Masha & Christian's Wedding (Oakland, CA)

On Saturday, I was honored to photograph Masha & Christian's beautiful wedding ceremony at the Highlands Country Club in Oakland, assisting Gene Kosoy Wedding Photography. If you've never been there, the name of the club is spot-on. Just look at this breathtaking view:



The ceremony was small and very sweet. The bride and groom transformed a simple Jewish wedding ceremony by including handfasting vows--a wedding ritual with origins from eastern cultures, which turned into a very touching and meaningful element of the wedding. For the full text of the vows, please see LifeTips: Handfasting Vows. The bride and groom both were overcome with emotion as they pronounced their vows, their voices cracking at times.

Masha and Christian are such a wonderful sweet couple. It was my privilege to be a part of their wedding day. Here are a few highlights from the ceremony:





















































Until next time!
www.alicesokoloffphotography.com

An Engagement Session with Eric and Jaime (Saratoga)

The term "engagement session" that is used to describe the romantic photo session prior to the wedding is really a misnomer. Very few engagement sessions are done during the proposal itself--that would require a lot of planning, even more than a regular engagement entails. It is true that engagement sessions are most frequently photographed during the period of a couple's engagement. But not all.

Eric and Jaime are a vibrant and dynamic couple, deeply in love. Throughout our "engagement session" they laughed and kissed, tickled and even bit one another a little bit, and Jaime sang--she has a lovely voice! They are not engaged yet (though I am keeping my fingers crossed for them), but they were at a point in their relationship that they wanted to commemorate with professional photos.

I hope to shoot their wedding some time in the near future, but in the meantime, here are some of my favorite photos from their session.









































































Until next time!
http://www.alicesokoloffphotography.com/