Angela + Brett Orinda, CA

Good morning blog world!  We had a really fun shooting weekend - a San Francisco engagement and gorgeous wedding in Carmel, and hope you all had a super Labor Day weekend too!  To ease back into the work week, we're sharing Angela and Brett's "fairytale casual" wedding!

What is fairytale casual you may wonder?  Well, it's what Angela and Brett instructed their guests to wear, and while it's open to interpretation, one thing that's for certain is that it leads to a whole lot of fun.  Angela and Brett know how to have a good time, and when you bring together some wizards, Aladdin, Jasmin, steampunk inspired  Burning Man costumes, and grown men with butterfly wings running around it's guaranteed to be a crazy party.

These two were married atop the hill in Brett's parents' backyard in Orinda.  Surrounded by tall pines and food and drink carts scattered throughout the property, guests dined on fresh oysters, paella, home brew and creme brûlée.  Of all the weddings that Adm and I have photographed together, this one has to be the most enchanting.  Thank you, Angela and Brett, for marching to the beat of your own drum.

Photo below by Adm:

Next four photos below by Adm:

Photo below by Adm:

Next two photos by Adm:

Aileen + Louis in Berkeley, CA

Each time I meet with potential clients, I try to impress upon them how important it is for them to feel comfortable hanging out with their wedding photographers, well, us.  On the most special day of your life, you definitely do not want to spend your wedding day with people you're not completely at ease with.  Aileen and Louis are a great example of a perfect fit with Adm and me.  We felt like we were spending time with friends and you can see from the photos that everyone was able to be their natural selves, which always makes for the best moments.

When Aileen's mom first found out about Louis (these two started dating in college), she initially thought her daughter was going to run off and elope.  Well, that didn't happen, and here these two are, almost ten years later.  Instead, her mom got to put her mother's pearls on Aileen's wrist just before watching them get married at Corpus Christi Church by the same priest who married her to Aileen's father a generation earlier.  There were so many sweet touches to this wedding - even the suitcase that was on display to receive postcards for the newlyweds was a part of Aileen's family history as it was the same case her grandfather used when he emigrated from Ireland to the United States.

And, there were many contributions from Louis' side as well.  For starters, Louis was in charge of the music, and he picked a killer bluegrass band to play for their cocktail hour followed by a funk, soul and rock 'n roll nine-piece party band for the reception.  I mean, you can't really go wrong when you hire a band called "the Floorshakers," can you?  Oh, and while Aileen may have been planning her wedding since she was a little girl, there's no way she could have ever planned for Louis' father's incredible rendition of "What a Wonderful World."

Okay, I could go on and on, but I think that I have gushed enough.  Onwards to pictures...

Next three photos by Adm:

Next two photos by Adm:

Photo below by Adm:

Next four photos by Adm:

Photo below by Adm:

Photo below by Adm:

Photo below by Adm:

Photos below by Adm:

Nina + Doran in Berkeley, CA

I am a photojournalist and I've never worked as a fashion photographer, but I imagine that working with models is not that much different than photographing Nina and Doran.  These two were complete naturals in front of the camera - they moved with such ease and grace and were so very comfortable with each other.  I guess that's the type of chemistry you get after being together for seven years.

Although Nina and Doran may have been together for a long time, they planned their wedding in about two months.  TWO MONTHS!  They kept the focus of their day on the ceremony, which was truly a coming together of their closest family and friends who have supported their relationship throughout and will continue to support their marriage.  It was obvious that everyone in attendance has been important in their life, and each and every guest bore witness to and signed their gorgeous ketubah.  So many people contributed to their wedding as many things including the cake, ketubah, bouquet and boutonnieres were all made by friends.  Their wedding festivities were made all the more special by the fact that they married on the weekend of Nina's grandparents (who traveled from Houston for the event) 62nd wedding anniversary.  Congrats you two!  You're such lovely people and it was an honor to photograph your wedding!

Photo below by Adm:

Photo below by Adm:

Photo below by Adm:

Photo below by Adm:

Photo below by Adm:

Photo below by Adm:

Next three photos by Adm:

Next four photos by Adm:

Vandeep + Ashminder in El Sobrante, CA

What would you say if your photographer took her shoes off while photographing your wedding ceremony?  If you follow my blog, you already know I love learning about cultures I haven't experienced before.  When the opportunity arose for me to second shoot a Sikh wedding, I jumped at the chance.  I have to thank Duke for bringing me along to help him photograph Vandeep and Ashminder's wedding at Gurdwara Sahib in El Sobrante.  It was an amazing experience and a total color explosion!  Because of the gorgeous fabrics and colors the women and men are wearing, I kept all of the photos in color.  And yes, I photographed the ceremony without shoes because everyone took their shoes off before entering the Sikh center.  You can check out Duke's amazing portfolio here.

Lan + Viet in Laguna Beach, CA

Whew, what a whirlwind it's been!  We just returned home to the Bay after spending ten fun but busy days in southern California.  While down south, we photographed Lan and Viet's Vietnamese wedding and had the opportunity to do a portrait session with them two days after the wedding in gorgeous Laguna Beach.

Weddings get compared to fairy tales all the time, and if there was ever a fairytale fit for a movie, Lan and Viet's story would be one.  These two were high school sweethearts in San Jose almost 30 years ago.  After losing touch and spending a lifetime apart living on different continents (Lan in Europe and Viet here in the US) and raising children of their own, they finally found each other again.  They reconnected last summer, got engaged just months later in Paris, and were legally married at San Francisco City Hall this past March.  Everyone we met at their wedding repeatedly told us how this marriage was a long time in the making, and we definitely think it's one of the most romantic stories we've heard.  But enough gushing, here are a few photos from our two day after portrait session.

Catherine + Brian in Woodside, CA

As we drove to Catherine and Brian's wedding, I felt like I was going on vacation.  We wound our way through the coastal pines of the South Bay to Thomas  Fogarty Winery, nestled in the Santa Cruz hills overlooking the entire bay.  The view was absolutely breathtaking and you could see all the way to San Francisco!  Maybe that was why Catherine and Brian traveled all the way from Bloomington, Indiana to have their wedding here.

On top of their mountain, among the trees, Catherine and Brian exchanged some of the most heartfelt and personal vows we've heard.  It was truly a family affair as Catherine's two brothers presided over the ceremony, her mother and aunt worked tirelessly on the flowers, cakes and other decor, and both Catherine's and Brian's fathers and Brian's uncle roasted the newlyweds after dinner.  Thank you, Catherine and Brian, for sharing such an intimate day with us.

Next two photos by Adm:

Photo below by Adm:

Photo below by Adm:

Photo below by Adm:

Photo below by Adm:

Next three photos by Adm:

Photo below by Adm:

Photo below by Adm:

Photo below by Adm: