I’m really into cakes. Baked goods of all kinds actually. Cakes, brownies, lemon squares, cookies, pies, cupcakes. When we have a long wedding day ahead of us, I tell myself that if I work really hard and get great shots, there’ll be a lovely piece of wedding cake waiting for me at the end of the day. Honestly, the thought of wedding cake can get me through an intense 10 hour day on my feet. For the first half of the day, I imagine what it will look like, what type of frosting it will be covered in, any fillings that might be used, what it will look like etc. After I’ve seen the actual cake on the day, of course I can start filling in with details. I love cake, I do. My absolute favorite kind of cake is chocolate cake with raspberry filling and vanilla frosting. Sadly, this is not a particularly common combination, but there’s always a chance right? You just never know! A sad little secret about me is that I often (yes, often) fantasize about pretending to be a bride & groom so Geoff & I could go to cake tastings. Of course, most cake people would recognize us, so it would be unwise to try this little stunt here in the Bay Area. Sometimes I further develop my fantasizes about food tastings with assorted caterers too, but mainly I focus on the cake. Sometimes when we are going out of town, I begin to wonder if we couldn’t pull it off in an area where wedding industry professionals don’t know us? Unfortunately, Geoff is not really keen on this idea, so I never get very far with it.
However, my friend Jen from Jen’s Cakes is throwing a cake tasting party for (wedding) industry people in a few weeks. I am so excited. I cannot even tell you how excited I am. In fact, I’m going to email Jen right now to let her know my favorite type of cake!
Today Geoff & I took advantage of the gorgeous weather and went out for lunch with our friend Crystal from Amazae Special Events in downtown Mountain View at Minh’s a beautiful Vietnamese restaurant. The food was excellent, and the decor was very nicely done, sort of a contemporary lounge feel. I love good food, but to me, the aesthetics of the surroundings, the lighting and the presentation of the food is just as important as the food itself. I guess that’s why I love events so much!
Crystal is organizing this cool bridal show called Una Bella Sera at Casa Real at Ruby Hill Winery. Casa Real is a brand new event space in Pleasanton, and apparently it’s super popular, and already has over 100 events booked there, even though it isn’t even open yet. Click on the link above to RSVP for the event, it’s going to be an amazing bridal event!
Our very first wedding of the year, we couldn’t have asked for a better couple! We’ve become friends with Sophia & Gareth, and it was such an incredible day to be a part of. The morning began at Sophia’s parents home in Burlingame, where she got ready with her bridesmaids. That amazing dress she is wearing is by designer Anne Barge I hope this is the start of a new trend in dresses-as much as we all love the strapless dress, it’s not always the most flattering style.
Look at that smile!
The ceremony was Armenian, and involved them keeping their foreheads touching throughout most of the ceremony. It was very romantic! Gareth’s family is from South Africa, and many of his family members had flown in just for the wedding.
After the ceremony we headed over to Kohl Mansion for their reception. Kohl Mansion is one of our favorites, the architecture is gorgeous, the gardens are great for portraits, and we all love that black and white floor!
This is Gareth’s favorite image of Sophia. She’s such a timeless beauty! Geoff created this image for them, inspired by an image Kelvin took of Geoff & I (it’s the first image on the About Us page). What’s funny is that the image of Geoff has a very modern look, while this image has a very timeless feel to it. Photographers get so much inspiration from looking at each other’s work and seeing new ways of looking at life.
The image on the left is my favorite. Even though Geoff took this one, it was my idea, so I take full credit!
They went all out on their decor, which turned out beautifully. We got to work with Janece Shelloe of Every Elegant Detail and she provided day or coordination of the event. Janece kept everything flowing smoothly throughout the day and evening. Classic black and white was chosen as their theme:
Great lighting is key, it brings out the rich details in the paneling, the wood beams, and sets the perfect mood:
I’m always looking for inspiration in movies, magazines, photos and marketing pieces. Our friend Armando, a wedding hair & makeup artist put together a new business card with bobby pins. It’s so clever!
Maria & Josh chose the Ritz Carlton in Half Moon Bay as the perfect location for their beach themed wedding. I love that property, even though it’s a “Ritz Carlton” it feels very relaxed and casual. Every evening a bagpiper welcomes the sunset. How can you not love that? Maria was one of the most calm brides we’ve ever seen! Maybe it’s because of her professional work as emotionally disadvantaged women and children. Did I mention Maria has a heart of gold? Her hair and makeup were done by Taylor Pham of Faces By Taylor. My mom says Maria has “magic in her eyes” what do you think?
Brides often worry whether it will be foggy in Half Moon Bay, but this is the type of weather we usually get:
Josh waiting at the alter for Maria. Maria was escorted down the aisle by her brother Robert, such an incredible gentleman. His eyes were on Maria the whole time:
Views just don’t get any better than this:
After the brief ceremony, guest were treated to signature cocktails while we did the family portraits.
After finishing up the family portraits, The Ritz staff drove us over to the stairs to go down to the beach for a few nice portraits. This is what they chose for the front of their thank you card:
Maria arranged to get a groom’s cake done like bi-plane since Josh is a pilot:
Those dance lessons paid off:
