Katie + William in Berkeley, CA

For the second time this summer, Adm and I found ourselves at the Brazilian Room in Berkeley for Katie and William's wedding.  It's really such a lovely spot, up in the hills, away from city noise and traffic.  Plus, I always love seeing how different couples transform places and create events to make them really feel their own.  Katie and William were no exception and they carried through an Irish theme with a live band that played traditional Irish music, engaged in Irish dancing and created details that clearly were made with the touch of an Irish lass.  Adm and I had such a wonderful time hanging out with Katie and William, who were just so genuinely nice throughout.  I feel like I'm becoming a broken record when I say these were two of the nicest people we've photographed, but it's so true!  We have been so lucky to have such nice and caring couples to work with!

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Introducing: CHRIS JORDAN!

I'm so excited and happy to introduce Chris Jordan, my first associate photographer!  Chris has made an informal appearance on the blog since he came through big time as a second photographer for Yen Yen and Davin's and Christy and Miguel's weddings earlier this year (while Adm was having/recuperating from back surgery).  Chris is an incredible photographer - not to brag but he won last year's coveted "Photographer of the Year" award from the San Francisco Bay Area Press Photographer's Association. He's a working journalist, and so you can check out his editorial portfolio here.  In addition to being such a talented photographer, Chris is a super nice guy and a great friend who also happens to live in Oakland.  Chris is also in the process of planning his own wedding to Sara, and so he's particularly conscious of all the details that go into planning the perfect wedding.  Adm and I couldn't be happier to have Chris join  our team!

Below are some sample images by Chris:  To view his full portfolio, please visit www.alisonyinphotographers.com

Kimberley + Stefan in Menlo Park, CA

I guess when you meet the "right one," you just know.  And Kimberley and Stefan just knew they were meant to be together.  These two started dating last fall, had a long-distance relationship while Kimberley was in school at Oxford in England and Stefan was here in the States, before whizzing through a few months long engagement.  Although they're back in England now (side note: Kimberley is at St. Edmund's Hall in Oxford, which is coincidentally where I studied abroad!), they were married in Kimberley's parents' beautiful backyard in Portola Valley in the middle of August before hosting a reception at the lovely Allied Arts Guild in Menlo Park.  Kimberley and Stefan were so sweet to each other and almost giddy throughout their day.  I wish you two all the best as you embark on a new journey - making a home together in Europe, as the first part of your marriage!

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Marika + Felix in San Diego, CA

Adm and I headed down to our first wedding in San Diego to photograph Marika and Felix at the end of July (yes, we're still catching up on our blogging).  In one sense, many of their pictures feel so quintessentially "SoCal" with the sun streaming through the palm trees.  On the other hand, Marika completely transformed the Abbey, where they had the ceremony and reception, so that the wedding felt like an intimate, candlelight dinner, something even a little wintery and European.  Or maybe it felt so European because there were so many European guests.  Felix is German and a number of his groomsmen, family members and friends came out from Germany for the wedding.  And boy can the Germans dance!  They tore up the dance floor making this the most dancing we've seen at a wedding.  Marika, however, was not to be outdone and busted a number of her own moves on the dance floor, and she looked amazing doing it.  Actually, scratch that - Marika was drop. dead. gorgeous.  Seriously, she looked like she had walked right out of a Vogue magazine.  Felix, my friend, you're a lucky guy.  And we feel lucky to have met both of you!

Following three photos by Adm:

I thought Adm and I tag-teamed Marika and Felix's "first look" very nicely:  Adm made the photo on the left while I made the photo on the right:

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Adm lit and made this photograph of the first dance:  (actually, the Abbey was really dark so we ended up lighting the whole wedding, which was a good challenge!)

Adm also made this dancing photo:

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Jaclyn + Andy in Santa Barbara, CA

Oh boy!  Where to start with this wedding?  First off, Jaclyn and I go wayyyy back to our softball playing days (yes, for those who don't know, I used to be a softball pitcher) when we played against each other's travel ball teams throughout high school before playing with each other as Tar Heels throughout college.  I have so many stories with Jaclyn - like this one time when our team was at the beach in Florida on spring break, and we sprinkled our coach (who was sleeping) with goldfish and then sat back to watch the gulls swoop....  Yeah, I have probably had the most laughs with this girl - she is ridiculous, but in the best kind of way, and a whole lot of fun.  Needless to say, you can only imagine what kind of guy it would take to both reel in Jac's craziness as well as add to it.  And lucky for her, Andy is that guy.  They are perfect together, and their wedding was an incredible reflection of both their personalities - they had games throughout the reception, in lieu of cocktail hour, they had "80s Power Hour," their dog Hogan made a special toast to the newlyweds.... the list goes on.  Since Jaclyn is one of my dear friends, I doubled as bridesmaid and photographer, leaving Adm with the bulk of the photo duties.  We also brought along our friend Justin Maxon to help make pictures so between the three of us, this was the most well covered wedding to date.  Jaclyn and Andy had a beautiful ceremony on a cliff called "The Bluffs" in Santa Barbara that overlooked the ocean, followed by a reception at Elings Park, which they transformed so that it felt like their personal backyard party.  After the reception, everyone headed to their favorite local bar, "The Neighborhood" for the after-party.  Jaclyn and Andy, I can't wait to have so many more good times with you two - you guys rock!

Ring photo below by Adm:

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Johanna + Jack in Napa, CA

Johanna and Jack are both from Chicago, but had an amazing destination wedding at the Carneros Inn in Napa.  With their closest family and friends, they exchanged vows in the middle of an apple orchard, drank wine by the pool, and danced to acoustic renditions of some Bob Dylan favorites.  It could not have been a more perfect day.  Furthermore, Adm and I have never laughed so much during our couples' portrait session.  Johanna and Jack, we wish you so much happiness and hope you're laughing (with each other) for years to come!

Next four photos are by Adm:

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And, below is their slide show, set to "I Want You" by Bob Dylan: