Eva + Palani in San Francisco, CA

Alison March 24, 2011

Who doesn't want to be first? Nobody! Especially in this household. Adm and I are super competitive people, and we both love to be first and love to win. Not that this is really a competition when it comes to the sequence of weddings, but Eva and Palani are our FIRST wedding of 2011. Three cheers for them! Three cheers also for their families who flew halfway around the world to help celebrate their marriage: Palani's family came from India and Eva's mother came from Hong Kong.

For their wedding yesterday, Adm and I found ourselves back at San Francisco City Hall. Despite a few hiccups (the wrong copy of the marriage license forced Palani and Eva to reapply for a new marriage license which pushed back their ceremony appointment), these two seemingly remained unscathed. Actually, Palani kept laughing and grinning throughout the whole process, as if to say, "Eva, this is how the rest of your life with me will be so get used to it!" Congratulations, you two! We wish you a life full of laughs and adventures!

Next two photos below by Adm:

2010 Highlights: A Year in Review!

Alison December 31, 2010

I can't believe we're already ringing in a New Year. 2010 has been a complete whirlwind, and at the end of the year, when things are starting to slow down and we're getting ready to breathe and relax for a few months, I always like to reflect on what we've done and think about what direction we're headed in. In pulling out images for the highlight slideshow, I can see how our style is evolving and what areas to focus on for the future. This is part of what makes our job so fun - constantly critiquing one another and pushing each other to do better. We absolutely love what we do and are so incredibly lucky to work with such wonderful people who trust their memories with us. We are so grateful for each and every couple that lets us into their lives on such an important day, and we just hope that the care we take in creating their images is a true reflection of how important they are to us.

The slideshow includes images from every wedding and engagement session we photographed this past year. Music is "Perfect In My Mind" by Gold Motel.

Ellen + Brendon in Charlotte, NC

Alison December 29, 2010

I LOVE this couple! Ellen is one of my best friends from college and she could not have found a more perfect partner for herself than Brendon. It's always such a privilege to witness our clients' weddings, but it's truly magical watching two people you know and love declare their love for one another, especially when they've included passages from The Velveteen Rabbit in their ceremony. Everything about their wedding came together so perfectly and with so many contributions from their friends and family so that it truly was a day for all of us to show our love and support for these two fabulous people. Ellen has always been a dear friend, and she is one of the most impassioned and compassionate people I know so it was a real honor to be able to participate in and contribute to her day. I doubled as a woman of honor and photographer so Adm and our good friend Whitney Shefte made a number of the images.

I may be a little biased, but Ellen was one of the most gorgeous brides I've ever seen! She looked like a brunette Veronica Lake and was absolutely stunning!

Following two images by Adm:

Next three photos by Whitney:

My friend April and I made her veil:

Next five photos by Adm:

Ellen's best woman, Shannon, designed and created all of the floral arrangements and bouquets, which were amazing!

Ellen, I love you and couldn't be happier for you!

Crystal + Vincent in San Francisco, CA

Alison December 17, 2010

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.

Next 4 photos below by Adm:

Next two photos by Adm:

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

Next two photos by Adm:

Photo below by Adm:

Photo on the left by Adm:

Nicole + Russell in Carmel Valley, CA

Alison December 9, 2010

What an amazing wedding Nicole and Russell had! We were treated to one of the prettiest venues we've been to - Bernardus Lodge and Winery, which is nestled in gorgeous Carmel Valley. Throughout the ceremony, I kept thinking it felt like I was in the middle of a Tuscan villa in Italy. We also had such a fun time working with Nicole and Russell - Nicole was so happy, I mean her smile and laugh were completely infectious! Nicole and Russell were both really funny, and the way they interacted with each other definitely felt a little reminiscent of the way Adm and I interact with each other - a little biting, but completely loving at the same time. : ) As an added surprise, one of our very first couples, Hillary and Matt, were guests at the wedding! Nicole and Russell, thanks so much for having us along for your wedding - we wish you two all the best!

Scenic photos below by Adm:

Next 7 photos below by Adm:

Photo below by Adm:

Aubra + Justin in Berkeley, CA

Alison November 15, 2010

Wow, where to start with Aubra and Justin's wedding? Adm and I had had such a great time with these two during their engagement session, we knew their wedding was going to be really fun, but it completely exceeded our expectations. Let's start with Aubra. She was absolutely breathtaking! And her dress, well, let's just say I fell in love with her dress, which perfectly went with the feel of their wedding. And Justin looked very handsome as well and was, hands down, the star of the dance floor. Next time we have a party, we're totally inviting him to get people groovin'!

Now, moving onto the ceremony. Aubra and Justin were married in the Redwood Amphitheater at the UC Berkeley Botanical Gardens, and their ceremony was completely magical. For starters, Aubra seemed to appear as a fairy nymph coming out of the redwoods as she approached the stage to meet her groom. The image of her walking through the beautiful trees by herself might be my favorite from the whole day. They had a traditional Jewish ceremony and added in a lot of themselves and their friends to completely personalize it and include the people closest to them. As I looked around at all of the guests during the ceremony, every single person there seemed to be completely engaged in what was happening and full of genuine happiness and love for these two. What a privilege for us to be able to witness that!

The ceremony really set the tone for the rest of the day which continued with just as much love and beauty. In addition to being surrounded by so many people who loved them, part of what made Aubra and Justin's wedding so special was that it was a complete reflection of them as a couple. They were both equally involved in the planning process and because of that, they really made this their event. This seems so basic, but with lives being so busy today, often the wedding planning falls primarily on one person (the bride) who relies on help from her mom or close friends. I just loved that these two worked together to make this day truly theirs.