Megan Hartley Photography

Adam and Jill – Married!

admin — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 05:04:02 +0000

She woke up to the sound of rain on her wedding day. Knowing her reception was going to be outside and their back-up plan wasn’t ideal, she prayed for the rain to stop and did the only thing she could do – went back to sleep. When she awoke again, the rain had stopped and Jill got up ready to marry the love of her life in a wedding that went off without a hiccup. By the end of the night, the dirt and grass marks on Jill’s dress told the story of how she and Adam soaked in every moment of their day and packed in as much fun as they possibly could.

Jill and Adam, thank you so much for allowing me to be a part of your beautiful wedding. You are two of the sweetest, most passionate people I know and I am so thankful I was able to watch the next chapter of your love story begin. Many blessings for a long and happy marriage!

Jill was absolutely stunning on her wedding day. She is naturally gorgeous everyday, but her joy and excitement about marrying Adam made her even more beautiful!The Newland House was a wonderful reception venue and provided Adam and Jill a great opportunity to really enjoy their time with their guests and each other.This was one of my favorite moments from all of the weddings I’ve photographed. The bustle on Jill’s dress had come undone while she was dancing and her friends started fluffing her dress like was a parachute in elementary PE class! Jill was totally game and said she wished they had a ball to bounce on the dress! I love love love brides who enjoy their weddings and don’t sweat keeping their dresses absolutely pristine.

Second shooter: Stacy DeGroot

Ceremony: Christ Church by the Sea in Newport Beach, California

Reception: Newland House in Huntington Beach, California

Daniel and Jessica – Engaged!

admin — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 05:08:45 +0000

Daniel and Jessica are the sweetest couple. They share such a beautiful, comfortable, and playful love! It was such an honor to capture their engagement photos and I know their June wedding is going to be perfect!

Special thanks to Flawless Faces for Jessica’s gorgeous hair and makeup! Jessica is the kind of girl who could look beautiful 30 seconds after she rolled out of bed, but Flawless Faces really made her natural beauty shine.

Onto the photos!

Mark and Betty – Engaged!

admin — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 03:56:52 +0000

All photos of this extraordinary, sweet, and incredibly beautiful couple were taken at the amazing Huntington Library and Gardens … I’ll let the photos tell their love story.

Adam and Jill – Engaged!

admin — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 03:59:12 +0000

Adam and Jill are adorable and had me asking myself over and over again how I keep getting so blessed to take photos of such beautiful and sweet couples?! I am counting down the days for their wedding later this month!

Mike and Heather

admin — Wed, 26 Sep 2012 04:57:30 +0000

Five years of marriage. It may not sound like a lot to people who’ve been married 20, 40, or even 60 years, but it’s an accomplishment that deserves celebration and recognition. And you know why? Because 5 years is enough time to realize that he’s never going to stop drinking straight out of the milk carton and she’s never going to put her curling iron away. It’s enough time to discover that he really does intend to watch sports every.single.weekend. and she really does leave the gas gauge below the empty line without a second thought. Five years is enough time to realize that your spouse isn’t perfect, that isn’t going to change, and then learn how to live and love in that reality.

It’s amazing any of us make it through those first five years.

Mike and Heather have made it five years plus a little bit and they’ve done so with grace, love, and so much laughter along the way. Their love has been a joy to witness and I look forward to celebrating their marriage for decades to come!

These photos were taken while Mike and Heather spent a long weekend in Palm Springs, California.

Mike and Sherwin – Married!

admin — Fri, 14 Sep 2012 02:00:22 +0000

Amazing isn’t a powerful enough word to describe Mike and Sherwin’s wedding, but it’s the best word I’ve got so I’m going with it. It was AMAZING. There was the gorgeous dress, the perfect venue, bling for days, and, most importantly, a couple in love and absolutely ecstatic that their wedding day had arrived. I shouldn’t have been surprised at the amazingness (yes, spell check, that’s a word) given that In the Now was in charge of design and coordination, but it still took my breath away. I was 100% in love with the entire day.

Mike and Sherwin, you two blew me away on your wedding day. You laughed, danced, and sang through your wedding and it was an absolute joy to watch and document. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for allowing me to be a part of your day. Love and blessings to you both!

Soka University was the perfect venue. I can’t wait to shoot there again!Probably one of my favorite moments of the day … Mike did a 360° walk around Sherwin to take in her magnificence. Adorable. Sherwin’s father passed away last year, so Sherwin carried a picture of him on her bouquet. So sweet.Loved this wedding party, especially former bride and groom Carizza and Devon!

Flower Allie did a great job with the florals – the were beautiful and sparkly, just like Sherwin!

You’ll notice that Sherwin has a microphone in her hand as she is walking down the aisle. That’s because she and Mike sang a duet to each other as she walked! It was so beautiful and they totally pulled it off. Can you imagine walking down those stairs, in those shoes, singing??? Sherwin, you are amazing. The reception took place inside Founder’s Hall at Soka University with it’s perfect mix of modernity and elegance. LOVE the table numbers on the vases! Mike and Sherwin entered dancing and rarely stopped the whole evening. It was truly a celebration!Love this custom dance floor monogram – an In the Now signature detail. So awesome. Sherwin and her Mom danced a Mother-Daughter dance to Dance with My Father by Luther Vandross. So very touching.

Second Shooter: Sara Schrock of Delaware Street Photography

Design and Coordination: In the Now Weddings and Events

Venue: Soka University

Hair and Make up: Flawless Faces

Florals: Flower Allie

DJ: Woody Diaz

Wedding Dress: Maggie Sottero

Luke and Kim – Married!

admin — Wed, 12 Sep 2012 02:30:25 +0000

They got married on the hottest day in the history of days, yet somehow Kim and Luke were both as cool and calm as ever. Surrounded by their loving family and friends, many of whom flew in from Luke’s native Australia, they made the most of every second of their wedding day. They danced, they laughed, and, in a truly swoon-worthy moment, Luke serenaded his bride with love songs. Total perfection – the wedding and the couple.

Kim and Luke, I feel so incredibly fortunate to have been able to document your wedding day. You two are absolutely perfect for one another – both so genuine, thoughtful, and fun to be around! I wish you blessings upon blessings as you begin your lives together as husband and wife!

The day began at the Westin Pasadena, where Kim and her beautiful bridesmaids prepared for the day …Luke and Kim opted for a first look so they could enjoy maximum time with the guests who had traveled so far to see them. It was such a sweet moment!Following the first look, we took photos all around Pasadena City Hall. It was gorgeous and provided much appreciated shade for the bridal party and family! Once photos were done, we headed to First United Methodist Church. It was amazing – the church and the heartfelt ceremony. Kim and Luke had their family members come up to the altar to bless their wedding rings. Following the ceremony, we took a quick walk over the the reception at Noor.

Second shooter: Shauna Miller

Coordinator: Jodi Oliver

Ceremony location: First United Methodist Church

Reception venue: Noor

Hair stylist: Kim Marquez- Lux Salon and Spa, Fullerton

Makeup artist: Melissa Ward- MAC Nordstrom Cerritos

Florals: Petals LA

Cake: Rafi’s Pastry and Cakes- Glendale

Dress: White by Vera Wang

The Garris Family

admin — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 21:23:03 +0000

“The days are long, but the years are short.” – Gretchen Rubin

That, folks, is parenting in a nutshell. Though there are days as a parent that seem impossibly long, every time your child’s birthday comes around you can’t believe another year has passed so quickly. And then comes that most mixed of all days – the day they leave home. When one part of you is bursting with pride at what you and they have accomplished and one part is fighting every urge to try and squeeze your adult child into a pair of footie jammies.

That is exactly where the Garris family was when we took these photos just days before their oldest son left for college. You can tell from these pictures how deeply connected they are to one another and it was such a pleasure to capture them right as they begin this new chapter in their family story. And thankfully, for all the parents missing their babies as they head off to college, Thanksgiving is only 78 days away.

Jonathan and Julia – Married!

admin — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 02:27:17 +0000

Jonathan and Julia’s wedding day was a day full of family, tradition, beauty, and love. Their marriage was blessed and embraced by so many people and even amongst the busyness that naturally occurs with a large wedding, Jonathan and Julia never let the other out of their sight. They’d been separated enough as Jonathan attended medical school in Wisconsin and Julia planned their wedding in California, and they weren’t going to spend a minute of their wedding apart! A mingling of cultures, a celebration of love, and the beginning of a life spent together … what could be better?

Julia started out preparing for the wedding at her family home while Jonathan got ready with his groomsmen.

The wedding ceremony took place at Harbor Christian Church and the stained glass at the front of the church was gorgeous!

Following their church ceremony, Jonathan and Julia also had a Persian ceremony known as an Aghd. It was beautiful and I loved all of the symbolism!

Following the Aghd, we had just a few minutes for photos around the location of their reception – The Turnip Rose in Newport Beach. I was so thankful that they chose such a gorgeous reception site because it allowed us to take a lot of photos in a very short period of time!

Ceremony site: Harbor Christian Church

Reception venue: Turnip Rose

Second Shooter: Shauna Miller

And then came Dallas …

admin — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 19:32:41 +0000

Dallas is finally here and his parent’s couldn’t be more overjoyed! Even amongst the stresses of life with a newborn and enduring the lack of sleep, Casey and Elise only have looks of love and adoration for their sweet baby boy. He is a beautiful, precious, amazing gift.

Meet 3 week old Dallas …

Look at that multi-tasking! I always knew Elise would be a great mom, but she exceeded even my high expectations. Elise simply radiates love for her son.