Geoff & I photographed the wedding of Peipei & Calvin recently in one of the most relaxed and casually elegant weddings we’ve had the pleasure of photographing recently. Both Calvin & his bride are doctors busy opening up their own practices, Calvin’s a psychiatrist & Peipei specializes in root canals. Considering that these two are both small business owners, I’m not sure how they found time to put together a wedding celebration! Somehow they managed to pull it together in a way that was beautiful and elegant, but had that hard to attain “effortless” feel to it. Both the ceremony & the reception took place in neighboring Redwood Shores at the Sofitel. I LOVE this property, the layout and design has a very modern and boutique feel to it, you don’t usually find this in the suburbs! Here’s the bride getting ready:
Before the ceremony, we took them over to a nearby business park for some casual portraits:
The ceremony was held overlooking the water & the weather was perfect!
The reception decor looked absolutely stunning. The rich mahogany woods of the floor & chairs contrasted beautifully with the fresh white orchids. Each place setting had these little blue boxes filled with the most delicious candy I’ve ever had. It was some sort of a toffee with vanilla icing and it was OMG so good! Plus they also had a dessert bar. Heavenly!
We went out for a few minutes around sunset to get a few more portraits for them:
Are you a bride having wedding planning withdrawals? Or a wedding planner in the making? We are currently looking for some part time office help, so if you know of someone that would love to work in the wedding industry, please let me know, we are in the process of filling this position immediately. The pay is not so great, but the experience and work environment more than makes up for it. The right person will have solid office experience and a love of weddings and all the details that go with it. Photography experience is not as relevant as much as office skills (Outlook, mailings, filing etc)We are open to different possibilities, so email me if you or someone you know might be interested in this opportunity.
We are going to be sending out details soon on our first ever holiday specials. We will be offering a new type of parent album available at a special price, 2 for 1 gift prints & 15% off on wall prints (11×14 and larger) ordered before October 15th. Start putting your gift list together! More details to come…
Check out the recent issue of Grace Ormonde to see the very cute cake that Katie & Bob chose for their wedding. It has a classic retro twist, just adorable! (upper left corner):
Geoff & just finished 2 wedding this weekend and are taking the day off to relax.On Saturday we were photographing the wedding of Nancy & Larry at the HMB Ritz Carlton. They had an intimate wedding with close friends and family, and really pampered their guests. We had a great time, and Nancy was so happy all day, she just couldn’t stop smiling at everyone. And the weather was absolutely perfect! Then yesterday, we photographed the wedding of Nicole & Wellington at Nestldown. We got to do their engagement session at the beach a few weeks ago, which always makes for a smooth wedding day, when the bride and groom are comfortable in front of the camera. Nicole looked radiant all day. During the mother son dance, the family had a recorded version of the groom’s late father singing “You are My Sunshine.” EVERYBODY was crying by the time that song finished, myself included. I can’t wait to show you some of my favorites, but you’ll have to wait a few weeks…
Hilary & Jeff choose one of the South Bay’s most romantic locations for their wedding, Villa Montalvo. We met them through our former clients and friends Carrie & Chris (their wedding is featured all over the place!). They are a super sweet couple and very down to earth. Their wedding ceremony was gorgeous, taking place in the Oval Garden behind the villa. Hilary has 3 dads, and 2 of them walked her down the aisle, and a 3rd dad read a stunningly beautiful poem that he had written for Hilary. It totally got the tears flowing, from myself included. She chose THE color of the season, periwinkle, which photographs so beautifully. And they had the most delicious, yummy to photograph candy bar I’ve ever laid eyes on complete with absolutely, sinfully decadent cupcakes. (A BIG thank you to Carrie & Chris who gleefully snuck a few cupcakes out for us!). Here’s a few of our favorites:
Candice & Jayson were recently married at St Patrick’s Church in San Francisco, with the reception held at Hotel Nikko. This couple is incredibly sweet and caring, and you can definitely see how in love they are with each other, and also how much they love their families. It’s always such a gift to see relationships like that, where you just absolutely know these two are meant to be together. Candice was all smiles as she got ready:
We always try to get details that convey a sense of place:
Candice heading down the aisle, escorted by her father:
And here’s Candice’s mom wiping away a few tears as she witnesses her daughter coming down the aisle:
We always try to get a few overview shots from the balcony when possible:
Today, Emma turns 2! She’s no longer a puppy, not quite a woman! I think she’ll always look (and act) like a puppy-in my heart she’ll always be a little girl. At about 3 1/2 pounds, she’s full grown. I had never really thought about or wanted a dog, until I met Linnae Asiel’s dog Emily, also a Maltese. Linnae used to bring Emily to bridal shows, and Emily would sit quietly in her little purse throughout the day, just as sweet as could be. Emily’s so sweet and loving and cuddly, and I just got that feeling, you know, like “I want one!” When I began telling Geoff that I wanted a cute little puppy just like Emily, he convinced me that our lifestyle could not accommodate a puppy, that we were “too busy.” So I begrudgingly accepted that answer, and all but gave up hope. Meanwhile, Geoff had decided that he would get me a puppy for Christmas, and went into over drive secretly researching breeds, breeders and so on. I had no idea! On Christmas Eve, he had to disappear for a few hours for “secret Christmas activities” which was actually driving about 3 hours away to pick up Emma from the breeder, which he had visited several weeks prior and actually picked Emma out (she wasn’t called Emma yet). Unfortunately, I was no particularly loving that day, and had actually been quite nasty to him when he asked me to do an errand for him on Christmas Eve, which was to go to Target and buy a deep fryer. We had been hosting his family for the holidays, and I guess I was a little overworked from hostess activities. There’s no excuse, I was downright mean to Geoff, and all the while he’s driving nearly 6 hours (plus paying a small fortune!) to get my Emma for me. When he got home and convinced me to come into the living room for a surprise, I finally stormed in, grumbling about being busy unloading the dishwasher. And then he unzipped his coat and Emma popped out. I fell in love instantly! And of course I was immediately horrified by the way I’d been treating him all day! He’s the best husband ever (I can’t believe he puts up with me sometimes!). Here’s Emma, giving her “naughty” look:
Ok, so as I said yesterday, Cyndie & Willie’s wedding was published in 2 magazines this month. I LOVE getting these types of shots, as the bride is coming down the aisle, both the groom’s expression and also the experience of the groom, as in this shot, which is Geoff’s. But it was probably my idea, as all his best shots are. (let’s see if I get caught on that one!) Here’s the second feature, it’s on the last page of the magazine:
Congrats to Cyndie & Willie, as their wedding is featured in 2 magazines out this month, just in time for their 1 year anniversary. Cyndie’s wedding was absolutely breathtaking. The wedding & reception took place at San Francisco’s City Hall, which is a stunning backdrop for a celebration. Morgan Doan of Events By Morgan coordinated the entire effort with magazine worthy results. Here’s the first feature:
I recently had the pleasure of doing a senior session for Lindsey. We went out just before sunset to the San Antonio Open Preserve in Los Altos. This place was so gorgeous and peaceful, especially at this time of day. We had a lot of fun, Lindsey is very comfortable in front of the camera, which makes it easy! Here are some of the session highlights:
