Janice & Jason's Wedding (Hakone Gardens, Saratoga)

Every bride approaches her wedding differently. And there is no one right approach, to be sure. But, I think, most brides would agree, that planning a wedding is overwhelming, to say the least.

But Janice was not overwhelmed. Well, maybe just a little. But she discovered that a solution to being overwhelmed is being well prepared, really well prepared. She thought of everything. She had a very detailed powerpoint for her bridal party and her wedding went off without a hitch even without a day-of coordinator, which is quite a feat!

We started the day off at Janice's parents house. As I always do in preparation for a getting ready session, I told Janice that she should think of the space where she will be getting ready with the same meticulousness as she does about the rest of the wedding. This was two days before the wedding. I also mentioned that Janice should wear something "weddingy" as she was getting ready. Well, Janice really took my advice to heart and it turned out fantastic. They cleared out the living room, where she was going to be getting ready and left only the essentials and a few wedding accents. It was perfect--spacious, airy and festive! And her white silk robe totally said "bride"!

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Janice and Jason wanted to include a composite in their bridal session and we came up with something fun and a little different. :)

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What a gorgeous gate at Hakone!

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The rest of the grounds were pretty awesome too! :)

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The photo below is actually one of my favorite images from the wedding. I love the emotion and the visible chemistry between the bride and groom. (And I also happen to think the negative space works quite well here.) :)

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The programs in the shot below were a DIY project and don't they just look fabulous? Janice designed their wedding logo herself, which I thought was very cool too!

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The day was sunny, glamorous, and very hot! I am sure the guests appreciated the foresight of party favor fans!

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Another one of my favorite wedding shots below. Lots of lens flare in this wedding! :)

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First kiss as husband and wife.

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Beautiful and yummy French food by Le Papillon.

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The bride and groom used photos from their childhoods, their time together, and their engagement session for a slideshow.

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The Macarena.

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Congratulations, Janice & Jason! What a fantastic wedding!

Until next time!
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Family Session with Sofia and twins Ryan & Oliver (Rancho San Antonio)

Do you remember the adorable twins, Ryan & Oliver? You've seen them when they were just cuddly infants. And you've seen them at 6 months, huddled around a holiday tree. And, of course, their super cute, but until now a bit camera-shy older sister, Sofia.

Well, I am so happy to share with you the photos of our first outdoor session with this super photogenic family! We were hounded by flies and the heat was very nearly overwhelming, but the kids didn't notice any of it. They just did what kids do best--enjoy a warm day outdoors!

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One of my favorite photos from the session--big sister doing the heavy lifting:

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You can't see it on these photos, but their onesies say "Older & Wiser" and "Younger & Cuter". How cute is that?!

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Happy Friday, everyone!

Until next time!
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Sneak Peek from Beth & Kevin's Wedding (Historic Sand Rock Farm, Aptos)

I wanted to share just a few teaser images from a beautiful wedding I photographed on Friday. A full blog post from this wedding to come in the weeks ahead.









Until next time!
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Marina & Stefanos' Wedding (San Francisco City Hall)

I first met Marina and Stefanos the way I frequently meet my City Hall clients--over email, with no context and no initial consultation. I asked them to send me a picture so that at the very least I would know who I was looking for at City Hall on the day of their wedding. In short, I did not have the opportunity to get to know and bond with Marina and Stefanos before the wedding. On my way to their wedding, I was trying to imagine what they might be like in person.

I was in for such a treat! Marina and Stefanos are an amazing couple. They exude such peacefulness, calmness and warmth. When I first start a session, whether it's for a wedding, an engagement, or a family, it usually takes the couple a little bit of time to get warmed up, to start to feel comfortable in front of the camera and to lose their inhibitions. They inevitably do all of the above, just not in the first fifteen minutes of the session. Usually. Marina and Stefanos, from the first photo, were impeccable. They were relaxed and natural! Such a pleasure to photograph!

As you may have guessed by their names, Marina and Stefanos are Greek. City Hall weddings by definition tend to be impersonal and do not integrate the cultural traditions that may be near and dear to the couple's heart. So I thought it was especially great that Marina & Stefanos' friends found a way to include a few Greek traditions in their wedding, by bringing candy-coated almonds as favors and by showering them with rice outside City Hall.

As usual, a few of my favorites:

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And here are those candy-coated almonds. They're yummy, by the way. I got some, too. Sweet (almost no pun intended)!

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I swear there is rice in the air in the photos below. But you can only see it on 100% zoom, not on these little web versions. :)

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Congratulations, Marina & Stefanos!

Until next time!
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