The day started at Lera's mom's apartment in San Jose, where a hair-stylist and make-up artist, Diana, came to doll up Lera and her maid of honor. The atmosphere was light and jovial, with a pop concert playing on the TV, as Lera was getting ready in her old bedroom. The senior class photo on the wall contrasted nicely with the wedding dress hanging next to it on a lamp.
We then proceeded to A Wedding Chapel For You, a tiny yet cozy wedding chapel in Campbell, where Lera and Sasha made their vows, had their hands tied with a binding and received their wedding certificate.
After a little champagne, we headed north to Foster City for the bridal session, where I have to say we truly lucked out with... everything. It wasn't nearly as hot as it was in the South Bay, so we could take photos of the men in vests and tuxedos without big drops of sweat dominating the images. And we got some soft gusts of wind that ever so sweetly picked up the bride's veil for those perfect romantic photos. The sky, too, often overcast in Foster City, was streaking blue with low-hanging clouds moving in and out. To top it all off, there were very few people around, giving us a lot of freedom of movement and expression. All together, I was very pleased with the location and the photos that it yielded. Many thanks to my wonderful assistant Yelena who made a number of the more interesting bridal session shots possible!
Finally, we braved the crazy 101 traffic to go to the reception at the L'Olivier Restaurant in San Francisco. It's a stylish restaurant, done in a French style. The food was absolutely delicious, the band rocked, and the newlyweds had a blast!
Please enjoy my favorite picks from that memorable day:
Until next time!
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