It’s hard to capture just how serene Anvil Ranch and Vineyard is as a venue. It’s certainly the most remote place we’ve shot, tucked on top of a mountain as it is, no cities or even other properties for miles. We were last there a few years ago and it was a joy to get asked to go back for Lisa and Paul’s nuptials. Anvil Ranch, which is set up to house dozens of people, is the sort of wedding venue you only pick when you’re super tight with your family and friends, since it’s so remote that you’re stuck with them for the weekend. Lisa and Paul were no exception in that regard – the laughter and tears were flowing from their guests all day and night.
Read MoreBella + Forrest's Boho Backyard Wedding // Walnut Creek, CA
If you really squint, you can pretend that this blog post about Bella + Forrest’s bohemian backyard wedding is a celebration of their first anniversary, and not that we’re literally a year behind on blog posts. Part of the reason we’re so behind is that we’re slammed with work, but part of it is that there were so many original and touching details at this wedding that it was hard to know where to start.
At our first meeting, Bella and Forrest (maybe the sweetest High School Sweethearts we’ve ever met) described their wedding vision as a “Mumford and Sons music video.” The groom and groomsmen wore mismatched blue suits and suspenders and vintage floral ties, the bride wore a cream dress with crochet lace details and her bridesmaids were in shades of blue with even more lace. The couple, who are just as over-the-moon for each other as these photos suggest, were married under a giant oak tree in Bella’s mother’s backyard, surrounded by their closest family and friends, who danced and laughed and ate wood-fired pizza into the night.
Read MoreKelsey + Chris's Sweet and Sunny Summer Wedding // Lehman Barn // Shingle Springs, CA
It was such a treat to revisit one of our favorite venues – the Lehman Barn at Varozza Ranch – with a couple as laid back and in love as Kelsey and Chris. Their wedding was this great mix of classic and boho wedding details: Kelsey wore the sort of pearl earrings you’d see on a black-tie bride, but with flowers in her hair. The reception was held in a barn, but with twinkle lights and centerpieces arranged in repurposed antique silver. It was fancy but not formal, which created a relaxed vibe that made it a dream for everyone there, including us.
Read MoreKayla + Jack's Vegan Donut-Filled Tree Nursery Wedding // Greentree Nursery // La Grange, CA
When I was pregnant with my second son, I shot a lot of weddings at Justin’s side. In fact, I shot all the way up until the 36-weeks-pregnant mark, which was way past the point where a bride’s kindly grandmother would ask me if I needed to sit down.
After the baby was here, though? I took most of the year off and Eric Bjerke stepped in as Justin’s second shooter. So when Eric’s son Jack contacted us about shooting his wedding last spring, we were all over it. And that’s way before we knew about the tree nursery venue or the donut pegboard!
Read MoreChiemi + David's Bubbly Spring Elopement // Janet's Flower's + Wedding Chapel // Modesto, CA
Chiemi + David's downtown Modesto nuptials were small and sweet. I couldn't have been happier to pop in and capture their formals before their elopement at Janet's Flowers. This wedding chapel - attached to the flower shop - is really a gem of a spot. If you're in the neighborhood, check it out and pick up a bouquet!
Read MoreJamie + Jason's Rain-Speckled Hurst Ranch Wedding // Jamestown, CA
I know you’re not supposed to want rain on a wedding day, but we can’t help it. Every rainy wedding we’ve shot has been magical and Jamie + Jason’s was no exception. The umbrellas, the rain-speckled suits, the way the warmth of the indoor reception contrasted against the cold, wet outdoors - it was perfection. If we had to describe this wedding day in one word, that word would be cozy.
Read MoreTop Moments of 2017
I began last year's wrap-up blog post with a throw-away line about how 2016 was a wild ride. After 2017, I wonder if I even knew what the word "wild" meant. IT WAS A MORE NAIVE TIME, GUYS, LET ME TELL YOU.
Read MoreRoxy + Niraj's Old School Cool Lake Merritt Wedding // Bellevue Club // Oakland, CA
I don't know how it keeps happening, but I swear to God, I admire every couple whose wedding we photograph. But of all the admirable, awesome folks we've had the pleasure of working with over the years, I'm hard pressed to name one that is as flat out cool as Roxy and Niraj.
Read MoreKathlene + Ryan's Hilarious and Heartfelt Vintage Gardens Wedding // Modesto, CA
Before I point a camera at couples, I often extol my grand unifying theory of cuddling: every couple has their own unique ways that they fit together, and those comfortable poses are not something I can direct them into, it's something that happens after months and years of slinging their arms over their partner's shoulders, intertwining their fingers in just the right way, resting the space between cheek and chin at just the right tuft of hair or enveloping each other in the comfort of deep hugs. Kathlene & Ryan are one of those couples who joined lives in reality long before they joined them on paper, and I have to admit that at weddings like this, my job gets much easier. There is an ease to couples who know each other so deeply and whose lives already run parallel. The wedding day becomes not a moment of change, but a celebration of what has passed and an embracing of what is to come.
Read MoreAshley + Sean's Blustery, Geeky Fairytale Wedding // Galas Barn // Oakdale, CA
As Justin mentioned in our previous blog post, nerds are our people. And Ashley and Sean aren't just nerds - they're hardcore nerds. In notes they exchanged/read to each other before their ceremony, they talked about being in band class together. There were Star Wars references throughout the day, superhero nods (Batman socks for the groom and groomsmen, a Batman garter for the bride), more Disney allusions than I probably even realized (the big ones being the Minnie Mouse slippers Ashley wore while getting ready and the fact that she walked down the aisle to a song from Beauty and the Beast) and, of course, Harry Potter themed flannels for the bridesmaids that said "I Solemnly Swear I Am Up to No Good" on the back. They were even in the bridesmaids' Hogwarts House colors. All of this is just to say: Ashley and Sean take their geekdom seriously. And we seriously love them for it.
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