He had a crush on her as a sophomore in high school…23 years ago! Alas, it was not Carol and Mike’s time to be together. Each went their own way, started their own families and moved on with their lives. Destiny and fate brought them back together again 5 years ago, and they haven’t looked back since!

I knew I was going to love Carol (and really, who doesn’t love Carol?) the second I heard her voice on the phone. She called on me to inquire about photography services for her upcoming nuptials…but there was a twist. The week before their wedding here in Hawaii, they were eloping to Cabo San Lucas to get married in a private family ceremony. They were planning to legalize their marriage a week later here at home with another intimate ceremony…with just a few close friends and family members. Talking to Carol was like drinking a fresh cup of steaming coffee. She was energizing, and warmed your heart and soul. She was the furthest thing from a Bridezilla that you could imagine, and I knew we were going to love working with her. She admitted that the schedule was somewhat flexible. The wedding was taking place at Morton’s The Steakhouse in Ala Moana Shopping Center, which is situated at the entrance of Waikiki. Unfortunately, this was happening during the heart of RIMPAC, on a Friday evening…and we all know what traffic is like on Friday afternoons here in Hawaii. Carol however, was undeterred, and said there was a 45 minute window of time where the ceremony may take place…then she said the magic words…”We’re FLEXIBLE!” Really?! What bride even dares to utter those words on her big day?  But I soon learned that those 2 words epitomized both Carol and Mike. Carol went on to say, “Kellie, I’m just so excited that this day is really going to happen for us!  It’s unbelievable!” Throughout the night, Carol wore her heart on her sleeve. She emoted heartfelt exuberance and infinite gratitude towards her friends and family…and most importantly, Mike. Mike was debonaire and polished, yet he shared a kindred fun-loving spirit with Carol. He was handsome, kind and understanding…Carol’s search was over! Indeed, when Dawn, Carol’s wonderful MOH, asked Carol if she wanted to save the top tier of her wedding cake (so she and Mike could eat it on their first anniversary), Carol replied, “Nope, he’s the man [for me]. I don’t need to eat cake for good luck, because I don’t need luck…I have Mike!” Thank you, Carol and Mike, for being SO incredibly easy to work with! We were so inspired by your energy, love and gratitude.

Congratulations on your new life together. May your future be filled with many more wonderful shared memories! Hugs to you both, Kellie & Edson.  Here’s your sneak peek, be sure to click on the slideshow at the end of the post to see even more fun-filled photos of the night!

Click on the slideshow below to see more photos from Carol and Mike’s fabulous night!

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She was so tiny and dainty…absolutely perfect! KJ was a sleepy little angel for us, which was surprising considering she was exactly a month old. KJ barely woke up during her individual shots, but opened her beautiful eyes for us for the family photos. What a blessing! It was more than we could have ever asked for. Mom followed our “Parent Instructions” to a T, and KJ’s shoot proved to be one of our easiest shoots ever! Of course, we weren’t surprised that Mom followed through for us with her shoot prep, she is one of the most organized (and sweetest!) individuals I know. Big brother, K, was incredibly well-behaved. He brought the cutest little smile, complete with heart melting dimples, to our shoot. K was so articulate, it was hard to believe that the words coming out of his mouth were coming from a little guy that wasn’t even 2 1/2 yet! Thanks, Mom and Dad, for sharing your cuties with us…we are so honored to be a part of your lives (click HERE for their wedding, and click HERE for their engagement photo shoot). You make a wonderful family!!! Here’s your sneak peek:

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Of course, Mommy came prepared to little Zoey’s shoot  😉  She brought balloons, towel elephants (that she made…of course!), beautiful dresses and a bubble gun.  Could we ask for anything more?  Just amazing!  Little Zoey was 14-months, and as smiley as ever. Click HERE to see Zoey’s newborn shoot, and click HERE to see her most recent shoot with us. She seemed to enjoy hamming it up for our camera, and was particularly thrilled with the bubbles (just look at that gleeful smile!). Big sister, Emma, shared in the fun. She loved the bubbles and balloons just as much as Zoey! I can’t believe how much Emma’s grown (click HERE to see Emma’s newborn shoot, and click HERE to see her 1-year shoot). In total, I think we’ve had about 12 shoots with Emma and Zoey’s family (we even had 2 shoots with Mom before big sis, Emma, was born!).  Thank you so very much for being so loyal and wonderful to us…we couldn’t have asked for a more supportive family.  Bless you all!  Here’s your sneak peek:

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She started smiling for us right off the bat! It’s every photographer’s dream to have such a smiley, happy subject  🙂  Bree flashed her joyful, face-lighting smile at us throughout the session, which made our job so incredibly easy! It brought back memories of her newborn shoot (click HERE to see Bree’s newborn shoot), where she also dazzled us with her adorable little smile. Big brother, Brody, was all too familiar with our cameras (click HERE and HERE to see some of Brody’s previous shoots with us), so he knew just what to do! Mom and Dad, thanks so much for bringing your kiddos out to see us, we had a great time!   Looking forward to our next shoot with Bree and Brody 🙂  Here’s your sneak peek:

