Jennifer + Eddie in Livermore, CA

Jennifer and Eddie’s wedding was one eleven years in the making.  Their romance started while in college at UCLA and reignited years later while they were both working in New York.  Now, these two are so in love that when I asked them to take a step apart for one portrait, they replied, “But we don’t wanna."

They had a Catholic ceremony at St. Michael’s church in Livermore, CA, which was followed by a poker-themed reception just down the road at a nearby winery.  I have to mention that as someone with a lot of school spirit (GO HEELS!), I also really enjoyed all of the UCLA touches they added to their wedding: a Bruin chant before the cake cutting, a Bruin garter, cake topper and M&Ms.  Also, these two totally know how to throw a raging dance party, so the reception seemed to just fly by with almost everyone out on the dance floor all night long.  Congratulations, Jennifer and Eddie!

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Joyce + Lucas in Menlo Park, CA

We found ourselves at the Allied Arts Guild in Menlo Park again for Joyce and Lucas' beautiful outdoor summer wedding.  It was a perfect day, the garden was gorgeous, and Joyce and Lucas were radiant.  Throughout the ceremony, Lucas kept glancing at Joyce, and as soon as their eyes locked, he would break out into a sweet smile.  Both Joyce and Lucas are very close with their families - Joyce's sister was her maid of honor and Lucas' father was his best man, and it was truly a privilege to witness these two families coming together.  Both of their mothers shared stories and poems about the two during the ceremony, and after the ceremony, they held hands as they walked back down the aisle.  Similarly, both of their fathers gave beautiful toasts, sharing stories of Joyce and Lucas as little ones, and sharing stories of the two coming together.  With all the love and support surrounding these two, we know they'll have a long and happy life with one another.

For the wedding itself, Joyce worked with Andrea and Johanna of Lily and Mint to create thoughtful and beautiful details.  Joyce is a big Scrabble player (I think I overheard that she even played a couple of Scrabble moves the morning of her wedding), and so they used Scrabble tiles to decorate all of the tables.  They also had a soft pink, peach and pale blue color scheme that tied all of the details, flowers and table decorations together.  We love seeing and photographing all of the ways that couples make their wedding unique to them, and Joyce and Lucas' was certainly no exception!

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Here are all of the details (photographed by both Adm and myself):

Next three photos by Adm: Adm made this photo below of Joyce and Lucas' first dance, and it is one of my all-time favorite first dance pictures:

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Sneak Peeks: Joyce + Lucas, Jennifer + Eddie

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Jenni + Steve in Ross, CA

With the roses in full bloom, a bright blue sky above, and chickens wandering, Jenni and Steve could not have had a more perfect summer garden wedding.  They were married at the gorgeous Marin Art and Garden Center in Ross, CA, and they imbued their wedding with lots of personal and sentimental touches.  For starters, the bouquets and floral arrangements were created by Mill Valley Flowers, the same floral shop where Steve created many a bunch of flowers for Jenni during the beginning stages of their relationship.  The shop's owner, Anabella, came to deliver the flowers herself so that she could congratulate Steve and Jenni.  On that same note, Jenni saved all of the ribbons that were used on the bouquets she received from Steve, and they used these ribbons to decorate the cake table.  Additionally, Marin Art and Garden Center is located just a few minutes from WildCare, an organization that provides care for ill, orphaned or injured wild animals, where Steve volunteers every week.  Steve and Jenni included donations to this worthy non-profit as a part of their registry, and they decorated their tables with photos of wild birds, which is what Steve primarily cares for when he volunteers.

I love how weddings are a reflection of what's important to each couple, and Jenni and Steve did a great job of using their wedding to share their interests and values with their family and friends.  Congratulations, Jenni and Steve!

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Katie + James in Solana Beach

Katie's mother Peggy and her husband Tim were our neighbors a couple of years ago when Adm and I first moved to Oakland, and so when Katie contacted us about photographing her wedding, we were incredibly honored.  And once we met Katie and James and the rest of their families, we felt even more privileged to document this special day for these two.  Their families were so nice and so easy going about everything.  During James' toast, he talked about how while growing up, he never saw his parents fight or lose their composure, and although we just met Katie and James, we have a feeling these two are the same way with one another.  It was such a pleasure just being around the two of them.

Their wedding took place at James' parent's beautiful home in Solana Beach, and it was the perfect backyard summer wedding.  Katie and James included their dog Ember and their parents' dog Cabo in the wedding festivities.  The ceremony was lovely and personal and included moments where Katie and James honored both of their parents and James' grandparents, who were the longest married couple.  After the cake-cutting, we were able to sneak these two off to a nearby beach for some photos at sunset, and we arrived just in time to catch a glimmer of the sun peeking through the clouds.  It was the perfect way to end a wonderful day.  Congratulations, Katie and James!

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Sneak Peek: Katie + James in Solana Beach

After a weekend full of shoots in southern California, we are now cranking away on the editing side.  For now, here's a sneak peek of a portrait of Katie and James during their Solana Beach wedding.