a Senior Teaser

I just had to share something from my senior shoot yesterday. This is Mimi, my newest Senior Ambassador, and I had sooo much fun with her! The shoot was great and I can't wait to post more pictures. Stay tuned!

I'm such a tease, aren't I? : )

Martha + Fletcher: Wedding at Napa's Meadowwood

I shot a truly classy wedding with Lisa Leigh of Lisa Leigh Photography earlier this month for Martha and Fletcher at Meadowwood in Napa valley. Lisa had told me how kind Martha was and how much I'd enjoy their wedding and boy was she right!

Here of some of the details from the event… The setup was beautiful and the couple couldn't have asked for a nicer day. Nothing was overdone but there was just a refined sense about the whole thing. Everything went so smoothly and everything was in it's place without being extravagant, even down to the flowers on the backs of Martha's and Fletcher's chairs. I absolutely loved the cake. Something about it was just beautifully simple. The groomsmen were fun, especially Fletcher's older brother who led a hilarious toast later in the evening. There were three "flowerboys", Fletcher's nephews, who were quite the handful but look how cute they are! And on the bottom right is Martha's father with a little grin as he puts the finishing touches on his speech.

The bridesmaids wore simple brown tea-length dresses. Martha's pregnant maid of honor (also named Lindsay) looked especially great in the dress. The flowerboys needed some coaxing to get out the door and, in the end, only two out of three went down the aisle but they were very cute nonetheless. When the youngest reached the end and still had petals in his basket, what else is there to do but turn it upside down and get to his seat! Guests had white paper parasols to keep cool while they waited for the stunning bride. And she really was beautiful. She wore white orchids in her hair and a cathedral length veil that looked great on her.

The kiss!

The toasts… Both funny and touching. Martha's father's toast had her shedding a few tears and explaining the etymology behind her nickname of "Buds". Lindsay, Martha's maid of honor, explained how they had been friends for years and how their friendship seemed almost to have been written in the stars. Fletcher's brother got in plenty of jabs at Fletcher for getting him in trouble when they were kids and his lack of hair. Fletcher and Martha were gracious when it came time for their speeches upon cutting the cake and, no, there was no cake smashing.

I never would have guessed it but this group was made up of party animals! The band, Pure Ecstasy, was fantastic and had everyone up on their feet in no time. I have never seen so much movement at a wedding. The place was jumping! If you ever need to hire a band for you event and you want people out on the dance floor, this is the group for you. They sing a collection of classics from oldies Motown to Prince to a capella. I really cannot say enough about these guys.

I had a hard time pulling myself away for the drive back to San Francisco since everyone was having so much fun on the dance floor. If the rest of their lives are half as wonderful as their wedding day, Martha and Fletcher will be a very happy couple. Congrats, guys!

I close my eyes at night,
wondering where would I be without you in my life
Everything I did was just a bore,
everywhere I went it seems I'd been there before
But you brightened up for me all of my days
With a love so sweet in so many ways
I want to stop and thank you baby
How sweet it is to be loved by you
How sweet it is to be loved by you
- Jr. Walker and the All Stars "How Sweet It Is"

Linda + Neil: Wedding at Crystal Springs Golf Course

It's been a busy few weeks but I've really wanted to post about some of the great weddings I've shot lately. First there was Linda and Neil's with Julie Cheshire. Linda and Neil are an absolutely adorable couple who got married at this great location at Crystal Springs Golf Course in Burlingame, CA.

Her bridesmaids showed up and all got ready in the golf course locker room, which we had all to ourselves. The girls wore cute jewel-toned green strapless dresses and the flower girl wore an adorable green and white wreath of flowers. I'm not quite sure how all the girls knew each other but they were so chummy. They seemed like they had been best pals for years. And Linda looked fabulous. She was the absolute antithesis of a bridezilla. She was sweet, happy, down-to-earth, and a genuinely nice person. And believe me, wedding day stress can bring out the worst in people but she took it all in stride, even when we were initially locked out of the golf course!

But the ceremony was fabulous. Linda and Neil have two fluffy, white dogs that carried their rings down the aisle. The little ring bearer held the leash but the dogs were obviously in charge of direction and led him almost around the aisle even with a horde of people calling to the pups from the front. It was really cute. A family friend was the officiant and, though he got nervous and almost wed them before the candle ceremony, it was a very touching ceremony.

The ceremony was perfectly timed at sunset and cast a beautiful golden glow over everyone. And I almost forgot to explain why this site was amazing… The little white gazebo where they wed was perched atop a cliff overlooking a river and the mountains. It was like something out of a fairy tale. It was literally only a few feet away from the edge and looked simply magical at sunset. We rushed to get group pictures afterwards and then we had a few minutes for Neil and Linda alone for the grand finale of a purpley pink sky. They were really just so in love and perfect together. .

The reception was fun too. The bridesmaids even began singing along to the couples first dance. The toasts were hilarious, with several people claiming to be the reason Linda and Neil ended up together.

The best part of the whole day was Neil's surprise to Linda at the end. Neil had been in drama through school and had acted and sung in musicals. Despite apparent begging, Neil had never sung for Linda. Well, after the bouquet and garter toss, Neil pulled her into the center of the room and had her sit down with all of the guests gathered around. One of the groomsmen pulled out a guitar and Neil began serenading Linda to his own personal version of the Plain White T's "Hey there Delilah". He had been practicing it at night and even after the rehearsal diner the night before the wedding. He had somehow been able to keep it a secret from her all this time. Neil's song was "Hey There DeLinda" and talked about how they met, how happy he was with her and how he hoped to give her a wonderful life from that day forward.

It was a great way to end the night. Here's to Neil and Linda, a beautiful couple who I hope will have their happily ever after.

Hey there Delilah
I've got so much left to say
If every simple song I wrote to you
Would take your breath away
I'd write it all
Even more in love with me you'd fall
We'd have it all

Oh it's what you do to me
Oh it's what you do to me
Oh it's what you do to me
Oh it's what you do to me

- Plain White T's "Hey There Delilah"

Trash the Dress at Baker Beach

I have been busy, busy, busy! I worked on four shoots this past weekend. I'm going to try hard to get them up ASAP. My first was Friday evening with Felicia. She is my newest Senior Ambassador from Los Gatos High School.

"Fashions fade; style is eternal."


–Yves Saint Laurent

I cannot even begin to tell you how much fun we had. I have been dying to try a "trash the dress" shoot for a while now and Felicia eagerly offered up two gowns for the event. The whole Trash the Dress Phenomenon started with photographer John Michael Cooper, who gets together with brides after their weddings to don their bridal gowns one last time. He then photographs them getting their dress wet, dirty, grungy, ripped, sometimes burned, and altogether ruined. It's starting to catch on with seniors. I mean, really, when will you ever wear that prom dress again?

Felicia and I met up at Baker Beach at sunset and began the fun in the dirty, grungy military bunker.

Felicia is absolutely beautiful. She does some modeling on the side and it's no surprise at all. She's six feet tall (I'm not kidding!) with long hair and a few freckles.

She changed into a white dress for the beach. If you've been there, you've seen the enormous old cypress trees that sit atop Baker Beach in the Presidio of San Francisco. They are really extraordinary and are windblown with their roots half out of the ground. And, of course, there were great views of the Golden Gate Bridge off in the distance.

I hadn't previously warned Felicia and her family about the, um, less-than-clothed visitors on the north side of the beach. We left Felicia's mom and brother on the safer side and ventured over to where the setting was perfect (despite the occasional glimpse of too much skin). There are some big rocks that I had Felicia climb and lay on. She was a trooper and was willing to do it all in her pristine, white dress. I would not want to play poker with her because she was able to keep a straight face after the tide came up when I had her laying on her belly. Her expression never changed until I lowered my camera and then she jumped up out of the water. And trust me when I say that that water was c-o-l-d.

She was a great model and I couldn't wait to come home and check out all of the images.

Thanks for such a great time, Felicia!

p.s. If you'd like to be my next Senior Ambassador, check out this post and shoot me an email at lmdocherty@gmail.com. It's lots of fun and will get you a free session plus free photo goodies.

Family Session in Alamo Square

"The face of a child can say it all, especially the mouth part of the face." -Jack Handey

I met up with little 2 year old Alessandro and his parents last week for some fun pictures in Alamo Square. Alessandro was fabulous – he was playful, friendly, and even shared his homemade ice cream with me. Check out some of the pictures from our session!

Alessandro and Mom shared some very tender moments reading in a big comfy chair by the window. He played with his hair and helped mom turn the pages. I absolutely love little kid features, especially when they're right next to those of a parent. He had adorable little toes and cute little fingers that laid on mom's hand when she read. He loves to read and it was hard to pull him away from his books to go outside. Not such a bad problem for a parent to have!

He was definitely a fun little guy!

We took a trip out to Alamo Square to play on the grass and the playground there. I had brought some bubbles along which took a little while to get used to. The first attempt wound up going in the wrong direction right back into little Alessandro's face. The wind eventually cooperated and helped out to get the bubbles going the right way.

Boy did we have fun on the playground! There were slides and swings and sand. Things to climb and things to turn. The fun didn't stop with Alessandro – Mom and Dad went down the slides too, almost giggling as much as Alessandro. He made ice cream for mom and dad (watermelon, I think) out of sand and generously offered some to me too. I assure you that it was a very intense process.

The pictures were for mom so I have to highlight some of the absolute cutest moments between the two of them. They chased each other around the bright yellow flowers. In the background you can see some of the famous Painted Ladies of San Francisco (the pretty Victorian houses you've seen from Full House). They were so sweet together, just running around and having a blast. There no doubt that he definitely loves his momma.

It was a very full evening. We did so much that there's no wonder he passed out on Mommy's shoulder. It was a very fun time and Alessandro was just a great kid. I have a feeling that mom and dad passed out when they got home, too! Thanks for a fun day, guys!