work with!” -Bia I.

“OMG OMG OMG the pictures are awesome! We totally love them!”
-Erica V.

“I enjoy your photography. I had an amazing time working with you. The pictures are fabulous. And hope to work with you again!”
-Miranda

“PS Photography was absolutely wonderful! The quality of the photographs were beautiful, and they got them back to me in record time after the wedding. And since I have never had professional photos taken before Trina was very helpful in ideas on how the bridesmaids and I should pose, which made for some great photos as well!! The price was awesome and since I had my wedding on the San Juan Islands in Washington I was afraid they would say no, but they were totally flexible and didn't mind traveling there at all. I would definitely recommend them to any bride, they made for an overall fantastic experience on my wedding day! Thank you PS Photography!!” -Karen S.

“Truly lovely work! PS Photography shows true devotion to the art of photography and capturing your special moments! Highly recommended!” –Heather

“Trina is very easy to work with. The shoot was very enjoyable. She had a lot of good ideas and the pictures turned out GREAT! Thanks so much,”
-Sean and Laura

“felt like i hired a friend instead of a photographer. awesome, and very beautiful pictures.”
-Amy G.

“Trina is an excellent photographer with unique ideas and a fresh style. She takes good care of people and ensures that her clients are satisfied. Her prices are verhotoy reasonable considering her abilities and equipment. She is very professional and gives every project her utmost effort.”
-Jon

“Trina was such a pleasure to work with. She was friendly and had good ideas about what would make great pictures. Her finished product was great too, and I especially love what she did for me in black and white.”
-Sharlenie

“Amazing person to work with. Punctual. Very Focused on Quality. Very detailed. Yet very friendly and soft spoken. Not only I got great pictures but also made an amazing friend. Good luck Trina in your future endeavors.” -Adam

“Congratulations! We are excited to announce that PS Photography has been chosen to receive the Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2010. This award recognizes the top 5 percent of local wedding professionals from the WeddingWire Network who demonstrate excellence in quality, service and professionalism.

The Bride’s Choice Awards™ are determined exclusively by recent newlyweds (brides and grooms) through extensive surveys and reviews, which means your past clients have spoken on our behalf and selected you to receive this honor.

WeddingWire would like to commend you for your excellent service and dedication to the wedding industry.

Best,
The WeddingWire Team"

My New Hair!

Okay, so if you know me, you know that I've always had long curly hair. Well, that's over- at least for a little bit. Welcome to my new hair! It was a long 8.5 hour day, but so worth it. This is a permanent straightening, so I'll have this hair until it grows out. If you want to check out the place, they are Artistic Gallery
141 North Atlantic Boulevard Suite 109
Monterey Park, CA 95817
(626)576-8838

It's Easy to Book Wedding Photography and Videography!

Are you interested in booking photo and/or video with us for your wedding? We will make this process as easy as possible for you. We take many different payment types, including credit. We're also willing to set up payment plans. Is the deposit too high? Put $500 down and pay the rest later. Is the balance more than you can pay by your wedding? Then pay it two months after the wedding. We will work with you so that you can get amazing images of your fabulous day. Send a message to trina@psphotography-video.com to find out more about your options. If you know which package you're interested in, please let me know, and also include your wedding date and location.

Where do we cut the wedding cake from?

When couples don't have a wedding planner or coordinator, often times the photographer is the person present with the most wedding experience. I quite often get asked questions about the timeline, how to cut the cake, where people should stand, what leg the garter goes on, and so on and so forth. I think the topic that most people ask about is the cake. This is a link to The Knot's FAQ on the cake. I hope this helps some of you. And of course if I'm there, feel free to ask any questions you may have! http://wedding.theknot.com/wedding-planning/wedding-reception-planning/qa/top-wedding-cake-etiquette.aspx

Venice Beach Engagement Shoot - Ayana and Jason

Jonathan and I are really excited to have the honor of shooting Ayana and Jason's wedding in June. Last week we did their engagement photos down at Venice Beach. We were losing the sun quickly, and it was such a cold day down there, but despite that, we had a lot of fun and got some amazing images. We're going to use a number of these photos in their custom photo guestbook. I wish I had had a custom guestbook for my wedding!

