Marin Art and Garden Center Wedding - Elysha and Dennis

Lovely, lovely late spring garden wedding! I love shooting at Marin Art and Garden Center because it's usually all one location. Why wouldn't it be when it has the most lovely grounds? Perfect for a wedding! Especially in mid-May when their rose garden is in full bloom. Wowsa. Gorgeous!

Meredith Law did such a gorgeous job with the florals. Dennis (the groom!) made the huppah and I loved the fern bases to the posts and wispy corners with ribbons up top. Dreamy. The incredible centerpieces looked like they had all been flowers plucked at this gorgeous garden itself and accompanied by lanterns, potted plants and baskets it made for the perfect fit. The food was also incredible and catered by mediterranean restaurant Insalata's for some more local flair.

The fabulous staff at Marin Art and Garden did some light coordinating, but this wedding was all about family and friends and enjoying a lovely wedding and meal in the garden. Elysha and Dennis couldn't wipe the smiles off of their faces. Especially when along together for our photo sessions, during their ceremony and during their first dance. It was just pure joy and loveliness all around. Congrats to Elysha and Dennis!

Hotel del Coronado Wedding - Mary and Daniel

I loved going down to San Diego to photograph this destination wedding at the Hotel del Coronado. Especially because I had photographed the bride's sister's wedding five years before! I always love seeing families again and watching them grow (her sister's now three year old little girl was the flower girl!).

Within minutes of arriving on the wedding day, I was told by the wedding planner, Christine Ong Forsythe with Lavish Weddings. that the bride and one of her bridesmaids had food poisoning and a doctor was summoned to the hotel to try to get everyone in shape to actually go to the wedding. Oh my! In walked Mary looking a little weak about an hour later, but ready to enjoy her day the best she could despite being told she couldn't eat or drink ANYTHING but poweraid for at least 24 hours. I felt terrible for her, but she persevered and after hair and makeup was done, you would never know how sick she had been just a couple of hours before. This left her to enjoy a perfect "Wizard of Oz" themed day and evening at this classic Deco-era hotel.

The Del's Coronet and Crown rooms both sparkled in anticipation of the formal black tie wedding and Christine of Lavish Weddings and her crew of top-notch vendors did a fabulous job carrying off the Wizard of Oz theme at this formal event. I loved the poppies Sharon Mintz of Organic Elements incorporated into the flowers and the place card table. The rest of the flowers and colors for the wedding were based on the table indicators which were all scans of the original illustrations from L. Frank Baum's Wizard of Oz books. 

Beautiful personal touches were added as well including the music for the ceremony which was written by Daniel, the groom! I'm not sure if there was a dry eye in the house when everyone attending sang a hymn together. Most of Mary and Daniel's friends are professional musicians so they really could belt it out. It was a gorgeous and memorable moment for all in the room. The first dance song was also written by this talented composer and was about April Fools (they got married on April 1st!).

Love, Love, Love all around for this couple and this wedding. So classic, deco and stylish AND such genuine love and talent. April Fools and food poisoning? Didn't ruin this wedding day! Mary even "bedazzled" her wedding shoes to sparkle like Dorothy's. Good thing she did. They definitely produced magic for her on this fabulous wedding day. Congrats to Mary and Daniel!

030.jpg

Healdsburg Country Gardens - Cara and Matt

Admittedly I was a little nervous about going to Healdsburg Country Gardens to shoot because it's under new ownership, but I was pleasantly surprised at the changes. Although I miss the gorgeous rose garden the previous owners had put in, I do love the new cocktail area the open space now provides. Still one of my favorite properties in wine country!

Cara and Matt were a lovely couple to work with. So in love and they had such a fun party! All about family and friends, wine and food. A perfect setting for a great couple! Flutter Events did such a nice job for them preparing and Alisha O'Connor was there the day of making sure everything ran perfectly.

The flowers by Daisy Rose were truly as if they were picked right out of the garden per Cara's wishes and the food by the always fabulous Girl and the Fig was amazing. Cara and Matt love hanging out in wine country and listening to country music so the bluegrass band One Button Suit was great fun both during the ceremony and during cocktails and dinner.

Just such a perfect and pretty wedding. Congratulations, Cara and Matt!

Bridal gown and boutique: La Soie Bridal in Sacramento, Dress by Enzoani
Shoes: Ceremony shoes: Stuart Weitzman. Reception Boots: Lucchese
Bridesmaid dresses: Donna Morgan
Formalwear: Combatant Gentleman
Hair piece: Bel Aire Bridal
Jewelry: Rings from Mark Allen Jewelers, Santa Rosa.
Day of Wedding Coordinator: Alisha O'Connor
Event Designer: Flutter Events
Florist: Daisy Rose, Sonona
Caterer: Girl and the Fig, Sonoma
Baker: Mustache Bakery, Healdsburg
Stationer: Susan Gildea Personalized Printing, Berkeley
Hair and Makeup: Powder Room, Santa Rosa
Music: Ceremony/Cocktail: One Button Suit. Dinner/Dancing: DJ Bart
Guest favors: Homemade Jalapeno Jelly by Joy Patterson (MOB)
Chalkboards: Nicki Wolfe. Calligraphy: The Calligraphy Girl
Rentals: Encore Events Rentals, Healdsburg

 

The Flood Mansion - Emily and Collin!

It's been a while since I photographed a wedding at The Flood Mansion in San Francisco. Yowsa - it's still one of my favorite locations in the entire bay area and it was the perfect sophisticated and elegant venue for a sophisticated and elegant couple.

After a fairy tale first look at the Lyon Steps, a trolley dropped off the bridal party and immediate family for a super fun photo session. Nobody seemed to mind too much that I made everyone traipse up and down the many flights of stairs because the trolley couldn't drop us off JUST where I wanted to photograph everyone. Many thanks to everyone for doing that for the picky photographer! It DID provide some really fun shots of our bride getting her workout in for the day!

Emily and Collin said their vows in the courtyard at Flood mansion flanked by a couple of gorgeous floral arrangements by Lynda Quiros of Elle Que Designs . Oh it was so elegant and glamorous and Emily looked like Grace Kelly come back to life in her incredible gown by Jinza Bridal. The hair and makeup team of Amy Hsueh and Laura Yamasaki, couldn't have done a better job with Emily's elegant look and I had a glorious time photographing this stunning bride. Collin was incredibly dapper too in his Hugo Boss tux and Tom Ford Bow Tie. I loved some of the pre-ceremony shots I got while he and his groomsmen waited for the ceremony to start.

As if all of that wasn't enough gorgeousness, the party started and the dining room looked so stunning! Caroline Bottoms made sure everything looked perfect. Global Gourmet provided not only that gorgeous bridal party tablecloth but also this gorgeous and delicious food. All set within the elegant rooms of the Flood Mansion with views of the bay and the Golden Gate Bridge, how could this NOT be one of my favorite locations in the bay area! I always feel honored when I photograph a wedding in this gorgeous space.

Thank you, Emily and Collin and congratulations!

0001.jpg
0005.jpg
0017.jpg
0020.jpg
0058.jpg
0063.jpg
0069.jpg

Event Coordinator: Caroline Bottoms

Venue: Flood Mansion

Floral Designer: Lynda Quiros of Elle Que Designs

Caterer: Global Gourmet Catering

Cake: Susie Cakes

Hair Stylist: Amy Hsueh

Make-up Artist: Laura Yamasaki

Lighting: Got Light

Dress: Jinza Bridal

Jewelry: Helene Lucille

Headlands Center for the Arts - Kristen and Brian!

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!!!

asf.jpg
014.jpg
036.jpg

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