I was thrilled to have the chance to photograph Satjeet and Geetesh’s gorgeous Indian wedding at Arden Hills Country Club in Sacramento. They had a marathon day – starting at 7 am and finishing up around 11 pm (well, that’s when WE finished… I think the party was still in full swing for another couple of hours!) – but despite the long day, everyone was full of energy, smiles and happiness. They even had two different ceremonies – a Hindu and Sikh ceremony, back to back. And, as is always the case with Indian weddings, the food was AMAZING. Luckily for my assistant Stacey and I, we had plenty of calories to carry us through the day. Satjeet and Geetesh’s family and friends were obviously so happy for them, and it was great to see such a wonderful community there to support them and celebrate their day with them. It was quite a sight watching the whole group parade around the Arden Hills parking lot, with Geetesh on horseback, to be greeted and welcomed by Satjeet’s family. Thanks again for letting us be a part of this wonderful event!

I was really happy to have the chance to photograph this wedding. I met Neal and Janine just a couple of months ago when they hired me to do engagement photos. After the session, we were chatting and discovered that Neal and I grew up in neighboring towns in New Jersey and graduated high school one year apart, so we knew some of the same people from the “old neighborhood.” And of course, being a nice Jewish boy from New Jersey, I was delighted when they asked me to shoot their Jewish wedding in Carmel, CA. The event was beautiful and Janine and Neal’s friends and family were a blast – the dancing was off the hook, with some impressive moves from both sides of the family. And of course, the Hora is always a good time. Throw in a quick photo session on a nearby beach, and it was the perfect day for my penultimate wedding of the season. Thanks to my second shooter Jeannie for her able assistance (and chauffeuring!)

Ruth and Jay had a beautiful wedding ceremony at the Alumni Center at UC Davis and I was so glad to be able to photograph it. They are so clearly in love and such a happy couple – non-stop smiles all around! And it was obvious to see where they got it from, since their family was every bit as happy. I loved all the different aspects of the Jewish ceremony, and especially the fact that the Chuppah was constructed by Jay’s dad – what a guy! It was a beautiful day and I wish the couple a hearty MAZEL TOV!

I had a great time with Vivien and Jason on their dual engagement sessions, so was really looking forward to their wedding, and I was not disappointed! Vivien and her bridesmaids got ready at the Intercontinental Mark Hopkins Hotel before heading over to the beautiful St. Dominic’s church, which is just a couple of blocks away from where Jason and Vivien live. So I took the opportunity to leave my second shooter Stacey to finish covering the girls getting ready while I went over to Jason and Vivien’s apartment to spend some time with the boys before walking over to the church. Jason is a San Francisco firefighter, and was lucky enough to have the SFFD chaplain perform their full mass ceremony. The reception was at The City Club and was definitely one of the loveliest receptions I’ve shot. Vivien spent tons of time preparing the details and it really paid off. The place settings, lighting, cake decorations – everything really came together. And of course the party was something special – those firefighters really know how to blow off some steam. As a special surprise bonus, Jason’s buddies from Engine 13 swung by and we got to sneak outside for a few minutes to take some photos with the truck.  Stacey and I had a great time – big thanks to Jason and Vivien for including us in their special day.

It’s been a while since I updated this blog, mostly because I’ve been so busy shooting! I’ve done pretty much all of my engagement sessions for my 2011 couples in the last 4 weeks, along with trips to Las Vegas and Miami to shoot photos for the CrossFit Sports series. So it’s been a busy, but fun-filled couple of months of photography! But I couldn’t let this session go by without a proper blog tribute, since it was a special session for me. I met Amy about five years ago when I joined the UC Davis triathlon team. I think she was around 19 at the time… We spent many hours on our bikes together, during which time Amy would often talk about her wish to find the “right guy.” Before too long I heard her start talking about this awesome, cute, super talented cyclist named Tyler… and now, a few years later… they’re engaged! I’m so excited to have the honor to shoot their wedding in September and this session was a great preview of what a fun-loving, happy couple they are. It’s times like this that remind me how special it is to be able to capture these joyful moment’s in my clients’ lives!