What is Photography?

Photography is not just the click of a button. It's not an automatic amazing image. Rather photography is the art of telling a story with images. It's a skill of capturing moments and emotions. The end result are photos that make you laugh, cry and love. These are something you will love and cherish for a lifetime.

What's Your Story?

You're getting married because you not only found someone that you love dearly, but also because you've found the person you want to spend the rest of your life with. That's an amazing feeling, and generally there's an amazing story to go with it.

Share your story with us for a chance to win some fabulous prizes. The story can be your engagement story, how you met, and experience you've been through together. It can be about anything that has to do with the two of you as a couple. Your story will need to be 250 words or less and must be sent to engagementcontest@gmail.com before April 30th at 9pm. Your story will be posted on our blog and our facebook fans (we have over 1,500 at this time) will vote on the stories and determine the winners.

The prizes are not limited to, but will include the following:
-A certificate for 2 unlimited ride wristbands at Pacific Park at the Santa Monica Pier. This was graciously donated by Pacific Park specifically for this contest. Please check out their site at http://www.pacpark.com
-A Save the Date Video
-A Custom Photo Guestbook for your Wedding
-Save the Date Cards
-Signature Frame with Photo
-An Engagement Session- must take place within 60 miles of Los Angeles.
-Design For Less Events has donated a full service wedding planning and coordination ($2000.00 value)

Be sure to also check out our facebook fan page at http://www.facebook.com/WeddingPhotographyandVideo and our main site at http://psphotography-video.com

Wedding and Honeymoon Supplies

Hey brides and grooms, check out http://www.theweddingoutlet.com Today only you can get 15% off your entire order by entering the code "FooldInLove" at check out. They have all types of wedding related products. It's worth checking out!

Here are some of the items they carry:
wedding favors; unity candles; aisle runners; garters; veils; flower girl baskets; ring bearer pillows; wedding programs; decorations; wedding party clothes; gifts; jewelry; frames; albums; memory books; bridal shower supplies and games; engagement party supplies; bachelorette and bachelor party supplies; honeymoon items; cake toppers; card boxes and tons of other wedding related items.

I'm the Mommy!

My three year old decided she was going to be a mommy today. It was adorable. Of course I was her daughter, and she kept calling me her sweety. Although at one point it started getting a little ugly. She started telling me what I could and could not do. She also started doing things she knew better than, such as getting in my make up. When I confronted her, the response was, "well, I'm the mommy."

Beverly Hills Bridal Shoot

I had an amazing time this evening doing a bridal shoot with Natalie and Nayan on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills. They were amazing and had so much energy, which made the shoot tons of fun!

PS Photography Cute Kid Photo Contest Details

Here are the rules and details for the PS Cute Kid Contest. If you have any questions, please post them as a comment. Thanks.

-One photo per child.
-If you're using a professional photo, you must have the rights or the photographers permission to use the photo.
-Only a parent or legal guardian my enter a child into the contest.
-You may enter as many of your children into the contest as you wish.
-We will be accepting entries through 9pm Pacific Standard Time on March 31st.
-Photos will be in a album on my facebook page in the order they were sent. They will be posted by April 3rd.
-Voting will start 9am Pacific Standard Time on April 5th.
-Voting will end at 9pm Pacific Standard Time on April 15th.
-The winners will be announced on the facebook page on April 16th, and a message sent to the winning parents on April 17th.
-Those age 14 and over who are a fan on the facebook page may vote.
-You may vote as for as many children as you want, but only once per child.
-To vote, simply post the word "vote" as a comment on the photo you wish to vote for.
-No creating fake profiles or cheating in anyway. Those found cheating will have their votes and child disqualified from the contest.
-Do not leave any comments on the photos in the contest other than the word "vote."
-The winners will be determined through voting, so be sure to get as many people behind your child as you can. But note, the count will not only be based on the votes of your friends and family. There will be an anticipated couple hundred voters who do not have their children in the contest who will also be voting. So yes, this is more than a popularity contest.
-Only one photo per child will be entered into the contest. I will choose the photo for those of you who sent more than one photo per child. If you sent more than one photo, and requested that I enter a particular photo, I will do my best to get the one you want up, but since I'm going through so many entries I cannot guarantee that.
-I will start getting the photos up on April 1st. If for some reason I am not able to upload your photo or don't have all the needed info, I will send you a message as soon as I can. Please try to respond before the 5th, so that we can get your photo into the contest before the voting starts.
-Everyone who enters the contest and does not win will still receive some great offers on a photo session to thank you for participating.
-The winners receiving a photo session will have the choice of getting a studio shoot at my in home studio
-Photos submitted in this contest will not be used for any purpose other than posting on facebook for voting, and then the winners' photos will be placed on my blog and facebook when I announce the winners.

