Sonoma Wedding: The Depot Hotel and General Vallejo's Home - Margaux and Patrick!

June 2, 2015

Margaux was picture perfect in her Melissa Sweet gown and birdcage veil. Absolutely stunning look for this fairytale wedding at the CA state park location of General Vallejo's Home and the Depot Hotel in Sonoma.

I loved that Margaux and her mom went with Emily of Green Snapdragon Floral to pick out flowers. Margaux's bouquet was stunning and the florals on the tables at the reception went perfectly with the lovely gray runners Patrick's grandmother made. I thought it was a great touch that the runners were gathered at the base with a floral.

This wedding was all about family and friends and as Patrick's father said in his toast: "BIG LOVE!" Wonderful time had by all!

Ceremony Venue: General Vallejo's Home

Reception Venue and Caterer: Depot Hotel

Event Coordinator: Natalie Wiezel and Zohe Felici

Floral Designer: Green Snapdragon Floral Design

Invitations: Wedding Paper Divas

DJ: Dansations

Rentals: Grapevine Party Rentals

The Lodge at the Regency Center - San Francisco Wedding of Thalia and Ian

April 8, 2015

Oh what style and grace! Loved this classic San Francisco wedding. In Thalia's previous career she was a set designer and she let her previous work shine at her wedding. Thalia and Ian are both now firefighters and I have to say, Thalia may be the most good-looking firefighter ever! She was also one of my most stunning brides ever in her classic lace, mermaid Maggie Sottero gown! I thought her look was perfect for the venue and style of the wedding.

Alex and the team from Dreams on a Dime Weddings worked with Thalia and The Regency Center to create the perfect setting for this classic wedding in one of my favorite rooms in the city. The Lodge at the Regency Center is the top floor venue at the Regency Center and was originally a Mason's lodge! The Regency Center has kept all of the old stage backdrops and they let each couple choose their own backdrop for their wedding. I LOVE the backdrop Thalia and Ian chose. It worked so well with the gorgeous florals by Carol Antraccoli.

Congratulations, Thalia and Ian!

Venue: The Regency Center

Event Coordinator: Dreams on a Dime

Floral Designer: Carol Antraccoli

Caterer: Englund's Catering and Cafe

Cake: Lotta's Bakery

Stationary: Foreignspell

Hair and Make-up Artists: Painted Ladies

Ceremony Musicians: An Elegant Touch of Strings

Reception Musicians: Horns A Plenty

The InterContinental The Clement Monterey Wedding - Lisa and Ken

February 21, 2015

LOVED the yellow and gray/charcoal color scheme for this gorgeous Hotel Clement Monterey wedding which was beautifully planned and executed by my former bride, Lauren Sloan of Ryder Sloan Events. Lisa was radiant in her Ace gown by Allure and I loved her bridesmaids gray flowing dresses and yellow flowers by Laughin' Gal Florist!

What a setting and what incredible weather for January! Sometimes winter weather on the west coast can be better than summer weather and this proved that point. It was downright hot out and there was no fog in sight for the glorious view of the Monterey bay throughout the wedding. Plus the wedding was set right off of the main drag, so we were able to sneak away and grab a shot of the bride and groom with their bridal party in front of the iconic Monterey Cannery Row sign!

What fun was had by all, but especially Lisa and Ken. A super sweet couple who was smiling all day long. Ken was doing the traditional surprise honeymoon for his bride and I'm just DYING to know where it was. How romantic overall! Congrats to Lisa and Ken!

Venue and Caterer: InterContinental The Clement Monterey

Event Coordinator: Ryder Sloan Events

Floral Designer: Laughin' Gal Florist

Cake: Patisserie Bechler

Hair and Makeup Artist: Oya Salon

Linen Rentals: La Tavola

Rentals: Chic Events

Musicians: Sound in Motion

Dress Designer: Allure

Bridesmaid Dress Designer: Bill Levkoff

Featured: Molly & Aneep's wedding on Borrowed and Blue blog!

January 14, 2015

I am thrilled to announce that Molly and Aneep's wedding is being featured on the blog Borrowed & Blue! It was a wonderful day! You can experience it yourself here.

Hotel Vitale San Francisco Wedding - Damon and Eunmin

January 5, 2015

What a lovely wedding and an even lovelier couple! I was so happy when a former bride of mine, Lauren Wakefield, who is also a planner extraordinaire contacted me on behalf of her clients for this intimate November wedding at the Hotel Vitale in San Francisco. With only sixty guests and a sunset ceremony scheduled to take place on one of the many terraces at Vitale I knew we were in for a treat.

Not only was the setting gorgeous and lush florals, by Natalie Bowen Designs, in soft pinks beautiful to photograph, I was more than thrilled that the rain cleared in time and Eunmin and Damon were game for a super fun and extended portrait session out on the Embarcadero before the ceremony. We had a blast and I loved that the colorful streetcars seemed to be waiting just for us!

The ceremony couldn't have been more magical as the sun set over the bay and then the outdoor family portrait session and cocktail hour had the added treat of the city and bay bridge lights coming up. Then we all got cozy in one of the intimate rooms for the dinner and dancing. Such a lovely little wedding and thank you Eunmin and Damon for being so enamored with each other! Everyone made my job super easy that day!

Venue: Hotel Vitale

Coordinator: Ryder Sloan Events

Floral Designer: Natale Bowen Designs

Caterer: Americano Restaurant

Cake Artist: Cake Coquette

Stationary: Wedding Paper Divas and The Aerialist Press

Hair & Makeup Artist: Marisa Perel

Musicians: Entire Productions

Macarons: Chantal Guillon

Linens: La Tavola Fine Linen Rental

Rentals: Hartmann Studios

Featured: Jamie & Peter's wedding on Borrowed and Blue blog!

December 17, 2014

I'm so excited to see that Jamie and Peter's wedding is being featured on Borrowed & Blue! It was such a gorgeous day and now the whole world can enjoy it. Check out all prettiness here.

Sebastiani Sonoma Wedding - Amy and Michael

November 16, 2014

Lovely wedding, Lovely couple! I loved that Amy and Michael's love for music (they are both musicians!) flowed into their elegant Sebastiani Winery wedding so perfectly. They had live musician performing throughout the event and even took dancing lessons so that they could expertly swing dance to the music for their first dance!

Christopher of Leftwich Event Specialists made sure all of the elegant touches in this gorgeous setting were perfect including the lush flowers by Taste Catering and Event Planning both in the outdoor ceremony setting and in Sebastiani's spectacular barrel room. I love this barrel room and am fortunate enough to be on the preferred vendor list at Sebastiani and have seen it in so many gorgeous iterations depending on my client's style. Amy and Michael were the picture of happiness as then entered the room down the giant curving staircase surrounding the huge barrel at one end of the room. The railing was decked out in garland making it even more of a spectacular entrance.

The traditional Jewish touches throughout the wedding also made it special and festive. Especially that EXTRA long Hora dance! I think the friendly band was torturing Amy and Michael and the lucky guys holding up the chairs just for some extra festive fun!

Congrats to Amy and Michael!

Venue: Sebastiani Vineyards and Winery

Wedding Coordinator: Leftwich Event Specialists

Event Designer, Floral Designer, Caterer, Cake Artist: Taste Catering and Event Planning

Wedding Dress and Veil: Amy Kuschel

Hair and Makeup Artist: Melisa Hall

Music: AMS Entertainment and D'Lilah Monroe and the Tom Cats

Pebble Beach and The Inn at Spanish Bay Wedding - Molly and Aneep

November 3, 2014

In my questionnaire that I send to all my brides, I have a question that asks for any favorite moments or memories of their day. Molly's answer was: "Too many to list. Day was perfect." and that it was! I have NEVER photographed a wedding in the Carmel/Monterey coastal area that wasn't a bit chilly and often foggy. Molly and Aneep and everyone else were completely surprised by this unseasonably warm wedding day! Pebble Beach and the coastline were stunning and sparkly in the warm sun and it really WAS a perfect day. Molly was absolutely the picture of "stunning" in her Vera Wang gown and Aneep was smiling every time he looked at his gorgeous bride!

Melia Yust of Wedspring in San Francisco designed and planned this simple and elegant wedding for this intimate gathering. I loved the use of dahlias in the florals, the sparkle of the cocktail tablecloths and especially the intimacy of the candlelit dinner set in a small private dining room at The Inn at Spanish Bay. Molly was one of the most calm brides I ever photographed and it was a joy to connect with that calm and gorgeous face through my camera all day long. Stunning.

Ceremony Venue: Pebble Beach Resort

Reception Venue: Inn at Spanish Bay Resort

Wedding Coordinator & Florist: WedSpring

Caterer: Peppoli Restaurant

Stationary: Alee & Press

The Firehouse at Fort Mason + Chinese Banquet = Stacey and David

October 14, 2014

Such a sweet couple and such a DIY couple! Also super talented with a LOT of energy. David and Stacey had a marathon day starting with a tea ceremony in Sacramento in the morning and ending with a traditional Chinese banquet at the Far East Cafe in San Francisco's Chinatown. It's been a while since I photographed a Chinese Banquet! I forgot how fun it is to watch course after course come out while the Lion Dances and entertainment go on!

In the middle of the day was their sweet ceremony at The Firehouse at Fort Mason. It was a gorgeous day and views of the bay were clear and sunny. Friends and family gathered for the traditional American ceremony and Stacey stunned all in her appropriately blowy handmade gown. Not just handmade, but handmade BY STACEY! Gorgeous! This couple had so much of their heart and souls in this wedding starting with Stacey's handmade gown of her own design, their travel themed invitations and reception decor (they love to travel!) and David even made the wedding cake himself. These two are definitely talented. Oh and did I mention, they are also an adorable couple and managed throughout it all to have genuine fun with me and their guests. I'm impressed and will forever remember this darling couple. Congrats to David and Stacey!

Ceremony Venue: Fort Mason Center - Firehouse Reception Venue and Caterer: Far East Cafe Event Coordinator: Events by Herna & MarissaFloral Design: PK Floral — **Ceremony Venue: Fort Mason Center - Firehouse**
**Reception Venue and Caterer: Far East Cafe**
**Event Coordinator: Events by Herna & Marissa**
**Floral Design: PK Floral**

San Francisco Fairmont Hotel Elopement - Kristal and Robert

September 24, 2014

Oh such a sweet couple! Kristal contacted me a few weeks before her arrival in San Francisco for her elopement wedding with Robert. Their ceremony was to take place on the Hornblower Dinner Cruise boat and they were required to use the photographer on the boat for the wedding and dinner portion of their day, but they wanted a few getting ready pictures at the Fairmont Hotel and a fun San Francisco City portrait shoot as they made their way to their departure on the boat. What fun we had in the two hours we spent together! Loved Kristal's Grecian look and her long black hair and gorgeous smokey eyes. She was lovely to photograph and as a couple they were so in love it was very easy to capture their spirit as a couple! When done viewing their slideshow, Kristal wrote "OMG I just balled my eyes out!!! Julie that is the most perfect wonderful absolutely stunning representation of my entire day!!! Thank you so much!!!!!" Congrats to Kristal and Robert!

Venue: The Fairmont Hotel

Ceremony Venue: Hornblower Cruises

Hair & Makeup Artist: Mr. Eckhard Beauty Salon

Menlo Park Wedding, Quadrus Conference Center - Sally & Robin

September 22, 2014

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

Ralston White Retreat - Mill Valley Wedding of Jennie and Eric

September 10, 2014

Everything about the wedding was totally dreamy, from the flowers and the redwoods to the bride and groom! I loved shooting at this venue which I've never shot at before. The Ralston White Retreat is tucked in a grove of redwoods on the side of Mt. Tamalpais (Mt. Tam to locals) in Mill Valley, Marin County. If you love quiet, redwoods and a location close to SF this is it!

Forest was important to Jennie and Eric because they spend a lot of time hiking and in the outdoors so being amongst the redwoods for their wedding was pretty special to them. I loved shooting their portrait session on the dirt road on the property. The light was filtering through and Jennie looked like a woodland fairy!

Jennie's sister envisioned the style of the decor and florals and Flora Grubb executed the look beautifully. The food by Le Papillon was incredible (the vendors were also treated to this yummy food) and the little dancing room was simple and pretty with white balloons floating to the ceiling. This was a lovely group and an equally lovely wedding! Congrats to Jennie and Eric!

Vendors who participated in this wedding included:

Venue: Ralston White Retreat

Floral Design: Flora Grubb

Caterer: Le Papillon

Bakery: Jasmine Rae Bakery

Urban San Francisco Wedding - Lauren and Taylor

March 13, 2014

Lauren mentioned in some notes about her wedding that she wanted it to feel as if they had invited all of their closest friends and family over for a dinner party with dancing. And that is the PERFECT description of this urban, San Francisco wedding, held literally around the corner from the couple's home. They chose the Stable Cafe both because of its proximity and because it's a place they love and frequent. The Stable Cafe has some deep San Francisco history, too. Its menu is inspired by the owner's Neapolitan Agrarian roots, and its food all comes from his farm! Lauren's many talents come from building a business as a wedding designer and planner called Ryder Sloan Events. This wedding was full of DIY and personal touches, from hand-drawn invitations to a seating chart made from wallpaper in the couple's new house. Lauren and her mother also handmade all of the tables' tiles, and so much more. I loved this wedding not only for all of the above, but mostly for its simplicity and true celebration of family, friends and the true love of Lauren and Taylor.

The whole day felt like a big love-fest, and was filled with great joy. Always an honor to be included in this incredible right of passage!

Vendors who participated in this wedding included:

Venue: Stable Cafe

Coordination and Design: Ryder Sloan Events

Florist: Mandolin Floral

Caterer: Thomas John Events

Baker: Cake Coquette and Sweet Lauren Cakes

Best of 2013!

February 7, 2014

So excited to share my best of 2013 show! I can't believe how fortunate I am to photograph such happy couples and gorgeous locations. Reviewing this made me weepy. So many beautiful couples and emotional moments. I hope you enjoy looking at it as much as I do. A big thank you to all of the vendors and locations for giving me such gorgeousness to photograph and a super big congratulations to all of my 2013 clients. I hope you all have many happy years ahead! With love, Julie

NOTE: The embedded video below will play in low definition video, so it is best viewed in its current size. Please click here for high definition, full screen viewing.

Piedmont Community Center Wedding - Catherine and Eytan

January 1, 2014

I've always loved this little gem of an east Bay Area wedding venue! Piedmont Community Center has it all — convenient location, redwoods, gardens, lawns, a lovely courtyard and a beautiful indoor hall for the cooler months or dancing. I was thrilled when Catherine and Eytan contacted me and also told me that Svenya of Chestnut and Vine Floral Design referred them to me. I love working with Svenja! Her work is gorgeous and so original. She created the most beautiful chuppah for the ceremony beside the redwoods. Blue Heron Catering also created a wonderful buffet of food and made sure the day went smoothly for all. And who could miss the beautiful cake by Masse's Pastries? Catherine and her family had a huge hand in the details of the couple's big day. For their handmade programs, Catherine designed a "Catakshy" family seal, a name that combines Catherine's first name with Eytan's last name. Her mother also designed and sewed traditional Vietnamese gowns for the bride and family members to wear during the reception!

Catherine and Eytan and their families were an absolute joy to work with, and I was so pleased when I got this thoughtful note from Catherine:

"We can not thank you enough for your consummate professionalism and astoundingly beautiful work. It was such a true pleasure to work with you before and during the wedding. We couldn't have asked for a better photographer and will recommend you to all our friends!

Looking at the photos is such a joy. It's like reliving the joy of the day each time, for which we thank you!"

What a thrill to get this note from Catherine and Eytan. I could go on and on about what lovely people they are, and am so happy that they have found each other. What a wonderful couple!

Vendors involved in this wedding included:

Venue: Piedmont Community Center

Floral Design: Chestnut and Vine Floral Design

Catering: Blue Heron Catering

Bakery: Masse's Pastries

Atwood Ranch Sonoma Wedding - Lindsay and Andy

December 9, 2013

Oh how dreamy! Lindsay and Andy's intimate wedding at Atwood Ranch in Sonoma was such a gorgeous affair. I just love Julie Atwood's incredible styling and Atwood Ranch is one of the absolute best in Napa and Sonoma valleys. Simply one of the most gorgeous wedding venues in wine country. Despite having fewer than thirty guests, Julie managed to make this large property a gorgeously intimate venue with her magical styling. The property was in all its fall glory and the barn was magically lit with hundreds of candles. Gott's Roadside served up burgers, fries and onion rings from it's food truck and Anne Appleman Flowers & Plants did such an amazing job with the rustic and stunning floral arrangements.

Oh and Lindsay and Andy! What a darling couple! Loved their style and their passion for each other. The day was filled with excitement, loads of love and lots of emotion. I especially loved the idea of the Bible guest book. Set with the backdrop of the chalkboard claiming "love is eternal", guests were asked to write an inspiring passage for Lindsay and Andy and sign it. What an incredible way to start your family Bible! I also loved that in lieu of a cake, the couple opted for a milk and cookie bar by Model Bakery. How adorable!

Congratulations, Lindsay and Andy!

Vendors who participated in this wedding included:

Venue: Atwood Ranch

Event Coordination: Julie Atwood

Florist: Anne Appleman Flowers & Plants

Caterer: Gott's Roadside

Bakery: Model Bakery

Vera Wang Trunk Show Event San Francisco

December 5, 2013

Fun at the Vera Wang Trunk show event last night! Melia of Wedspring organized the event and asked me to set up a photo studio setting for a self portrait station. Guests had a blast getting "styled" by the ladies of Vintage Box 1947 who provided gorgeous custom headpieces. The photos are available at www.pictage.com/1526826 for viewing and ordering!

Guests!

Sonoma Mayacama Golf Course Wedding - Karen and Mike

November 23, 2013

Always lovely shooting at Mayacama Golf Club which is nestled in the Mayacama mountains of Sonoma Valley just south of Healdsburg. Stephanie Beer of Covenant Coordinating and Maria Philbin Floral Design did a stunning job with this classic look in Mayacama's luscious Tuscan courtyard. Karen and Mike and their families were all about the love at this wedding and all had such a great time. The ceremony outside the wine cave and overlooking the golf course was stunning, followed by cocktails on the terrace with a BACON appetizer (gotta love that) and then as the light faded, dinner in the stunning courtyard with candles hanging from the trees. But let's not forget the beautiful cake by Fleur de Lisa Wedding Cakes! Truly magical.

Vendors involved in this wedding included:

Venue: Mayacama Golf Club

Event Coordination: Covenant Coordinating

Florist: Maria Philbin Floral Design

Bakery: Fleur de Lisa Wedding Cakes

Kenwood Inn Wedding, Sonoma Valley - Holly and Tosh

November 10, 2013

I've been wanting to photograph a wedding at the fabulous and intimate Sonoma wedding venue The Kenwood Inn ever since doing a photo workshop with the incredible wedding and lifestyle photographer Elizabeth Messina. I was thrilled when I booked Holly and Tosh's intimate wedding and couldn't wait to photograph it! I could not get enough of this gorgeous, intimate and classic wedding — and guests surely knew they were in for an elegant affair when they received beautiful letterpress invitations from Invitations by Ajalon. And my BRIDE! Holly was pure beauty itself, in her Jasmine Bridal wedding gown. It took all I had to not completely take over her wedding day with photos of just her. But, Tosh was adorable to photograph, too. He had so much fun and was so besotted by his bride — who can blame him — and the ceremony site and table styled and decorated by Fleur Essence were stunning. I loved the greens with splashes of color.

The dinner was an incredible multi-course meal created exclusively by Chef Snook of The Kenwood Inn. The chef even came out of the kitchen to pass around a plate of truffles! It was a fabulous meal and long and intimate dinner filled with toasts, great food and wine, capped off with a delicious cake by Patisserie Angelica. I think Holly and Tosh got their exact dream wedding. Oh, and then vavoom! Holly changed into her sapphire green evening gown and I went bananas all over again!

The following vendors participated in Holly and Tosh's wedding:

Venue and Catering: The Kenwood Inn

Floral Design: Fleur Essence

Bakery: Patisserie Angelica

Invitations: Invitations by Ajalon

Bridal Gown: Jasmine Bridal

Chelsey and Mark Sneak Peek!

November 7, 2013

I just had to share some if this fabulous wedding as I still put it together for Chelsey and Mark! Look at this gorgeousness! I so loved the coral colors paired with the stone of the Palace of Fine Arts. And just look at Chelsey's DRESS! There's so much more to share so take a look back within the next few weeks!