Katie + James in Solana Beach

Katie's mother Peggy and her husband Tim were our neighbors a couple of years ago when Adm and I first moved to Oakland, and so when Katie contacted us about photographing her wedding, we were incredibly honored.  And once we met Katie and James and the rest of their families, we felt even more privileged to document this special day for these two.  Their families were so nice and so easy going about everything.  During James' toast, he talked about how while growing up, he never saw his parents fight or lose their composure, and although we just met Katie and James, we have a feeling these two are the same way with one another.  It was such a pleasure just being around the two of them.

Their wedding took place at James' parent's beautiful home in Solana Beach, and it was the perfect backyard summer wedding.  Katie and James included their dog Ember and their parents' dog Cabo in the wedding festivities.  The ceremony was lovely and personal and included moments where Katie and James honored both of their parents and James' grandparents, who were the longest married couple.  After the cake-cutting, we were able to sneak these two off to a nearby beach for some photos at sunset, and we arrived just in time to catch a glimmer of the sun peeking through the clouds.  It was the perfect way to end a wonderful day.  Congratulations, Katie and James!

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Liz + Darren in Capitola, CA

When we left Oakland headed to Capitola for Liz and Darren's wedding, I had no idea of the outrageously fun wedding and dance party that were in store for us.  It had been raining on and off, our photo assistant Marina wasn't feeling well and the overcast Bay Area weather were making this LA native a little gloomy.  However, when we arrived, the sun was peeking out from behind the puffy white clouds, the garden at the Monarch Cove Inn had flowers blooming everywhere, and we felt like we were stepping into the Secret Garden, where everything was sunshine and happy.  Liz looked absolutely gorgeous, and although she was a little nervous before the ceremony, as soon as she saw Darren, she was all smiles and laughs.  We were able to sneak these two away for some portraits on the beach, and they were so sweet and playful with one another.

As for the party, you may remember Liz's sister Mary's dance solo from the photo booth...  Well, the robot was only the beginning of a dance party that ranged from hip hop songs to the Disney's Little Mermaid.  It was a pleasure to share Liz and Darren's special day and meet all of their wonderful friends and family.

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Joyce + Jake in Half Moon Bay, CA

Jake proposed to Joyce just a short walk from where they were married in Half Moon Bay.  For guests arriving to the wedding, the first thing they saw was a beautiful painting of these two at sunset, made by Joyce's talented little sister.  By just looking at the painting of this couple embracing in front of a beautiful sunset, you were able to feel the solidness of their love.  The same goes for Joyce, who was so nervous in the minutes leading up to the ceremony, but the moment she saw Jake at the other end of the aisle, all her nerves seemed to flutter away.  For the rest of the night, these two were stuck together, side by side, arms around one another.

It was such a privilege to be a part of their day.  These two come from very close knit families, and so there were many beautiful moments between them and their family members.  Because we had done such a fun engagement session with them a few months ago, we'd had a chance to get to know them so that they were already super comfortable with us from the moment we arrived, which in turn allowed us to capture all of the natural emotion of their day.  Congratulations you two!  We hope you're having the best honeymoon ever and that that carries through for the rest of your lives!

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Joyce's mom made these paintings specifically to hang around the reception area:

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The painting by Joyce's little sister is on the left.  Amazingly, it was overcast all day until the sun started setting so that we could make the picture on the right. 

Joyce + Jake Engaged

Joyce and Jake's engagement session was our last photo shoot for 2010, and I gotta say, it was pretty incredible. We wandered all throughout Half Moon Bay - we started with a stroll through downtown where we stopped in for drinks at a local restaurant, and despite initial curious looks from the wait staff, once they saw how sweet Joyce and Jake were with one another they let us transform their outdoor patio into an impromptu photo studio.  Next, just down the road, we scaled a fence to climb into a gorgeous pumpkin patch and corn field that provided the perfect backdrop as the sun streamed in between the mountains.  For our third stop, just a quick car ride away, we arrived at the beach just in time for a beautiful golden sunset in the exact spot where Jake had proposed to Joyce.  If all of that wasn't enough, we capped the night at the Ritz with a bottle of sparkling rose in front of a crackling fire.  It's shoots like these where I'm like, seriously, this is our job?

Joyce and Jake couldn't not have been more fun and easier to work with.  These two are doing a long-distance relationship at the moment - Joyce is in California and Jake is in Australia, so they really seemed to cherish every moment they spent together.  Furthermore, Joyce brought along her little sister, Alice, who was photo assistant and stylist extraordinaire.  We had a blast with these three - thanks for making the end of our 2010 so memorable!

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