I’ve only shot a handful of weddings during Covid as I’ve explored some other creative pursuits, but wanted to share my dear friend’s daughter’s gorgeous DIY at home wedding from Christmastime. I’ve known Martine since she was a little girl and her insanely talented mother is one of my closest friends. I was more than honored to be a part of this intimate celebration. Pleased to share some highlights!
I was so thrilled to photograph a dear friend’s daughter’s wedding last summer and I’m so happy to finally post photos of this darling couple and their intimate wedding. It’s been many years since I photographed a wedding at the Swedenborgian Church in San Francisco and although I had not forgotten how intimate it is, I was again struck by this location’s loveliness for an intimate wedding in San Francisco. It was a typically cold and foggy day in San Francisco and to walk into that wooden church with a fire roaring and candles lit was truly special. On top of it was this sweet young couple. So in love and so passionate about saying their vows.
Audrey put together her many creative talents doing her own hair and makeup and the flowers! Oh the flowers. She did such a great job for a budding florist and she stunned with her simple slightly BoHo bridal look and Max made just about everyone cry when he read his vows to his bride. A talented writer and creative himself, he expressed his love for his bride passionately. I’m so happy for this sweet couple and was honored to photograph their day. Congrats to Audrey and Max!
Location: Swedenborgian Church, San Francisco
Catering: Herb’n Vegan, San Francisco
Florals: The bride! Please inquire with me if you’re interested in contacting her about your own!
OK, not only is Kirsten my dear friend, she is also my former studio-mate and an incredibly talented photographer. Photographing her wedding was an honor and a great gift I could give to my dear friend and her new husband.
I loved their intimate day. Berkeley is their home and they decided to treat their friends and family to a wedding Berkeley-style with a very sophisticated and austere twist. Honoring Kirsten's Los Angeles style and Tim's love of the outdoors became a great theme for this simple and lovely wedding focused on family, friends and their love of food and wine! Surrounded by family and friends in the sequoia grove at the Tilden Botanic Gardens, their ceremony was quiet, intimate and special. Kirsten and Tim seemed to be glowing both inside and out as I photographed them saying their vows.
Kirsten hired an all-star Berkeley cast of vendors too! I was more than thrilled when Kirsten told me she was going to work with Svenja of Chestnut and Vine on the flowers. I love Svenja's sophisticated, artistic and quirky style and it fit right in with Kirsten and Tim's day. Standard Fare Berkeley catered the yummy food and of course the wine was all BROC Cellars - Kirsten and Tim's favorite local winery and the location of the fun and simple celebration reception. With wine and food in the tasting room and games galore outside, adults and kids alike had a great time celebrating Kirsten and Tim. So did I and couldn't be more thrilled for this couple whom I grown to love to so much. They are so perfect for each other in so many ways. Plus they look pretty darned great in front of the lens too!
Venue: Tilden Botanic Gardens & BROC Cellars
Floral Designer: Chestnut & Vine
Caterer: Standard Fare Berkeley
Cupcakes: Cakes made by M.E
Dress: Alice + Olivia by Stacey Bendet
Make-up Design: Rachel Rockwood
It's always an honor when someone in the industry asks me to photograph their wedding and Kristen was no exception! As the Marketing Director for Got Light, she knows her stuff about gorgeous weddings and the wedding industry! Also, an extremely creative knitter, she has her own YouTube channel called "Studio Knit". Check it out! A woman of many talents and boundless energy, Kristen took on her wedding like she seems to take on everything - with a passion and talent rarely seen, Kristen made this the DIY wedding of all time!
Creating 1,000 paper cranes as a backdrop for their ceremony was just a start for Kristen! I also loved the paper butterflies she added to the lanterns. She added buttons down her back from her mother’s 1967 wedding dress, symbolizing that her mother “had her back” during the wedding. For her adorable flowergirl Delilah, Kristen created a pomander wand with hand dyed French silk ribbons and daisies in her favorite color – purple! With her exquisite eye for design and color, she put her graphic arts and paper folding skills to work. She designed all the wedding collateral, creating the whimsical cohesive branding of their wedding, even adding hand made paper cranes to the wedding invitations!
Headlands Center for the Arts is one of my fave bay area venues and their official caterer, Katie Powers of Katie Powers Catering knocked the socks off - as always - with the food and I was also thrilled when I arrived and saw my friend Erica of Erica Rose Designs was doing the flowers. Add in the talented Got Light team and Jasmine Rae Bakery, and you truly have an all-star team!
Kristen and Brian's union was over 25 years in the making, so when they tied the knot, I'm not sure there was a dry eye in the house - especially when two of the members of Brian's former band Veil of Ashes played a love song from their band days during the ceremony. I was crying behind the lens! These two know how to have fun together, love beautiful things and great music and it all came together on their wedding day. Congrats to Kristen and Brian!!!
Venue: Headlands Center for the Arts
Caterer: Katie Powers Catering
Cake: Jasmine Rae Bakery
Event Design: Chambray Event Design
Lighting: Got Light
Florist: Erica Rose Designs
Hair and Make-up Artist: JT Artistry
Officiant: Rhythm & Light
What lovely and sweet locations for Lisa and Ian's wedding! I've never photographed at either The Church of One Tree or The Round Barn in Santa Rosa and each was really charming! The Church of One Tree was actually built using the wood of only one tree and is such a lovely church nestled among redwoods with the entrance to the church right on a huge public park. Totally charming.
Loved the style of this wedding reception in The Round Barn. Given the unique structure and white wood, I thought Elsa Vera of Elsa Vera Productions did an amazing job with design. I loved the linens from La Tavola and the white and green florals and printed material with touches of silver and gray throughout was so fresh and inviting. Loved that they had a game area on the catwalk on the second floor where they held cocktail hour and dancing. Everyone had a blast and when the giant Jenga game crashed down, the whole room roared. I just loved Lisa and Ian. What a sweet couple and such nice families. So happy I had the chance to photograph them twice! See their e-shoot blog post too!
Ceremony Venue: The Church of One Tree
Reception Venue: The Round Barn
Event Coordinator: Elsa Vera Productions
Floral Artist: Dragonfly Floral
Caterer: Park Avenue Catering
Cake Artist: Your Sweet Expectations
DJ: A Long Music
Linen Rentals: La Tavola
Rentals: Encore Events Rentals
Hair & Make-up Artist: Salon 12
Guest Favors: Amphora Nueva
Bridal Gown: Marisa Bridals
Bridal Boutique: Flares Bridal
Wedding Bands: A Wedding Ring Experience
Now THIS was a DIY wedding! Loved that Katharine and Vic were so focused on family and friends and the DANCE party for their wedding and did it all on a budget! It was so about family and friends that they really only wanted me to do ten minutes of portraits! They ended up giving me a little more - phew! But really it was about the party for them!
I've never photographed at the Pavillion at Scott's Seafood in Oakland even though I live in Oakland! I had NO IDEA that that on the public square right on the marina in Jack London Square, Scott's Seafood erects this Pavillion for special events. Seriously. They are able to take the whole thing down after the event and it converts back to public space. When it's up, it's a light and airy venue and because of the white paneled semi-translucent walls, it has great light and views of the marina! Great spot on the dock for cocktail hour and pretty views during the ceremony - but be prepared for a few pigeons flying around!
Really though, the star of this wedding was all the DIY touches that family and friends contributed. Vic's mom designed and handmade the invitations, menu cards, table cards, and name card for every single guest. Plus, the maid of honor, Dawn, designed and printed all the goody bags that were filled with local candy and given out as the guest favors. Katherine's gorgeous dress was designed and made by Rose Mary Jameson, you could tell that Katherine felt so amazing wearing it. Not to mention, Vic's brother was their amazing officiant, Katherine's jewelry was her grandmother's, and Vic's cufflinks belonged to her grandfather. It was amazing to see how many different family members were involved in their special day!
Add a few lovely flowers by Flowers by Anne, evening lighting and a great DJ to rock the house and you've got a lovely and fun budget wedding that's family and friend focussed and right on the water! Congrats Katharine and Vic for pulling off such a lovely little wedding right here in Oakland - and what a sweet couple too!
Venue and Caterer: Scott's Seafood
Floral Designer: Flowers by Anne
Wedding Dress: Rose Mary Jameson
Tres Leches: Market Hall Bakery
Another cozy wedding! LOVED this reception location set in the Bocce ballroom at the historic Union Hotel in Occidental. Karena and Jason added a special touch by having youth in the Eden Area Regional Occupational Program help them with their gorgeous florals and added some DIY aspects with the hand stamped wooden tags wrapped around the napkins at each place setting.
Because of their love for the outdoors, Karena and Jason set their ceremony in the redwoods at The Grove nearby. They decided to utilize the setting by also have the cocktail reception set in the redwoods immediately following the ceremony. After a big group photo on the pavilion stage everyone loaded up and went over to the cozy hotel for dinner. What a wonderfully relaxed family and friend focussed wedding. Congrats to Karena and Jason!
Ceremony Venue: The Grove
Reception Venue & Caterer: Union Hotel
Bouquets, Boutonnieres, and Corsages: Eden Area Regional Occupational Program
Cake and Cupcakes: Forget-Me-Not Cakes
Rentals: Encore Event Rentals
I love when my couples honor their traditional heritage at their weddings. In this case, Sally wore a traditional Japanese Yukata which is a lightweight summer Kimono-style outfit and Robin celebrated his Filipino heritage wearing a barong traditional male dress shirt. What a lovely look for both! Although the ceremony was mostly a traditional outdoor American ceremony, they also incorporated a sake ceremony as well.
Additional traditional touches included origami style "fun kits" for the kids, chopsticks at dinner, personalized pens to do a word search that included the couple's history together and a couple of their favorite Hawaiian appetizers served during cocktail hour. Sally and Robin included some DIY touches too. I thought the most original was Sally's coffee filter bridal bouquet! I've definitely never seen that before! They also surprised guests after dinner with two yummy dessert food trucks! What fun for all! Congrats to Sally and Robin!
Vendors who participated in this wedding include:
Venue & Caterer: Quadrus Convention Center
Hair & Makeup Artists: Aziza Beauty Salon
Photo Booth: Impressions Photo Booth
Food Trucks: Cookies N Cream and Kona Ice
Rentals: Stuart Rental
Magical. Magical. Magical! Wow. I just LOVE shooting at Campovida. Julie and Matt chose this location because Matt's family has traveled up to their lake house in the area since Matt's childhood and when they saw the property they just knew how perfect it was for their wedding. I loved that Julie said about their sunset portrait session that they felt like they were discovering "secret gardens" as I led them through the property for the session. The property is so large that you could spend an entire day "discovering" it's many delights. For a destination wedding, it can't be beat. It will wow the guests. Julie and Matt put their hearts and souls into their wedding day with loads of individual and hand-crafted touches. The couple handmade their programs, name tags, menus and ribbon napkin rings! Grapevine Catering served an incredible meal, with a super sweet cupcake dessert by Kara's Cupcakes. Most important, however, was an incredibly special weekend spent with family and close friends. Again, what a magical place to do so. From the pictures, it looks like they had the time of their lives! Such a sweet couple!
Sweet details and such a sweet couple too! I've never photographed at Castlewood Country Club and had a blast posing Cassidy and Brandon around the lovely grounds. Cassidy spent a lot of time thinking about the sweet details for her mostly DIY wedding and it paid off! Loved the little flags hanging down the aisle and the darling cupcake table! She also used heirloom succulents in her bouquet, which was made by Megan Haney Designs, and brought that theme to the table centerpieces and guest favors. Cassidy thought of everything to make their day lovely and fresh and light and fun. I just loved her Ann Taylor gown and Badgley Mischka shoes, too! Such a sweet and beautiful couple!
Vendors involved in this wedding included:
Venue: Castlewood Country Club
Florist: Megan Haney Design
Dress: Ann Taylor
Shoes: Badgley Mischka
When Katey first contacted me to shoot her wedding, she was in Afghanistan! Katey and David are both in the military and I was happy to be available to shoot their wedding for them and that Katey is back safe and sound. I was also happy to be back at the Carmel Mission church. It's such a gorgeous location for wedding photographs and their wedding was one of the last before the church starts their big renovation. I also loved Katey and David's vintage forties theme and all the personal details. Katey wore her grandmother's wedding gown, adding her own personal flair of blue lace at the bottom! And guests were treated to bottles of Limoncello, made by the bride's aunt with her great-grandmother's homemade recipe. The lemon's came from David's grandmother's tree! I thought the invitation RSVP was especially clever and I loved those fun robes Katey gave her bridesmaids. They all looked so vintage and colorful for the getting ready photos! Congrats to Katey and David!
Vendors involved in this wedding included:
Venue: Carmel Mission church
Coordination and Catering: Grapes of Wrath
Florist: Big Sur Flowers
So pleased to share photos from Erin and Justin's Kansas St. Patrick's day wedding! (You got a sneak-peek of their wedding a couple weeks ago!) The location was Stony Point Hall in Lawrence, KS. Erin and Justin really lucked out with weather for their outdoor ceremony! It could have snowed, but luckily we had nice weather and an early spring. I found a lovely drive lined with blooming trees for their "first look" and a few portraits, and then we moved on to Stony Point Hall for some lovely "in the field" portraits and the rest of the festivities. Erin outdid herself by hand-making fabric-covered needlepoint rings. Loved the various patterned fabrics used throughout. Even some fabric roses in the bouquets, fabric tied napkin rings and fabric tied bouquet stems. Of course there were some St. Patrick day surprises, including dancing back down the aisle by the bridal party incorporating various St. Patrick's day goodies! Congratulations Erin and Justin!
Vendors involved in Erin and Justin's wedding included:
Location: Stony Point Hall
Event Design and Coordination: Red Door Event and Design
Florist: Red Door Event and Design
Caterer: Culinaria Food and Wine
Who would think you could have a full-on Greek Orthodox wedding ceremony at home? When you have a mother of the bride who is a former film director -- and who has great style and determination and a dear friend of the family who is a Greek Orthodox priest -- it CAN be done! Andra contacted me just a few weeks before her Sunday wedding and asked me if I thought I could do some formal portraits as well as photograph an outdoor backyard Greek Orthodox ceremony. With over nine years of experience shooting weddings, I knew I was up for the challenge. My tagline (if you will) is: Classic, beautiful, fresh. Your wedding. Your photography. This means a great deal to me and it should to you, too. Every wedding is different and every bride and groom have their own style. It's important to find a photographer who can read and match your style. I feel that with my classic training in photography I can handle anything from formal portraits to casual candids and a photojournalistic style. Not everyone wants such formal photography as Andra and her mother did, but if they do, I've got them covered!
Birgitt and Stephen’s wedding at the Headlands Center for the Arts was filled with delightful details, including an impromptu puppet performance mid-ceremony. The bride and groom focused on fine food and wine, catered by Katie Powers, and creating what they called a “rustic, Californian aesthetic” through beautiful blooms and décor by IXIA Flowers. What a beautiful celebration!
Vendors included:
Location: Headlands Center for the Arts
Caterer: Katie Powers Catering
Florist: IXIA Flowers
Bridal dress: COAN Couture
Bridal Shoes: Alfani from Macy's
As mentioned when I posted the Style Me Pretty link, I had such fun photographing Beka's wedding! Beka also happens to be a wedding photographer who used to come out to SF to assist me. I guess a lot of what she learned, she learned from me and then she photographed my own wedding! Beka and Josh's wedding reception was hosted and held t my good friend's home in a little mountain town in Arizona. We all pitched in to decorate the house and yard with the great crafty details that Beka created. Lucky for us, Kathy is a great stylist. In fact I met Kathy when she used to style home interiors for me when I was shooting for the interior design magazines. Oh, that was many years ago! Have fun looking at this wedding. So adorable!
