Mar
03
Sophistication. Elegance. Cosmopolitan. All words that describe Amber and Tyler’s chic San Francisco wedding at the Westin St. Francis in Union Square. Selecting the location was key to creating the feel they were looking for. The hotel’s history, decor and architecture all added to the beauty of their day.
The ceremony took place in this fabulous space, the Borgia Room. I am enchanted by the wood panelling and the gorgeous ceiling. The chandeliers are not too shabby either.
I love the fireplace as the central focus point for the space and the wedding.
Even the hallways are magnificent at the St. Francis Hotel. They made for an excellent portrait location on a day when going outdoors just wasn’t possible.
As the guests made their way to the reception in Alexandra’s, they were treated to more elegant touches. The seat assignments were listed on this scroll.
Each place setting had a special gift awaiting the guest.
A Surf and Turf dinner soon arrived- quality to match any restaurant in San Francisco. And if you have tasted the food in San Francisco, you know that is truly high praise.
Champagne toasts followed the meal.
The reception space was gorgeous. I especially loved this mural behind the band, so beautifully lit.
And for a greater sense of the room, from our bride and groom’s perspective.
Through a doorway.
From the band’s perspective.
And the wedding dinner wouldn’t have been complete without a few tasty treats to cap off the day.
First a platter of desserts.
And then this stunning cake- wrapped in white chocolate sheets and decorated with dark chocolate swirls and roses. Amazingly elegant.
To add a sense of whimsy to the day, an adorable super hero cat groom’s cake.
More details and inspiration from Amber and Tyler’s wedding to follow soon. If you would like to see more from their day now, check out their story and their slideshow.
The pros:
Ceremony Venue: Borgia Room at The Westin St. Francis
Reception Venue: Alexandra’s at The Westin St. Francis
Hair: Antonio Cabral
Make-up: Aida Morano from Aida’s Custom Cosmetics
Gown Designer: Romona Keveza
Bridesmaid dresses: Siri
Groom’s tux: Canali
Groomsmen’s tuxes: Selix Rentals
Cake: Shinmin from I Dream of Cake
Floral Design: Jeffrey from J Floral Art
Band: Keith Johnson and AM Radio
Ceremony Musician: Amber’s stepfather, Carl Weimer
Invitations: William Arthur
Nov
30
Twelve years ago, Tyler met Amber. He knew she was the one. And last month they were married.
For their the quintessential San Francisco wedding, Amber and Tyler chose the venerable Westin St. Francis Hotel which was built before the 1906 Earthquake. This historic Union Square hotel has hosted presidents and movie stars alike. It was the perfect backdrop for Amber and Tyler’s elegant city wedding.
For this wedding, I teamed up with our associate, Christine, and we started the day with Amber as she was completing the final touches to her look.
I set up a few photos of the shoes and the dress.
Love the light.
Making sure everything is just right.
We had a little time before the ceremony so we took the opportunity to take some portraits of Amber. She was simply striking.
She looked so glamorous; we had to capture her amazing fashion and style.
Then off to the ceremony, where Amber and Tyler said their "I do’s." and then this image which comes from the end of the ceremony would be the “We did’s”.
The portraits are often the first alone time our couples have on their wedding day. We were happy to step back and let them enjoy the moment.
Tyler with the bouquet in one hand and the new ring on the other. Definitely a married man. Welcome to the club, Tyler!
Such a touching and romantic first dance…
The night just got better and better as Tyler surprised Amber by serenading her with a red rose in hand.
Amber’s reaction.
Then a passionate embrace.
I have many favorite images from the day, but this is Jo’s favorite. It pretty much sums up their passion, their tenderness, their class, their glamorous hollywood style, and the feel of the whole wedding.
Thank you, Amber and Tyler, for inviting Christine and I into your most amazing day. We are so glad we could be a part of it.
Also many thanks to the pros who helped Amber and Tyler make their wedding a beautiful reality!
The team at the Westin was fabulous! It was wonderful to work with you.
Ceremony Venue: Borgia Room at The Westin St. Francis
Reception Venue: Alexandra’s at The Westin St. Francis
Hair: Antonio Cabral
Make-up: Aida Morano from Aida’s Custom Cosmetics
Gown Designer: Romona Keveza
Bridesmaid dresses: Siri
Groom’s tux: Canali
Groomsmen’s tuxes: Selix Rentals
Cake: Shinmin from I Dream of Cake
Floral Design: Jeffrey from J Floral Art
Band: Keith Johnson and AM Radio
Ceremony Musician: Amber’s stepfather, Carl Weimer
Invitations: William Arthur
If you would like to see more from Amber and Tyler’s city soiree, definitely check out their slideshow.
Nov
19
It’s time. That’s right, Angie and Mike are back. That means transformers and dancing, but first a bit more from the earlier part of the day.
These two have a million ways to smile.
Angie taking a moment with her dad.
I love this photo for lots of reasons. Partially because the couple on the right, Hilary and Scott, are a past bride and groom of ours; it was really fun to see them at Angie and Mike’s wedding. Also all of these guests are so engaged in what they are doing. And what they are doing is looking at photos. Angie spent hours and hours and hours putting together boxes of family photos. She printed them all in black and white, set each box (all were different) on a table for guests to enjoy. It was so much fun!
One such photo of Mike and his sister made the rounds because it was hilarious. A moment in history that I had never expected. Of course, that meant we had to re-enact the photo. Kind of reminds me of a recent Modern Family episode.
Mike’s transformative nature…??? According to his best man, it appears that Mike can go to dichotomous extremes. For one, he is not fond of hippies, but he himself is a vegan. In a similar vein, he was a self-confirmed bachelor, but found the love of his life and went in the other direction with full force, completely committing to Angie.
And then of course, there are the actual transformers. Every single speech alluded to his special collection of Transformers, a full wall in his man cave devoted to them. Dave, of course, took this as a sign that we needed to purchase a Transformer as a prop for their ring shot. (Dave was absolutely giddy as we were shopping in the toy aisle.)
Mike wasn’t the only kid who enjoyed himself at his wedding. The chocolate cupcakes were a huge hit with the youngin’s.
We took a break from the laughter to smile at the sweetness of Angie and Mike’s first dance.
And then more laughter and cheers ensued. Angie had a special surprise in store for Mike. At this point, he had no idea what was ahead for him. So he apparently needed to steel his nerves.
And what was in store for him? A fabulous dance number choreographed by Angie and her friends. A little background… Several months before their wedding, Angie and Mike had arranged a little dance-off competition for their wedding- Angie & her friends vs. Mike & his friends. It seems that Mike allowed things to fall by the way side, but in secret Angie was masterminding her routine. And not only was it a complete surprise to Mike, Angie put in a special tribute to her mom, selecting a song that Angie had won a talent competition with when she was in elementary school, a song her mom would know and appreciate.
Mike’s dance number? Maybe it wasn’t choreographed but it sure was cute.
And a little movie in celebration of Angie and Mike…
Special thanks go out to the professionals who made Angie and Mike’s day so amazing:
Venue: Fort Mason Officers Club at 1 Fort Mason
Catering: Eden B. at Organic Chef Catering
Floral Design: Lidia Sadoun at la fleuriste
Ceremony Musician: Guitarist Kenneth Schwartzman
Lighting: Hayley Bramble at Got Light
Dance Floor: Jeff Bickner- Bickner Dance Floor Rental
And of course, many many thanks to Angie and Mike for including us in your most wonderful day. We had such a great time with you guys- and kept laughing and smiling while working on the images. Thank you!
If you would like to see more from Angie and Mike, check out their engagement session, sneak preview, rehearsal dinner, and slideshow.
Nov
16
Angie and Mike are such a completely fun couple; their wedding day was all about enthusiasm, joy, wit and playfulness. We had a great time getting to know them during their engagement session and couldn’t wait to meet their family and friends. We were so lucky to be able to join them for their Bonfire and Burritos Fiesta/Rehearsal Dinner on Ocean Beach. What a great way to set the tone for the next day’s celebration!
When I arrived at Angie’s hotel room to photograph her getting ready, I felt right at home with her crew. They were so warm and welcoming the day before; and the wedding day was no different. Not to mention that they were great about taking care of Angie- getting her whatever she needed (aka champagne) as well as helping her finish up and getting Angie and her dress to the ceremony site.
While Angie’s stylist worked on her hair, Angie put on her own make-up. Multi-tasking at its best.
Did I mention champagne?
While the girls were hard at work (and play) over at the hotel, Mike and the boys arrived at the Fort Mason Officer’s Club with some necessities- a few decor items to complete the look for the welcome tables and beer.
The florist had already done her part for the ceremony. I absolutely love these bright orange ribbons with citrus orange and yellow orchids lining the aisle. So fresh and cheerful.
Mike still had lots to do to get things ready. He must have needed a quiet place to organize things- what better spot than the closet?!!
Angie’s flower girl was adorable- she looks like a purple fairy princess. She took to the part with ease and got some practice walking (okay so maybe she was running) on the lawn before the ceremony started.
This was such a funny moment. When our purple princess made it down the aisle, she wanted to stay with Mike as Angie entered. I don’t blame her, that’s the best view in the house.
Smiles all around as Angie walked down the aisle with her mom and dad.
Some smiles were accompanied by tears.
Angie and Mike chose to personalize their ceremony by having their dear friends as the officiants- one officiant for each of them.
I have to close with this wide view of their ceremony because it was simply gorgeous. Autumn in San Francisco is definitely the nicest time of year, and it absolutely does not get better than this. They had perfect weather- warm and sunny- and this stunning view of the San Francisco Bay.
Stay tuned for more- because I haven’t even touched on Mike’s transformative personality or Angie’s surprise dance number. These two will keep you smiling all day long!