I sent a message with all these details to the parents who had entered their children before 1pm today. I just responded to a message from each parent. Don't worry if you sent other emails with your other children or a replacement photo. I just wanted to make sure that each parent got the message. If you have any questions, feel free to comment here, or on my facebook page. The prize list is a couple posts down. Thanks, and good luck!

Wedding Engagement Photography and Video Contest

If you haven't noticed, I like contests. I'll always have at least a few of these per year. Of course we have our cute kid photo contest going on right now. The next contest will be for our engaged couples. Each couple will submit a photo of themselves, and a story about themselves. It can be about how they met, their engagement, something they've been through together. Really the story can be about anything having to do with the two of them. We can only accept one story per couple, and it must be 250 words or less.

The prize list is not complete yet, but will include an engagement session, a signature frame with photo, save the date cards, a save the date video and a custom photo guestbook.

You can start writing your story now, but we will not be accepting stories until April 13th, and we will continue accepting them through April 27th. I will post the stories on my blog and the photo and link in a facebook gallery. The stories will be read on the blog, and the voting will take place on facebook. We will open up the voting on April 30th, and it will close on May 11th. The winners will be announced on May 13th.

Cute Kid Photo Contest Prizes

We're going to offer prizes to the top three contestants of the PS Cute Kid Photo Contest. The prizes are as follows:

First Place: 45 minute photo session, 1 20x30 print, 1 16x20 print, 5 8x10 prints, and a CD with 10 images. Photo submission into my photo labs cute kid contest (with a photo taken from the winning session), with a chance of winning up to $5000 in cash prize. 100 Chuck E Cheese tokens. 2 admission tickets donated by Wild Rivers in Irvie. Please check out their site at http://www.wildrivers.com

Second Place: 30 minute photo session, 1 16x20 print, 5 8x10 prints, and a CD with 10 images. Photo submission into my photo labs cute kid contest (with a photo taken from the winning session), with a chance of winning up to $5000 in cash prize. 50 Chuck E Cheese tokens.

Third Place: 15 minute photo session, 1 16x20 print, and 5 8x10 prints. Photo submission into my photo labs cute kid contest (with a photo taken from the winning session), with a chance of winning up to $5000 in cash prize.


These are the prizes for the time being. If more prizes are added, I'll update this post.

Fashion Walk!

I hosted a shoot with the Los Angeles Photography Meetup and a couple local models today. It was tons of fun. We walked down Vermont in Koreatown and just got photos along the side of the street. Although weddings and engagements are my biggest passion, I love being creative and doing things outside of the box.

Cute Kid Photo Contest - Cash Prize?

The three children with the most votes in our Cute Kid Photo Contest will win a free photo session with us. This can be done at an outdoor location in the Los Angeles area, or in my in home studio. Those children, along with any other contestant who books a session with PS Photography before May 15th, will be entered into the Millers Baby and Child Portrait Contest. Only one photo of each child, from each session, can be entered into the contest. This is only open to children ages 12 and under.

