Wedding Photos: Jamie & Travis (San Francisco, California)

Weddings are such a special event, I am always excited to capture the emotions of the day. Jamie and Travis held their ceremony at San Francisco City Hall (always a favorite of mine!) followed by an afternoon reception in Livermore, California. There were lots of beautiful touches throughout the day that were close to the bride and groom’s heart and the guests had so much fun celebrating in the sunshine.

Wedding Photos: Dana & Eddie (Castro Valley, California)

Dana and Eddie’s were married on the Summer Solstice, holding their wedding festivities at the bride’s childhood home. The ceremony and reception fit perfectly into the outdoor space, making the whole event feel very personal and intimate for the guests. The bride and groom are such warm, welcoming people and had a wonderful time celebrating with their family and friends.

Wedding Photos: Erin & Kyle (Vallejo, CA)

The story behind these wedding photos begins a long time ago. I had spent time with Erin, in a group of mutual friends and got to know her over the years. As is often the case with photographers, my camera went with me on some of those outings. Every single photo that I took of this girl turned out stunning. Every photo, every time. I finally told her that I was going to shoot her wedding someday, since I knew the photos would be amazing. Years after that casual comment, it came true and I was so excited to be there.

Erin and Kyle have the sweetest personalities and share so much laughter. Not only were the photos beautiful (as I suspected), but it was a downright fun day to spend with these two. They joked around, chatted everyone up and were genuinely enjoying the day with everyone attending. The venue was beautiful and everything was so well thought out, so personalized and caring towards their guests. My congratulations to you both and best wishes on your journey together!

Wedding Photos: Cynthia & Guillermo (Hayward, California)

I get to witness some very special moments, thanks to my photography. This was a private wedding ceremony, held in a local park on a quiet morning. There was such joy in this ceremony and the journey of these two together. Afterwards, we spent some time wandering and exploring the park, letting these two enjoy their first few moments as Mr. and Mrs.

Wedding Photos: Anastasia & Ben (San Francisco, California)

What a wedding! Anastasia and Ben chose San Francisco for their destination wedding (traveling all the way from Australia), telling me they had always wanted to visit this area. That is such a special way to see a city and celebrate such an important event at the same time. They chose San Francisco City Hall for their ceremony, which is an absolutely beautiful building, with a reception at the Marines Memorial Club. Everyone involved was so excited to celebrate the bride and groom on their wedding day and it was a pleasure to spend a day among such sweet people.

Ceremony venue: San Francisco City Hall
Reception: Marines’ Memorial Club
Flowers: Farmgirl Flowers

Wedding Day: Justina & Jamie (Castro Valley, CA)

It is always an honor to photograph a wedding day and even more so when it is my very own friends and family. For me, it’s also more personal (and probably more emotional) since I know more about the couple’s story and have seen them grow closer to one another. Meet Justina, one of my best friends from high school and her husband, Jamie. I was asked to spend the morning with the girls while they got ready and also photograph some traditional Chinese wedding ceremonies. Continue on for some beautiful and funny moments.

There were two dresses for the wedding day – the white dress for the ceremony later that day. Since it was such a perfect dress for Justina, I had to take the time to photograph it.
Castro Valley Wedding Photographer For the traditional Chinese ceremonies, the bride wears red and, in this case, chose to go with a modern and beautiful dress.
The groom and his friends showed up to take part in the traditional Fetching of the Bride. This is the first time I had heard of this tradition and witnessed it and it was so much fun! I couldn’t help but laugh as the guys did their best to win their way into the house. There were questions to answer, dancing to do, songs to sing, blind tasting and identification of food and lots of negotiating.
Of course Jamie and his fellas were talented, charming and ultimately won their way into the house. Then we all took off for the traditional Wedding Car Ride. (Everyone in this car was a major trooper too, because it required running out in the pouring rain!)
Then it was time for the Tea Ceremony. While working on the images, I was really struck by how much honor and importance is represented in this ceremony, but by how well it was balanced with such love, sweet moments and laughter. It really acknowledges the role elder family members have played, while also being a celebration of a new family forming through the bride and groom. And, since we had a smaller group for the morning events, I asked if we could do a quick shot with everyone – turns out they have a fun crew!I am so excited for this couple and the happiness they have found in one another. All my best wishes as you continue your journey together!

Wedding Photos: Emily & Joe (Livermore, California)

As I was getting these wedding photos ready, I found myself wishing that I could go back and enjoy their day again. Emily and Joe are two of the sweetest people, full of laughter and so easy to be around. I had the pleasure of meeting these two when they first started dating (through my husband), so it was such an honor to capture and celebrate their wedding day alongside them. Congratulations again!

Venue: Wente Vineyards (Livermore, California)

Wedding Photos: Nicole & Georgios (Sausalito, CA)

Everything about this wedding was unique and interesting, which makes for an awesome set of final photos. I was honored to be invited to capture such an intimate wedding in such a breathtaking location. The rain held off for most of the wedding day, but the ceremony location was blanketed in fog, giving a surreal feeling to a lot of the photos. Beautiful and unforgettable!

Lodging/Cocktail Hour: Marin Headlands Hostel
Ceremony: Point Bonita Lighthouse (Sausalito, California)
Reception: Sausalito Seahorse (Downtown Sausalito, California)

Wedding Photos: Katie & Jake (Livermore, California)

I enjoy how unique each wedding is, especially when a couple puts so much of their personality into their special day. Katie and Jake’s engagement photos were full of locations that told their story and their wedding day contained so many touches that were special to them. They had a sunny day for their October wedding in Livemore, California and I got to second-shoot for my friend (and talented photographer) Renee from Renascent Photography.

Wedding Photos: Paige & Richard (Danville, California)

After a fun engagement session, I was looking forward to spending a full day with Paige and Richard, capturing their wedding day. Of course it was an awesome time! From spending time with the girls getting ready, all the way to the s’mores before the night was over, it was a great day. Their venue was absolutely beautiful, and so great because it was, literally, right in the family’s back yard. There were tons of little touches that I couldn’t help but appreciate as I caught them throughout the day – all the personalized bits and the handmade items made me smile and showed how much care was put into this wedding day.

Congratulations to you both!

Dress: from DoriAnne Veils
Hair: Amber Normann (bride’s sister)
Makeup: Maya Livesay (bride’s cousin)
Bridesmaid dresses: Lulus
Groom & groomsmen suits: Men’s Warehouse
Cake: Katrina Rozelle
Wedding coordinator: Tracy Pipkin
Guitarist: Mike Williams
Flowers: Gigi’s Florist
Engagement ring: Derco
Groom’s ring: Etsy
The S’mores bar and arch built by: Rob Normann (bride’s father)
Caterer: Dave Chapman