Dec
04
And laughter and tears, pretty much all at the same time, and it certainly made for a great day. Joy and beauty enveloped Sarah and Bryan for their wedding at Stern Grove in San Francisco, California. Jo and I are captivated by Stern Grove on it’s own- it is a place of nature (the redwoods are stunning) and music (each year hosting the Stern Grove Festival). Now I add "love" to the list, as Stern Grove was the back drop to this amazing wedding.
I started the day with Sarah and her girls at the Clubhouse.
Sarah walked down the aisle with her mom and dad on each arm, and tears of joy in her eyes.
This image says it all. Sarah’s dad gave Bryan a warm welcome into the family, before the ceremony even got underway.
Check out their ceremony site. So beautiful among the trees.
Watching.
Under the chuppah, sealed with a kiss.
Then they took a few moments for their portraits and to enjoy their newlywed status.
Let the party begin. Friends and family got things started with some music.
Sarah and Bryan kicked off the dancing with their first dance.
Did I mentioned laughter? Because there was tons of it. I am still laughing over the toast by Sarah’s cousin in which she explained the origins of the Jewish tradition of breaking the glass. Her explanation was one I had not heard before, and it had everyone reeling from laughter.
More dancing followed dinner.
Shosh and Jon, who introduced us to Sarah and Bryan, took a spin on the dancefloor.
The guests definitely enjoyed themselves.
And for that matter so did Sarah.
Thank you so much, Sarah and Bryan, for inviting me to be a part of your wedding day. I had such a great time working with you and am thrilled to share the rest of your photos with you. But first, a little PicFlick….
For more of Sarah and Bryan, check out their slideshow.
Jun
10
Sara and Mike are just about the funniest couple alive. Seriously, they have the best sense of humors (or is it senses of humor?). We couldn’t wait for their wedding, because we knew we would be laughing and smiling all day long.
Here’s my favorite humorous moment from the bedecken. Sara’s checking out Mike to make sure he’s the right guy. Turns out he is.
What I didn’t count on, was the tears they would bring to my eyes.
During their ketubah signing ceremony, the Rabbi allowed for them to share some thoughts with each other. They were so tender and honest with each other.
And the way Mike looks at Sara simply melts my heart.
Here Mike is ensuring that Sara is indeed Sara. When I look at this image, I somehow make the same expression that Sara does. I can’t help it. Quivery happiness all over.
Alas, I have gotten ahead of myself. So allow me to take a step back.
I have known Mike for several years; we met while performing in a comedy improv group- Blue Blanket Improv- in California. Mike has since moved on and even started his own- Chicken Scratch Improv. And Dave knew Mike from their swing dancing days. We met Sara (and puppy Oscar) last fall and were instantly enamored. Mike and Sara are absolutely perfect together, and perfect parents for Oscar. When they chose us to photograph their wedding at Kennolyn near Santa Cruz, we started counting down the days.
We started off – me with Sara as she and her bridesmaids were getting ready and Dave with the handsome groom…
and his Entourage,
which included his adorable nephew. Precious missing teeth!
The guys have it a lot easier. Here, the women getting ready…Sara almost in her dress.
And a nod to Sara’s fabulous shoulders and back. She is a triathelete and spends tons of time in the pool. The pay-off is clear.
Just before the boys joined the girls for the ketubah signing, Sara and her beautiful little flower girl compared dresses.
Mike arrives. And Sara welcomes him in.
The Rabbi in the background. Flower girl, apparently, not so interested in that.
Then we head over for the ceremony under the huppah.
And Sara walks down the aisle with her mom…
I can’t wait to share more and there will definitely be lots, lots more. Of course, more from the reception, but I will also be sharing about the flowers. They were amazing! Bouquets and bouttonieres galore by Laughin’ Gal Floral. Definitely check back soon!
Jan
07
While having a multi-generation mini-family like Karen and Willy‘s is so much fun, we also love our smaller mini-families. We have tons of these. Today I wanted to send a shout out to a bunch of the two generation mini-fams.
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.
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Oct
08
Party time!
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.
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