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.

Engagement Session at Chrissy Field

I had SO much fun back in June photographing Jeff and Liz's engagement session at Chrissy Field. They are such a fun couple and I can't wait for their wedding in April. I absolutely LOVED that they included their precious pooch Bella in the session. "Little" Bella is an enormous newfoundland that is clearly their "baby." The dog is absolutely adorable and they are considering having her in the wedding!

Thanks for a great session Jeff and Liz! See you soon Bella!

Portrait Session at Heather Farms Park, Walnut Creek, CA

I absolutely love shooting at Heather Farms Park. Back in early May I photographed Tiago's 1 year session at the park. I have had SO much fun with this little boy over the past year. He is such a doll. It's been fun watching him grow as I've photographed his newborn, 3, 6, and 9 month sessions. It's been great getting to know his parents also- I feel like I've known them for years! Here's a look at the past year .. I can't wait to see how their family grows in the future!

Wedding at Wedgewood Banquet Center

In mid-June we had the pleasure of photographing Jennifer and Pedro's wedding. We started at mom and dad's house for the preparation photos. We then all travelled to Wedgewood for both the ceremony and the reception. I was super impressed with how laid back and collected Jennifer was all day-- even when she realized the marriage license had been left at home! I was also very impressed by Pedro- this Groom was definitely not afraid of showing some emotion. I'm not afraid to admit that I still get teary eyed at weddings every now and then- and this definitely was one of them.

This couple is definitely in love.

Wedding at Holbrook Palmer Park, Atherton, CA

At the beginning of June we photographed Amy and Dan's wedding at Holbrook Palmer Park in Atherton. Amy and Dan had typical gorgeous June weather and just a perfect day in general. The party went on full steam with Dan's twin brother, Dean and his wife burning up the dance floor with unbelievable energy. I was so excited to learn that we'll be photographing Amy's coworker Susan's wedding this month. It's a small world!

I loved all of the personal touches Amy incorporated into the wedding decor. Amy has a passion for horseback riding and I just LOVED the favors she chose- Lucky horseshoes! Amy and Dan definitely picked a lucky date- 06-07-08 - to get married. Best of "luck" to you two!!
As photographers we have to be incredibly observant individuals. Sometimes that could get us in trouble. Take for example the decision I had to make here at Amy and Dan's wedding. It's the end of the night, and you spot the ring bearer dumping a layer of salt over everything left on the hors devours table. What should I do?? Stop him? Get his mom? Nah.. I'll just photograph it. :) Everyone's finished anyhow.
What a cutie.

Wedding in Palo Alto at the Garden Court Hotel

Back in May we drove down to the South Bay to photograph Karen and Mark's wedding at the Garden Court Hotel in Palo Alto. This is an absolutely stunning site and we were thrilled to work with such a great couple. I first met Karen and Mark back in September of 07 at Linda and Neil's wedding in Burlingame. Karen was a bridesmaid in Linda's wedding, and, coincidentally we sat at the same table during dinner as Mark. I was so happy to find out that they were engaged! Their wedding day was absolutely perfect. I loved seeing Linda and Neil again too!! It was also great working with DJ Hector again- My favorite in the Bay Area! He kept the party hopping without the slightest bit of "cheese."
Here's a look at "Team Cheshire" from the end of the night. Thanks Mary and Lindsay for also capturing some amazing images. Congratulations Karen and Mark!!

Here We Grow Again

I have some exciting news for Julie Cheshire Photography! We have outgrown our space in downtown Walnut Creek and will be moving in mid-August. Stay tuned for more info!

Engagement Session in San Francisco

Okay- I promise I will start posting some of this seasons weddings! We've been rockin' and rollin' right on through and have been having a blast every weekend with our great brides and grooms! Keep checking back and I'll post some of our favorites.

I couldn't put off posting some of Jessica and Matt's engagement session photos - What a fun day this was! Jessica and Matt are both theater people- and GREAT with the camera! I met up with Jess and Matt last month at Fisherman's Wharf. We walked over to the Mechanical Museum to start our session. I had never been in there before- I have been missing out! From old Laughing Sal's to old penny arcade games, this place is a kid's dream. We then walked down towards Pier 39 and fought the wind to capture some images with the beautiful San Francisco skyline in the background. From there we moved on to Golden Gate Park where we spent some time at the Japanese Tea Gardens. We hit it at just the right time of day and had GORGEOUS light to work with. We hardly noticed when they locked the gate behind us- oops! Thankfully we were able to finish up our session and use the back exit. Moving on, we stopped and had dinner at the Wharf (you can't go down there without having a bread bowl!) and then it was on to Ripley's Believe it or Not. We had a blast walking through - I can't believe I'd never been in there either!

This really was the most fun I've had at an engagement session in a long time! Thanks Jessica and Matt! I can't wait till your wedding in November!