DaciaRolandoPhotography

AZ Couple’s Mexican Beach Destination Wedding | Tia and Matt

administration — Mon, 07 May 2012 00:03:18 +0000

This past weekend found me in Puerto Penasco, Mexico at the gorgeous property of Bella Sirena on the Sea of Cortez. Tia and Matt were wed on the beach in front of one of the casitas at Bella Sirena. It was a weekend filled with joy and fun. It began on Friday with a street-taco rehearsal dinner with a bonfire smore’s bar for a rehearsal on Friday (pictures to come in a second blog post!).

On Saturday afternoon, Matt gave Tia’s daughter, Ava, a bracelet to match the one the two had chosen together for Tia’s Mother’s day gift a few years ago. He even got them matching charms to remember when they became a family. At the ceremony, Ava walked Matt down the aisle to await the bride. After the couple exchanged their vows, they ended the ceremony with a family vow to love, respect, and celebrate each other.

The ceremony was followed by deliciously cold signature cocktails on the lawn. Toward sunset guests were ushered up to the rooftop for an orange and pink sunset-inspired reception. Tia and Matt had an especially lively first dance surrounded on the rooftop by bright sparklers. Then the guests descended to the patio and lawn for dancing and celebrating. The night ended with a paper sky lantern release on the beach. It was just beautiful watching lanterns float over the casita and into the night.

Congratulations Tia, Matt, and Ava!

Thank you to all the vendors that helped make the weekend incredible!

Event Coordinator: Cathy Poturalski

DJ: Chandler-based Tom Carr.

Phoenix Girls’ Night Out Photography | Tia and the bachelorettes.

administration — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 11:19:46 +0000

This post is a bit exciting for me. It is the first Girls’ Night Out beauty photography session I had the privilege of capturing. Tia, her fiance and her daughter were on the blog a few months ago with their engagement session. And in two weeks I’ll have the honor of capturing their destination wedding on the beach in Mexico. But this evening, this session was all about the ladies.

The girls all came out to Epiphany Studio in Tempe and enjoyed some wine, yummy snacks, and a bit of pampering with gorgeous make-up and hair by Sammy Elle. Then each lovely lady had a turn in front of the camera. Here is my favorite image of each one. If you want to have your own ladies’ night start with a session, you’ll be perfectly glamorous for a night on the town afterward.

First, Tia, the lovely bride-to-be:

Emily:

Amy, of Page & Mason Invitations:

Megan:

And the last girl to join us for the fun that day, Jacki:

Tempe Engagement Photography | Tia, Matt, and Ava too!

administration — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 18:38:20 +0000

Tia and Matt attended McClintock High School in Tempe together without falling in love. They didn’t find their path to each other until years later at a party hosted by their good friends, Carie and Chad, now a married couple with 3 children. Now it leads them to a destination wedding in Mexico this April. I can’t wait to head to the beach with them and capture their entire weekend of festivities at the gorgeous Bella Sirena resort in Puerto Penasco. But before that, we had an engagement session to capture some photographs of their family just before Christmas. They got some holiday cards out with their new family portraits but the busy season kept me from blogging. Today, we finalized a beautiful wall display with 6 large canvases to hang in their new home in Chandler, AZ. I can’t wait for these gorgeous canvases to arrive! Until then, my three favorite images from their sunset photo session at Tempe Town Lake.

And when I asked Ava how she felt about Mommy and Matt getting married, she didn’t need any words to share her excitement:

AZ Golf Course Wedding and back yard reception | Phoenix couple marries in Tubac

administration — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 14:09:44 +0000

Aleasha and Zach were married in October in a destination wedding. The couple are from the Phoenix area, but their entire wedding party traveled to the beautiful Tubac Golf Resort. I had the opportunity to second shoot their day for Katie Rounds of Round Lens Photography. The ceremony was to take place on the golf course under a fantastic archway curved in the tree trunks. Afterward, the party headed to a the nearby home of Zach’s parents. Prior to the ceremony, I got to go to the reception home to capture all of the beautiful details and thoughts that the couple put into the day. It was amazing!

Then I returned to the golf resort just before the ceremony. Aleasha’s mom was just bursting with joy. Aleasha kept her dad, who is no longer with us, close to her heart in a charm on her bouquet. Zach’s mom and dad were thrilled to finally add a daughter to their family. Both families were so quick to laugh. Their ceremony was lovely and we had a great time taking portraits around the property. Then we headed back to the reception for a great night.

Thank you, Katie, for inviting me to be a part of Zach and Aleasha’s day. Aleasha and Zach, you are both beautiful souls and it was a great joy to be a part of your day.

Then we returned to the golf course just before the ceremony:

Phoenix Wedding Photography | Boojum Tree Hidden Gardens

administration — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 07:25:05 +0000

Back in October I had the chance to second shoot Keith and Lynzee’s wedding for Katie Rounds, of Round Lens Photography. I had fun with the groom and his guys before the ceremony, which was celebrated at Boojum Tree Hidden Garden in Phoenix. Keith and Lynzee even brought their dogs for a smooch!

Congratulations, Keith and Lynzee!

Please forgive the housekeeping!

administration — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 20:40:46 +0000

The blog is in a bit of a transition. Due to an unexpected error over my holiday vacation, things are a bit jumbled. I hope to have it all sorted soon! Thanks for your patience!

Xavier College Prep — Jen LaBonte Memorial Scholarship Golf Tournament

Dacia — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 03:46:37 +0000

First thing tomorrow I will be shooting a golf tournament at the Starfire Golf Club to raise money to fund a scholarship in memory of Jennifer LaBonte. I have so many memories of Jen. I don’t know how you could be a girl at Xavier without knowing the LaBonte family. And to have been their while Jen shared the light within her, well, I just don’t know how you could forget her. Sadly, I also remember with vivid clarity when I learned of her death. All of those memories made it easy to immediately say yes when I was asked to help with this golf tournament. In honor of the tenth anniversary of her passing, Xavier and Brophy alumnae and friends have organized to try to meet the endowment requirements to begin funding a scholarship for future generations of Xavier girls. Wish us luck! And if you’re able, help us reach our goal.

The gallery is ready. Please access it using the password in your gift bags from the event. If you’re a friend of Jen or of Xavier College Preparatory and you’d like to view the complete gallery and do not have the password, please contact me for access. The password is also posted on the Facebook JLA planning.

Thanks to everyone that helped make the day a success. Many blessings this holiday season to the XCP community and to the LaBonte family.

The S Family.

Dacia — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 07:33:11 +0000

I got a call from this family and had a new request. They have a family business in transport. My job was to capture them with one of the company’s new trucks. It was so clean and shiny, and then we got hit with rain. So we huddled in the cab while we waited for it to pass and I shot in cramped quarters. The rain cleared just in time for a gorgeous sunset and then we had a little fun in the dark. I have to say though, I expected the lights on those big rigs to be a lot brighter given my experiences driving in front of them. But all-in-all, this shoot was so fun because of a wonderful family with super polite and thoughtful kids. Plus, how often do I get to shoot a big rig? Also, did you know they are technically called Tractors? I didn’t. I thought those were only found on a farm.

Waiting out the rain:

Phoenix Photography and Holiday Cards.

Dacia — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 05:53:28 +0000

I have so much I want to blog right now, but planning some high school senior and holiday portraits plus all the fun holiday cards are eating up much of my editing time! Check in on Facebook for sneak peeks of my recent sessions and expect a regular return to blogging by mid-December. I might get an occasional post up before then, but regular updates can be found here: http://www.facebook.com/daciarolandophotography.

And if you’re in the need for some holiday portraits in time for Christmas cards, touch base with me soon. My fall sessions are almost full.

Phoenix Newborn Photography | Baby T, Big Sis E, Doggy S, and their folks.

Dacia — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 12:41:20 +0000

Baby T made it to term, but he surprised his family by coming just a bit ahead of his due date. We just barely managed to get the family pictures with his bump captured before his arrival. He sure is a sweetie though. And he gave us a nice mix of sleepy time and wide-eyed awake time. Congrats H family, on your newest little guy.