Arash and I are heading out to Seattle for a few days for a little vacation…a much needed one! Seattle has been one of the spots we’ve always wanted to go see, so we’re super excited to explore and be inspired. I’ll be sure to blog our findings when we get back! But until then, I thought I’d leave this little guy on the blog. I love all his facial expressions! Its what I feel when I tackle my to do list!! haha! Have a great rest of the week, and weekend everyone!
Interested in booking a portrait session? check out my Holiday Mini Sessions, still have time to book before Christmas!! Email me at delbarrmoradi@me.com to book.
to my beautiful sister, on her 23rd birthday…
Her smile is beyond contagious, and her passion and love for people is obvious to any one who interacts with her. She’s my younger sister whose unconditional love for me was what helped me bounce back from a rough season in my life years ago. It was the love and joy that she had in her life that made me realize there was alot missing in mine. God used her in a BIG way to show me where I could be and the grace and love that was there for me all along. To this day her joy is still something I admire, her positive outlook on life always puts my analytical mind in check. Over the years there has never been a quiet moment with us…well, even if I was quiet she’d be singing something…from Newsies to Sister Act…we never had a dull moment! haha We have been so close and only continue to get closer and closer as we get older. I’m a blessed girl to have Sogol as my sister. There has been so much we’ve been through and the memories flood my mind as I write this… Singing in the mirror, sleeping all day in France because we were jetlagged, traveling to Haiti together, serving alongside each other, walking down the isle and seeing her standing there by my side, long talks about life, love and our futures, getting advice from each other, laughing till we cry, making up dances and making ugly faces in the mirror….I can go on…but I’ll spare you. ha!
Sogol, I can’t wait to see this next chapter of your life unfold. I can’t believe you’re 23!! What? Are we getting old? I’m so proud of you for all your accomplishments…college grad is right around the corner and I can’t believe my little sister is going on to become the best Physical Therapist the world has seen. You are truly, truly a woman who inspires many to live better and you never cease to pour out the love that is in your heart. Thank you for being my best friend, confidant and constant source of encouragement. I’m so blessed to have you as my sister, a bond that can never be broken. May this year be the best year yet, may we have more nights of laughter, more songs in the mirror and many many more amazing moments to cherish along the way. Here’s to an amazing 23rd year, Sas!!
I LOVE YOU.
Wedding Invitation Suite
This invitation suite was such a fun project for me to work on. Not only because I love all things paper but because it was for my good friend Mary’s wedding later this month. Her wedding will be a beautiful blend of Greek and Persian cultures coming together. I know its going to be one huge party because both cultures are all about having a great time and keeping the dance floor packed all night long! The wedding will be formal so Mary wanted to have a custom crest designed for their invitations. Using the inspiration she had collected, I incorporated her wedding colors, green and purple, for the full set. I also decided to use really elegant pearlescent paper to bring an added formal feel to the invites. I love this paper because it adds a very subtle sparkle. The whole suite included the invite, reception information card, rsvp card and custom labels for the envelopes.
Bay Area Wedding Photographer | Bridal Shower & Bachelorette Bliss!
In addition to photographer and designer my occupation lately has been party planner and bridesmaid. My life has been consumed lately with weddings, showers and bachelorettes. Whether its been designing wedding and shower invitations, shooting weddings or attending bachelorette parties (yes, two back to back)…I have been a wedding machine! Just wrapped up a wedding on Saturday for my dear friend Sareh. Here are images from her lovely shower and bachelorette getaway. I had such a great time planning this and watching as all the little details came to life. The designing began with the shower invites introducing the very antrho-inspired girly shower we were expecting to have for her. I included a recipe card for each guest to bring with her to include in a recipe book we gave the bride-to-be. Green, gold, pink and white were the colors we chose to enhance all the little DIY details like spray painted vases, vintage buttons, artwork featuring their engagement photos, and a tasty little candy bar with all of her favorite candies. I have to give a great big thank you to the girls who helped put this together, staying up late with glue guns and twine wouldn’t have been the same without you!
The bridal festivities continued the very next day as we took a trip across the bridge to Sausalito for a little getaway. I can not express in words the love that I have in my heart for these girls. They are amazing women and this adventure was everything because of what they each brought to the group. And take a look at these darling shirts we ordered through Wedding Chicks Boutique. Looking for some fun bridal wear?? Check them out! Congrats again to Sareh!! I will definitely post photos from her wedding on the blog soon, she made a gorgeous bride!
IDENTITY DESIGN PROCESS | SANDBOX LOVE
The first time I watched a Lovestory Film by Sandbox Love, I knew they were very unique film makers in the wedding industry. Jesse of Sandbox Love contacted me to help him create a brand identity, bringing the brand to life. As most of you know, second to photography, I absolutely LOVE to create identities for clients, providing a full package of design elements to launch their business to a whole new level. I have stressed this before, but good design really goes a long way. It can boost your business and really establish you and set you apart. So I thought I’d share a little bit about the design process and the journey of breathing life into Sandbox Love.
STEP ONE: I started by creating a moodboard that will help shape the image of the brand. The most important part of the design process for me is to listen to what the client loves and is inspired by. As a client, it is crucial to know where you’re going and what feel and message you want to communicate with your brand because as I design I make sure that each step, each draft reflects that vision. Sandbox Love reflects a more vintage, nostalgic aesthetic. Jesse sent me old photographs, images with lots of texture and emotion and from there I knew I wanted to incorporate a lot of grit and texture in the final design. Don’t you just love that image of the bride in the mirror?! Love it.
