Michelle Bellofatto Photography

Birthday Bash for Cynthia!

It's not very often that I get to photograph a party as fun as Cynthia's.  Cynthia unselfishly shared her birthday bash with her aunt whom she very successfully surprised.

This was her aunt's reaction when told the party was also for her.  I can only imagine what she might have been thinking when she entered a room of 150+ loudly cheering people.

This poor kid isn't one for loud parties.  Tee hee.

A few of the lovely ladies...

And everyone had a camera.

What a fun time!  All of Cynthia's friend's are invited to my next party!  You all know how to have a goodtime.  :-)

Thanks for having me Cynthia!  Happy Birthday!  I hope it's a fantastic year for you.  Your online proofs will be ready soon.

On another note- I'm now booking Spring Mini Shoots.  Feel free to look around my blog for other samples of my recent work.  You may contact me for pricing and to book your Mini Session - michelle@bellofatto-photography.com.  Looking forward to hearing from you!

~Michelle

Jonathan + Lissa :: Married

I've been thinking about this for awhile now... what to say about Jonathan and Lissa.  I suppose it's best to start with Lissa.  We met when she was about 6 month's old in her mother's tummy.  I felt her kicks and got excited with her mom about her arrival.  I had plans to be one of the first to meet her when she made her big debut, but true to her personality, she arrived with great enthusiasm and rather quickly. 

I think of Lissa as the little sister I never had.  She is kind and sweet and has a killer sense of humor. 

On wedding day, I had the honor of driving her to the park for bridal and group shots.  We did this prior to the wedding and due to some unplanned circumstances, we were "fashionably late for the wedding.  HER wedding.  As we drove, semi-calmly to the church Lissa said, "it's ok if I"m late, I'm mean, who's most important today anyway, me, right?"  "I mean, what are the people going to do, leave?"  Hilarious.

Uh, Jonathan, we practically just met so all I can say is take good care of our Lissa.  It's obvious that you both adore each other. 

I can't wait another minute to share a few of my favorites.  Here goes!

Love you Lissa and Jonathan!!  Congratulations on becoming Mr. and Mrs. Elliott.  xo

The First Look.

Lissa designed her dress and had it made.  Her bouquet was made of antique rings.  Lovely and original.

Sometimes I let my 6 year-old choose which images I should blog.  He liked this one.  And... at one time he thought Lissa was to be his future wife.  Young love.  Priceless.

Are they cute or what?!

I love how Lissa is anticipating the ring exchange.

Justin & Megan's Fabulous Wedding

Thought I'd share a few pix from Justin & Megan's fabulous wedding.  I first met Justin when he was a teeny tiny boy.  Think he was about one years old.  So cute, bright red hair and full of energy. 

Justin and Megan met in grade school and apparently Megan had a crush on Justin.  Isn't that cute?! 

Their wedding was full of fun and unique details all done by the bride and groom themselves.  They even handed each guest a jar of homemade strawberry jam as they exited the church after the ceremony.  By the way, Justin and Megan, where can I get some more of that jam?  Yum!

Although I did not shoot their wedding, my boy, Mason was the ring bearer.  Another good reason to have my camera in hand, right?

Here are a few of my favorites.

  

     

The cupcakes were soooo good.

  

William + Sherry | Seagrove Park, Del Mar

This was a special day. 

Last year when my aunt passed away, I was fortunate enough to get to know a few of her closest friends during a difficult time in our lives.  My aunt had such a big and positive impact on others that getting to know her friends was a blessed way of keeping her beautiful spirit alive.  Passing around her goodness if you will.

As the saying goes, it takes one to know one.  Sherry is a lovely person.  She's full of life, love and kindness. 

Lucky for me, Sherry and William decided to tie the knot in San Diego.  They made the trip out from Cincinnati, Ohio.  It was a great blessing to meet her, hug her and to know we were both remembering my aunt on that day.

Congratulations to both of you.  Thank you for including me in your day.  God bless you both.

  

A Party for Joaquin

Yesterday, my good friend Sylvia asked me to photograph her son's 2nd birthday.  I love his name, Joaquin. 

Parties in general are right up my alley.  A place where people are relaxed and having fun, lots of bright colors and decorations, smiles everywhere.  What could be better?

I played around with these images and really like how they came out.  What do you think??  Leave me a comment or two.  I'd love to hear from you. 

Great big hugs for our sweet little Joaquin. 

I love the image below.  It's what you don't see that makes it interesting.

Waiting for cake...

The birthday boy!

There's a lot going on in the image below.  I think that's why I like it so much. 

Here's another image (below) with a lot going on, but the emotion captured makes it one of my favorites.  I like that barron tree in the background too.

 

Jimmy + Mary Kaye, Del Mar Seaside

Introducing my handsome cousin Jimmy and his gorgeous wife Mary Kaye.  Jimmy and Mary Kaye met in high school.  Both had crushes on each other.  Mary Kaye used to sit on her girlfriends porch after school just to get a glimpse of Jimmy riding by on his paper route.  How cute is that?!  I must admit, as a young girl (really young) even I had a bit of a crush on my cousin Jimmy. 

Many years went by before Jimmy and Mary Kaye reconnected.  That spark (firework) of attraction still existed and they were married on Valentine's Day, 2004.  Celebrating five years of marriage is a milestone by today's standards. 

Thank you for having me there to celebrate the renewal of your vows.  God has blessed you with each other and I know you will have many more precious years together. 

I love you both.

 

 

  

Breakfast with Santa

Over this past weekend I had the opportunity to photograph lots of little kiddies at an event called Breakfast with Santa.  The event was held at Christ the Cornerstone Church in Mira Mesa and was a fundraiser for the preschool.

Your children's pictures with Santa are available for viewing and ordering for two weeks only.  Please go to www.pictage.com.  Register your information and search the event "Breakfast with Santa."  For easier access to this event you may use this link- http://www.pictage.com/591173.  You may order directly from the online gallery by selecting products or send the order directly to me at michelle@bellofatto-photography.com.  Feel free to call me with any questions 858-663-9796.

Picture orders must be received by December 15th to arrive before Christmas.

For those of you who have not done your Christmas cards yet or even New Year's Cards, I've posted a few samples here.  You can order your cards directly from my friend Laura by emailing her at laura@behradesign.com.  Below you will find samples of her card designs.  The cards are being offered to all of my clients.

Please pick from one of the designs A, B or C Horizontal or Vertical

Flat Greeting Cards - 5 x 7 
25 cards with envelops  $35.00
50 cards with envelops  $55.00
Finish: Standard Semi-Gloss or Art Linen

Folded Greeting Cards - 5 x 7
25 cards with envelops  $50.00
50 cards with envelops  $75.00
Finish: Standard Semi-Gloss or Art Linen

Cards can be picked up from Laura in Scripps Ranch and shipping is free or sent directly to you for an additional $9.50.

       

Maurice + Melanie = Married

Let me start by saying, I don't usually do weddings.  There, I said it.  This however was a small, intimate exchange of vows followed by dinner with family and friends.  Oh- and there was a big, beautiful cake.  The grooms sister made it herself.

The bride and the groom traveled from Texas to share their BIG day with their closest family and friends.  It may have been the fastest ceremony I've ever witnessed, but there was still plenty of time for emotion.

It's always a pleasure and an honor to be the one documenting these "moments in time." 

Congratulations to both of you!  I hope these images will be a reminder of how far you've come together.  Enjoy your life journey as husband and wife and live every moment to the fullest.

THANKS Cloe for the referral!

 
 
 

  
   
 
 

 

  

  

  

  

   

A 50th Anniversary Celebration

I recently met this lovely couple on the evening of their 50th Wedding Anniversary Party.  This was an anniversary celebration to remember.  After 50 years together you could still see the sparkle in their eyes when they looked at one another.  So beautiful to witness.  Seeing an entire room full of people who loved and adored this couple was certainly a tribute to these genuine people.  It was a great honor to document this monumental occasion for such an inspiring couple.  Thank you for having me!

Look Who's Two!!

I had the pleasure of photographing this sweet little girl at her 2nd Birthday Party.  It was a super hot day, but the kiddos didn't seem to mind.