Every single detail of Erin and Justin's Kansas wedding was breathtaking, so I was delighted their big and beautiful day was also featured on Style Me Pretty! I'd love for you to check out the feature, here, and for even more images and inspiration, be sure to look at my blog post!
Since Andra and Christopher's gorgeous wedding, I've often been asked how other brides can host an outdoor Greek Orthodox wedding ceremony. And who better to answer that question that Andra herself? I reached out to her on behalf of my other brides, and here is what she said: Brides need a "special dispensation through the Archbishop," according to Andra, to have a ceremony outside of the church. In her case, Andra had a grandfather who would have difficulty traveling between multiple venues -- and so, her priest made the dispensation request on the behalf of the couple. "I am not sure how easy it is to get and if it would be granted in situations where there is no pressing health need," she says, but it doesn't hurt to ask! And just for fun, here are a few shots from their outdoor ceremony! You can check out their full wedding post here, too!
I'm lucky enough to be heading to Rancho La Puerta about every six months now to shoot photography to help them re-build their photography library. Rancho La Puerta is a health and wellness spa located just south of San Diego, nestled on 3,000 acres in Tecate, Mexico. It was founded in the ’40s by a health-conscious couple and has grown into a lovely, healthy getaway. It was voted two years in a row as “best destination spa in the world” by Travel and Leisure magazine readers. It's become one of my favorite places on earth, and I would highly recommend going to rewind and re-energize! If you go, let them know I sent you! I get a little prize! Everyone loves prizes! This last assignment was hiking. The mountains were gorgeously green like I've never seen them and the mountain lilac was in full bloom. I actually burst into "The Hills are Alive" from the Sound of Music during one of the hikes! This was a short visit for me (usually I stay for a week) so not too much to share, but gorgeous none-the-less! Hope these photos inspire you to go to Rancho La Puerta!
Join me for the grand opening party of WedSpring! Melia and her lovely husband, Matt, have opened this gorgeous space on Polk Street in the heart of Russian Hill for brides to visit in a comfortable environment to do research for their wedding and honeymoon! The launch party will be Thursday, April 11 from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. and I hope you can join us for cocktails and sweet and savory treats.
Last week I was scheduled to photograph a wedding at San Francisco's City Hall and arrived an hour early. As I waited for the elevator while scouting for light and shooting locations, I noticed a stunning bride getting married in the rotunda. As I stood there I noticed it was just the bride, groom and their parents and noticed no photographer! Gasp! I watched until the elevator came and then went up a couple of floors. By the time I came back down the ceremony had just ended and I saw the newlyweds wander off. I stalked and then couldn't stand it anymore. I had to photograph that bride! So I asked. They were thrilled, and here are the results of our five minute shoot! Congrats to Loretta and Ross and THANK you for allowing me a few precious minutes of your very intimate day.
Happy Valentine's day! Congratulations to the newly engaged couples and congratulations to all my newly-weds from 2012. I finally put together a best of 2012. Almost impossible to edit so many great moments down. There are so many more and I hope you take the time to go through all the previous posts to view, but in any case, here's a recap. What a great season of wonderful couples and gorgeous weddings! Here's to an even better 2013! 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.
We had such fun on this engagement session. It was a bit cold, but taking photos around and about where Colette and Kevin spend a lot of their time was great fun. We even took the California cable car up to Nob Hill which is part of their commuting transportation. This e-session was loaded with personal meaning for Colette and Kevin, and I was so pleased to be able to capture their lifestyle with them! Watch out for their Marin Art and Garden Center wedding photos in April!
I photographed Jodi and Shane's wedding a few years ago and was so excited to be invited into their home to photograph their two-week-old baby girl, Harlow. What a little darling! Here are some photos from our session along with some photos from their wedding at the Kohl Mansion in Burlingame. Jodi was such a gorgeous bride and I remember how gorgeous those flowers by Nancy Liu Chin Floral & Event Design were!
And here are a few photos from Jodi ad Shane's wedding!
I can't disclose the location of this wedding or publish photos from the ceremony or reception, but rest assured, it was lovely! What I can share are some fun getting-ready photos and portraits of this adorable couple. Kate and Erik got married on the day the Blue Angels flew in downtown San Francisco. As they exited the Clift Hotel where they got ready, as if on cue, the Blue Angels did a fly-by! I loved everyone's reactions when it happened. It was so exciting! What a perfect San Francisco city wedding! Amy Nichols Special Events and Main St. Floralgardens did an exceptional job of coordinating and designing this lovely wedding. Wish I could share more, but here are some that I CAN share! Congratulations to Kate and Erik!
Vendors involved in this wedding included:
Event Design and Coordination: Amy Nichols Special Events
Floral Design: Main St. Floralgardens
Wow! Oh the places you'll go - right here in Oakland! The theme of the party was "Where in the World is (the birthday boy)." Barbara Llewellyn Event Planning & Catering did an AMAZING job creating an original and spectacular event, where every food station represented a different country. There were two large rooms and an outdoor space at Uptown Body and Fender - an autobody shop in Oakland that was completely transformed into a hot night party spot! The outdoor space represented Russia, and I thought it was the most spectacular because it had an ice-topped bar featuring Russian vodkas and caviar, imitation-stuffed polar bears, cushy seating and roaring fire pits. Inside, there was a German beer garden setting that served sausage and short ribs, complete with picnic tables! There was also a Mexico room with mini margarita shots and tacos, and an equally fabulous U.S. station with a replica of the Statue of Liberty and the Trans America tower serving mini burgers and fries! I think the guests were all amazed, and they all played their parts by dressing as the citizens of the world. It was not hard to guess where in the world some of the guests were from! Everyone danced the night away to the Notorious band. What a BLAST of a party!
Vendors:
Event Planning, Flowers and Food: Barbara Llewellyn Catering & Event Planning
Lighting - Got Light
Band - Notorious
Rentals and Props - Blue Print Studios
Russia - So Fine Event Design and Classic Party Rentals
Ice Sculpture - Clear Memories
Cake: Debbie Does Cakes
Loved this tiny Christmas week wedding at Auberge Du Soleil. As usual the team at Auberge Du Soleil in Napa Valley provided the perfect food and service for Amie and Christopher and despite the very cool weather, everyone was cozy and warm by the fire at their intimate dining table, with arrangements by Seasons Floral Design. When it's only 12 people and just family, you have hours to eat drink, celebrate and catch up with each other! Given Amie and Chris are both active military it was a nice break to be able to relax with their family and get married while they were at it! And Amie looked so very sweet in her Allure bridal gown!
Vendors involved in Amie and Christopher's wedding included:
Venue and catering: Auberge Du Soleil
Floral Design: Seasons Floral Design
Bridal Gown: Allure
It started out a dream come true! My husband and I planned what we hoped to be a snowy Christmas trip to the Sierras and as the date drew near, we were worried we wouldn't have enough snow to snowshoe in the four miles to the back-country Lost Trail Lodge outside of Donner Lake. Be careful what you wish for! The Tahoe area got an almost record-breaking 4-5 feet of snow the two days before we hiked in. Wow! What we didn't realize was that 1/2 of the trail would not be groomed (about two of the four miles). Oh my! The hike started out lovely with a groomed trail and plenty of sunshine, but soon grew really hairy as my husband blazed a trail through four feet of fresh powder. It took us 6 1/2 hours with full backpacks and lots of worry (not a clear trail and it got dark and cold!) to hike in, but the lodge was absolutely picture perfect for a white Christmas. We joked the whole time that if someone asked a set designer to design the perfect back-country lodge at Christmas, this would be IT! Wonderful! It started out so easy and sunny:
As some of you may have read in previous posts, I have the pleasure of going down to Rancho La Puerta -- a wellness spa and health ranch located just south of San Diego, nestled on 3,000 in Tecate, Mexico -- every six months or so to shoot photos for their marketing materials. Lucky me, because Rancho La Puerta has been voted for years as “best destination spa in the world” by Travel and Leisure magazine readers! It was founded in the ’40s by a health-conscious couple and has grown into a lovely, healthy getaway. The fitness program is top-notch, with full time instructors plus weekly visiting instructors in various disciplines. The food is vegetarian with a bit of fresh fish, and a lot is grown on their own gigantic and gorgeous organic farm. Rancho La Puerta has become almost my favorite place in the world -- right behind being at home with my hubby. It's like summer camp for adults with GREAT organic vegetarian food and exercise and beauty galore! Enjoy the most recent photos!
Many of my clients don't know that I used to photograph home interiors and gardens for the national interior design magazines. Although my primary focus these days is weddings, I still do some shooting for local San Francisco and Bay area interior designers, architects and contractors. I recently shot a few interiors for a wonderful designer named Sylvia Brown of designHouse. I'm hoping Sylvia will be building her website soon with some of these lovely interiors. She's TERRIFIC with color! Enjoy!
