Hanh & Jean-Luc chose to say their vows in front of their very closest friends and family in a very intimate ceremony at the lush & lovely Elizabeth Gamble Garden in Palo Alto. It was the perfect way to start a marriage! Hahn and Jean-Luc decided to start their day with a private meeting prior to the ceremony. If you are a regular reader of this blog, you know I’m a big fan of private meetings between the bride and groom before the ceremony. Besides being a MAJOR stress reliever for nervous brides and grooms, it’s also a great way to get your portraits out of the way so you can actually enjoy visiting with your guests during cocktail hour. If you are on the fence about this idea, give us a call so we can convince you! Or search the blog for “private meeting” and you’ll see all the great images that result from these intimate moments.
I’ve been really into extreme close ups lately. I think it has something to do with that old saying…”the eyes are the windows to the soul.” See what I mean? I’ve always been a tight shooter (Geoff gets after me about this all the time, but I just can’t help it!) because I just love the intimacy that is created by a very tight shot. Cropping these to 5×7’s and 8×10’s can be um, challenging for Elena, but it’s really how I began to see the world in a more beautiful way. When you take in an entire scene with your eyes, it’s usually boring, regular, ordinary. But if you break it down into smaller bits, and look at things from different angles, you can see beauty everywhere.
Hanh was just glowing with happiness all day. The vibe was easy and relaxed, and Hanh and Jean-Luc took care of all the family portraits prior to the ceremony, which actually turned into a nice little pre-ceremony reception. Everyone was just so happy!
The flower gardens were in full bloom, and I noticed guests really enjoying themselves, strolling through the gardens before and after the ceremony.
The reception took place at the Plumed Horse in Saratoga. What’s great about intimate celebrations is you can really spoil your guests. Hanh and Jean-Luc definitely took advantage of the opportunity to treat their guests to an incredible meal. Each place setting had a fresh stem of flowers; a really nice touch. And so appropriate, since they were married in a garden. Hanh & Jean-Luc planned several surprises for their guests throughout the evening, such as naming each table with a photo of a particular location (but no written name of the spot). Guests had to match up their escort cards with a city name to the photo in order to find their table. A very clever way of adding personal touches. Not only does the couple travel frequently, Jean-Luc has an interest in photography.
Geoff took a series of really cool shots of the happy couple from inside the wine cellar (might not technically be a cellar, but that’s what I’m going with).
For their first dance, the couple had another surprise in store for their guests. Starting off as a normal slow dance song, the music changed about half way through into a disco song. That really got the party started! All in all, a wonderful experience. Congratulations Hanh & Jean-Luc!
