Gawgeoous!

October 12, 2011

Seriously. I have such pretty brides!

Wedding reception dessert bars

October 12, 2011

More and more, couples are offering their guests more than just a cake at their wedding reception, and the choices they offer always look so yummy! Two couples whose weddings I recently photographed went this route. Julie and Rajan offered their guests a unique treat -- cake pops by Sweet Lauren Cakes. And Gina and Matt laid out a table full of cupcakes by Sift Cupcake & Dessert Bar for guests to enjoy (and as you can see, one little guest really loved them)! I hope these pictures can inspire your own dessert bars!

Auberge Du Soleil - Michelle and David's Lovely Pastel Wedding

October 10, 2011

I thought the softness of the colors of this wedding were gorgeous. It was fitting that the morning started out with a soft fog enveloping Napa Valley. As the fog cleared, Michelle and David were saying their vows at the Auberge Du Soleil. By the time they kissed, the sun had come out for a lovely warm afternoon reception! What pretty details and an even sweeter couple. I just loved Michelle's great and frequent laughing. True happiness!

Vendors involved in Michelle and David's wedding included:

Location: Auberge Du Soleil

Florist: Nicole Ha Designs

Cake: Michelle Marie's Patisserie

Intimate weekday wedding at the Swedenborgian and Hotel Vitale

October 10, 2011

I just love weekday weddings (I got married on a weekday myself). Small and intimate, Julie and Rajan's wedding was perfectly coordinated by Amy Nichols of Amy Nichols Special Events and set in two lovely San Francisco locations. I've always wanted to shoot at the intimate and original Swedenborgian Church of North America -- founded in 1817 at a religious convention based on the writings of Emanuel Swedenborg --and was not disappointed. Warm and intimate with a roaring fire, gorgeous window light and candles, the ceremony was simple and lovely. Then on to sweeping views of the Bay Bridge, Ferry Building and downtown San Francisco at one of the gorgeous terraces at the Hotel Vitale. The early evening cocktail reception was fabulous and as twilight set and the city lights came on, it was simply magical. I loved the added Indian touches to honor Rajan's heritage, too. They had an Indian swing -- a beautiful hand-carved bench for guests to enjoy -- and a talented Henna artist who applied henna for the guests. A few of the ladies, including the bride and Rajan's daughter, even changed into Saris for later in the evening. Congratulations, Julie and Rajan!

Vendors involved in Julie and Rajan's wedding included:

Ceremony location: Swedenborgian Church of North America

Reception location: Hotel Vitale

Coordinator: Amy Nichols Special Events

Flowers: Floramor Studios

Henna: Renda of Henna Garden

Cake pops: Sweet Lauren Cakes

Cupcakes: Kara's Cupcakes

Featured: Andra and Christpher's wedding on Snippet and Ink

September 29, 2011

I simply adored Andra and Christopher's wedding and all their unique details, from Andra's beautiful, handmade hairpiece to the couple's rustic dinner party reception. And I am delighted that their wedding is featured on Snippet and Ink today! Please check out the feature on Snippet and Ink, and for even more gorgeous photos, please check out my blog post.

Michele and Ron's wedding at Auberge Du Soleil

September 28, 2011

I've been so fortunate this was the third time this year I shot at Auberge Du Soleil. This exclusive, understated Napa Silverado Trail resort was the choice for this New York couple who wanted to wow their destination wedding guests with the view of Napa Valley. The food at Auberge Du Soleil is also truly wonderful. Michele continued attention to detail with their family crest, even showing up in frosting on their lovely cake by Cake Coquette. Loved the little thank you gift pouches and gorgeous invitations! Michele looked pretty stunning, too, and I enjoyed shooting in the light filtering through the olive grove in the sculpture garden. Gorgeous! Congratulations Michele and Ron. You are truly such sweet people!

Vendors involved in Michele and Ron's wedding included:

Day of Wedding Coordination - Gloria Atherstone and Stacey Cataylo

Location: Auberge Du Soleil

Florist - Poly of Valley Flora

Music - Lee Waterman of Silver Moon Big Band

Cake - Gabrielle Feuersinger of Cake Coquette

Video - Jennifer O'Grady of Jennifer Anne Film & Video

Photo Booth - Alex of Magnolia Photo Booth Co.

Michele and Ron's rehearsal dinner at Merryvale Vineyards

September 26, 2011

The staff appropriately played the theme music from "The Godfather" when the doors opened to reveal the spectacular barrel room that was the setting for Michele and Ron's rehearsal dinner at Merryvale Vineyards in St. Helena. Spectacular with the candelabras and king's table, the New York crowd was dazzled by wine country at it's best! Catered by neighboring restaurant Tra Vigne, these destination wedding guests were in for a great treat. Michele did a tremendous job "branding" her wedding (it's what she does for a living). I thought the welcome bags were gorgeous, complete with their own new family "crest" and even a little post mark bearing their initials. Not a detail was missed. Check back later for Michelle and Ron's wedding images!

Sara and Max's gorgeous Campovida wedding

September 20, 2011

Here are some teaser images from Sara and Max's GORGEOUS wedding at Campovida in Hopland, CA. LOVED this new location and the event design by Kelsey of Alison Events was perfect for this truly special venue. The very talented Sabine Scherer helped me shoot this wedding because I was still shooting on my broken foot and she deserves equal credit for the lovely photos. Can't post too many venue/detail shots here because we are working on a very special outlet for publication! Congratulations to Sara and Max!

Vendors involved in Sara and Max's wedding included:

Location: Campovida

Event Design: Alison Events

Emily and Will's shabby chic wedding at Kohl Mansion

September 19, 2011

Shabby chic and spectacular! Asiel Design and Lauren of Downey Street Events teamed up to put together this lovely shabby chic wedding with a formal twist. I always love shooting at Kohl Mansion in Burlingame because I love working with architecture in my photos and all of the vendors on this shoot truly made a great team. Thomas John Events always puts together wonderful food that is both delicious and pretty, too. Emily and Will were truly a one-of-a-kind couple and I just loved them! The light saber fight that replaced the first dance and the delivery of In-n-Out burgers as a late-night snack let their casual personalities shine!

Vendors involved in Emily and Will's wedding included:

Florist: Asiel Design

Event Designer: Downey Street Events

Location: Kohl Mansion

Caterer: Thomas John Events

Martha and Phillippe's Piedmont Community Hall wedding

September 19, 2011

Such a pretty wedding reception! Martha and Phillippe's wedding was very local to my business. I met them at my Berkeley church many years ago in a walking group (before they even started dating!) and Phillippe remembered I was a wedding photographer all these years! I was excited to shoot a wedding at First Presbyterian Church of Berkeley, which is my very wonderful church, and the reception at the Piedmont Community Hall, which is a lovely local venue. Martha has such good taste. Loved the place card table and those gorgeous flower urns on the tables! So pretty!

Vendors involved in Martha and Phillippe's wedding included:

Ceremony location: First Presbyterian Church of Berkeley

Reception location: Piedmont Community Hall

Martha and Phillippe's unique pizza rehearsal dinner

September 16, 2011

Martha and Phillippe had a very simple, very sweet rehearsal dinner. Hosted at a friend's house, the couple ordered pizza from several of their favorite local restaurants -- the kitchen was filled with so many yummy flavors and scents! It's amazing how many great pizza places are in Oakland and Berkeley! Here are a few photos from Martha and Phillipe's fun rehearsal dinner, and check back tomorrow for photos from their gorgeous wedding!

Walker and Scott's wine country wedding at Mayacama

September 14, 2011

Always a pleasure to work with Stephanie Beer of Covenant Coordinating and to shoot at the lovely private club Mayacama in the Mayacama mountains of Sonoma. Walker and Scott were such a cute couple. I loved Scott's face when he saw Walker walking down the aisle. He was awestruck! Congratulations Walker and Scott!

Vendors involved in Walker and Scott's wedding included:

Location: Mayacama

Bridal gown: Romona Keveza

Coordinator: Stephanie Beer of Covenant Coordinating

Florist: Green Valley Growers

Brides with style

September 13, 2011

My clients have serious style. In fact, two pictured here -- Kelly and Jamie -- have been featured on wedding fashion blog Perfect Bound because of their gorgeous gowns. I hope their styles can inspire a few looks of your own!

Eugene and Christine's blowy engagement session

September 8, 2011

Any shoot in the bay area at any time of the year can be a windy and cold affair, and Christine and Eugene's e-session was a blowy one! Of course doing the shoot around the Golden Gate Bridge adds to the wind and fog, but despite it we had such fun! Christine brought some gigantic, gorgeous balloons, which we had a blast shooting while they were blowing like wild in the wind! At one point I thought Christine was going to take off into the bay she's so petite and the wind was so strong! They also wanted some urban "grit" so we wandered over to some old military bunkers and finished our shoot there. There's so much to work with in the bay area. What fun! Stay tuned for their Ferry Building wedding which is coming up quickly!

Newborn portraits: Elanne and Chis' beautiful baby Sylvie

September 7, 2011

Welcome Sylvie! You may recall a few weeks ago I posted a beautiful maternity session with Elanne and Chris. Well, here's Sylvie! It's an incredible thing to be photographing someone's pregnancy and then just a few weeks later their precious new baby. Really, it's the miracle of birth.

Here are a few photos from Elanne and Chris' maternity session. For even more photos, be sure to check out this blog post.

Maternity photography Julie Mikos Photography 1

Maternity photography Julie Mikos Photography

Welcome back from Labor Day weekend!

September 6, 2011

Welcome back from your holiday weekend! Did you do anything fun for Labor Day? Whenever I think of summer fun, Melissa and John's colorful Healdsburg Country Gardens wedding comes to mind. There's just something about the couple's red and white checkered tablecloths and incredible food that makes me yearn for a summertime picnic!

Gina and Matt's Healdsburg Country Gardens wedding

August 31, 2011

Gina is a Southern bride who is so genuinely sweet and on top of it, so gorgeous that I couldn't stop photographing her all day! I loved the Southern hospitality throughout this entire wedding, and it's always a great pleasure to work at Healdsburg Country Gardens. This was the second wedding I photographed with my broken foot. Thanks again to Gina and Matt for being so understanding and also to the very talented Regan Daniels for jumping in to help shoot. Congratulations, Gina and Matt!

Vendors involved in Gina and Matt's wedding included:

Location: Healdsburg Country Gardens

Florist: Dragonfly Floral

Caterer: A La Heart Catering

Cupcakes: Sift Cupcake & Dessert Bar

Susan and Billy's Napa Valley engagement session

August 30, 2011

What a fun Napa Valley e-session with Susan and Billy! They live in New York and are getting married soon in Napa Valley, and when they came in for a planning trip, we were able to do an e-session in wine country. Gorgeous weather and great light, and Susan and Billy were a blast to shoot too! Stay tuned for their Carneros Inn wedding!

Yountville wine country engagement session 4

Yountville wine country engagement session 5

Yountville wine country engagement session 6

Yountville wine country engagement session 1

Yountville wine country engagement session 2

Yountville wine country engagement session 3

Featured: Michelle and Elisa's botanical garden wedding on Wedding.com

August 30, 2011

This week, I received the exciting news that Wedding.com has published photos from Michelle and Elisa's wedding! Michelle and Elisa's wedding was special for many reasons, but I was especially touched by the couple's ceremony. Michelle and Elisa incorporated the signing of their marriage license into their ceremony to demonstrate the importance of this event in our history as a nation. It was an emotional moment for everyone present, and it was even hard for me to hold it together behind the camera! Please check out Wedding.com for the feature and more photos!

Featured: Alison and Andrew's Beaulieu Gardens wedding on Love and Lavender

August 29, 2011

Alison and Andrew's beautiful Beaulieu Gardens wedding has been featured on Love and Lavender! Their wedding was filled with incredible details -- from gorgeous floral arrangements to salads served in edible woven baskets -- so be sure to check out all the photos in Love and Lavender's feature and in this blog post!

Vendors involved in Alison and Andrew's wedding included:

Location: Beaulieu Gardens, Napa Valley

Catering: Paula LeDuc Fine Catering

Florist: Lavendar Floral

Baker: Katrina Rozelle

Band: Laurent Fourgo