Wedding at Hap Magee Ranch, Danville, CA

It's hard to believe my 14th year of photographing weddings has come and gone. Somehow I have managed to neglect my blog for quite a while.. so before the 2011 wedding season kicks into full gear I want make sure I blog about some of my favorite weddings and sessions from 2010.

First, going WAY back to June I want to share some images from Deanna and Eric's amazing, fresh, laid-back wedding at Hap Magee Ranch in Danville, CA. I introduced them on my blog after their super cool engagement session back in April. Deanna and Eric's wedding day started at Deanna's parents house in Danville where all of the women were getting ready.

I fell in love immediately with all of the beautiful kelly green accents that Deanna had chosen. The shoes, bouquets, shoes, dresses, shoes, garter and did I mention, shoes? were SO CUTE!

Eric and Deanna are super laid-back and wanted a stress free day. They decided to see each other before the ceremony, so we set up the "first look" on the cute little bridge in the park.

I loved finding out that Deanna is a BIG parrothead-- something we definitely have in common.

After a sweet ceremony underneath the giant oak tree at Hap Magee, Eric and Deanna hosted a giant party, complete with live music (LOTS of Buffett) and plenty of games (even beer pong!)


One of the sweetest parts of the afternoon was Deanna's surprise to her father. Apparently for many years he had been asking her to learn how to play the accordion (a family heirloom)--and she never did. So.. she decided to surprise him by learning how to play before the wedding. So sweet! And talk about sweet.. Deanna made her own wedding cupcakes! As it turns out she is quite the baker- her blog, Occasional Sugar, gives you a peek into her talent.

I thought it was so cute that each of her tables was named after a favorite drink. Eric and Deanna definitely know how to have a good time!

Best wishes Eric and Deanna! Your wedding was an absolute blast and I was honored to be a part of your day :)

Palo Alto Wedding Faire

I'm so excited to participate in Brocade Wedding's Palo Alto Wedding Faire on August 29th. Michael Smolens with Second Sight Music will also have a booth where he'll be showcasing some of my images with his fabulous music. This will be my first show with Brocade, and I'm so excited to meet this fall's South Bay Brides! Come check us out at the Crowne Plaza Hotel from 11am to 4pm. Cheers!

Engagement Session on BART and at the Berkeley Marina

I just love engagement sessions. Especially ones like Yuki and Sam's! It's been over a month since this session but I just have to post a few of my favorites. I was thrilled when Yuki suggested BART as a possible location-- so cool! Apparently throughout their relationship there have been many trips back and forth between Sam's place near Rockridge and Yuki's in Walnut Creek. So, what a perfect background for their photos!








We found this awesome mural outside of the Rockridge station. Never mind that it's in front of a pretty nasty parking lot- remember, if the camera doesn't see it, it doesn't exist! :)





We drove over to the Berkeley Marina area afterwards. We also walked through Cesar Chavez Park and finished up our session on the Berkeley fishing pier. I had such a blast with Yuki and Sam--I can't wait till their wedding in September!

Engagement session at Lafayette Reservoir and Moraga, CA

Back at the beginning of May I photographed Lauren and Ted's engagement session at Lafayette Reservoir. I can't wait till their wedding in early July. I'll be working with Danielle Gallagher and just know that it will be fabulous. Lauren and Ted have known each other for most of their lives and they are just adorable together.





After spending some time in Lafayette we drove over to Moraga to capture some amazing views of Mt. Diablo and the golf course. This spot was considered for their ceremony site- but beautiful Piedmont Hall won out in the end.

Congratulations Lauren and Ted! See you in just a few weeks!

Wedding at Testarossa Winery, Los Gatos, CA

Over Memorial Day Weekend I had the honor of photographing Ali and Dan's absolutely fabulous wedding at Testarossa Winery in Los Gatos. I LOVE this location. The day started at the beautiful Cypress Hotel in Cupertino where the women were getting ready.









The "first look" before the ceremony
















I photographed Ali and Dan's engagement session last September at the Palace of Fine Arts and Baker Beach in San Francisco. One of these days I'm going to catch up on all my blog posts!! Until then here are a couple of my favorites from that session.



Congratulations Ali and Dan. You two were absolutely wonderful to work with!!!

Engagement Session at Spoontonic Lounge in Walnut Creek

A couple of weeks ago I met up with Deanna and Eric for their engagement session. I always encourage my clients to choose a location that has some meaning to them- and Deanna and Eric are the perfect example! Spoontonic Lounge in Walnut Creek is a super cool "speakeasy" style bar- and it just happens to be the place where Deanna and Eric met :) If I have the story straight, conversation between these two first started over a comic book at the bar. The rest is history! I can't wait until their wedding in June! Here are a few of my favorites from their session. Congratulations Deanna and Eric!

Christian's 3 month session- Teaser