Chaminade Resort and Spa, Santa Cruz

Olivia and Josh
August 22 2009

Slideshow

Full set of pics

By far one of my coolest couples of the year. Olivia and Josh planned a destination wedding in the Santa Cruz mountains, hired me over the phone, and then flew to SF for our first meeting and engagment session in Golden Gate park. Josh is freaking hilarious, and Olivia is beautiful, and they are both of an artistic mind--I knew their wedding would be not only stunning to photograph but fun and refreshing and different.


Oscar de la Renta dress = d r a m a. Look at those ruffles! It was so perfect.
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can't have a hot dress without hot strappy heels.
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Speaking of shoes, Josh's gift to each of his groomsmen was a pair of custom designed running shoes--each one designed especially for each groomsman in his own color scheme. You can see some of the colors in this shot and Josh's pair in the one below. More shoe shots in the slideshow and online, of course.
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I really liked their bridesmaid dresses too- the way the deep purple bleeding into lilac color was pretty and flattering. And Olivia's giant bouquet of baby's breath went well with her dress.
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I found out later that Olivia refers to Josh's little chin cleft thingie as his "Flux Capacitator" Did you know they actually sell a replica of the flux capacitator, complete with working lights, for $250 at thinkgeek.com? I want everything on that site btw.
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I thought Olivia's dress and veil were particularly pretty in backlit shots like this one
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My 2nd shooter Gustavo and I both had the idea to shoot her mimicking the pose in this painting, but I liked his version better. That's one of the signs of a great 2nd shooter for me; when I find myself saying "why didn't I think of that?!" every time I edit their pictures.
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I love the drama of this image; the dress, the staircase, the half turn and sway of her skirt and veil, and the body language of the event coordinator handing off her veil and her dad waiting for her at the bottom.
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getting giant veil over the head of the bride in one flip: it's all in the wrist.
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when presented with a balcony at a wedding, you must take advantage of it.
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adorable place cards saying "eat, drink, and be merry"
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the lighting and staging of the room was top notch! I could tell even the staff at Chaminade were impressed as I wasn't the only one taking pictures.
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and yes, she's an easy crier. What more could I ask for in a bride? : )
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the dress was great on the dance floor. The bride and groom weren't so bad either. ; )
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the live band, Steve Ezzo Entertainment, was great and everyone stayed on the dance floor all night long.
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Vendors:

Chaminade coordinator Shannon Norfleet snorfleet@benchmarkmanagement.com

(Chaminade's packages are all inclusive so they also handled the catering, cake, flowers, linens, etc.)

band: Steve Ezzo Entertainement ezzoentertainment@comcast.net

bridal boutique: Ultimate Bride (Chicago)

and a big thank you to Gustavo Fernandez for second shooting with me.

Saint Raphael’s Catholic Church and Corinthian Yacht Club

Liz and Matt
September 5 2009

Slideshow
Full set of pics

This wedding was kind of nostalgic for me, first of all because Liz first heard about me from her friend (and bridesmaid) Courtney, whose wedding I shot way back in 2005; and second of all because it gave me a chance to finally work with wedding coordinator Kathryn Kalabokes of Dream a Little Dream Events. Kathryn was one of the very first wedding coordinators I sat down with way back in late 2003 when I was starting my business, and awkward and green as I was she was so nice to me and really helped me understand the wedding business. It was awesome to finally work on a wedding with Kathryn and day-of coordinator Brittani Waldman.

a rare quiet moment for Liz during getting ready
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we went to a park in downtown Tiburon a few blocks from the CYC to take pics with the couple and bridal party. The sky was gorgeous that day.
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The CYC was prettily decorated and full of light. I liked how it backlit everyone during the toasts and first dances. The warm wood paneled walls made it so that light colors in the decor really stood out.
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The tables were named after significant places and things in their life together. Most of them were cities or physical locations, so it was kind of funny to see one of them named after this. Is there anything you CAN'T find on Craigslist? ; )
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beautiful, painterly cake by Jill Branch. It looked great in the light-filled side hall off the main ballroom too.
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if you look closely you can just make out the purple bouquet at the top near where the tulle ribbons come together
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we grabbed a few private shots on the deck outside after dinner
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and then a couple more under the full moon. I took a few with a still background but I like the motion blur of the lights and moon in this one best.
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Vendors:

coordinator: Dream a Little Dream Events Kathryn Kalabokes kathryn@dreamalittledreamevents.com

Saint Raphael's Catholic Church Vicky Otto votto@straphael.com

Corinthian Yacht Club Leila Heyman leila@cyc.org

cake: Branching Out Cakes Jill Branch jillbranch@aol.com

flowers: Julie's Flowers Julie Stevens julie@juliestevensdesign.com

DJ: Perfect Day Music Noel Plumb noel@perfectdaymusic.com

hair and makeup: Anything for You Salon Selma (415) 459-1453

Stanford Memorial Church and Hillsborough Racquet Club

Teresa and Jason
August 01 2009

Slideshow
Full set of pics


Teresa's garter was a family heirloom, decorated with pieces saved from her mother's and grandmother's weddings and from her own first communion.
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Yay for dogs in weddings! Teresa and Jason have a bulldog of their own, but only certified assistance dogs are allowed in the church--so they used her brother's guide dog as their ringbearer instead.
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But of course, their dog had to participate somehow even if only for pictures. It took a few tries to get the flower wreath on him...
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beauitfully decorated courtyard at the Hillsborough Racquet Club
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flawless wedding cake...
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...and groom's cake by Carolyn Wong
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there was no shortage of laughter or funky dance moves at this wedding
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Vendors:

Stanford Memorial Church: coordinator Mary Gallagher marygal@stanford.edu
Father Nathan Castle ncastle@stanford.edu

Hillsborough Racquet Club


cake: Carolyn Wong Cakes carolyn@carolynwongcakes.com 510.528.2415

dj: Sound in Motion Raffi Nalvarian raffi@simdjs.com

bridal boutique: Rin's Bridal

The Mountain Terrace, Woodside CA

Andrea and Matt
July 25 2009

Slideshow
Full set of pics

The Mountain Terrace--what a cool little venue secreted away in the hills of Woodside CA. Andrea and Matt are an intelligent, fun, informal couple whose wedding had the feel of a garden party; their celebration gave me the chance to work with some of my favorite vendors from way back, and make some new ones in the process.


vintage inspired dress from bay area bridal
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a few of Laura Miller's gorgeous creations: she really outdid herself this time...I'm impressed by how she put such bright summery colors together without clashing or losing the delicate feel of the flowers. She always puts together something unique and beautiful, and that's why I keep recommending her to my clients.
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my favorite bouquet
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I loved the shafts of light falling in the garden ceremony area
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very cool, rustic chuppah with fresh flowers and raw branches
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Rabbi Familant was hilarious and full of great stories
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Componere Fine Catering and Karin Kamb (who was catering manager that day) are some of my new favorite vendors. I was happy to have another chance to work with Karin later this year through her coordinating business, at my Imran and Sarah's wedding in December 09.
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I like ultra candid, quiet, almost awkward shots like this sometimes--they add an element of realism to a day that is often larger than life.
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hidden makeout nook behind the property
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I love how intimate the first dance shots can be
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Robbie and the Magnolia Jazz Band
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excellent presentation by Carolyn Wong Cakes
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Vendors:

The Mountain Terrace: coordinator Caren Pearlman caren@themountainterrace.com

catering: Componere Fine Catering kerri@componerefinecatering.com 510.420.0900

florist: Laura Miller Design lauramillerdesign@yahoo.com, 510 336 9226

ceremony music: Sara Spieth sara@saraspieth.com

reception music: Magnolia Jazz Band robbie@magnoliajazz.com 408-245-9120

officiant: Rabbi Yeshaia Charles Familant yeshaia@sbcglobal.net

cake: Carolyn Wong Cakes carolyn@carolynwongcakes.com 510.528.2415

bridal boutique: Bay Area Bridal

and a big thank you to Julio Duffoo for second shooting with me.