Roses for your house and for your wedding

May 9, 2011

The roses are blooming! The roses are blooming! I love the early bloom season of roses in the Bay Area and the garden at my home is bursting right now! I dug out an old silver plate pitcher that was my late Aunt's, polished it best I could, put the dented side of the base at the back of the arrangement and viola! A gorgeous bursting summertime bouquet supplemented with a cherry blossom (also from my yard) and some green blooms from Trader Joe's! I know, I know, I AM NOT a florist, but it's really fun to play with flowers and cheap when most are from your own garden! Happy spring!

I've also included a sneak peak of a recent wedding I photographed -- the bride's and bridesmaids' bouquets featured roses! Check back later this week for more of this gorgeous wedding.

Featured: Ray and Lily's wedding on A Paper Proposal

May 5, 2011

Ray and Lily's wedding was beautiful, and one of the things that really stood out were the gorgeous paper products that Ray designed just for the event. Photos of the products -- from their invitations to their favors and table numbers -- were featured on A Paper Proposal! Be sure to check out the feature on A Paper Proposal, and get photos of the entire wedding on my blog!

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Vendors involved in Ray and Lily's wedding included:

Church: The Church of the Nativity Chinese Banquet: Champagne and Seafood Restaurant Cake: Citizen Cake Flowers: Friend

Featured: Wine Country Wedding on Perfect Bound

May 3, 2011

If only one thing could be said about Jamie and Ozzie’s stunning wine country wedding, it’s that her dress—oh, that Monique Lhuillier dress—was as breathtaking as every other detail the couple planned. So I was delighted that Perfect Bound, a wedding blog focused on bridal fashions, wanted to feature Jamie and Ozzie’s wedding! Get the fashion scoop on Jamie and Ozzie’s wedding on Perfect Bound, but for more details, be sure to visit this blog post.

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Vendors involved in Jamie and Ozzie's wedding included:

Wedding Location: Lancaster Estate

Wedding Coordinator: Stephanie Beer of Covenant Coordinating

Catering: Grapevine Catering

Cake: Fleur de Lisa

Florist: Maria Philbin

The Hamlin Mansion San Francisco Wedding Photography

Wow! Another Hamlin Mansion Post on I Do Venues!

April 28, 2011

Fun to be featured again on I Do Venues! I love photographing weddings at the Hamlin Mansion in San Francisco. The architecture is so lovely to work with!

Didi and Tim's Headlands Center for the Arts wedding featured on The Wedding Chicks

April 26, 2011

Didi and Tim's Headlands Center for the Arts wedding has been featured on The Wedding Chicks! Their wedding was a gorgeous fall affair with warming candles and hearty food -- it was a true pleasure to photograph! Check out The Wedding Chicks feature, or view even more photos from Didi and Tim's wedding on my blog!

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Venue: Headlands Center for the Arts Caterer: Katie Powers Catering Coordinator: Headlands Center for the Arts Floral Design: Chesnut and Vine

Hairstyles to inspire your wedding day 'do

April 26, 2011

There are so many hairstyles to choose from when it comes to your wedding. Here are a few of my favorites -- I hope one will help inspire your big day 'do!

Tired from too much fun

April 22, 2011

Children do the darndest things -- even at weddings. Here's a little something to brighten your Friday!

Delicious drinks and food for a summer wedding

April 19, 2011

There are so many wonderful things about summer, and fresh and delicious foods are certainly one of them. It's neat to see how caterers can take a simple summer staple—lemonade or burgers hot off a grill—and make them extra creative creations served on a tray. Here are a few special selections from weddings I’ve photographed. I hope they can inspire some of your own summer wedding drinks and food.

Beautiful ranunculus bouquets

April 12, 2011

I recently bought a bunch of ranunculus at Trader Joe's and I was reminded of how beautiful the bloom looks in bridal bouquets and arrangements. Here are a few photographs of my tabletop ranunculus, and the beautiful ranunculus bouquets from Kasia and Keith's wedding.

Penny and Sean's wedding featured on Aisle Candy

April 8, 2011

Penny and Sean's gorgeous wedding -- a sweet Valentine's Day affair with the couple's closest friends and family -- has been featured on Aisle Candy! Penny and Sean we wed amongst the redwoods of Tilden Regional Park, then celebrated with champagne before leaving in a vintage car. What a wonderful wedding story the couple will have for future generations!

Enjoy the feature on Aisle Candy and for more wedding photos, check out Penny and Sean's wedding on my blog.

Vendors involved in Penny and Sean's wedding included:

Florist: Freshly Cut

Formal Wear: Armani, purchased at Nordstrom in Walnut Creek, California

Location: The Botanic Gardens of Tilden Regional Park

Shoes: Prada, purchased at Saks Fifth Avenue in San Fransisco, California

Featured: Ava and Dave's wedding photos on I Do Venues

April 6, 2011

Photographs from Ava and Dave's stunning wedding at Hamlin Mansion have been featured on I Do Venues! Their wedding was my first chance to take pictures at the historic site, and I just loved the way the light shown through the mansion's old windows. The mansion is a wonderful location for a wedding. Check out I Do Venues' feature, and for more photos from Ava and Dave's wedding, check out my blog post.

