Robyn & Jason had their engagement session with Kelvin recently, and I’m in love with their images!!!! This cute couple is getting married at the oh-so-gorgeous Nestldown property next summer. If you haven’t been to Nestldown before, and you are considering venues for your own wedding, Nestldown is simply stunning. Located in the Los Gatos area, it’s s magical retreat that is beautifully yet naturally landscaped. You feel as if you are a million miles away from civilization, and have stepped inside an enchanted forest. There is a grotto, a koi pond, a barn, a meadow, tennis courts and a bocci ball court. It’s amazing.

I love the color combo of black and blue they chose. Sometimes that color combo doesn’t always work ,b ut at this location, and with this lighting, it looks awesome!

So sweet!

Look at those eyes! I really like how Robyn added the blue wrap in some of the images, the color really sets off her brown eyes here.

I love this fountain and the flowers in the background…gorgeous setting

See those red shoes? Nice touch. It’s the little details that really come through in photography…

Looking forward to the wedding next summer, congrats to Robyn & Jason!!!!

Sonia & Andreas had a  perfect wedding. Surrounded by friends and family, they were both calm and centered. The day was completely relaxed, the sky was the most perfect shade of blue, and everything just fell right into place. I’m sure that was no doubt thanks to the work of their fabulous planner, Duncan Reyes from  f. duncan reyes events by design . The wedding ceremony and reception was held at Auberge du Soleil in a gorgeous, private retreat in Napa Valley.

Sonia wore a gorgeous wedding dress by Amsale. The dress was perfect for Sonia, very sophisticated yet also with a sense of playfulness. The dress was the perfect match for the setting as well, and that is something that should be carefully considered when selecting your wedding dress. Sonia’s wedding was intimate, elegant and took place ina gorgeous natural setting. Her dress was not too formal or fluffy, and looked perfectly in tune with the surroundings. You would not want a huge ballgown type of dress or long train for an outdoor, natural setting, as it would look out of step with the environment. Sonia’s dress was just perfect.

We spent a few moments among the vineyards in the morning at Sonia’s hotel before heading off to Auberge.

Here’s Sonia arriving from her hotel at Auberge. I just love this shot of her getting out of the limo. Classic elegance.

Auberge du Soleil offers a very intimate setting for ceremonies, out on this balcony overlooking the valley below.

All the florals were provided by our friends at Asiel Design. I especially love the modern look they put together for the cocktail hour. The image on the right is a gift card box, made of bamboo. To the left is the escort card table.

I LOVE this shot. Definitely one of my favorites.  Sonia is centering herself before walking down the aisle. You can tell she’s just taking a deep breath and getting ready to marry Andreas. She looks so calm and collected in the next image below, taken just a moment after.

We were blessed with absolutely perfect weather for their wedding.

And they are married! A butterfly release was a nice touch to celebrate their union.

Duncan celebrates the carefully orchestrated butterfly release is a success!

We took time to do their romantic portraits twice throughout the day, which is a great way to break it up and get some different looks. In the afternoon, prior to the ceremony, we wandered through the sculpture garden, and then towards the end of their cocktail hour went to a different location for a few moments to capture the best lighting of the day.

This one was taken after the ceremony during the magic hour (of lighting) and it’s one of my favorites. I love how lush the property is there, just gorgeous!

Bouquets were playful and sophisticated (as Linnae’s work usually is!)

I love to see little extra touches like the roses floating in the fountain. It just creates a wonderful sense of discovery throughout the the event.

Here’s the reception space, which had a modern, fresh and fun vibe.

They showed off some nice moves on the dance floor!

The cake was displayed on top of champagne glasses filled with roses. I’ve never seen anything like that before, so unique! Cake was by Patisserie Angelica

And then they were off to Greece…to do it all over again for Andreas’s family…so the party continues…

Geoff and I had so much fun photographing Michelle & Henry recently for their engagement portraits. Such a cute couple! They laugh a lot together, and are just the sweetest couple. I love them! We did their session in Palo Alto, which is where we have been doing many sessions lately. Michelle and Henry are getting married at the Ritz Carlton Half Moon Bay in October. Their guests are in for a treat, it’s so gorgeous there, especially in October.

Isn’t she hot? I love her dress, very chic!

At one point during the session we saw a random raccoon running across the quad…then another…then another…a total of FIVE large raccoons scurried about and then climbed into a tree. I get pretty excited about unexpected wildlife sightings (picture jumping up and down, arms flailing about, very spastic) and for a brief while I found it difficult to concentrate on the session…I kept trying to engage Geoff, Michelle and Henry in conversation about the raccoon excitement. No one was interested. Eventually I recommitted myself to professional behavior and was able to get some more great photos for them, like the last two below…

This was the very last picture of the day, one of my favorites.

Kristi and Freddy’s wedding was the epitome of style! Kristi & Freddy are very easy going, relaxed and fun loving, which made photographing their wedding a real pleasure. Kristi has a thing for gorgeous shoes…she chose to wear a pair of yellow Christian Louboutins with her dress, which was a great way to show off her personal style. The wedding’s theme colors were of the moment yellow and gray, and this is a super hot color combo. I loved the bridesmaids dresses too. Everything just worked really well together!

Kristi looking gorgeous…

While the ladies got primped at the St. Regis, the guys relaxed at the W Hotel in San Francisco.

Tomobi Floral Studio did a great job creating a fun, modern look with the florals and centerpieces.

The ceremony took place at Mission Dolores, a gorgeous church to be married in.

They are married! I love the bubble exit!

After the wedding, we all headed over to Treasure Island’s Casa De La Vista for the reception and post wedding portraits. What a gorgeous view. This location offers stunning views of the San Francisco cityline.

I love how the wind caught her veil…

We went out a couple of different times throughout the evening to take advantage of the gorgeous lighting and sunset we had that day. You don’t often get a sunset like that!

The yellow centerpieces contrasted so perfectly with the slate gray tablecloths. Table linens are one of the areas of wedding decor that really pays off. Even if you cant afford to upgrade, you can always choose a splash of color over white, to really make the reception room stand out and look different. I’m not a fan of white tablecloths unless you are going for an all white look, otherwise, I think colored linens really add flavor to the room.

They set up dominoes for their guests to enjoy in the lounge area. Very thoughtful!

I love these yellow accent lanterns. It’s the little details…

Their reception had a very festive party atmosphere and everyone had a great time. It was perfect!

They had a cake (by Suzanne’s Bakery), cupcakes (in the background) and then a very tasty treats table towards the end of the night to keep people dancing into the wee hours. Everything looked SO YUMMY!!!! Congrats Kristi & Freddy!

Jessica and Paul are engaged to be married, and we are thrilled for them! And thrilled that they have asked us to capture their upcoming wedding this fall. Kelvin photographed this super fun (amazing/cool/happy/easy going/goofy/so in love) couple at Stanford for their engagement session recently, and their images turned out fantastically. Kelvin is an amazingly talented photographer, and when you mix his talent and smokin’ hot chemistry, the results are gorgeous!

It’s always a good sign when a couple can be silly with each other at times. Let me tell you, that is a skill that is going to come in handy down the road-marriage has it’s ups and downs, and to be able to laugh together is an invaluable skill.

And see how the silliness can lead to more kissing? Yes…I’m in favor of anything that leads to more kissing…

Hmm…

This is my personal favorite image from the session. I love how her hair is backlit, her expression…it’s hot!

This is another favorite. Such a sweet moment. For me, this image completely embodies what we all want in life. Can’t wait till the wedding!

Kristina & Rich are a gorgeous couple with super hot chemistry! Photographing them for their engagement session could hardly be called work, it was so easy. This shot above is my favorite, I LOVE the curve of her back and the cutout from her dress, and then the expression on her face, it all works perfectly to create a gorgeous image. I think I’d be totally happy with the session if this was the only image, it works so well. That’s why chemistry is so key! But of course, with chemistry like that, there are many more gorgeous images to choose from…

It was a foggy day out at Baker Beach, as it always is during the summer and we almost had to reschedule the session. But the weather finally cooperated for us, and I think the fog really adds to the mood of the images. I love moody images!

They are getting married in October at Ralston Hall, which is a gorgeous estate in Belmont. Their ceremony will take place in the ballroom, which has these gorgeous chandeliers, wall sconces and other beautiful details. I can’t wait!

I bet Rich has a hard time saying no to those gorgeous blue eyes!

When we originally chose this spot, we were  looking to capture the a bit of the golden gate bridge through the fog (similar to the image above of them on the tree trunk) and then we discovered this fire red plant to the right that really brought out the reds in Kristina’s hair. That’s one of the things I love as a photographer, you can see something so completely different than someone else, and get two completely different types of images solely based on perspective.

another favorite…

Kristina was especially brave to be  frolicking about at a San Francisco beach during the summer, but I think she did well and it paid off!

Well that’s all for the sneak peek…

Geoff & I got the chance to photograph Karen and Eric last week to celebrate their engagement!I’m starting this blog post with one of my favorites from their session. I just love the intimacy of this one. This couple is very easy going, and I know we are going to have a great time at their wedding.

Karen & Eric are getting married at Cordevalle and Laura Little of Floramor will be creating their floral design. The reception will feature pink for sure, but other than that Karen is mostly giving Laura free range to be creative. I think that is definitely a great way to ensure that your reception is as gorgeous as possible, by giving the artist the ability to design to the best of their abilities.

Are those not the perfect pair of jeans?

Just as we were starting up our session, we noticed some jugglers practicing nearby. They offered to include themselves for a “photo op” and we took them up on the offer. Karen and Eric both laughed and ducked as the pins came flying near their heads. That takes a lot of bravery to close their eyes and kiss!

Karen has the most gorgeous skin, not a single blemish!

We can’t wait for their upcoming wedding, congratulations Karen & Eric!!