Frances + Joe in San Jose, CA

On their very first date at Pinkberry on Santana Row in San Jose, Frances and Joe had no way of knowing that Joe would eventually propose to Frances there, or that they would get married just a couple hundred feet away at the Hotel Valencia and have their wedding portraits taken on the very spot where Joe proposed under a tree in front of the same Pinkberry where they had their first date.  Okay that was a long sentence, but I had a lot of serendipity to pack in.  Especially because when we met they didn't have a venue, and it was only after going back to their spot that they settled on Hotel Valencia.  So, given their history, I fully expect Frances to give birth to their first child under the oak tree in front of Pinkberry on Santana Row.  I kid (pun intended), but isn't it crazy how things work out sometimes?

These two had a fun packed wedding starting with a tea ceremony and ending with a full dance floor.  They were so sweet to work with and a breeze to photograph!  Congratulations, Frances and Joe, and we wish you lots of happiness and lots of Pinkberry!

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Karen + Uday Engagement

One of the maybe slightly odd things that we photographers do is go on photo walks.  Yep, we just wander around town taking pictures of things.  My favorite part of Karen and Uday's engagement session was walking around the Design District of San Francisco and finding cool buildings and fun textures for their portraits.  An engagement photo walk!  Karen and Uday wanted a San Francisco engagement session since they're getting married in the East Bay this January, and when they mentioned the Design District, I knew that this was going to be something a little extra special.  We also made stops at Sutro Baths, Potrero Hill, Farley's and SOMA StrEAT Food Park.

Bee + Stanley

Bee and Stanley were out here visiting from Malaysia and even though they're technically married, they wanted to do some wedding portraits around the city.  We hit up a lot of the San Francisco landmarks including the cable cars and Golden Gate Bridge, which we had to visit twice because the first time, it was completely covered in fog.  These two, who have known each other since primary school and reconnected at a class reunion 15 years later, are planning a small wedding ceremony at home in December.  We wish them lots of love and happiness.

Amy + Brett Engaged

Longtime followers of the blog may recognize Amy as one of Judith's bridesmaids in Judith and Tom's wedding our very first year.  We are thrilled to be photographing hers and Brett's wedding later this year at Viansa Winery in Sonoma, which is where we met up to do some engagement photos this past weekend.  These two were such troopers to brave the elements because despite the fact that it looks sunny and beautiful, it was actually incredibly windy (and cold) outside.  Then again, they do both live in New York where I'm sure they're used to much more extreme weather.  After taking some photos at the winery, we headed to downtown Sonoma, which is super charming, and made pictures at the Mission.  I'm always a sucker for the rustic feel of all missions in California, and so I loved using the wood beams and textured walls for framing and backdrops.  We can't wait for their October wedding to get back to Viansa and photograph these two with their family and friends!

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!

Adm made this photo:

Crystal + Vincent in San Francisco, CA

Crystal and Vincent were married in the Spanish Suite of the Clift Hotel in November.  They had a lovely, intimate affair - there were candles and crystals everywhere, which really nicely accentuated the simple flower arrangements.  Since everyone snuggly fit into one dining room, they managed to combine elegance with coziness, which seems to perfectly reflect both Crystal and Vincent - they were both very formal at times, especially considering Vincent's military background, but throughout the course of the night, they still let loose and partied with all of their friends and family.

This was our first wedding where we photographed everything indoors (with the exception of 10 minutes right outside the Clift for some night light portraits as shown above).  Since we're big natural light people, this was a fun challenge to figure out how to light everything while still retaining our same photographic style.

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Here's the detail panel:  (photos by both Adm and me)

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