Vendors who participated in Ava and Dave's wedding included:

Wedding location: Hamlin Mansion

Catering: Elaine Bell Catering

Flowers: Sharla Flock

Cake: Cake Coquette

A Whidbey Island wedding

April 4, 2011

This couple—a private pair who asked that their names not be released—contacted me more than a year ago to photograph their Bay Area wedding reception, warning me that they could gather weeks before for an intimate ceremony on Whidbey Island. A few weeks ago, they contacted me to see if I could fly up photograph their vows. As I scouted for our portrait session and saw what gorgeous scenery I had to work with, I fretted it would be too cold and rainy to do an outdoor portrait session. Not only did it rain the following day, but the couple remained terrific sports as winds whipped across the straights of Juan de Fuca. During the shoot, I marveled at how comfortable the groom was in front of the camera. But it wasn't until I retouched their photos that I saw how hauntingly beautiful the bride is. After our portrait session, we were off to the couple’s intimate ceremony at a friend's home. Then the bride and groom donned aprons and made everyone homemade pizzas! Darling!

A Mexican treat before I leave: Carli and Craig's Cabo San Lucas wedding

April 1, 2011

Though Carli and Craig's wedding day was a little stormy, we did a day-after session and the weather was gorgeous! In fact, Carli wore a bikini beneath her dress so she could sunbathe between shots and locations. At one point, one of the locals offered to carry Carli's dress back to our boat, which explains the picture of her dress hung over a man's head. This is one of my favorite pics of all time! Alas, today, I'm not going to the beach. But I am going to Rancho La Puerta, just below the border and southeast of San Diego. The resort is located on 3,000 acres of mountains, and has its own organic farm and cooking school, too. How lucky am I to be able to spend a week shooting the spa for their marketing materials! I will try to share some of the images next week!

Fragrant freesia in bridal bouquets

March 29, 2011

Yesterday, I clipped fresh freesia from my yard and stuck the stems in a small pitcher on my window sill. As the flowers’ scent filled my kitchen, I was reminded that whenever a bride fills her bouquet with freesia, she can’t help but sniff the blooms all day. Here are a couple shots of my window sill freesia, as well as clients' freesia bouquets.

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Ray and Lily's traditional and Chinese wedding

March 24, 2011

Ray and Lily wed twice, celebrating first in a traditional American church service and again in Chinese tea ceremony, complete with a banquet. The first took place at an adorable 100-plus year old church in the south of San Francisco -- the second at a champagne and seafood restaurant. Both ceremonies, along with the weather, were beautiful!

Vendors involved in Ray and Lily's wedding included: Church: The Church of the Nativity Chinese Banquet: Champagne and Seafood Restaurant Cake: Citizen Cake Flowers: Friend

Gena and Ryan's wedding featured on I Do Venues!

March 22, 2011

Gena and Ryan's beautiful Bently Reserve wedding has been featured on Style Me Pretty and now, it's featured again on I Do Venues! For more pictures of Gena and Ryan's wedding go to my blog, and take a look at the wonderful vendors -- including Amy Nichols Special Events, Floramor,The Bently Reserve -- involved in making the couple's day extra gorgeous.

Classic black and white wedding portraits

March 16, 2011

Color photographs are beautiful, but there's just something about classic black and white images that I love. Here are a few of my favorite black and white bridal portraits.

Intimate Valentine's Day wedding amongst redwoods and rain

March 9, 2011

Sean and Penny were determined to get married on the hilltops of Tilden Regional Park, amongst the redwoods and beautiful botanical gardens — even if that meant holding their intimate Valentine’s Day ceremony in the rain. With their parents, Officiant and maid-of-honor in tow, we traipsed through the showers and puddles to a secluded redwood grove, where Sean and Penny exchanged vows. As the rain poured harder and harder, everyone simply laughed, stayed in good spirits and had fun.

Sean and Penny were incredibly generous — they let me take control of their walk back to the park’s visitor center so that I could could get the few shots that I did. Back at the visitor center, the couple celebrated with a glass of champagne and Valentine’s Day chocolates before leaving in gorgeous vintage car that clanked with cans tied to its back.

What a wonderful wedding story Sean and Penny will have for future generations! It is always these little civil ceremonies that capture my heart. My own wedding was on a Tuesday, out in nature, with only immediate family in tow.

Florist: Freshly Cut

Formal Wear: Armani, purchased at Nordstrom in Walnut Creek, California

Location: The Botanic Gardens of Tilden Regional Park

Shoes: Prada, purchased at Saks Fifth Avenue in San Fransisco, California

Featured on I Do Venue - Hamlin Mansion

March 5, 2011

Ava and Dave's wedding at the Hamlin Mansion in San Francisco is featured on I Do Venues! Getting ready location: Hotel Drisco

Wedding location: The Hamlin Mansion

Catering: Elaine Bell Catering

Flowers: Sharla Flock

Cake: Cake Coquette

Featured on The Wedding Chicks!

February 24, 2011

This wedding at Cavallo Point was published on I do Venues and now picked up by “The Wedding Chicks”! Click this for a direct link, but here’s a sneak peek: