Gina and Mike did our engagement pictures on the USC campus. Gina was great at responding to emails and her and Mike were very nice on they day of. They showed up on time and really seemed to be excited about the different shots they were finding. They're both very easy-going people.

We spent about 3.5 hours shooting (they were doing this for us for free since they were just starting out their business). They had a slideshow of pictures about 25 pictures up by the next week and sent me a CD of the images that they had edited about 2 weeks after that.

Unfortunately, I never got more than those 25 or 30 pictures. And most of those pictures are nice but there are only a few really nice ones. A lot of the images were far away or shot from the side etc. so you couldn't really see our faces. I asked Gina about the other pictures (some of which I was really excited about) and she said that they hadn't come out well. When I asked her to send them anyway, she said that she had deleted them already.

I really don't know how normal engagement photo shoots go but 25-30 pictures, not all of which are great, seemed like very few to me.

However, Gina did seem to have a very creative eye and I do love a few of the pictures. I appreciate them doing the shoot for free and I encourage anyone to check out their website.

Follow up clarifications:

1) I meant to type 2.5 hours and did not realize that I had typed 3.5 hours and I apologize. We began shooting shortly after 3pm and I didn't leave them until about 5:30 pm. This is what I remember. Gina says that we actually started shooting about 3:30 and stopped at about 5:15 and she may be right. I don't recall the exact times.

2) 25-30 was an estimate, it may have been slightly more.

3) A few of the "up-close" shots are blurry in some way. One of my favorites has my Fiance in clear focus but I am out of focus.

This was only meant to be a fair review of this vendor and I do not intend to encourage anyone to not go with these photographers. They are new at this and you can tell from their website that they are getting better each time. There were some pictures I was very happy with and I sincerely encourage anyone to look at their website.

My engagement ring is from the Robbins Brothers store in Glendale and we've been really happy with them. My ring is gorgeous and they give you a great plan with every engagement ring purchase that includes very thorough cleanings twice a year and regular cleanings as often as you want. It's also insured against manufacturing defects for life.

Karen is doing my calligraphy and she's amazing. She has been in the business for decades and has worked for some very important clients. She lives in New York but you send her the stuff you need calligraphy for and she sends it back to you. Amazing work. :)

When I first visited Rancho Del Cielo it took my breath away. The site is amazingly gorgeous and I hadn’t seen anything else like it. That being said, it does have its downsides. Because it is a private residence, you have to rent a lot of extra stuff. (You do not need to rent bathrooms anymore, they have built them and they’re very nice). For example, you need to rent a dance floor, generator, all tables/chairs/etc., shuttles to get your guests up the hill, the church parking lot so your guests have somewhere to park, lighting, etc. These things can add up but I had a long engagement and time to deal with them.

Because I signed the contract so early I also had a lot of surprises come up. All of the sudden there were sound ordinances that my DJ had to adhere to and he had to use the speakers provided by Rancho (I didn’t even notice this on the day of though). Origianally I was told the cat would be taken away for the day of but it wasn’t (I’m allergic but they did vacuum for me and keep it locked in a separate room). I was told I could use any shuttle company and then told I could only choose between two (I used my caterer for this). These changes in what I’d been told were really frustrating and hard to deal with. That was probably the biggest downside to this venue.

The venue also has a site coordinator Avesta. Avesta has a very good heart and on the day of pulled through amazingly (although I also had my own DOC). Avesta’s voicemail was constantly full and she was the one always changing what she’d told me. Personally, I found her horribly frustrating to work with before the wedding.

The site owners, Sparky and Jill are wonderful though! They were so sweet and accommodating through the whole planning process and let me come up to see the venue several times. Jill even rearranged her kitchen for me on the morning of so that my hair/make-up people could us it as a “beauty parlour.” These two became like family to Chris and I and I’m so glad that they were a part of our day!

Rancho is not the easiest place to work with but in the end, I think it was worth it. My guests raved about the view and I think the location really made my vision come to life. If you decide to go with them, make sure to get EVERYTHING in writing before you give the deposit and be ready to spend a bit of extra money ($500 for parking lot, $1400 for lighting, $350 for site insurance, etc.). If you’d asked me two weeks before the wedding what grade I’d give them I would have probably said a C- because of the difficulties I had in dealing with them but in the end they get an A- because even though it was a lot of work, I can’t imagine having had my wedding anywhere else.

The owners of the house, Sparky and Jill, are wonderful people and will really make you feel special. Avesta, the site coordinator is nice although a little scatter-brained.

All in all, a lovely site with an amazing view. :)