Geoff and I have been out of the office for the past week, attending a studio lighting conference. As most of you know, we are in the process of setting up a studio for portraits. We’ve been asked by clients and friends for years to do maternity sessions, newborns, kids, family portraits and so forth, and we are finally going to be able to offer this. We went to this conference in Florida specifically to get all the equipment needed for the studio, and we’ll be in the process of setting it up next month. I’m so excited, I can’t wait until it’s all set up! So if you’ve been holding off on getting family portraits or photographs of your kids, we’ll start scheduling appointments in November. If you would like something done in time for the holidays, give us a call & we’ll squeeze something in.

This is the final installment on the personal wedding style of Tarah & Eric, and it features their delicious dessert buffet & foodie details. Here are a few more images for you, and you can read the entire entry here:

http://www.celebrityweddingbuzz.com/celebrity_weddings/celebrity_wedding_series/

And from the dessert buffet:

Joann & Dennis decided to host a destination wedding in San Francisco last month, and Kelvin photographed all the festivities. Joann & Dennis both have great personal style, and that is reflected throughout their celebration. They chose the color combo of hot pink and chocolate, and the colors look vibrant, fresh and fun. Since the couple lives in San Diego, they decided to hire a wedding planner to help them manage the details, and we were delighted to finally have a chance to work with Michelle B. from MB Wedding Designs. Makeup was done by the very talented Taylor Pham, of  Faces By Taylor. And those super cute flowers were done by Poppy’s Petalworks. Here’s one of my very favorite images of the day, I think shots of a kiss just about to happen are so incredibly sexy…

Look at those cute little slippers, Joann can manage style & comfort at the same time:

After getting ready at the hotel in Union Square, the bridal party headed over to the Palace of Fine Arts for some pre ceremony group shots, which is a great way to break up the portraits and make them more fun. Kelvin had to stealthily coordinate with the ladies and the guys, as they arrived in separate limos and were not to see each other prior to the ceremony:

The decor started at the church and was carried through to the reception:

Here’s another shot from that series at the beginning of the post, I love how her hair has that windswept look to it. We got to work with Andrew Hsu from Studio MSV a videographer that we’ve been wanting to work with again since Cynthia & Wayne’s wedding a few years back.

On to the reception:

Look at how the chair covers really make the room pop. I LOVE color at receptions, and it makes such a visual impact upon entering the room. These chair covers & bows are by Especially Yours Chair Covers

Look at the desserts!!! Joann used a combination of favorite cookies, candies and baked treats in her theme colors, to the delight of her guests. The presentation of everything is what really sets it off and makes it look so inviting:

Finally, here’s the couple’s first dance:

Celebrity Weddings Blog has done a 3 part feature on Tarah & Eric’s wedding style. Part 2 focuses on how you can incorporate you monogram into your wedding. Here’s a few images that show how Tarah & Eric did it, and you can click the link below to get the full story:

http://www.celebrityweddingbuzz.com/celebrity_weddings/2008/09/working-your-mo.html

Set the tone right from the beginning by incorporating your monogram into the invitation:

The mongram was also featured on the wedding program, and as guests entered the ballroom, it was one of the first things they saw:

Here it is at the top of the menu, a simple way to tie all the elements together:

and on the cake:

finally, the mongram was used as a gift tag on the favors, and for their wedding album set:

Nicole & Wellington are truly a perfect match. They just have this incredible deep connection between the two of them, and that is evident whenever you are around them. Geoff & I got to know them a couple months ago at their engagement session at Baker Beach, and these are 2 amazing people! They are both kind, compassionate and caring, not just in their relationship, but towards everyone they come in contact with. Their wedding took place at Nestldown, and it was a perfect wedding, as evidenced below:

Looking a little nervous before the ceremony…

I love the orange calla lillies she chose for her bouquet. It’s simple yet perfect for the outdoor setting.

One of the ceremony readings was from “Winnie the Pooh” which started the tears…

There was a lot of crying. It was contagious. A few guests held out for as long as they could, but when Wellington placed his hand over his heart and said his vows while tears ran down his face, that was pretty much it, we were all gushing…

Nestldown has so manyh gorgeous spots for portraits, it is an ideal place for a wedding.

This is one of my favorite wedding photographs this year.

Some guests asked me to take a photograph of them during the cocktail hour. After I get the “regular” shot, I like to ask people to just look at each other, as that’s when you get their natural expressions & begin to get a feel for their relationship.

This little baby boy is soooo cute, I could hardly stand it! I would love a chance to get him in front of my camera for an hour…

Here is the signature portrait we put together for them from their Baker Beach engagement session.

Nestldown is so naturally gorgeous, it really doesn’t need much “flair.” It’s so nice to have dinner served out on the lawn and then go into the barn for cake & dancing. Part of the decor on the tables was breads wrapped in ribbons, and it was very simple, elegant & earth friendly.

This is one of those magic shots that you only get when everything comes together at the exact right moment:

I overheard some guests saying that they thought this cake topper was ironic, because it portrays the opposite of how it really was between Nicole & Wellington…I guess that means she was the commitment phobe initially?

Nancy & Larry were married in a stunning oceanside ceremony at The Ritz Carlton, Half Moon Bay (Because there’s no place else like the Ritz). Their wedding celebration was an intimate affair with close friends and family, and Nancy & Larry pampered their guests at every turn. It was one of those rare perfect days. Perfect weather, gorgeous couple, stunning details, amazing service from the Ritz staff, and a very very happy bride. Not a single hitch in the entire day. And I’ve got the photos to prove it. Not to brag, but these are just a few of the highlights…

Nancy planned her day so that she was ready a couple of hours prior to the ceremony, which allowed us to do a mini bridal portrait session with her,  a great way to take advantage of the gorgeous location:

Larry waited a long (long) time to find the perfect woman, and he finally found her, which is why he’s so happy:

All those workouts definitely paid off, I  was inspired to start working out so I can get some buff arms like Nancy:

Nancy BEAMED all day, she was so full of happiness and joy, she literally could not stop smiling:

The ceremony area overlooking the bluffs provides a dramatic backdrop for the bride’s entrance. She was escorted by her two sons David and Corey:

You definitely need 2 photographers to capture it the bride’s entrance from the front and the back, both perspectives are visually stunning-the guests & groom see the bride arriving from atop a green hillside like above, and the bride makes her entrance while getting that gorgeous view of the ocean & seeing her husband to be looking back at her:

The couple kept their family portraits to a minimum so we’d have time to focus on the bride and groom, and we took the opportunity to head down to the beach:

The bride chose the color scheme to match the Ritz Carlton decor, and it turned out beautifully, cobalt blue and gold, with hints of orange for contrast:

Cake by Elegant Cheesecakes, cake design was inspired by the bride’s dress:

The cobalt blue glassware looked amazing in that room:

A big part of what helped us create these amazing images from this wedding is that the couple put together a great time line that allowed a lot of down time and relaxing for their guests. Dinner service was leisurely, and the reception wasn’t so action packed with events that the natural flow of the evening was being constantly interrupted. Which allowed the guests to really relax and have a good time. As photographers, this allowed us the time to get creative, as we weren’t running around like mad trying to get family portraits done left and right, or making sure that we were on guard to capture 5 toasts spread out over the course of 90 minutes.

We snuck out for a few minutes around sunset to get some nice portraits during the last light:

As if the meal itself wasn’t amazing enough (believe me, it was) the couple surprised their guests with a s mores station out on the patio, which also has a fire pit & lounge area. It was truly sublime:

After the cake cutting & dancing, guests relaxed on the patio with s mores and custom made espressos from the espresso station:

We are super excited to have just received the completed album set for one of our very special couples from last year. Their wedding took place in the Caribbean, on Turks and Caicos Islands (south of Miami). The wedding was absolutely spectacular, and their album set showcases the incredible, lavish celebration that was their wedding. This 4 volume set has an entire album dedicated to just the ceremony & another for the reception, another for the family portraits and then one for the rehearsal dinner and engagement session. Geoff & I love it when we are hired to document the other events leading up to the wedding day, and we think this is the best way to share the story. Here are a few highlights from this incredible, amazing wedding, starting with the view:

Here’s the bride getting gorgeous:

Kelvin got this awesome shot of the groom on his way to the ceremony, singing all along the way:

The bride “walked on water” by turning the resort pool into her aisle. Amazing, what else can be said?:

I LOVE this shot of one of the junior bridesmaids peeking out to see the bride coming down the aisle:

Does the singer look familiar? Yep, it’s Babyface, performing during the ceremony:

Here’s their exit, covered by Geoff and Kelvin from 2 different perspectives:

Fireworks during their cocktail hour:

I really liked the lighting inside their reception tent:

That cake had to feed over 500 guests!

Kelvin got this amazing shot of one of the guests in mid-air, catching the garter

the after party tent:

It’s a great story that focuses on how the couple really personalized their wedding details. Read it here:

http://www.celebrityweddingbuzz.com/celebrity_weddings/2008/08/fusing-the-brid.html

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: