And now on to the smooching….

Happy Valentine’s Day!

With love from,
Dave & Jo

First mini-fam:

Sepi and Homan traveled from New York to get married at the Four Seasons Hotel in San Francisco. They had an amazing Persian wedding ceremony followed by great food and endless dancing. We definitely wanted to capture their city sensibilities during the portrait session.

Homan’s mom, Golie married Nader the following year. And we were able to photograph the intimate ceremony at their home in Los Altos Hills as well as the reception at the Four Seasons in San Francisco.

Second mini-fam:

Mark and Julie celebrated their wedding at the Torpedo Factory Art Center in Alexandria, Virginia.

They brought us Tricia and Paul who had their reception at the Fairview Park Marriott Hotel in Falls Church.

Third mini-fam:

Judie and Luen were married at Tilden Park‘s Brazilian Room in Berkeley, California.

They brought us Sau-Lai and Keith, who had a Chinese Tea Ceremony at their family homes and then a Chinese Banquet at the ABC Seafood Restaurant in Foster City, California.

Fourth mini-fam:

Augie and Lisa got married in Tahiti and came home for a Chinese Banquet at Yank Sing in San Francisco. After the wedding, we had the good fortune to photographer their friend Sofia and Adil’s wedding at the Alta Mira Hotel in Sausalito.

Fifth mini-fam:

Hilary and Scott married at the Los Altos History Museum in Los Altos Hills.

They shared our info with Arianna and Jesse who held their Jewish wedding ceremony in the redwood grove of the Regional Parks Botanic Garden and then the rest of their wedding celebrations at the Brazilian Room in Tilden Park.

Check out more from Ariana and Jesse’s wedding: Engagement Session, Sneak Peak, The Scoop, and Slideshow.

Sixth mini-fam:

This one is a little hard to say who came first. Perhaps they are more like twins as both couples found us around the same time.

Teresa and Kyle were married at the Mission Santa Clara de Asis at Santa Clara University and then celebrated their reception at the Hotel DeAnza in San Jose.

Angela and Michael celebrated their wedding at The Lodge at Sonoma and followed with a private portrait session at Chateau St. Jean.

Check out more from Angela and Mike’s wedding: Sneak Peak, The Scoop, and Slideshow.

Seventh and final mini-fam:

Another mini-fam of twins. I believe Elsa and Tim found us. When Elsa came in to meet with us, she brought Emily along. So we actually met them both at the same time.

Elsa and Tim held their wedding ceremony at The Palmdale Estates, in their lovely gardens. They followed this with a lovely Chinese Banquet at the ABC Seafood Restaurant in Foster City.

Check out more from Elsa and Tim’s wedding: Engagement Session, Sneak Peak, The Scoop, and Slideshow.

Emily and Erik were married at the Mad Art Gallery in St. Louis Missouri. This totally hip art space is a converted jail designed in art deco style.

Check out more from Emily and Erik’s wedding: Engagement Session, Dress Fitting at Vera Wang, Sneak Peak, The Scoop, and Slideshow.

To kick it off, I wanted to start with the family we’ve known the longest- that of Karen and Willy.

Karen and Willy, our first generation, got married in the Spring of 2005 at the Berkeley Faculty Club. They had their Chinese Banquet at The Legendary Palace in Oakland. A couple of years ago Karen and Willy moved back to Boston MA, where Karen grew up and her family remains. Now that we are back in the Boston area as well, we feel so fortunate that we get to see Karen and Willy more often.

Karen was frequently on The Knot and shared our name with lots of other knotties (thank you, Karen). And she also shared our name and work with her good friend, Gillian (second generation), whom she and Willy met through Volleyball. Karen and Gillian have even more in common than volleyball. They also both loved their wedding planning and both have continued to help other brides with their weddings.

Having seen us in action at Karen’s wedding and then seeing the images, Gillian chose us as well. Gillian and Wes were married in the summer of 2006 at the Maison du Lac in the Santa Cruz Mountains in California. Because Gillian is an alum, we took some of their portraits at Stanford University.

It has been great keeping in touch with Gillian and Wes. They are such an amazing couple. And we owe them so much thanks for their suggestions of a fabulous BnB to stay at while visiting Australia a couple of years ago.

Gillian then brought her album to work. And we are so glad she did. Because Emily had a chance to see the pix from Gillian and Wes’s wedding. She was planning her July 2007 wedding in Sonoma. When we met them, we hit it off immediately. Dave loved talking science with Mark; and when we delivered their album, we got to see their beautiful aquariums. Dave was thrilled!

Emily and Mark are the third generation. They were married at the Mission San Francisco Solano in Sonoma and celebrated at The Lodge at Sonoma.

Emily and her sister Allie then recommended us to Allie’s friend Cara (fourth generation) who married Nate at the Sonoma Mission Inn and the Sonoma Golf Club this fall. We were worried about rain, but the day turned out absolutely perfectly. This wedding was extra fun because Allie was a bridesmaid and Emily and her parents also attended the wedding.

Check out more from Cara and Nates wedding: Engagement Session, Sneak Peak, The Scoop, and Slideshow.

Emily and Mark also shared our info with Mark’s sister Lauren (fourth generation). We met Lauren at their wedding and really enjoy her warmth and smiles. We can’t wait to photographer her wedding to Steve at an estate in Carmel Valley next summer. A few years ago, we photographed Sarah and Brett‘s wedding at the Bernardus Lodge and fell in love with the area. Plus, we are really looking forward to seeing the whole White family again!

We have had such a blast with this crew and we can’t wait to see how it grows. Thank you so much to Karen & Willy for kicking it off, and to Gillian & Wes, Emily & Mark (and Allie), Cara & Nate, and Lauren & Steve for keeping this mini-family going thus far!

I am thrilled to share the reception portion of Jesse and Ariana’s wedding day. As you may recall, they held their ketubah and bedeken ceremonies in the Berkeley Botanic Garden and then celebrated their huppah ceremony on the Brazilian Room patio, all in Tilden Park. The reception continued immediately following the ceremony. Because we took the formal portraits down in the Botanic Gardens, Ariana and Jesse were able to kick-back and enjoy the cocktail hour.

The fun really got started once everyone headed inside. I so love the Israeli dancing. They kicked off several of my favorites with the Horah. I think this series of images totally captures their experience from before they get lifted through the dance to the relief when they are once again safely on the ground.

First, the look- “Oh my, what are we in for? Well whatever it is, we are in it together.”

Togetherness- “Hey, we got this covered! No problem.”

The relief- “We’re alive! Wasn’t that fun? Let’s do it again.”

Perhaps it is a bit like a roller coaster. And Ariana and Jesse added an extra element of the unpredictable. They were sitting in foldable chairs. Their friends were great, though, and totally kept them safe and secure.

After dinner we were serenaded by some very talented friends and family. What a treat!

Ariana and Jesse’s love was certainly infectious. And this couple has the distinct honor of having introduced Ariana and Jesse on the fateful Alaska backpacking trip.

Ariana’s dad was quite the dancer. He took her out for a turn on the dance floor.

And later enjoyed a dance with Ariana’s mom.

The evening closed with the traditional prayer after the meal. A group gathered around the candle-lit table to chant together.

The Brazilian Room is such a gorgeous venue. It looks beautiful at any time of day or night.

Congrats again to Ariana and Jesse and huge thank you’s! You had a super amazing, beautiful and fun wedding day- we are so glad we could be a part of it.

Check out more of Ariana and Jesse’s photos: engagement session, sneak preview, and wedding slideshow.

Ariana and Jesse met during a backpacking trip in Alaska. They love the outdoors and felt their wedding needed to reflect that. They chose to have some of the Jewish ceremony in a Redwood Grove at the Berkeley Regional Botanical Gardens in Tilden Park. Ariana was surrounded by her family and friends as she waited for Jesse to walk towards her. She looked so beautiful and happy.

As is customary, Jesse arrived amidst singing, surrounded by his family and his friends. He couldn’t have been happier when he saw Ariana waiting for him.

The setting was perfect. And the love of all those most important to them engulfed them as they embraced their parents during the bedeken and ketubah signing ceremonies.

Following these Jewish customs, we took photos by the redwoods. Here’s Ariana with her friends, enjoying the process.

According to Jewish tradition, once the ketubah is signed, a couple is officially married. Ariana and Jesse were so relaxed after that part of the ceremony and their joy emanated from them.

After the portraits, we traveled the short distance to the Brazilian Room for the ceremony and the reception. Ariana walked towards Jesse for this ceremony and they met under the huppah.

Ariana’s niece and flower girl sat down to enjoy the ceremony.

One last image, just to give you a taste of the beautiful colors and vibrancy of the day…

We can’t wait to share the rest. So definitely check back soon.

If you would like to see more of Ariana and Jesse, check out their engagement session with their beautiful girl Athena.

April 4, 2008- The Big Day for Wendy and Wesley

9:30 am
El Cerrito

Wesley attempts to retrieve his bride. He is faced with several grueling tasks which he and his groomsmen must perform in order to continue forward. They have to spell out "I love Wendy" by eating away at slices of white bread. They must brush their teeth with wasabi. The must correctly answer several questions on a test. The must do one-armed push-ups. They have shapes drawn on their faces with make-up. I have to say the women enjoy this part immensely. And to be honest, so did I.

Wendy observes her groom discreetly.

Ultimately, after a red envelope changes hands, Wesley and his compadres achieve their goal. They get Wendy.

The tea ceremony is a wonderful opportunity for Wendy and Wesley to honor their elders and for their elders to wish for them to have a big family!

A few portraits in Wendy’s gorgeous red dress.

1:55 pm
Calvary Presbyterian Church, Berkeley

Time for the religious ceremony. Wendy prepares herself for her walk down the aisle.

Wendy and Wesley take another opportunity to thank their parents.

4:30pm
Berkeley City Club, Berkeley

Great photo ops!

Three fabo pairs of shoes to match three fabo dresses (as promised)!

7:00pm
The reception begins.

We are serenaded by the newlyweds. These two are so amazing.

Wendy and Wesley make their second entrance with Wendy all dolled up in one of her new dresses. Dramatic lighting sets the scene.

They steal a kiss during the cake-cutting.

Wendy gets down with these adorable kids.

What a fabulous day this was- it felt like several in one and was full of love and laughter. Everyone was amazingly generous. Kudos to the MC’s Joyce and Godfrey. You guys did a wonderful job. And thank you again, Wendy and Wesley, for including us. We had such a great time.

Want more? No problem. Click here to see Wendy and Wesley’s slideshow.

If you didn’t see the preview, check it out here.

We have been working on the images from their amazing wedding and just had to share a few. More to follow later…

After Wesley played an amazing number of creative, clever, and moderately embarrassing games (one of my favorite Chinese customs), he battled and bribed his way to get Wendy.

The team of helpers and the florist did an amazing job decorating the church. I loved all the flowers and the fabric sashes.

We journeyed over to the reception site, The Berkeley City Club, for the portraits. The property designed by renowned architect Julia Morgan (also know for her work on the Hearst Castle) is perfectly gorgeous. We loved the architecture and the windows and the courtyard gardens. We almost had too many amazing spots to shoot.

Wendy wore three different dresses during the day, another Chinese tradition. And the best part was that Wendy also had 3 different awesome pairs of shows to match. But you will have to wait to see those. In the meantime, here’s Wendy looking glamorous in dress number three.

Check back later for more images!