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
Rain, rain go away! But it didn't damper this wedding day! What do you do when you're wedding is supposed to take place on the vineyard lawn and it's been raining for hours? Trust in your super team of experts to wrangle all the last minute changes for an indoor ceremony! Lauren of Downey Street Events, the team at Carmel Valley Ranch and Christine Cater pulled it together to make all the guests cozy and warm for the last minute indoor ceremony! As wedding day luck would have it, the weather cleared enough for an outdoor photo session and outdoor cocktails on the Carmel Valley Ranch terrace with raging fire pits. The fire pits continued to rage into the evening when guests wandered back out after dinner for handmade donuts by Harvey's Donuts (YUM!) and s'mores over the fires. Jason and Alice danced to "We've Got Tonight" by Bob Segar. A song I hadn't heard in YEARS and LOVE and continued to dance to a great set by DJ DNA Entertainment. What a BLAST of a wedding and gorgeous too! Congrats to Alice and Jason!
Vendors involved in this wedding included:
Venue: Carmel Valley Ranch
Event Design: Downey Street Events
Florist: Christine Cater
Donuts: Harvey's Donuts
Entertainment: DNA Entertainment
What a lovely and intimate Thanksgiving weekend wedding planned and styled by the ever-talented Dee Merz. Jess and Nick had THE picture perfect fall day in wine country for their Thanksgiving weekend wedding in Yountville, Napa Valley. The Villagio Inn & Spa grounds were bursting with fall color and the Groezinger Estate House was warm and cozy for the fireside ceremony and dinner with their immediate families by their sides. The flowers by Sue Buhagiar were lovely and included nice fall tones and those cupcakes by Perfect Endings were looking mighty lovely on the cake stands styled be Dee. When the wedding is tiny, there's a leisurely pace celebrating marriage, family and Napa Valley food and wine and the Villagio's catering did not disappoint. I loved this intimate wedding and loved that Jess' smile never left her face except when she was weeping during each toast given by each family member. What a lovely memory for these families and me too!
Location: Groezinger Estate House in Yountville, Napa Valley Planner: Dee Merz Catering: Villagio Inn & Spa Flowers: Sue Buhagiar Cupcakes: Perfect Endings Linens: La Tavola Linen Rentals: Wine Country Party & Events
Classic San Francisco wedding at The Julia Morgan Ballroom in the Merchant's Exchange Building, San Francisco! So excited to share this wedding of Allison ans Justin. I love the The Julia Morgan Ballroom. The architecture is so gorgeous and such fun to shoot. It makes for a spectacular fall/winter venue with the dark paneled walls and huge fireplace and before dark, you can enjoy shooting around the city. What a perfect San Francisco wedding venue! I also LOVE shooting traditional Jewish weddings. They are so festive and full of joy and tradition. Justin and the guys even held a "Tish," which is a tradition where the men all meet to drink and toast the groom. They signed the Ketubah, got married under the Chuppah and of course danced the Hora. What fun was had by all! Congratulations Justin and Allison!
Vendors involved in this wedding include:
Venue: The Julia Morgan Ballroom at the Merchant's Exchange Building, San Francisco
Day of Event Coordination: Christopher H. Lee, Leftwich Event Specialists
Catering: Global Gourmet
Florals: Spiral Hand
Paper Goods: Anne and Kate, Anne and Kate
Lighting: Got Light
Hair and makeup: Zindagi Salon
Rentals: Hartmann Studios
DJ: DJ Dave
Transportation: Avalon Transportation
I'm leaving for Rancho La Puerta for another week of shooting. If you haven't seen any of my previous posts, here are a few faves from past shoots for you to savor while I'm away. I've grown to view Rancho La Puerta as one of my favorite places in the world! I love the healthy organic vegetarian eating (not that I'm vegetarian, but it's nice to cleanse once in a while!), gorgeous grounds, incredible fitness program and REALLY laid-back people. I'll be back in the office, Monday the 17th, but will be checking e-mail a few times while I'm away!
I pulled some files for wedding planner Dee Merz so she could share them with a bride who is thinking about having cupcakes instead of cake. These shots are from my Thanksgiving weekend wedding, which I won't be ready to post in full for another couple of weeks, but since I prepped these shots, I though it would be fun to do a little cupcake post for the weekend! These darling things were created by Perfect Endings of Napa, California. The lovey display was designed by the ever-talented Dee Merz and team! Sweet dreaming over the weekend! XOXO!
