Wedding Decor: Denise & Jared (St Helena, California)

I really enjoy being able to design for weddings beyond the invitation and work on all the little touches that personalize the wedding day itself. Once the wedding invitation was in the mail, there were a bunch of items to make for Denise and Jared’s winery wedding. It was quite the variety, from hand-lettered signage, to favor hang tags. My personal favorite was the bar signs, so much fun (and gold ink)!

Probably the best thing about working on this wedding was being able to make the day beautiful for my friends. I really enjoyed brainstorming with the bride and the groom and bringing back the finished pieces that fit right into their vision for their special day.

Wedding Decor: the Hajdukovics

Another wedding full of personalized items! So glad to have these projects come my way and add some custom pieces to such an exciting day. Congratulations to the Hajdukovics!

A very unique seating chart – each table was designated a different board game, since it’s one of the couple’s favorite pastimes. Keeping board games in play (ha, see what I did there?), their guestbook was pieces of the Jenga game that guests personalized.

Wedding Decor: the Grohs

Wedding decorations are always fun, because each couple has different ideas about what touches they want to include at their wedding. For this wedding, there were a bunch of signs to make and a very unique piece shown at the end. I also got to bring out some different skill sets to put all these elements together. Congratulations to the Grohs!

This was the most interesting piece to me – a quilt block. The couple decided to have guests sign a piece of fabric, later to be made into a keepsake quilt, rather than a traditional guest book. I was asked to paint a rose in their wedding colors that would be the centerpiece of the entire quilt, which I was definitely happy to do.

Wedding Photos: Natalie & Matt (Brentwood, CA)

Such a fun day for Natalie and Matt! We first met up to discuss their wedding over a year before the date, so it was a fun to see all their planning and waiting come together for their big day. Family is a big part of their lives and this day was no different, as most of their bridal party and attendants were family members. This made the day sweeter, since they were sharing another big event as they tied two families together.

You’ve seen them before at their engagement session, now enjoy the big day!

The bride is a trained dancer, so the first dance as husband and wife was a beautifully choreographed treat for their guests.Since she’s part Hawaiian, the bride surprised her groom (and guests) with a hula, danced with her aunts.

Venue: Wedgewood at Brentwood Golf Club
Dress: Alfred Angelo, Disney Fairytale Collection
Tuxedo: Verano Wang at Men’s Warehouse
Flowers: Paula’s Family Florist
Hair: Sadi Poitras
Make-up: Veronica Cravalho and Ciara Skye
Bride’s rings: Shane Co.
Groom’s ring: DeVon’s Jewelers
DJ: Nickolas Lyons (Wedgewood)
Site coordinators: Nicole Wilson & Lisa Quinn
Catering: Wedgewood Wedding and Banquet Center
Cake: Gala Bakery

Wedding Photos: Hillary & Allen (Escalon, CA)

Another beautiful summer day for a lovely couple on their big day. Hillary and Allen returned to the area they grew up in to celebrate their wedding day among family and friends. Spending the day with them was so much fun and such a pleasure, since they were so sweet and just so excited for this day to finally arrive. Reese Farms is a stunning venue in Escalon, CA and is pretty much a photographer’s dream, there are so many good spots for pictures around every turn. Congratulations to you both!

They saw each other for the first time in the shade of a willow tree, in a quiet area away from the main wedding site.

Venue: Reese Farms (Escalon, CA)
Bride’s hair & makeup: Elizabeth Herrera and team
Catering: Neto’s Catering
DJ: Sounds in Motion / DJ Jason
Cake: Sherri & Megan Cooley

Wedding Reception: Morgan and Mike (Esparto, CA)

Remember all the sweet moments from this intimate City Hall wedding? Me too, I love their photos! A few weeks after saying their vows, Morgan and Mike enjoyed a celebration with all their friends and family. I was lucky enough to join in the fun again and take photos of their wedding reception, held at a beautiful rustic setting. It was laid back and casual, making it a great time for the newlyweds to enjoy time with the people they care about most.

