This was one of my favorite getting ready sessions in some time, we had some really great light to play with.

The competition was fierce!

One of my favorites of the day.

Aline was looking fabulous and her dress was very dramatic!

Really liked this little moment with her Dad.

We did a first sight on the deck where the ceremony was going to take place, so many great moments I had to put together a little series.  I love when couples choose to do this. Not only does it make logistics so much easier, I love the intimacy of the moment and the opportunity to capture it all without the restrictions of the ceremony.

We got to make a few portraits before the ceremony too.

I really dig this one.  It took a lot of firepower to get them to register in the reflection during the middle of the day!

Quite the ceremony view eh?

Malarie got the first kiss from upstairs.  Nice shot wifey!

I think this is my favorite portrait of the day.

We used to live fairly close by here and I’ve always admired these doors.  I think they’re my favorite in the city.

There’s that aforementioned drama in Aline’s dress!

Ben had some rooftop access so we stopped by for a few more portraits on the way to the reception.  I really like these next two.

I’ve said it before, but I really think the Horah may be my very favorite wedding tradition to shoot.  It’s hard to not display genuine, pure emotion when you’re hoisted precariously in a chair by your slightly inebriated friends and family.

I told you it was precarious!  Don’t worry, they caught him.

My favorite place is right in the center to get images like this, but it always seems like a dangerous place to be!  So much fun.

Aline and her Mom showing everyone how it’s done.

Not to be upstaged, Aline’s Dad brought down the house!

It was an awesome day Aline and Ben, thanks so much for inviting us to share it with you!

P.S. Thanks to Elliot for the referral!

Cliff

I started just as Neha was getting things wrapped up with her sari, it was beautifully ornate, and the intimacy of the process was fantastic.

This is one of my favorites of the day for sure.

I think the Baraat is my new favorite wedding day tradition.  The groom and his family and friends dance, party, and make as much noise as possible on the way to be greeted by the bride’s family before they make their way to the Mandap.  A little note:  Raj, I’ll never forget “light bulb, doorknob, light bulb, doorknob”

Raj and his Mom dancing during the baraat.

Raj saw this coming and tried to escape, but his friends grabbed him and lifted him in the air.  Neha’s mom got him good!

Raj as he awaits Neha’s arrival.  The sheet would separate them until they were able to see eachother.

This was a cool tradition too, the mothers whispered advice to Neha.

Watch out!

The days details!  Coordination by Tejel Patel Nott of Ambiance By Tejel, Florals by Kim England, and cupcakes by Layers Cake.

A spin during their entrance to the reception.

First dance!

There was so much emotion during the Father/Daughter and Mother/son dances, I had to post several.  I was really moved to see their relationships, they were going to make me cry!

On to the party, and what a party it was!  I told Malarie that this wedding got my ultimate compliment, I wish that I were a guest because I really wanted to dance!  I did sing along at the top of my lungs along with everyone else while I was shooting though.

I’m not sure if this was tradition or impromptu, but it was fun!

Get low Raj!

Thanks so much for the introduction to Indian weddings, and for having us along for the ride!  It was a fabulous day, we’re so pleased we were able to be a part of it!

Cliff

We started things off at Villagio for getting ready with Brittany.

Here’s how the guys get ready.

Smooth!

We shot a few portraits separately around the property of the Villagio:

A nice moment during the ceremony:

We hit the vines for a few portraits after the ceremony.

Here are the details from the day!  First off a shout out to Leighsa Montrose of Branch Out Flowers, one of our very favorite florists who we’ve worked with before, and it was she who pointed Brittany and Adam our direction.  Thank you!  Cake was by Laurie Lucov Cakes.

Fun moment during the toasts.

First dance.  I love this room!

Watch out Adam!

Brittany changed into her party dress, and it was time to dance!  A dramatic re-entrance up on the couch.

A couple of the bridesmaids have their way with the couple.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone this excited to catch the bouquet!

Thank you for having us along to document your day!

Cliff

When I arrived Kelley was doing a bit of work to help her dress recover from the flight over.  She has a fashion background, and her dress was custom made.  I have to say I think it’s my single favorite wedding dress that I’ve seen thus far!  Kelley was absolutely stunning.

Thomas’ sisters were doing a final practice run for their toast in a secluded area of the Villa out of earshot of everyone else.  I was their first audience.

Kelley waving to Thomas as they arrived.

I think this is Kelley’s favorite feature of the dress. I think I remember her saying it made her feel like a superhero.

Once she was in the dress they didn’t wish to see each other until the ceremony, so she was hiding out while Thomas passed by.

This was his first reaction to seeing her walk up in the distance.  I’d say the dress had it’s desired effect! Nice shot Malarie!

The Love Temple at Villa Montalvo.  I believe they said it was the first time they’d had a ceremony take place here, which was surprising as it seems it was made for it.

The details of the day.  They had an outstanding coordinator, Kristina Taheri. She was I believe the most professional that we’ve had the pleasure of working with.  She assured everything ran like clockwork all day long.  Florals were by Ingela Floral design, we loved the variety of designs they put together, and were the perfect compliment.  I don’t often mention the caterer, but Le Papillion was amazing.  It was the best I’ve ever eaten at a wedding.  We had venison and quail and it was delicious!

Many great expressions during the toasts, but this was my favorite.

Kelley and her Mom on the ‘floor

Thomas and his Mom.

Thanks for having us along to document your day, we enjoyed being a part of it all!

Cliff

First up is Vicky getting her birdcage veil attached by her very talented hair/makeup artist Sherrie Long. We’ve worked with her in the past and she always does a wonderful job.

A few portraits around the house.  They’re a very fashionable pair!

I think I will always have a soft spot for birdcage veils.

The parents checking the guests progress out the front door.

They had their ceremony in the front yard.

Things got emotional with her MOH after the ceremony.

The details were quite spectacular, and it’s safe to say I was pleased to see the orange.

Vicky was looking stunning in her Carolina Herrera gown and Louboutins, and her hairpiece was actually fashioned out of a family heirloom.  The event design, planning, and florals were carried out by Natasha and the rest of the Waterlily Pond team, and their execution was flawless.  The catering was handled by LRE Events, and it was delicious!  Jimmy from Creative Lighting did the kickass lighting around the property, check out the pattern he put down in the pool!  It was a pleasure working with such a talented team.

Quite the first dance!

Love the camera poking in during the dip.

It ended up being a pretty epic party, lots of fun on the dance floor!

Sneak attack with the cake from Vicky.

Careful!

I could post even more dancing/party images, but I think this sums up how much fun everyone had perfectly.  Too much for him.

Thanks for having us along for the ride!

Cliff

Chris looking radiant during her preparation.

Fun first sight, you can tell Jeff liked what he saw!

We spent some time around the property shooting portraits before the ceremony.  Love this one.

Drama!  We don’t often get these great clouds, but when we do I have to take advantage.

This might be my favorite of the portraits.

First kiss!

The details.  Another big details spread!  We arrived a little early so we spent some time shooting some of the details of the Calistoga Ranch itself, as it’s such a stunning property.  The vendors involved to pull off the rest of the details included, Betty Wan of Type A Planning, Valley Flora for the florals, Fleur De Lisa for the cake, Dave Tutton providing the music, and they had an extremely talented digital caricaturist do portraits during the reception by the name of Jon Casey.

First Dance.

Some great reactions during the toasts.

Jeff’s best man had a toast theme that included 3 stages of their evolution and friendship over the years that were symbolized by 3 different types of alcoholic beverages they consumed during those stages. From jungle juice to a fine cabernet.

It was a fun time on the dance floor!

Chris’ Dad showing them how it’s done!

Chris’ reaction.  I don’t think she knew he had it in him!

Thanks to Chris and Jeff for inviting us along for the ride, we’ve really enjoyed getting to know you and your families!

Cliff

I love birdcage veils!

Great series from their “first sight”. 

Heading to the ceremony.

Liberty is going to kill me for posting this, but I love it!  A little hors d’oeuvres during the dress bustling.  The number one rule when getting married is to eat when given the opportunity as you don’t know when you’ll get another chance.

This is how Mike rolls.   OK, to be fair he was holding one for someone else.

Portrait time out in the vines.

I’m pretty certain this is my largest details post ever!  Homestead is an idyllic private home surrounded on all sides by vineyards, with a magnificent ancient Oak tree on the property which was the setting for the ceremony.  Adding to that backdrop were the fantastic owners of the property and catering team, Jim and Janet.  It’s obviously a labor of love for them and their team, and when combined with Amy Thumart, their wedding day planner everything ran like clockwork.

Gorgeous florals were by Pat Gibbons Floral, cake by Patisserie Angelica, and they had the best musicians I’ve ever heard at a wedding, Jeff Campbell and Megan Slankard.  They were truly musicians who happened to be playing at a wedding rather than “wedding musicians” if you know what I mean.  Really remarkable.

The whole day had an intimate casual elegance to it with quirky twists here and there that I think suits their style and personalities perfectly.

I love this moment during the speeches!  Liberty’s dad was awesome, a total character.

The cake was finger licking good!

First dance:

These two must already be married.

Thanks Liberty and Mike for inviting us to document your day!

Cliff

Thanks so much to all the crazy fantastic clients who supported us in ’09! Without you there would be a whole lot of pictures with no people in them.

Here’s looking forward to the 2010 season, there’s some great stuff in store! Keep tuned over the next couple of weeks as we finish up a freshening up of our branding and web presence!

On with the show:

Cliff

I’m thrilled to post the results from my first contest with the ISPWP (International Society of Professional Wedding Photographers)!  Not only am I proud of my involvement with the organization in general, which has very high standards for membership, but that I placed 17th overall (among the 100′s that entered) in their Winter 2009 image contest with 6 of the images I entered placing in it’s given category!

Check out the screen captures of my image placements below, and click on the image to be taken to the contest photo gallery where you can view the rest of the winning images.  There’s some truly inspiring work from all around the world, so you owe it to yourself to take a look around.

Jacqueline and Elliot, Sierra and Steve, Jessica and Justin, Katie and David, Ha and Sy, Julie and Yomei, and all family and friends in the images, it’s truly due to you that these images even exist.  Thank you so much for welcoming me into this important day in your lives!