For each qualifying round, the top five winners will be selected from the four categories and will receive a studio sample of their winning image. These winning portraits will be entered into the Final Round, which takes place during the month of July. The Final Round will be judged online by a panel of esteemed photographers. First, Second, and Third places, as well as two Honorable Mentions, will be announced for each category! Cash prizes for these winners include $2,000 for First, $1,000 for Second, $750 for Third, and $500 for each Honorable Mention. One portrait from the Final Round will also receive the highest of accolades -- Grand Prize Winner. The cash prize will be $5,000 for this lucky winner! All cash prizes will be given to the families of the winning portraits.

Koyal Wholesale - Weddding and Event Supplies

I ran into Koyal Wholesale while at an event a few weeks ago. They currently have a discount going that they said I can pass on to you. Use the coupon code: 10PC on your next online order of $100 or more to get $10 off. They have tons of products including cake toppers, vases, candles, sparklers, favors, catering supplies, personalized items, chair covers, and many more products. Take a look at their site at http://www.koyalwholesale.com Also be sure to search for them on YouTube, facebook and twitter!

Destination Weddings!

I have a couple out of state weddings coming up that I'm really excited about. Leilani is going to be married in Hawaii in just 5 weeks! I've never been to Hawaii, so I'm really excited about this trip. Most of my brides book engagement shoots, but since Leilani doesn't live in California, I wasn't able to offer her a session, so I won't meet her until we're there. I've done a few destination weddings this year, and I hope to book more in the near future.

In May we'll be heading out to Mobile AL for JoQuese and Quentin's wedding. Although they no longer live in Los Angeles, I had the privilege of shooting their engagement session while they still lived here. You can see their love and joy, and this is one of those marriages where you have no doubt that it will last forever. I'm excited for this opportunity and honored that they choose to fly us out to participate in their special day.

PS Photography - Los Angeles Wedding Photography and Videography

Hey, don't forget to check out our main site at http://psphotography-video.com

Random Question of the Day on Facebook

Are you a fan on my facebook page? If so I would love to have you participate in our Random Question of the Day. It's something new that we're doing so we can get to know everyone better and so that people have an opportunity to get to know us as well. If you're not on our facebook page, please join at http://www.facebook.com/WeddingPhotographyandVideo

Wedding Shower Stories by theknot.com

If you know me very well, you know that I love a good story. The church bulletin bloopers are my favorite (I'll have to post them sometime). Seriously, there are some stories that can keep me laughing for years. The Knot just posted some bridal shower stories, so I thought I'd pass them on. Hope you enjoy:

A lot of bridal showers have moments that make the bride blush, but occasionally something happens that leaves everyone speechless. We asked brides to share their most cringe-worthy bridal shower moments -- here are the most embarrassing bridal shower stories we've ever heard.

"My friend was very uneasy about having her mother and grandmother at her bridal shower. She opened the first gift and it was a very tasteful negligee, and she had a relieved look on her face. The next present was from her grandmother: It was an apron. She looked very confused and then the grandmother said, 'One day when your hubby gets home put that sucker on with two cookies in the pockets and it will drive him wild!'"

"At my bridal shower my maid of honor made centerpieces with little fish in them. I guess there was something wrong with the water, because 15 minutes after everyone arrived they had all died and were floating in the vases in the center of the tables!"

"At a friend's bridal shower I bought her a 'toy' as a sort of gag gift -- I didn't know there would be a lot of older female family members there. Her 90-year-old grandmother was so disgusted that she spit her dentures into the gift box and stormed out."

"At my shower we played the game 'How Well Does the Bride Know the Groom.' I only got 2 out of 10 right -- how am I supposed to know his dream job is to be an FBI agent!"

"At a bridal shower for a close friend, each time she opened a gift her mom would comment loudly, often saying how cheap it was and how the guest in question should have spent twice as much on her daughter! My poor friend was mortified, and the rest of the shower was, to put it mildly, a little awkward."

"I was maid of honor for my college friend's wedding, but had briefly dated the groom in college (it was never serious and we were all friends). At the shower we were playing a game where the bride has to answer questions about the groom, and she was asked who the groom's first kiss was. She looked at me, I put my head down and turned red, and she said my name. I had been his first kiss. We laughed it off, but I was so embarrassed and wanted to hide for the rest of the shower."