I was treated to some hamming-it-up for the camera, which I always appreciate.
The dance floor got awesome.

Wedding Dress: Maggie Sottero (Purchased from: Gesinee’s Bridal)
Wedding Dress Alterations: Gesinee’s Bridal
Bride’s Makeup: Stesha Kay Thuemler
Groom’s Suit: Marc Ecko
Venue: Historic Oakdale Ranch (Esparto, CA)
Catering: Chipotle (nom-nom)
Wedding Cake: Timothy’s Bakery
Bridesmaid’s dresses: Light in the Box
Wedding Coordinator: Events by Wise
DJ: Firehouse Entertainment, Nick Hinesley
Flowers: Strelitzia, assembled by Tracy (bridesmaid)

Wedding: Brianna & Arnott (Oakland, CA)

With an engagement shoot being so fun, I was looking forward to Brianna and Arnott’s wedding day. Their special day was full of so many personal touches and sweet surprises that both the bride and the groom planned for one another. It was a real treat to capture this day as it unfolded. Both are very caring towards one another, but also towards every person in their bridal party and their family and guests. Congratulations to you both!

The couple wrote their own vows, with Brianna’s being just a little bit longer than Arnott’s.
The groom’s sister asked the newlyweds to play a little game during her speech, seeing if they answered questions about his/her habits the same way. Needless to say, it inspired a lot of laughter. Oakland Outdoor Wedding Arnott surprised Brianna by learning to play guitar, then playing the song from their first dance. He finished up with a rap he wrote about the two of them and their bridal party.

Venue: Piedmont Community Hall
DJ: B Wild Entertainment
Caterer: Fig Tree Catering Co.
Groomsmen suits: Men’s Wearhouse

Wedding: Lisa and Kurt (Livermore, CA)

Lisa and Kurt decided to come to California to share their vows with one another. Their intimate wedding took place on a beautiful spring day in the Livermore wine valley, amidst family and friends who joined them on their special day. As soon as I arrived on site, I enjoyed the relaxed energy and every lovely detail included in the day. I also loved their color scheme with lots of purple – my favorite color (the bride even chose a purple dress)!

All three of us went into the pool for a few fun photos at the end of the night. I was game, since it meant some fun images for the bride and groom!

Venue: The Purple Orchid
Makeup: Jacey Sheets

San Francisco City Hall Wedding: Morgan & Mike

When I got in contact with Morgan and Mike about their upcoming wedding at San Francisco City Hall, I got really excited. I’ve been wanting to photograph a wedding at this venue ever since I had first considered photographing weddings, the building is beautiful. It doesn’t get any better than this – because these two are so easy to spend time with. And they were excited about the venue too, and taking photos at some picturesque locations around the city. Congratulations to you both! San Francisco City Hall Wedding

Keep an eye out for the celebration with friends and family, which I’ll be attending in a couple weeks. Looking forward to spending more time with this couple!

Wedding Dress: Maggie Sottero (Purchased from: Gesinee’s Bridal)
Wedding Dress Alterations: Gesinee’s Bridal
Groom’s Suit: Marc Ecko
Bouquet: Orna Maymon (at The Fairmont Hotel, San Francisco)
Venue: San Francisco City Hall

Wedding: Emily & Marc (Berkeley, CA)

Almost a year later, but the photos are still so beautiful! I’ve always wanted to shoot at the Brazil Room in Tilden Park and finally had the chance! Nearby, the botanical gardens are the perfect place to wander and take wedding photos. This wedding was nothing short of awesome, with the sweetest bride and the nicest groom to work with. Emily & Marc were as much fun on their wedding day as they were at their engagement shoot, two fun people seriously in love. From the first look at an overlook of the entire Bay Area, to the traditional Greek dancing, the whole day was great. As always, many thanks to Renee of Renascent Photography for having me along as her second shooter.