Joefe's baby shower

May 3, 2009
Hampton Function Room, Astoria Plaza

A few weeks before I shot Joefe's maternity portraits, I had the honor of photographing her baby shower. Joefe's family threw her an intimate--by Joefe's standards, that is (Hehehe)--baby shower. And although they only had a few days to iron out the details, everything turned out lovely, thanks to Kathleen of Hi5 Parties, who also acted as host for the program.

Joefe gave birth to her second baby girl Tiffeny about a month ago. And I can't wait to meet the newest member of the family when I photograph her baptism in September.:)

Here are some of my favorite shots from the party.

First off, the YUMMY details and venue set-up. The party's theme was "nesting bird." Super nice!


Cupcakes for everyone!


I obviously love the colors here.:)


Joefe bought these pen and notebook, which served as the guestbook, at a store in Eastwood that I love called Scribe. When I first walked into the store, I had to stop myself from buying everything. I'm a sucker for paper goods (stationery, post-its, notebooks, etc.) so this store is my candy store. These look like they were made especially for Joefe's baby shower.

That's Kathleen on the left with Joefe's sister in the middle during one of the games.


Joefe enjoying the program.

Daddy Tim participating in the daddy game, and Joefe getting her belly measured for on eof the other games.


A nice family shot. Soon, there will be four.


Joefe with Joehna who will soon be a big sister.




After the party, I asked Joefe for some solo shots--a mini maternity session. Joefe hardly looks like she's 8 months pregnant here, but these did turn out to be my favorite shots of the day.

Mavi Addison: Baptism and 1st birthday party

May 2, 2009
Mary the Queen Parish
Greenhills West Clubhouse

Here's the first installment of the May events that I promised to post. It was Mavi's baptism and 1st birthday party on the first Saturday of the month. I was only able to meet Mavi's parent Michael and Sarah in person a day before the party. They told me they had no "special requests" and they trusted that I knew what I had to do. I was glad to know they trusted me but I also knew I couldn't disappoint them.

It was my first time to shoot at Mary the Queen, and I loved the light at the church. The baptistry interior was a bit too dim, but it had a unique structure that looked interesting in photos. The party venue was also bright and the decorations and details were cute and colorful. And, not to mention, Mavi and her mom and dad just make such a beautiful family. I loved photographing them. There are times when I go to a shoot and everything just seems to be so easy. This was definitely one of those times.

Mavi's elegant baptismal attire.


The gorgeous family. This was taken right by the side of the church while we were waiting to ener the baptistry.

The birthday girl Mavi.





This was my favorite shot of Mavi. She looks like a little angel here, doesn't she?

There was a bit of a mix-up and we realized we were all there an hour early. So, I had time to explore the church and take some photos.




Inside the baptistry.

Mavi actually loves water. She didn't want the priest to stop pouring Holy Water on her head.:)



The priest led the group to the main altar for the blessing for the parents. I loved the light there.

And then it was off to the birthday party.



Colorful party decorations for the Baby Einstein-themed party.

Another photo of the family.

Ottoy and Jonyx: Wedding

July 4, 2009
St. Pancratius Church (Paco Church)
G Hotel

They met through mutual friends when Jonyx was studying for her master's degree and Ottoy was doing his undergraduate studies at the UPLB. After many years of being good friends, they fell in love and knew they wanted to always be together. Ottoy got a job in Sydney a few years ago, and Jonyx joined him just a couple of months after. Early this year, Ottoy and Jonyx got engaged. They decided they wanted to celebrate their love in an intimate wedding here at home with only about 50 of their closest friends and families.

Planning even a small wedding is never easy. But planning a wedding for only about 6 months and doing it from abroad is even more difficult. Fortunately, Ottoy and Jonyx had a lot of help. Even on the wedding day itself, you could see how everyone seemed to come together to make the day go as smoothly as possible. Friends and families acted as wedding coordinators, bridal car chauffeur, and even event stylists. Everyone had on their formal dresses and suits, but the atmosphere was so relaxed. And after the reception program, most of the guests stayed to keep the celebration going.

Ottoy and Jonyx...thank you so much for reminding me how much I love weddings--not just photographing them, but being a part of them. Yours was so lovely and I know you both deserved it. Have a safe trip back to Sydney. And enjoy your days together for the rest of your lives!:)

Here are some of my favorites from the wedding:



The lovely dress...

The beautiful shoes!


And the gorgeous bride...:)


Jonyx is so easy to photograph. We took tons of photos of her.

Ces and Pie went to Ottoy's hotel room to take photos while I stayed with Jonyx. However, I dropped in for a few minutes to take a few shots myself.





I love these candid shots I took while the videographer was posing Jonyx.






More photos before heading out of the hotel room.



The G Hotel has such a beautiful lobby. Unfortunately, we didn't have enough time to take photos there. We were able to take this shot just as we were all walking out of the lobby.

Right by the hotel's entrance.

I was taking shots outside the church when these cute girls posed for me.


I love taking photos of the bride just before she walks into the church. This is her last few moments as a single lady.:D

From the moment we arrived at the hotel, Ottoy was on top of everything--giving directions, checking up on things, even commenting on Jonyx's hairstyle. (Hehehe.) But as soon as he saw his lovely bride walk down the aisle, he totally lost it. Here is a funny but sweet photo as Jonyx waited for Ottoy to pull himself together and take her hand.

Mr. and Mrs...

As I said, there were only about 50 people on the guestlist so we were actually able to take a group shot of everyone outside the church.

And then it was time for the portraits. It was my first time to shoot at the Paco church and I instantly fell in love. It was stunning!

Before we continued with the couple's portraits, Ottoy wanted photos with his groomsmen.

They are such a lovely couple, aren't they?

The dashing groom. Naks!


These next photos just make me feel warm and fuzzy inside. The light was perfect! And I had the perfect couple to photograph too!:)

I love the cute expression here.:D

And then we took more photos by the Manila Bay, just across the hotel.





When we were waiting to cross the very busy Roxas Blvd., Jonyx looked my way and gave me this big beautiful smile.

The wedding cake.


The charming set-up at the reception. Yep, that's my very own place card at the lower left.:D





They had beautiful music for the night. (Oh yeah, they also booked the band through one of their relatives.)


My favorite parts to photograph during the reception are the first dances. They're usually very emotional. These are are two of my favorite shots from the day.