One of our favorite local getaways is a little beach house community called Irish Beach in Mendocino. The beach houses sit on a cliff overlooking the ocean below (similar to the Ritz Carlton at Half Moon Bay) and they are completely furnished. Most have hot tubs and fireplaces (stocked with firewood & wine glasses) and amazing views. The weather is usually cool and foggy (moody). When we need to get away, it’s a gorgeous 3–4 hour drive up along hwy 1, which in and of itself it very relaxing. Once we get to the beach house, all we do is read, nap, watch movies, sit in the hot tub & play games. The next day, we just repeat those activities. I don’t have any photos (since we are on vacation!) but trust me, it is absolutely amazing. Here’s the link to check it out for yourself: Irish Beach  We’ve really gotten into vacation rentals lately, because they are so easy & you can just totally hang out & do nothing all week. Last year we rented a beach cottage in Pacific Grove last year, walking distance to the aquarium, it was so cute. I’ll post about that one soon.

Congratulations to Kelly & Shomit , whose wedding was selected to be featued in the current issue of The Knot Northern California. Their wedding is a perfect example of an interfaith wedding-they started out the day with an Indian ceremony, then immediately followed with a Western ceremony that included Jewish traditions. Thanks to Kelvin for taking such awesome images!

Our very first wedding of the year could not have been with a better couple! We were so lucky to have the opportunity to photograph Amanda & Chris’s wedding last month at the Palm Event Center in Pleasanton. Amanda & Chris are two people that are absolutely, 100%, without a doubt, meant for each other. It was such a pleasure to get to know them and their families. They both come from close-knit families, and they’ve known each for a long time, as Amanda’s dad used to be Chris’s coach back in high school. I guess he made quite an impression on Chris, because now Chris coaches as well. It was just an honor to be around them, these are such amazing people! The image on the right is one of my very favorites of the day, Amanda was simply stunning. Can’t wait to see that one as a full page in the album!

The ceremony was held inside this gorgeous (but dark) barrel room at the Palm Event Center, and it was a really perfect spot. The room has a very intimate feeling to it, and these gorgeous chandeliers.

After the ceremony concluded, the happy couple made their exit to Etta James’ “At Last” which felt just perfect!

The Palm Event Center has all sorts of gorgeous nooks and crannies for great portraits, especially at sunset when the lighting is perfect. A wedding photographer couldn’t ask for more!

If I had to choose only one image for Amanda & Chris, it would be the one on the right. It’s so THEM, and when I look at this image, I see everything I need to know. I see how much they mean to each other, I see how much fun they have together, I can see how gentle Chris is, and I see how completely in love, and perfect for one another. That photograph right there, that is why I do what I do.

We are pleased to announce our brand spanking new website! We’ve been hard at work on the redesign for months now, and it is finally ready to be revealed. Please take a moment to check it out and let us know what you think!

Geoff White Photographers

Afternoon tea is a great way to celebrate! The Bay area has a number of wonderful tea rooms, which are very popular for wedding showers. My personal favorite is Tyme for Tea in Fremont, located within an antiques shop in the Niles district. They have the absolute best scones in the world (see the photo), and the decor is very nice. They are very popular with bridal (and baby) showers. It’s a really fun & girly thing to do!

A few other options if you are looking for a tea room are Lisa’s Tea Treasures in Menlo Park, Campbell or Santana Row, or Lovejoy’s in SF. You can also check out Teamap for more tea rooms near you. I think I’ve been to every tea room in the Bay Area except for 1 in Livermore!

I came across a few more ideas I wanted to share with you for personalizing your wedding. Christine & Andy had a Harry Potter theme for their wedding, and during the ceremony the officiant shared the story of how they met over their love for all things Harry Potter. (Christine found Andrew through his craigslist posting, looking for other people as excited as he was for the next novel to be released).

On the right is the sorting hat & magic wands to let guests know which table they were at. The krisy Kremes are from the wedding of…can you guess? 2 cops!

The yummist looking drinks of all time, from Maria & Josh’s wedding.

I love it when a couple brings a personal touch to their wedding, and I think it adds to the guest experience as well. And of course that translates well into the wedding photography. Some of the things I’ve seen include: adding details to the ceremony program about the cultural elements of the ceremony, or even just little interesting tidbits, creating signature cocktails for the reception, homemade favors such as lemon curd, fun groom’s cakes, the getaway car as something other than a limo, the guys wearing suit & ties, setting up a remembrance for loved ones who have passed away, and including fun personal tidbits or top ten lists at each guest table. Here are 2 grooms cakes, the alligator is a reference to a choral group the groom belonged to at Harvard, the Gators, and the one below is for a groom who is also a pilot in his free time. This wedding took place at the San Francisco Bohemian Club.

This one is from the Ritz Carlton in Hlaf Moon Bay.

Cristy’s cake was designed based on the texture of her Oscar De La Renta dress and the seaside theme of her Ritz Carlton wedding in Half Moon Bay.

Aviva’s dress (who is about to have a baby at any moment!) was designed to reflect her Japanese heritage, and Christine’s bouquet contained a locket of her and her dad to remember him when she walked down the aisle.

Phuong & Greg used their very own minicooper as their getaway car from their reception at Nestldown. During the reception, their friends snuck out and decorated it for them.

Nikki & John chose the Opera House for their ceremony, since Nikki is an opera singer and frequently performs there. On the right, Cindy and Chris used a car from the family collection of porsches (which the mom jokingly calls “a sickness”) as their getaway car.

Cristy & Charles served Cuban sandwiches to their (mostly Cuban) guests around midnight, to keep them dancing into the wee hours.

Nikki chose her signature color, red for her wedding dress shoes. I love the idea of red shoes on your wedding day!

Jen & Travis created a green wedding by choosing ediable centerpieces from local growers. The couple are both passionate about protecting the environment.

Carrie & Chris made this personalized signage to lead the way to the cocktail hour, a fun surprise for their guests.

Tom didn’t know it, but Omega incorporated a piece of her dress into his boutinere.

We have been hard at work on a brand new website, and I can’t wait to show it to you! Our current website has been with us from the beginning, so it is long past due for an update! At the same time, we have a new shopping kart coming, which will be much easier to navigate and use, and will also have a lot of new features such as a gift registry and the ability to purchase products and such. Everything should be ready before the end of the month!

If you are a 2009 bride and you still haven’t booked your photographer yet, I highly recommend making your decision and booking very soon! January,  February & March are typically the months that most people book their wedding vendors, as many people get engaged over the holidays or Valentine’s day. If you wait too long, you might end up stuck with your second or third choice, or even worse, someone without experience to do the job right. If you are interested in having us photograph your wedding this year and haven’t booked yet, please give us a call to set up a consultation.

For those of you who are readers just like me, here are my current favorites:

-The Poinsonwood Bible

-Snow Flower and the Secret Fan

-The Other Boleyn Girl

-Bel Canto

-Twilight series (mostly 1 & 3 but you should read 2 as well)

Other books I’ve read & enjoyed recently:

-anything by Jodi Picoult

-Water for Elephants (just finished that one)

-The Heretic’s Daughter

-Peony in Love

-The Reader (slow but good)

-Interview with the Vampire

-The Romance Reader

-The Secret Life of CeCe Wilkes

Books I just didnt enjoy very much:

-Middlesex (I was disappointed that there wasn’t more about the hermaphrodite experience)

-The Story of Edgar Sawtelle (I found it dull & was upset by the ending)

-The Shellseekers (couldn’t get through it)

-The Mistress of the Art of Death (Couldnt deal with the language)

That’s about all I can think of. I’ve just started “The Historian.”  Ok, now it’s your turn to send me a couple of recomendations!