celebrated and thanked their fabulous advertisers on a beautiful October evening recently at the scenic <a href="http://www.ranchovalencia.com/" target="_blank">Rancho Valencia Resort</a>. Jim and Amy Harrick hosted their annual party as a way to show and tell these dedicated professionals how grateful they are for their tremendous talent and dedication to the wedding industry. Cheers!</p>
<p>Venue: <a href="http://www.ranchovalencia.com/" target="_blank">Rancho Valencia</a>, Rancho Santa Fe<br />

Event Coordinator: Carolyn Chen of <a href="http://www.thespecialday.net/" target="_blank">The Special Day</a><br />
Tent &amp; Event Design: <a href="http://www.rajtents.com/" target="_blank">Raj Tents</a><br />
Photography by: <a href="http://www.tworingsandadress.com/" target="_blank">Two Rings and a Dress</a><br />
Caterers: <a href="http://www.theabbeycatering.com/" target="_blank">The Abbey Catering</a>, <a href="http://www.chefbetsyg.com/" target="_blank">Betsy G. Personal Chef Services</a> and <a href="http://cateringbybarry.com/" target="_blank">Coast Catering by Barry Layne</a><br />

Desserts: <a href="http://www.thecakestudio.us/" target="_blank">The Cake Studio</a> and <a href="http://www.candeebysandee.com/" target="_blank">Candee by Sandee</a><br />
Bar: <a href="http://www.pacificcoastbar.com/" target="_blank">Pacific Coast Bar &amp; Beverage</a><br />
Event Floral Design: <a href="http://www.embellishmint.com/" target="_blank">Embellishmint Floral and Event Design Studio</a><br />
Rentals: <a href="http://sandiego.classicpartyrentals.com/" target="_blank">Classic Party Rentals</a> and <a href="http://www.loungeappeal.com/" target="_blank">Lounge Appeal</a><br />

Linens: <a href="http://www.wildflowerlinens.com/" target="_blank">Wildflower Linen</a><br />
Lighting: <a href="http://atmospheredj.com/" target="_blank">Atmosphere Entertainment DJ &amp; Lighting</a><br />
Entertainment: <a href="http://www.waynefoster.com/" target="_blank">Wayne Foster Music &amp; Entertainment</a> and <a href="http://www.fotocabina.com/" target="_blank">Foto Cabina</a><br />
Invitations: <a href="http://www.summerlandletterpress.com/" target="_blank">Summerland Letterpress Designs</a></p>

				</div>

It’s been a while since we attended the Ceremony Magazine industry party at Rancho Valencia in San Diego but we had such a spectacular time there that we thought we’d add it to the blog. We were honored to be asked to photograph the event for Ceremony Magazine and are looking forward to some of the work being published in the 2010 issues – the 1st one is available on newsstands of finer retailers now. Be sure to pick yours up soon!

Event Coordinator, Carolyn Chen of The Special Day did an amazing job at setting up a Moroccan style atmosphere complete with tents by Raj Tents, fountains, and even a roaming girl distributing delicious sweet and spicy almonds.

This super chic outdoor lounge feel was provided by Classic Party Rentals and Lounge Appeal. They have the style and panache to turn a plain lawn into a spectacular venue.

The Caterers: The Abbey Catering, Betsy G. Personal Chef Services and Coast Catering by Barry Layne did an amazing job providing delicious small bites to fit the atmosphere. One of our favorites was the elegantly displayed mashed potato bar. To die for!

Desserts were provided by The Cake Studio and Candee by Sandee. These are two of our favorite sweets vendors. The Cake Studio makes beautiful and delicious cakes that we love – you know how much we LOVE cake! And the highlight of every event is our dear friend Sandee Creager’s candy table. Can we just say that she is far and away the best in the business when it comes to providing creative candy tables for events. She never ceases to amaze us and it seems she outdoes herself every time! Look!

Pacific Coast Bar & Beverage provided a delicious citrus martinis for everyone to enjoy along with the traditional beverages. It only took one of those delightful drinks to lure us into the photo booths by Foto Cabina who provided wigs, hats, crazy sunglasses and feather boas for a little extra fun in the photos.

The Casablanca-style flower arrangements were provided by  Embellishmint Floral and Event Design Studio. We enjoyed the bright, rich but subtle colors and true-to-Morocco plants. Beautiful!

When the sun went down, the lighting was provided by Atmosphere Entertainment DJ & Lighting and we all know that having the right up-lights, bogos and lighting embellishments can really add just the right feel to your event. Lighting adds depth and color and enhances our ability to take great evening images.

Entertainment was provided by Wayne Foster Music & Entertainment who kept us rocking until the end of the night.

We want to especially thank Jim and Amy Harrick for allowing us to take part in this outstanding event. We LOVE being a part of Ceremony Magazine and look forward to many years of networking, advertising and photographing wonderful industry parties liek this one!

Valerie & Brian were such a fun couple to shoot! We loved getting to know them and hearing about their wedding plans. It’s going to be so beautiful! They chose The Surf & Sand Resort as their venue for their February wedding.

The image below is super special. We took some time to capture a few moments on the very spot where Brian proposed. Imagine them showing this picture to their children while telling the story of how they became engaged! Priceless.

One of the great parts of wedding photography is the ability to get to know our clients and their stories and then capture them on film in a way that shows how unique and special they are.

