Maritha Mae Photography

Monthly Archives: August 2012

August 28, 2012

Katrina + Eric | San Gabriel, CA Rustic Backyard Garden Wedding

Did I tell you? I love backyard weddings. There is just something so home-y and genuine about them. Apparently I am not the only one. Katrina and Eric have always talked about having an outdoor garden wedding and so this dream was one they made into a reality.

It is difficult to fathom that everything at a wedding can be so lovingly put together as this wedding was. Set in the backyard of the house Eric had built with his parents from foundation up, this house was a site to behold on wedding day, including the special cabana Eric built with his grandpa just months before the wedding. Eric is an incredibly friendly & creative guy whose selflessness sketches out for him a heart of gold. Talk about groom-zilla, when Katrina told him she envisioned having Italian lights on wedding day, Eric put up all the Italian lights, posts, hanging lanterns and chandelier all by himself in 3 days flat…And Katrina – well she is probably one of the most focused, motivated funny individuals I’ve met. She had the decorative details down to a T. I love how she combined magenta and teal wonderfully with garden flowers and burlap.

Capturing their endearing, genuine love for one another could not have been a sweeter experience for me. Congratulations Katrina & Eric!

I love that they had two caged parakeets at their wedding, to match their invitation.

The sweetest of surprises! This little puppy was waiting at the door with a note around its neck waiting for Katrina as she got ready in her room that morning.

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August 7, 2012

Backyard Inspired Dinner Party| Arcadia, CA

Sunday night Robbie and I had the opportunity of sharing a pre-anniversary backyard dinner party cooked by the young and talented, Luther Bob Chen. Luther cooks with the finesse and skill of someone who deserves to be on Chopped. Of course, he just got accepted into Culinary Institute of America and wanted to share his skills with us this summer.

In case you’re wondering, I’ve always had an appreciation for backyards since childhood – playing in them, gardening in them, painting in them, biking around in them. I don’t know what it was – there was just always something about the soft light that comes in right before the sun goes down. After setting eyes on Luther’s gorgeous backyard poolside table, you can probably guess I had my heart set on designing a fun backyard inspired table setting for a tasty meal with pine cones and miscellaneous potted plants as the men were in the kitchen chef-ing it up. What began with a dedicated Wholefoods excursion ended with an incredibly delightful 6-course meal explosion in our mouths. Of note were the Portobello Mushroom Fries with Truffle Oil and Parmesan, which Luther has perfected to a T. Also, the homemade Vanilla Bean Ice Cream was a hit. And yes – finally! After two years of marriage, we finally had a good enough excuse to bust out the ice cream machine.

Thank you Luther for spoiling us with your gear, goods and skills! I love that everything that hit our tastebuds was homemade with nothing else, but some tender loving care.