You might remember Kristin and Mike as the couple with chemistry. Well, they’ve still got it, and now they’ve joined together for good with the force of a covalent bond (sorry Mike, that’s about all I remember from o-chem…) Their wedding at Arden Hills Resort was a blast - some great details such as mini-beakers filled with M&Ms, and a beautiful photo display of multiple generations of wedding photos. Everyone had a great time, including me and my second shooter Erika - Mike and Kristin are one of the nicest and kindest couples I’ve worked with - they’re were always checking in to make sure we were doing OK and had what we needed, and they even had place settings for us at the guest tables - what a treat to not have to eat in the back room! We were happy to see Jeff and Mandy (ie: the fairy-tale couple) again - they’re the ones who referred Mike and Kristin - thanks for that! And thanks to Mike and Kristin for making us feel so welcome and letting us share in this fantastic day!

Jessica and Jared had a beautiful, very personal ceremony in their parents’ backyard in Coarsegold (near the south entrance to Yosemite). The ceremony was intimate and had some great personal touches, including their two adorable pugs dressed up as attendants, and some beautiful decorations in the granite-strewn backyard. These two have some great family role-models to emulate in the marriage department, including two sets of grandparents who’ve been together more than 50 years and were really tearing up the dance floor! After the ceremony, we headed over to the nearby reception hall for a fun-filled evening.  They had some great details at the reception - a slideshow that Jessica and Jared put together from old photographs which captivated everyone, and the coolest cake ornaments I’ve ever seen! There was lots of emotion and love floating around and my second shooter Jeff and I were honored to be a part of it all.

Al and Jean-Yin are a great couple - their engagement session at the Capitol in Sacramento was one of my all-time favorites, and they’re both such super-nice people (and Jean-Yin is ORGANIZED). So I was really looking forward to shooting their wedding, and the 100 degree temperature at the RH Phillips winery in Esparto wasn’t even close to enough to dampen the spirits of Jean-Yin and Al’s fun-loving friends and family! The winery was beautiful and the chocolate-themed wedding went off perfectly despite the heat. Jean-Yin looked radiant and Al’s smile never left his face. The reception included some wonderful personal touches, including a “Case Study” slide show presenting the history of the couple (my favorite slide was the one explaining how Al arrived at his current GQ look - hint: Jean-Yin deserves a LOT of credit…) and a salsa dance performance followed by lessons. At the end of the night, the two drove off together in Al’s second love - a vintage Land Cruiser named Colonel Mustard - a fitting end to a wonderful day!

I was thrilled to shoot Brooke and Mark’s wedding in San Francisco yesterday. I’ve known Brooke for a few years now, since our days on the UCD Triathlon team, and even before I did their engagement session, I was lucky enough to photograph both members of this highly photogenic couple. As anticipated, my second shooter Jeff and I had a great time riding around the city in a big tour bus, traveling back and forth from downtown to City Hall for the ceremony and then to the Cliff House for the reception. Things got a little hectic when an uninvited guest decided to join us for the bus ride, but the capable groomsmen sorted things out soon enough and we were on our way to City Hall, just in time to meet the happy couple for their ceremony. Brooke and Mark were up for just about anything (even climbing out on a little cliffside ledge), and you could tell they were just enjoying themselves and having a great time. I wish you two all the happiness you deserve - thanks for letting me be a part of this wonderful day!

Christine and Matt had a beautiful wedding in Yuba City. My second shooter Erika and I had a great time - these two are a joy to work with - fun, laid-back, stress free (well, Matt was a tiny bit stressed, but Chrissy was one of the calmest brides I’ve ever seen!) and… they really know how to kiss! A quick look through my portfolio will reveal that I’m partial to a good smooch shot… and Matt and Chrissy gave me lots of material to work with. Their friends and family were loads of fun too - some touching, emotion-filled speeches and, of course, a fun-filled party - you know it will be a good time when there’s a table full of candy and a make-your-own margarita machine! A nice big wedding party (21 total!) and a bunch of extremely adorable kids running around made for some great photographic moments. And as a special bonus, we got to indulge Chrissy’s love for all things Disney by doing a little Cinderella re-enactment on the church steps. I’m really looking forward to shooting with them again for their post-wedding session - I’m sure there’ll be lots more kissing! Congratulations you two!