Wedding in Carmel with Julie Cheshire

The other week I shot a wedding with the lovely Julie of Julie Cheshire Photography down in Carmel at Mission Ranch. As you will see, Mission Ranch is just beautiful.

Loren got ready in the honeymoon cottage. It was an adorable little house just large enough for all of the girls to get gussied up. Loren is simply beautiful and I love, love, love her hairstyle.



The flower girl was cute as a button. That face in the lower left was when she saw Loren’s dress for the first time. She looked like a little princess herself.


The ceremony site was down a path and over a bridge with a spectacular and private view of a field and the bay in the distance. If it hadn’t been so warm and lovely, it really would have reminded me of Scotland. And there were even sheep out there! They started getting vocal during the formals before the ceremony. I just thought it was the coolest thing.



Loren and Michael had blue skies and huge puffy clouds just for them.


The ceremony was presided over by a family friend which made it all the more special and personal. The six bridesmaids carried white roses and green hydrangea; Loren’s bouquet consisted of green orchids and white roses.


Since we had taken care of most of the formals before the ceremony, we pulled Loren and Michael aside for just a few shots near the fence before heading off to their cocktail hour.


The details were perfect and everything seemed to fit so well. It was a beautiful wedding in the country with just the right amount of fancy details and relaxed atmosphere.


The couple danced their first song to Alison Krauss’ “When You Say Nothing At All”.


The party really got going after that. There was some great music and the guests were so much fun.


Thanks so much, Loren & Michael. All the best!

The smile on your face lets me know that you need me
There's a truth in your eyes sayin' you'll never leave me
The touch of your hand says you'll catch me ever I fall
You say it best when you say nothing at all
Alison Krauss, When You Say Nothing At All

Wedding in Palo Alto with Julie Cheshire

I went down to Palo Alto with the talented Julie of Julie Cheshire Photography the other week to photograph the wedding of Karen & Mark at the Garden Court Hotel. I absolutely loved the location. It had elements of a Spanish villa and felt so self-contained, as if it could have been in the middle of nowhere.

Karen herself was the picture of elegance. She just exuded it. Very simple makeup, very little jewelry, and a very classy and sleek hairdo. When going through the pictures I couldn't help but feel that they should be in black and white since she had that feeling about her. Her dress was a very lovely and simple strapless Maggie Sottero gown with a small train.















The raw silk bridesmaid's gowns were hand made by a family friend.



And she wore a fabulous cathedral length veil. Now, I can't say that I'm a proponent of the tradition behind veils but as a photographer, if I had it my way, every bride would wear one. They are such a great thing to photograph and I love how they turn out in pictures.





The ceremony was in a room with huge semi-circle windows on two sides, letting in tons of natural light. They had a friend officiate it and incorporated elements from both Philipino and British cultures.





My favorite part of the Garden Court Hotel was its back patio with fountain and trees and Spanish style yellow walls surrounding the place.





Julie went to one of the upper floors to photograph the entire wedding group. I stayed below with the guests to get the fun shot from the ground.



The beautiful couple walked into the reception to some hilarious toasts and delicious dinner.



Julie managed to get Karen and Mark to come outside just after sunset for some pictures in the empty courtyard. It looked so great with the little yellow lights everywhere and the open sky. It was so romantic.



Their first dance was to Frank Sinatra's The Best is Yet to Come. So classy!





For me, one of the best parts about the day was seeing Linda and Neil again! Julie and I shot Linda and Neil's wedding last summer and it was so much fun to catch back up with them. They are still as cute as ever and were oblivious to everyone around them as they danced together. I was just beaming.



There were strict orders to avoid cheesy songs and hip hop and Hector got the party jumping to some great rock and classic oldies.

We learned that Mark had once taken breakdancing lessons but we didn't get to see any of that action from him. There were some guests who strutted their stuff, especially when Michael Jackson came on. I was pretty impressed!



They had a garter and bouquet toss and Karen's facial expressions when Mark was getting the garter were just priceless. She looked like she was getting into some really cold water. Too funny.



It was a great wedding and I was so happy to be a part of it. Best of luck, Karen & Mark! Maybe we'll see more from you guys in the near future at another wedding!

The best is yet to come, and wont that be fine
The best is yet to come, come the day that you're mine
Frank Sinatra, The Best is Yet to Come

Engagement Sessions at Tilden Park with Julie Cheshire

I spent part of Friday with Julie of Julie Cheshire Photography at Tilden Park in Berkeley. I have no idea how big the place is but it seems like there are new paths at every turn.

I was there with Julie in March for some engagement pictures of Anjuli and Mark. Anjuli was adorable in her cute cotton dress but I felt so bad for her because it was sooo chilly that morning. She took it like a champ (I would have been a big baby).



And since textures are the hot new thing in photography…









Aren't they a cute couple? They were so sweet and I have no doubt that their wedding will be beautiful.

And here are Amelia and Ted! We spent a few hours with them on Friday and had such a fun time. Amelia is a little goofy and they were both making faces the whole time. It was a much warmer day and the weather was just perfect for the session.





This is their serious and lovey side, but just you wait…



We found some really cool trees that we just had to use. The bark was completely smooth and all those spindly branches made for a really neat look.



After getting kicked out of the gardens, we drove to a grove of eucalyptus trees and the smell was just intoxicating. The light coming through those huge trees was spectacular and I was kicking myself for not bringing my wide angle lens.



I kind of like this old 70s, vintage-y look, what do you think?





We then found some grass and brought out the props. Amelia and Ted met in a history class they shared in college. Amelia says that Mark is the reason she passed. These are books from that very class and it seemed so necessary to make them a part of the engagement session.



And, last but not least, Amelia and Ted showing off their totally fun side in their college sweatshirts. Go bulldogs!



Too fun! Such a great couple! Their wedding isn't until 2009 but I'm really looking forward to seeing them again.

I'm definitely going to get myself back to Tilden Park to explore all those nooks and crannies. Next time I'll bget there before closing!

Love - a wildly misunderstood although highly desirable malfunction of the heart which weakens the brain, causes eyes to sparkle, cheeks to glow, blood pressure to rise and the lips to pucker. ~Author Unknown

Wedding at Falkner Winery with Julie Cheshire

Okay, I can't keep writing novels when I post pictures! I'm so eager to tell the story and share that I write way too much, obsess over the collages, and it takes me way too long to post!

I'm going to try to be better. I'm going to backtrack so that I can share a wedding that I shot last month with the wonderful Julie of Julie Cheshire Photography. Check it out!

Sheesh! I have never taken as many pictures as I did at the wedding of Toni and Mike. Perhaps it was the pretty and laid-back bride, Toni, or maybe it was the fabulous setting of Falkner Winery, or maybe it was just that SoCal sun! Whatever the reason, Julie and I filled up over 30GB of cards and could have shot more.

In the spirit of being concise, I'll just throw in little tidbits of the day.







Falkner Winery is located in Temecula, California, which is about 90 miles south of Los Angeles. (And yes, we drove there and back.) More than once I was told that Temecula is SoCal's version of wine country – they are very proud of the area and they should be – it was beautiful. Unfortunately the grapevines weren't full but the winery and the grounds were so pretty. The main building has this great ivy all over it and the dining hall is located in this spectacular red semi-circle modernish building. The ceremony site has a great view of the surrounding hills and their ceremony happened right before sunset so it was really impressive.





Okay, I must pause to tell you about the candle-lighting portion of the ceremony. Toni and Mike walked up to light their candles and Adam Sandler's "Grow Old With You" came on and everyone was cracking up. It was another playful and personal little touch that made the wedding day so memorable.



We took the couple out to shoot a few pictures of them alone and made use of this fabulous Italian wall outside of the reception area. I want one of these walls on my house – I could have taken pictures here all day.





The reception area – note the huge windows that look down on the ceremony site and out to the hills.



Before their first dance, Toni and Mike's flower girl surprised the couple with a speech and a song! It was so sweet. I was warned beforehand that it would happen and was told to take pictures of Toni because she would definitely cry.



And their first dance… Check out the candlelit ambience – just perfect!





The party was bumping late into the night. I've mentioned him before, but Hector Duron knows how to get people moving. It was definitely a fun crowd.






Congratulations Toni & Mike!

I wanna make you smile whenever you're sad
Carry you around when your arthritis is bad
All I wanna do is grow old with you

I'll get your medicine when your tummy aches
Build you a fire if the furnace breaks
Oh it could be so nice, growing old with you

I'll miss you
Kiss you
Give you my coat when you are cold

Need you
Feed you
Even let ya hold the remote control

So let me do the dishes in our kitchen sink
Put you to bed if you've had too much to drink
I could be the man who grows old with you
I wanna grow old with you
Adam Sandler, The Wedding Singer

A Catholic Wedding with Julie Cheshire

I had forgotten how different Catholic weddings are! The other week I shot the wedding of Oralia and Zack with the wonderful Julie Cheshire of Julie Cheshire Photography. This wedding was sooo different from the last one I shot with Julie out in Woodside, CA. Whereas Dan and Jessica had a very short ceremony led by their brother in a very casual and natural setting, Zack and Oralia held their wedding at the beautiful St. Elizabeth Seton Church in Pleasanton, Ca.

Outside the church there's a huge, artistic statue of a woman gathering in four little children and there are fountains all around it. It's really quite beautiful. The inside of the church is nice and open. Instead of pews being directly facing the altar, they were turned 90 degrees and it felt more like a welcoming and community atmosphere. There were great stained glass windows all around and incredibly tall ceilings with skylights, which just added to the open feel. Oralia's six maids wore stunning bright red dresses and the flower girls were in white with red sashes.

The reception was held at Crow Canyon Country Club in Danville, CA. Julie and I had actually shot a wedding there a few months earlier so we were fairly familiar with its fabulous view of the golf course and Mt. Diablo.

After the guests were seated, the wedding party made their entrance with Oralia and Zack finishing with a dip and a kiss. The toasts followed and were quite funny. We learned that Zack lived with Oralia's brother in college and introduced the two. The best moment was when her brother was describing his very first encounter with Zack and it was as he drove his truck up to their dorm with Shania Twain blasting on the stereo. There were some sweet moments too and I caught Zack's mother letting out a few tears.

They group gathered near the dance floor and watched as Zack and Oralia had their first dance together as husband and wife. If was very sweet - the flower girls can be seen dancing in the corner of the dancefloor too. Zack danced with his mother and since Oralia's father had passed away, her oldest brother came out to dance with her. This was no slow dance though, DJ Hector started up some fast Spanish music and they both really got the party started. (On a side note, I highly recommend the DJ - Hector Duron - he worked the crowd perfectly with great timing and none of the cheese that you see so often with wedding DJs. As an added perk, he also speaks Spanish.)

This was such a great group. They were just so real, friendly, and fun. Oralia must know her brother fairly well. As she was gearing up for the bouquet toss, she faked him out as he went bounding across the floor for an interception. Zack was hilarious as well. After climbing up Oralia's dress for the garter, he jerked backward as if he were having trouble with the garter and came tumbling out with a pair of big, lacy, granny panties. And when it came time for the cake cutting… well, I'm sure you can guess how that went…

The rest of the night was filled with dancing. There were so many fun pictures from the event. There was a money dance (and I think the lowest donation was a quarter), a conga line led by Oralia, a fabulous song that got everyone stomping their feet, and DJ Hector even brought out some glow necklaces that had the guests twirling them above their heads. Even the kids were having a blast on the dance floor.

Oralia and Zack were simply a genuinely nice couple and I wish them nothing but the best. Congrats!

You're the reason I believe in love
And you're the answer to my prayers from up above
All we need is just the two of us
My dreams came true because of you
- Shania Twain "From This Moment On"

A Wedding in Woodside with Julie Cheshire

This time I shot a wedding with Julie Cheshire of Julie Cheshire Photography Julie Cheshire Photography in Woodside, California at this great restaurant, Mountain Terrace. True to name, this place was the perfect blend of casual wedding and beautiful scenery. You'd never see it unless you were looking for it. It's next to a little deli and across from Alice's Restaurant along a very windy road. Once there, though, you'll walk through the restaurant to the back and see a huge lawn lined with huge redwoods and a great view of the mountains between them.

I'll let you in on some of the details from the day…Placecards were handmade with dried, pressed wildflowers that were totally unique for each guest. This theme carried through to the centerpieces of colorful wildflowers in mason jars and at the end chairs along the aisle. They had a ukulele player throughout the ceremony and dinner which was a very neat spin on the string group you see at most weddings. I also got to take a peek at Jessica's vows as she practiced them before the ceremony.

Jessica's mom helped her prepare for her big day. There might have been a few tears welling up; but they were all suppressed for the sake of the makeup. You should have seen Jessica before the ceremony. She was pretty calm and stayed in her room so that Dan wouldn't be able to see her before she walked down the aisle. She read and reread her vows while waiting to be escorted out by her father.

The ceremony was super short but very heartfelt. Each read their own vows which was Dan's idea, showing his inner romantic. It was presided over by Dan's nervous brother who did very well considering it was the first time he had ever done anything like that.

Here's a glimpse of the scenery from the yard. The colors were fantastic. As for the newlyweds, they were just giddy. A man of few words, Dan makes up for it with the way he looks at Jessica and the way she looks at him.

The toasts were great, especially the one by his brother who was able to say all the things he knew he couldn't during the ceremony. We learned of Jessica and Dan's past 7 years together, with their first meeting at a Starbucks while Dan was living it up hippie-style in a van. It was also important to get pictures of the "Vegas Girls". The sextet went to Las Vegas to celebrate Jessica's bachelorette party and four of them came back with a dragonfly tattoo!

Again, I was lucky enough to photograph a wedding where the guests were hitting the dance floor like it was their job! Jessica's father was cutting the rug all night with his hot moves. One guests got so into his moves that he split his pants! You know it's a good party when someone goes home needing a tailor. Also getting down was Dan's grandmother from Canada. She was out there twirling around like everyone else. When I asked Dan how old she was, I was blown away by the fact that she's 93! She was putting the majority of the younger folks to shame.

It was a beautiful night and I wish Jessica and Dan the best of luck far into their nineties.

Grow old along with me, the best is yet to be.

- Robert Browning

Wedding in Burlingame with Julie Cheshire

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"

Engagement Session in Golden Gate Park

I take advantage of every photography opportunity that comes my way and every now and then I have the honor of working with Julie Cheshire (formerly Julie Berry). I knew her back when I lived in Raleigh and we both moved out to the Bay Area around the same time. She is an excellent portrait and wedding photographer.

Today we met with this absolutely cute and infectiously bubbly couple. They've been together for seven years, have been engaged for 1 year (as of tomorrow) and they'll be married in August of 2008. It's so easy to see how smitten they are with one another. We went to Golden Gate Park by the DeYoung Museum for the last few minutes of sunlight. It lit up these lovebirds.
They are a beautiful couple and I wish them all the best. Check in around this time next year to see more of them - I might be helping Julie with the wedding too. (I hope so!)