"At my sister's bridal shower we played a game where everyone takes a piece of toilet paper and 'dresses' the bride up in a toilet paper gown. The instructions were to 'take a piece of paper the size you normally would when you use the bathroom.' My mother proceeds to take two squares of toilet paper. Everyone stops what they're doing and when she realizes that everyone is looking at her says, 'Using too much paper is wasteful, and I always wash my hands after.'"

"My future mother-in-law has planned a shower for me at a Victorian tea room. Sounds nice enough, right? Wrong. The venue happens to be the very location of my 8th, 9th, and 10th birthday parties. And did I mention she has invited 45 people? My wedding will have only 30 guests!"
http://wedding.theknot.com/bridesmaids-mother-of-the-bride/bridal-shower-ideas/articles/most-embarrassing-bridal-showers-ever.aspx?cm_mmc=Facebook-_-Mar10-_-EmbarrassingBridalShowers-_-none

Have You Considered Honeymoon Photography?

I remember my honeymoon. My husband and I had a great time in Cozumel, but when we came home all we had to show for it was our tans, which quickly faded, our memories, and photos that we took of each other. We came out of it with only one photo of the two of us, and it wasn't a great photo. I agree that it's most important to have those amazing photos of your wedding day, but don't you also want amazing photos of the two of you together on your honeymoon? Basically I would be on call for you during the trip. We could get lots of fun posed photos as well as I could be more photojournalistic when you want me to be. The prices vary based on the dates of travel and destination. Please send me an email with all of the details for a personal quote.

Do You Have a Cute Kid?

PS Photography is holding our First Annual Cute Kid Photo Contest! We're looking for Southern California's cutest kids (those outside of the area can still enter, but most of the prizes will be in or near Los Angeles). Parents may enter their children ages 0-12. We will be accepting submissions through the end of this month, and voting will begin early next month. We will allow one vote per person per photo. So, you may vote for more than one child, but you may not vote for any child more than once. Those who create fake profiles, or vote multiple times will be disqualified. No votes by this person will count, and if it's a parent, we will disqualify your child. So please everyone, play fair. We already have some great prizes, and anticipate more. I'll post all the details about our prizes, and their donors soon. If you don't have children, be sure to let all your friends and family who do know about the contest. Thanks!

My Wedding Photography Blog

I've had this blog for about a year and a half now, but I've been terrible at maintaining it. You'll notice that there are months between some of the posts. I'm determined to keep this blog up to date now. I'll try to post something at least once a week. I plan to write on various topics including updates on my weddings and events, info on other vendors, general wedding related info, updates on our contests, and just personal stuff about myself. If you have a topic you'd like me to write about, please let me know.

Who is Trina Heppner

Someone told me I should write about myself. They weren't saying I should write about the things I do, but rather about the person I am. That made me ask the question, "who am I"? Really though, who am I? Who is Trina Heppner? The things that are important to me are where I figured I should start. Those things include God, my husband, my children, my extended family, my community and photography.

I am a child of God, a wife to a wonderful man who loves me dearly, and mother of 7 beautiful children- Scarlet, Philip, tbd, and those four who didn't make it. I come from a large family, with seven sisters and two brothers who I love very much. After those, I have a passion for making this society a better place, and for stopping time to capture emotions that might otherwise be forgotten. It is these things that I care about, and they are the things that make me who I am. What makes you, you?

WeddingWire Bride's Choice Award

PS Photography received the great honor of receiving the 2010 WeddingWire's Bride's Choice Award. Only the top 5% of vendors in each area receive this. We were chosen to receive this award putting us in the top 5% of photographers in Los Angeles County who use weddingwire! We want to thank all the brides and grooms who left amazing reviews for us that helped us get this great honor. Thank you so much!

Sylvia and Chris Engagement Shoot - Veterans Park Redondo Beach

On Saturday I had an engagement session with Sylvia and Chris. These two have been together for 16 years! They have two children, and are a really happy family. Even after 16 years you can see their love and passion for each other. I always love shooting engagement sessions at Veterans Park in Redondo Beach, and Sylvia and Chris made it even better. They were a lot of fun to work with!

Which Line are You in?

I just got home from the Wedding Professional Photographers International conference in Vegas. Anyone who is anyone in the world of wedding photography was there. It was such an amazing opportunity to be trained by some of the top photographers in the world. However, that amazing experience was tainted by some bad planning.

I arrived at many classes very early, only to find that the classes were already filled to capacity. I'd then check out other classes to find that they were all full as well. It seemed that it was either impossible to plan an event for 12,000 photographers very well, or that bad panning went into it. Some people waited in line for over 2 hours just to get into a class. It was a crazy mess.

At one point I overheard a man say, "When we meet someone, we don't ask them their name. Instead the first thing we ask is, 'which line are you in?'"

Tip Driven Society

It's sad how tips drive this society in so many places. You can no longer tell if someone is trying to be nice to you, or if they just want a tip.

I generally don't carry cash. It's just easier these days to use a card. When someone unexpectedly picks up my bags for me, opens a door for me, or offers a nice piece of advice, I don't have cash on hand to offer them. When I think about it, why should I? If I saw someone struggling to get their bags down the stairs, or having trouble opening a door, I would like to think that I would freely help them if I were able. I wouldn't then hold out my hand for a tip. Why can't people just help people out of the good in their heart? I do understand that sometimes you seek a service, and it's reasonable to pay more if they went out of their way to provide you with good service. It's another thing when you're having trouble with something and someone comes to your rescue, only to hold out their hand for a tip as soon as the good deed is done.

I wish people had a desire the help each other even when there wasn't monetary compensation involved. These days it's sometimes hard to tell if people are trying to help you or just trying to get your cash.

The Time Traveler's Wife

I watched a movie last night that made me cry more than I have ever cried during a movie. The connection it made with me was greater than anything I had ever experienced while watching a movie. Although it was a great movie, I can never watch it again. The pain it brought me was too real. The movie was the Time Traveler's Wife, and the experiences that brought me to tears were her miscarriages. It wasn't only the loss of her children, but also her want for a child turning into a need for a child. I felt her fear each time she became pregnant again. I felt her hope, fear and anticipation. Having miscarriages in my past made those feelings all too real for me. It's ironic how such a fictitious movie can be so realistic.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

Worst Wedding Proposals- From The Knot

This was posted by theknot.com I thought they were funny. Hope you enjoy!


Wedding Proposals: Not-Quite-Perfect Marriage Proposals of 2009

Pretty much every guy plans every little detail of a marriage proposal -- but who could possibly prepare for a smelly horse? Here are seven marriage proposals to remind you that love endures all.


It Was a Gas
My fiance planned a trip to a ski resort in Pennsylvania, and had intended to ask me to marry him on a sleigh ride, but a heat wave had melted almost all the snow. He then decided he would just take me on a carriage ride, thinking it was going to be very romantic. NO! The horses started farting! And shedding! We had horsehair in our mouths and could smell farts the whole time. We finished the ride, and Jimmy wanted me to follow him to the edge of the mountain, but because of the rain, everything was muddy, so I said, "No, thanks, I'll stay over here!" He was so frustrated, he finally just plopped down on his knee right there in the mud and asked me to marry him!

The Houdini of Engagement Rings
Jordan and his family took me out for my birthday dinner at a restaurant that has live music. At one point, the bandleader said, "I hear there's a birthday in the house tonight! Why don't you come on up here!" Jordan went with me. After they played "Happy Birthday," he pulled a tiny ring box out of his pocket, knelt down on one knee, opened it, and...the ring was missing! Jordan's mother realized she had given him the wrong ring box from her big, overstuffed purse. A few of my friends quickly dumped the contents of her purse onto the table searching for the correct box. Eventually it was found, delivered to Jordan, and he was able to "correctly" propose!