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He had amazingly focused, soulful, chestnut-brown eyes that just made you just want to hug him.  Steele was so very tiny (he fit in a sports helmet), but mighty indeed. He had a sense of curiosity that made him stretch that strong neck of his so he could look around and survey the situation. Even his tiny little legs flexed as he tried to push his way along the blanket…imagine how strong he’ll be in a couple of months! Big sis, Chylar, got in on the football action and donned matching Steeler’s attire. She also had big, beautiful eyes…it runs in the family  🙂  Thank you very much, Mom and Dad, for driving out to meet with us! Steele was an absolute angel…he fell asleep so easily (hope he’s doing that with you as well!). Here’s your sneak peek:

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We’ve been looking forward to seeing one of our favorite families for months now! This shoot originally started off as Brynne’s 2-year old shoot. 4 months and a couple of reschedulings later (due to weather and health issues on both ends), we finally got to see them! I can’t believe how much Adri and Brynne  have grown since we last saw them (click HERE to see their previous shoot). They had matching pink sparkle dresses, gold shoes and bathing suits…adorable! They both couldn’t wait to jump in the ocean, so we “sort of” used that as a bribe *wink*.  Adri loved her beach shoot years ago (click HERE), and Brynne was no different.  I’ve always wished I had a sister (instead, I was blessed with two brothers), and it’s shoots like this that bring those secret wishes back. Love the sister bond between Brynne and Adri, it melted my heart   🙂  Mom and Dad, thanks for being so flexible with your schedules! We had a fantastic afternoon.  Here’s your sneak peek:

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I’ll just admit it…this was the shoot I’ve been waiting for. For the past 6 months, I have been planning little Emi’s shoot in my mind. We’ve been amassing newborn girl props for a while (and at the current time, I’m still waiting for a several more  that didn’t come in time for our shoot), but just didn’t have the chance to use them, until now  😉  Kor and Janell, thanks for letting me live vicariously through you and your family, LOL!

Little Emi had the longest, most elegant fingers we’ve ever seen. She had a head full of beautiful hair, and a little face that looked just like her big brother, Caden (click HERE to see Caden’s newborn shoot with us). Emi did an amazing job with us. Since she was only 6 days old, she was a sleepy little angel (which made outfit and prop changes relatively easy).

Thanks again, little brother, for sharing your beautiful family with us!  Congratulations and hugs to all of you  🙂  Emi is absolutely precious!!! Here’s your sneak peek:

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Little Daxx had eyes that could make an iceberg melt. His big, chocolatey brown eyes made my heart melt every time he opened them.  Daxx was a little older than our typical newborn (we like to schedule our newborn shoots within the first 10-12 days of life…that’s when babies are the sleepiest and curl up the best), but he did fall asleep for us for a bit. He loved to be cuddled, and already learned to self-soothe by sucking on his hands. His big brother, Zayd (age 4 years), was absolutely phenomenal!  Zayd was incredibly easy to work with, and took directions amazingly well…after all, not many 4-year olds can tolerate a squirming newborn on their backs for very long. He was not distracted by our various props, and gave us a prize-winning smile every time! Click HERE to see Zayd’s 1-year old shoot with us. Mom and Dad were extremely easy-going, which always makes for an easier shoot.  Thank you for being so wonderful to work with. It was great to see all of you again!  Here’s your sneak peek:

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It was a perfect afternoon for an outdoor family shoot. I had my doubts as we drove over and the clouds turned dark grey,  but our location turned out to be rain-free (well, at least until our shoot was over…it started drizzling as we drove home). We just saw little Emily about a month ago (click HERE to see our previous shoot with Emily), but we scheduled another shoot in because Mom’s family came in from various locations on the mainland, and what better excuse for a shoot than to do a family shoot! We saw most of Emily’s family about 4 years ago (click HERE to see their previous family shoot)…which was before Emily was even born. In fact, Big Sister, Maggie was younger than Emily is now at the time of that shoot.  Our family was just as fun and beautiful as they were at our previous family shoot, and it was a pleasure seeing everyone again! Thank you for a great afternoon, everyone  🙂  Here’s your sneak peek:

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I can’t believe how much these little guys have grown over the past months! The last time we saw Jacie and Jake, they were 3 months old (click HERE to see their last shoot with us). Since that time, they have developed their own little personalities! Jacie was a little ham  🙂  She loved to pose, and gave us the happiest smile (Daddy wins the award for demonstrating the most creative way to elicit a smile from a child!). Jake was a little trouper when it came to waking up from his nap…not a tear! He gave us sweet little smiles, which seemed to go along with his easy going personality.  They tolerated their outfit changes well (thanks for bringing those adorable outfits, Mom!). Mom and Dad, thanks for sharing your sweet angels with us!  It was great to see you all again 🙂  Here’s your sneak peek:

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