Bethany & Edgar are a darling couple who decided to make their engagement session bring their romance to life.

Because Edgar is a pilot and he proposed to Bethany at the airport, they decided to have their engagement session at an airplane museum.

What a fun way to capture precious memories!

This year 2 Rings & A Dress is excited to announce the launch of our Boudoir brand: Panties & Pearls.  One of the hottest trends in bridal photography is to snap a few super chic shots of the bride in some sultry attire as a gift for her groom. We think it’s a fun an stylish way to surprise your sweetheart. But you don’t need to be a bride-to-be to indulge in a little dress-up for someone special. Valentines Day is coming up and we can’t think of a better way to celebrate that wonderful man in your life.

Elegant & Glistening

Sassy & Fun

Steamy & Sultry

Playful & Cute

What’s your style?

Welcome to the All New 2 Rings & A Dress blog! We are excited to ring in the New Year here at the Studio with all the new “haps” that are heading our way. Please be patient while we begin the exciting process of filling the blog with everything 2 Rings & A Dress and Panties & Pearls. We hope you continue to check in often and tell your friends about us!

As we enter our 4th wedding season we continue to, be recognized by the best around as one of the best around, grow our Executive Team and just rock the photographic industry as best we can! Our 3 completed seasons have brought us to over 150 weddings with 18 more already on the books for next year. We are totally excited about our growth, our team and where we’re headed… Before we take off to far ahead, join us for a little catch up chatter:

In April 2009, we were THRILLED to open the door to our beautiful Wedding Studio in downtown San Juan Capistrano. We can see the Mission from our front window and Starbucks is just a few doors down. It’s very “Wedding-e”. We share the studio with the very lovely and talented Brandi Smith. You may know her as High Society Weddings & Events.

Again this year, we continue to be involved with Ceremony Magazine who has named us “One of the finest in the photographic industry.” Keep your eyes open this August for the issue that will showcase our work on the cover! In addition to our cover image, FOUR of our weddings will be featured in issues throughout the year in all 3 of their publication markets! Make sure to pick up an issue so you can see our wedding spreads at The Beverly Hills Hotel, The Ritz Carlton, The Coronado Marriott and Rancho Capistrano. We’re honored to have had our work selected for these discriminating wedding showcases. Because Ceremony Magazine has such an exclusive and expansive coverage of the Southern California bridal marketplace, we have recently agreed to be included in the San Diego edition. This is a perfect pairing to the Orange County publication where we began our relationship last year. We are quickly becoming one of the most sought-after photographic studios at many of the top rated venues in the coastal south. Check out the California Wedding Wave Blog to see our coverage of the Cuisine in Casablanca industry event.

Also beginning in January 2010, we are please to announce our association with The Association of Bridal Consultants! What a privilege to be part of an association that is considered to be The Standard for Wedding Excellence!

We have been a “Preferred Vendor” TheKnot.com for some time now and have enjoyed advertising in such a Mecca of bridal knowledge. This year we are excited to announce that we are featured with a full page in this season’s issue of The Knot Magazine! Check out page 38 when you get your copy and see our images from the Orange County industry party that was held at the Long Beach Aquarium. Brandi from High Society Event Planning put together a spectacular evening of fun and networking.

And have you seen The Wedding Chicks Blog? We just love this new site! It was established in 2008 and has taken the wedding industry by storm! You simply must check out all the great ideas, tools and deals on this site… and make sure you see our ads while you’re there.

Since we’re growing so much, we decided it was high time that we make a splash with some of our favorite venues in the So Cal area and see if we could be invited to join a few “preferred vendor” lists at our favorite venues. We’re just getting warmed up, but so far, you can count on seeing us a lot more in 2010 at some of these fabulous locales!

The Waterfront Beach Resort by Hilton – Huntington Beach

Rancho Capistrano – San Juan Capistrano

The Catamaran Resort – San Diego

The Aquarium of the Pacific – Long Beach

Tivoli Terrace – Laguna Beach

Tivoli Too – Laguna Beach

The Hacienda – Santa Ana

And plenty more in the works!

We’ve also been selected to be in Pelican Hill Magazine for The Resort at Pelican Hill. We are grateful for this opportunity and look forward to photographing many exquisite events on their beautiful property!

Aside from growing our resources outside of the Studio, we have also been growing internally as well! We have recently added Brianna Caster to our arsenal of talented team members. She will be using her notable talents (she ‘s completing her BFA from Cal State Fullerton in Creative Photography) as a photo editor to help us work through the many amazing images we capture every weekend during our wedding and engagement shoots. Her skills along with her great attitude and desire to produce outstanding work will be a huge asset to our Studio and will certainly help to impress our clients with our ability to show them wonderfully edited images in an expedited amount of time!

We are also excited to announce another addition to our studio – Panties & Pearls! 2010 marks the official kick-off of our boudoir photography brand. You provide the panties and we’ll provide the pearls… and hair, make-up, props, and other super sexy additions to a perfect string of pictures that will make up a little black book for you to give as a surprise to your man. Your session is all about you. We’ll make it as sweet or as sultry as you dare. Call Tracey today to make an appointment and secure a smokin’ introductory rate! (949) 500-0119

Well, that about sums up our entry into 2010! Please be sure to follow our new blog to keep up with our work and the latest and greatest events at 2 Rings & A Dress!

Happy New Year!

Tracey, Kelly & Elaine!