Receipt Fail
My fiance had stopped to pick up the ring on his way home from work. Earlier that day, I had given him the credit card to get gas for his car, and when he got home, I asked him for the receipt so I could put it in our budget. But instead of giving me the gas station receipt, he gave me the ring receipt! I looked at it and smiled, then asked him for the "real" receipt. He just looked at me and said, "No, I didn't!" and we both laughed. He wasn't planning on proposing to me for a couple more days because he had a big, romantic day planned, but I told him that it didn't matter how it happened as long as I got him for the rest of my life!

Thwarted by a Bike
For the first two mornings of our vacation, Nick asked me to get up and take a walk before 8 a.m. -- not a good idea in my mind. Finally, I agreed to a morning bike ride to the beach, but the chain kept popping off my bike. Twenty minutes later, we got the chain back on, but we were covered in grease and it was in the 90s, so we were super-hot. I wanted to go home and shower, but Nick insisted we could get the grease off with salt water. Once we got down to the beach, he got down on one knee and proposed. Now the whole thing finally made sense to me!

Just the 2 of Us...and a Bear
We went to hike in the Pocono Mountains for a weekend. Eric decided that the short trail up the mountain was "too short," so we took the longer one. Hours later, in 95-degree heat and 100-percent humidity, I wasn't so into this hike anymore. We finally reached the top of the mountain, and just when Eric thought it was a good time to pop the question, we heard people behind us yell, "Bear! Here he comes!" And everyone ran to get away from this huge black bear. After the bear finally went away, Eric decided to continue with his plan and proposed. After the shock wore off, I said yes!

Too Close for Comfort
Two-and-a-half years after we started dating, Justin took me on an amazingly scenic stroll. At one point, he got down on one knee and asked if I would marry him. I said, "Of course! Yes!" And he took my hand and put on the ring. I leaned in to cuddle with my new fiance, and at the same time, he leaned in to kiss my forehead -- this created a collision that ended with Justin getting a bloody nose. Fortunately, we got the bleeding under control long enough to tell everyone we knew we were engaged!

Lost and Found
I decided to take my bride-to-be back to the beach where we'd shared our first kiss and propose to her during sunset. I had the ring on my necklace because I thought it would be easier to take off, but I was a little nervous as I kneeled down, and when I tried to take it off, the necklace snapped. The next thing I remember: holding a broken necklace with no ring. We searched the sand inch by inch until nightfall, and then I decided we needed a metal detector. I quickly went out and bought one while my fiancee marked the spot, and it took us lesjavascript:void(0)s than three minutes to locate the ring. Ticket to the pier: $2. Metal detector: $70. The feeling after we found the ring: Priceless.

-- Justine Lorelle Blanchard

Sayulita Mexico Destination Wedding

I'm getting so excited about the upcoming holidays. I know that a lot of my brides and grooms are wanting to give out their wedding and engagement photos as gifts to their family and friends. So I'm working hard trying to get all these jobs out as soon as I can. Right now I'm post processing Julia and Steven's wedding. They got married in Sayulita Mexico. It was a beautiful wedding and they were one of the sweetest couples I've ever worked with. Despite the fact that it was hard being in a different country alone when you don't speak the language, it was a lot of fun. It was a beautiful place, and I got a lot of amazing photos. I'll post more photos soon!

Los Angeles Bridal Shows and Contests

I'm sorry it's been awhile since I've posted anything here. Photography has been keeping my busy. This summer was crazy, but fun. At one point I had six weddings within a 2 week period. We've also been setting booths up at local bridal shows and working on contests for our brides. I'll post more on our upcoming wedding show schedule and our giveaways later.

Los Angeles Wedding Hair and Make Up Artists

Today I had the opportunity to work with an amazing group of girls.  Beauty2Perfection has some of the most talented and skilled hair stylists and makeup artists that I've ever had the opportunity to work with.  I would encourage any bride to be in the Los Angeles area to check out their site at http://www.beauty2perfection.webs.com  The quality and styles are amazing and you will not regret it.  Here are some of the photos I took at their bridal show booth today.