STEP TWO: Logo design. I studied the inspiration and created a logo for Sandbox Love that reflects the heart behind the films. Sandbox Love creates films that are beautiful, touching and so personal and unique to each couple. They are super passionate about telling stories of couples falling in love and expressing that love. Wedding films capture the emotion and memories of the biggest day in a couple’s life and their aim is to tell stories from a playful, nostalgic yet modern and sophisticated perspective.
STEP THREE: Blog design. Once the fonts were chosen, colors were decided and logo was complete, it was time to bring all the elements to life on the blog! This is always a very exciting part of the process because it is where all the different pieces come together to create the overall look and feel all on one platform. Pulling from the inspiration moodboard we created in STEP ONE, I designed unique elements for the blog: masthead, slideshow, sidebar and category links. Some of the images featured on the blog are from their films directly, others are from weddings Sandbox Love has shot with Ashley Maxwell Photography. I chose the images I felt reflected the brand’s image best, then treated the images to match the feel we wanted to achieve. At the top of the blog, some of those images are featured in a running slideshow. Custom buttons were created to highlight each of the different categories of films they offer. Adding to the sidebar are the social media links: custom buttons for facebook and twitter, allowing Sandbox Love to create a buzz online and connect their fans to their most recent work.
STEP FOUR: Launch the Sandbox Love brand. This was the final step as I packaged up all the moving parts into one easy-to-use document where everything now lives and breathes. I find that its super important to give the client access to those design pieces so that from there the brand can continue to grow as the company expands. Pieces can include: custom color scheme, fonts, logo, custom blog elements and any and all treated images and/or footage. 
Be sure to check out their site: SANDBOX LOVE and watch their films!
TWO YEARS AGO TODAY
On August 8, 2008 I married my best friend at the Kohl Mansion in Burlingame. It was such a whirlwind of a day, so many family and friends there to celebrate with us. I still remember the feeling I had that morning. It was magical. I can’t begin to express how blessed I feel being married to Arash, he really is an incredible husband. He’s my biggest source of support and love. We have had so much fun over the last couple years and I can’t believe this is my life sometimes…I don’t deserve it! The last two years have been eventful; full of change and tons of growth. We bought our first place, survived our first year and although we struggled through the economy and its surprises we came out victorious and are now able to do what we both love to do! We have grown as individuals and as a couple so much and we look around and see how blessed we are with such amazing family and good friends around us everyday. Here’s to many more years to come!
(photo taken by Jose Villa)
Bridal Shower invitations | Mary
My good friend Mary is getting married this October and I am so excited for her! She is one of the sweetest people you will meet and I have learned so much from her over the years. From late night talks in the car about relationships to analyzing how we think and why we do what we do…its friends like this that make my life so much richer. She is an amazing woman and an even more amazing friend. I had the pleasure of designing her shower invitations for the upcoming event of the summer! Its going to be a summer dinner soiree with a probably one of the biggest guest lists I’ve seen for a shower, ever. Below is an inspiration mood board I put together before the designing could begin. A touch of traditional mixed with some playful accents and some pops of color.
twenty-seven years young | a new season
On Saturday I turned 1 year older and oddly enough it feels really refreshing. When I was younger I always imagined myself to be so grown up at twenty-five, and I never really dreamt much past that age. I imagined twenty-five to be the prime age, the moment I became an adult (ha!) and now I’m twenty-seven and realizing that so much of my life is just now taking off. I feel like I’m falling into place in so many areas of my life…spiritually, emotionally, physically…etc. My life has changed in the last two years drastically and I am beyond thankful for where I’m at now. So much of my life is taking root and beginning to grow on new soil. New friendships, new career, new sense of purpose and perspective. I feel so different from the girl I was even at twenty-five. I know that two years really isn’t a long time but I feel like the first twenty-five years of my life were a foundation, a time of finding who I was, what this life is about and who I am supposed to become. I’ve made alot of mistakes but learned alot from them all. The last two years has been a time of positioning myself to walk in the direction I know I am supposed to be going.
I look around my life now and I see such stability, peace and freedom. Freedom to be ME. Freedom from hurts, freedom from old mindsets, freedom from feeling the need to fit a mold that was never me. I don’t know how to explain it but for so long I felt like I was held to certain expectations and it limited my every move at times. BUT I know I’m in a new season, its amazing, the feeling I have…its a new beginning and its impossible to take any steps backwards. I feel brand new. I guess there was a reason I was never able to imagine my life past twenty-five because I needed to experience so much in order to get here. I have grown in leaps and bounds over these last two years, as a woman, as a wife, as a daughter, as a sister and as a friend. Yesterday in church I was reminded of how far God has brought me, how much He’s blessed me and that my past is the past. He’s given me a new life and its up to me to take it and run. So here I go…no turning back!
NEW PORTFOLIO SITE: www.delbarrmoradi.com
For some time now I have been working on my portfolio site and I am so happy to say that it has finally launched! New branding…new business cards…new site…aaah. I can finally sleep comfortably knowing that my biggest project is out of the way. Its always so difficult designing for yourself. I tend to be a bit fickle when it comes to my own look and feel but this time I’m finally content. Check it out and show me some love!
Also, become a fan of my page on FACEBOOK
CUSTOM WEDDING INVITES: VANESSA&QUINN
Vanessa and Quinn wanted a unique wedding invitation for their August wedding. I incorporated elements of her lace dress and mixed it with natural elements that she loved: branches, tree and cute little lovebirds. I also designed a custom monogram as their wedding logo. The full set includes: Invite, RSVP cards, custom labels and envelopes. I also had the opportunity to shoot their engagement session…will post that soon!
