Wedding in Monterey, July 2008

Back at the end of July Lindsay and I drove down to Monterey to photograph Susan and Mark's wedding. The day began with the getting ready shots of Susan in their honeymoon suite overlooking the Bay at the Marriott. I couldn't believe how lucky they were to have a perfectly clear day in Monterey for the wedding. As it turns out the very next day you couldn't even see the bay because of the fog!
The limo picked up Mark and then a few minutes later, Susan. The ceremony site was the beautiful historic Perry-Downer house in downtown Monterey. Susan and Mark chose to see each other pre-ceremony, so we arranged for the ceremony site to be completely quiet for their special first moment.

After the family shots and the ceremony it was off for a walk around historic downtown Monterey. Absolutely charming! We had so many gorgeous settings for images of the bride and groom and their party.


The reception was in the top floor ballroom of the Marriott. What an incredible view! Cecilia from SightNSound provided the entertainment. Susan and Mark had been taking dance lessons- and it certainly showed during their first dance! Snow Patrol's Chasing Cars led into classic Sinatra.



We'll do it all
Everything
On our own

We don't need
Anything
Or anyone

If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me and just forget the world?

The Great Bridal Expo!!

I am looking forward to an extremely busy weekend! We'll be at the Great Bridal Expo on Saturday at the Marriott in Burlingame AND on Sunday at the Fairmont in San Jose. If you are planning your wedding for next year this is the place to be! We'll be one of the many fabulous booths where you can find just about everything you need to plan the big day. We'll have LOTS of cool stuff to look at in our booth. Come check us out!!

My Little Pony

I can't even begin to explain how much fun I had yesterday photographing Isabella. The afternoon started at Tilden Park where we found some absolutely gorgeous light. It took some patience to work with Maggie the yellow lab. She is a tad camera shy. After capturing some gorgeous images we then drove over to the barn where the family keeps Daisy. What a sweet animal this is! Isabella is quickly outgrowing small Daisy so we took this opportunity to photograph the two of them together. I can't wait to see the new horse Isabella!

Studio Maternity Session

At the end of July I photographed Shawn and Danielle's maternity session in the studio. Baby Grace Jessica arrived last month- but I just had to post a few images from this session first. Danielle was such an adorable pregnant person!

Wedding at Rios Lovell Winery, Livermore, CA

The day after Brittany and Brian's wedding Lindsay and I headed off to Livermore to photograph Chris and Sarah's wedding. These two are so easy to photograph! They had the most genuine smiles all day and we had so much fun with them in the vineyards.

I absolutely loved the blue and red color combination that Sarah chose - It looked absolutely gorgeous. I hope to see more of it this coming season!

Wedding at the Fairmont Hotel, San Francisco, and the Olympic Club

Back on July 19th Lindsay and I had the privelege of photographing Brittany and Brian's incredible wedding in San Francisco. What a fantastic day it was! The intimate ceremony for only their closest friends and family was held at the Fairmont Hotel in the Buckingham Suite.

Then we all hopped on a cable car to tour around the city.

Only in San Francisco could it be that cold on a Saturday in July! You would never have guessed it though by looking at Brittany and Brian. They didn't stop beaming the whole day.



After stopping at the Golden Gate Bridge, Alamo Square Park, and the Embarcadero near the Bay Bridge, we headed to the Olympic Club where the cocktail hour was going strong with all of their extended family and friends. Brian is a member of this fabulous club and we spent a bit of time capturing some images of the two of them poolside. The reception followed upstairs at the club. The ballroom looked absolutely amazing. I thought it was a really nice touch that each table had a framed photo of the wedding image of an important couple to Brittany and Brian. So thoughtful and a great way to honor the important couples in their lives. With lots of help from Vicki, the Olympic Club's coordinator, the night went very smoothly. I was blown away by the band Brittany and Brian chose- the Cheeseballs! (what a great name!)

Raleigh, NC November 1-6

I'm excited to announce that I'll be heading back to Raleigh for a trip November 1-6. I have several sessions already planned- Let me know if you'd like to get on the calendar!

Our New Location!!

I am so excited to announce that we have completed our move! We will miss downtown Walnut Creek but we have a bit more elbow room now at Citrus Plaza. Please note our new address:

3021 Citrus Circle
Suite 260
Walnut Creek, CA 94598

We are now right at the corner of Ygnacio Valley Rd. and Oak Grove. Come check us out!

Wedding at St. Mary's College and Blackhawk Auto Museum

Wow it's been a while since I've posted anything! I want to go back and post some images from Anjuli and Marc's wedding back in July. What a BEAUTIFUL wedding this was! The day started at St. Mary's College in Moraga.

I absolutely love photographing weddings at this location! From the stunning chapel to the gorgeous archways to the beautiful courtyards - this campus is a photographer's dream. Anjuli and Marc looked absolutely stunning!


After the ceremony Mary and I headed over to Danville to the incredible Blackhawk Auto Museum.
My favorite part of the evening was their first dance. Two of Marc's groomsmen performed "Stellar" from Incubus. Such a cool touch.
Marc and Anjuli are now off to Spain where they'll be living for the next year or so. Best of luck to you both and thanks for sharing this beautiful day with us!


Meet me in outerspace
We could spend the night, watch the earth come up
I've grown tired of that place, wont you come with me
We could start again
How do you do it, make me feel like I do
How do you do it, its better than I ever knew

Wedding at Mission Ranch, Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA

The first weekend in July Lindsay and I drove down to beautiful Carmel to photography Loren and Michael's wedding. The entire event was held at the incredible Mission Ranch. Loren and her bridesmaids got ready in the honeymoon cottage- an adorable little house adjacent to the 1850s farmhouse on the property. Loren and Michael decided to see each other before the ceremony, allowing for ample time to take advantage of the incredible grounds for photos. The ceremony itself was in front of an enormous pasture just in front of the sea- and in there is a quaint little group of sheep. Absolutely stunning. The highlight was watching the adorable children Loren and Michael chose to be bell-ringers for their ceremony. Following the ceremony the cocktail hour took place in the small barn; and then everyone moved into the large barn for the formal dinner and toasts. Afterwards it was back to the patio barn for dancing. James Coulson from SightNSound provided music that kept the party going full steam for the entire evening. We were thrilled to learn that we would again be working with them a few weeks later for Mark and Susan's wedding in Monterey. Congratulations Loren and Michael!

Wedding at St. Bonaventure and Blackhawk Auto Museum

In mid-June Mary and I had the pleasure of photographing Tristanne and Jeremy's wedding at St. Bonaventure Catholic Church in Clayton. Their reception followed at the Blackhawk Auto Museum in Danville. I got to know Tristanne and Jeremy last year when Lindsay and I photographed their engagement session down in Pacifica. They are absolutely adorable together. Tristanne told me about the beautiful garden behind St. Bonaventure and how she really hoped to get some beautiful photos of the two of them there after the ceremony. I pictured a quaint little garden like what is found behind many churches. I had absolutely no idea. This garden is an amazing project of the parishioners like I have never seen. The garden spans the entire back side of the enormous building- with paths that wind in and out between rose gardens, enormous hydrangea bushes, and beautiful wooden bridges. On the day of the wedding we started at Tristanne and Jeremy's new home for preparation photos. It was quite warm that Friday (it broke the record, 104!)- but thankfully the church was nice and cool when we arrived. The ceremony was beautiful and nearly went off without a hitch- no one seemed to mind when the priest almost closed the ceremony without leading Tristanne and Jeremy to exchange rings! After their first kiss Tristanne and Jeremy exchanged their wedding bands and all was good. After family photographs and many images in the garden we were off to Blackhawk for the reception. It was absolutely beautiful. I was impressed by Darlene's hard work from Wallace and Events. The ballroom looked like something from a fairy tale. I loved the Mickey Mouse inspired cake (Tristanne and Jeremy got engaged in front of the castle) and the colorful candy station. No Blackhawk wedding is complete without photos in the upstairs gallery - especially in front of the '37 Cadillac. I thought it was great that Jeremy's dad also drove in his own classic Alfa Romeo and parked it out front for Tristanne and Jeremy.