Brittany & Dan :: Country Casual at Beltane Ranch

Have I mentioned before how much I love shooting a wedding at Beltane Ranch? I'm such a country girl at heart that it delights me to shoot in this natural setting, amidst grapevines and barns and horses. Brittany and Dan's country-casual wedding was beautiful. When you choose a setting like Beltane Ranch, you've already made a good choice for your wedding theme. It's rustic and charming and full of natural beauty. With the help of designer Kate Stanley, the bride and groom kept the decor classically country with succulent-inspired arrangements boasting white florals and fresh lemons, buttery gold and white linens, seed packets as escort cards and burlap accented vases. And now you get to enjoy all the pretty little details of Brittany and Dan's wedding.

{{Vendor Love}}

Second Shooter: Kevin Meynell (thank you!!)
Officiant: Adrian Diaz
Site Coordinator: Clever Girl Consulting
Floral Design: Kate Stanley Design
Catering, Furniture, Lighting: Alex's Catering
Cake: Crisp Bake Shop
Linens: La Tavola
Music: San Francisco Conservatory Quartet
DJ: Fog City Entertainment
Bride's Dress: Enzoani
Groom's Attire: Ralph Lauren Black Label
Photobooth: Glass Coat Photo Booth

Sabrina & Dareyn :: California Wedding Day Real Wedding Feature

I'm happy to announce that Sabrina and Dareyn's wedding was chosen by California Wedding Day Magazine as a Real Wedding Feature in the Fall/Winter 2012 edition! We're very excited for the newlyweds! Special thanks to Sabrina and Dareyn for not only letting us be a part of your wedding day, but allowing us to share the images with the wedding world through the print publication too. Our heartfelt wishes for a long and happy marriage to you both!

{Vendor Love}
Ceremony/Reception/Catering: Madrona Manor
Floral Design: Lavender Country Garden Florals
Cake: Forget-Me-Not Cakes
Mini Doughnuts: Dynamo Donuts
Heart Cookies: made with love by Sabrina's aunt
Biscotti: made with love by Dareyn's grandmother
Stationery: Manda Sutijono
Bridal Gown: Gesinee's Bridal
Hair/Makeup: It's A Date at the Powder Room

 

Carrie & Gijs :: A Wedding Homecoming

Carrie & Gijs’ wedding was truly a homecoming wedding. Although already married, it was important for the bride to return to the land where she grew up to share a wedding celebration with family and friends. Her family’s 6000 acre ranch of uninterrupted, rolling hills just south of the town of Sonoma was the setting for the entire gathering. The family home was built in the 1950’s and the interior is true mid-century design. Sweeping views from the property boasted cattle grazing lands rather than vineyards. It was gorgeous. 

The weekend kicked off with a fabulous rehearsal dinner at Carrie and Gijs' favorite Petaluma restaurant, Central Market. You'll see these photos first below, with the brick wall and rustic table setting. The restaurant specializes in "farm to table" cuisine and it's so yummy. (I highly recommend you check out their happy hour from 5-6pm daily, during which they serve free pizza and $1 oysters at the bar!) I also had the opportunity during this time to photograph Carrie and Gijs in their first wedding's apparel, with the trains, barns and rustic countryside setting as our backdrop.

The couple’s vision for the wedding day was to make it feel like a bountiful, rustic farmer's market in your own backyard. One of the goals was to source everything as locally as possible, from to the food, to the flowers, to the bowties sewed for the groomsmen. All of the fantastic beer was from the bride’s brother's local brewery, Uncommon Brewers; the wine primarily came from grapes grown on the family’s Wildcat Mountain vineyard; and even the olive oil on each table was produced on the family’s property. Carrie and Gijs also wanted to incorporate the Dutch concept known as "gezelligheid." As Carrie describes it, “It refers to an environment that is cozy or quaint, or can mean the experience of belonging, spending time with loved ones, or seeing a friend after a long absence. It's one of the hardest words to translate into English, but is absolutely everything that we sought to convey through our wedding, as well as our day to day relationships with each other and with our amazing family and friends.”  

And nothing brings people together like good food, good wine and good music. Aaron Jonas catered the affair and every mouthful was scrumptious. In lieu of a wedding cake, there was an overflowing dessert buffet, complete with cakes, pies, mini galettes, and profiteroles. It was decadent and gorgeous. (Since my own wedding “cakes” consisted of Hostess cupcakes and Twinkies, I love when couples opt for non-traditional desserts!) 

To complement the good food was the music. An impromptu kazoo serenade by the bridal party was a hilarious surprise to Carrie and Gijs. And speaking of hilarious, make sure you scroll down and look at the photos from our photo booth. World travelers Carrie and Gijs met through an international traveler’s network called Couchsurfing and couches were prominently featured at the wedding. For the photo booth, all I needed was a stylish couch and a few chalk boards, and the wedding guests took over from there. From couch surfing and predicting engagements, to pleas for help, the fun just kept on going.cakesTo complement the good food was the music. An impromptu kazoo serenade by the bridal party was a hilarious surprise to Carrie and Gijs. And speaking of hilarious, make sure you scroll down and look at the photos from our photo booth. World travelers Carrie and Gijs met through an international traveler’s network called Couchsurfing and couches were prominently featured at the wedding. For the photo booth, all I needed was a stylish couch and a few chalk boards, and the wedding guests took over from there. From couch surfing and predicting engagements, to pleas for help, the fun just kept on going. 

Congratulations Carrie & Gijs.

Rehearsal Dinner: Central Market, Petaluma
Ceremony/Reception Location: Private Estate, Sonoma

Event Planner: Julie Atwood Events

Floral Designer: Spiral Hand

Table Centerpieces: Oak Hill Farm

Caterer: Aaron Jonas

Cheese Purveyor: Sheana Davis, Epicurean Connection 

Beer Selection: Uncommon Brewers

Cake: Forget Me Not Cakes

Paper: Sandy Bremner Designs

Calligraphy: Calligraphy Girl

Bridal Gown: Martina Liana

Bridal Accessories: Etsy.com

Rentals: Wine Country Party

Lighting: Twilight Design

Music: The Floor Shakers

 

                     

Ashley + Charles @ Beltane Ranch in Sonoma

Ashley Larsen and Charles Baron were married at the beautiful Beltane Ranch in Sonoma.  Beltane Ranch is a working ranch and bread and breakfast, surrounded by grazing horses, cattle, olive orchards, vineyards and lovely organic gardens. 

Born and raised in Nebraska, Ashley grew up with horses.  Her love for these gentle creatures shines through in these photos. 

Leah and Rafael from Spiral Hand enhanced the naturally beautiful setting with their amazing talent.  Karin Kamb, the day of coordinator from Clever Girl Consulting and the staff from Girl and the Fig could not have been more friendly.  And the food was off the charts!

Ashley and Charles relocated to Boston immediately following the honeymoon.  May these photos keep their hearts warm this winter!  Congratulations Ashley and Charles and thank you for letting me be a part of your wedding!  Thank you Hayley Durack for assisting me with capturing these photos!

Adam and Leora's "Lovefest" @ Mayacamas Ranch in Calistoga

I had the true honor of photographing Adam and Leora's wedding (appropriately named "Lovefest" by the bride and groom) in October of 2010.  

It was not only special because of the organization and event design by Dream a Little Dream Events, or the insanely decadent flowers by Natasha of Water Lily Pond, but because this wedding happened shortly after MY wedding.  

Why would this matter?  Firstly, the bride and groom (who I never met before they hired me) were in fact fellow Burners (Burning Man attendees).  They decided not to go to Burning Man because of all of the wedding planning, but they surprised me by showing up for a few days to camp with us and to attend our wedding!  Secondly, after having experienced what it feels like to get married first-hand, my approach to wedding photography has changed.

Photographing a wedding isn’t just about the bride and groom or about capturing all of the details for publication.  It’s about reliving the event.  When I look at my wedding photos (thank you again Kevin Meynell) I relive the best day of my life.  The day goes by so quickly – I don’t even remember talking to anyone at the reception!  But the photos help you piece the events back together – and in the end, reliving the entire day over and over.  Every time I look at the photos, I relive that wondrous feeling of BEST day of my life! 

My goal for every wedding is to give my couples that tremendous feeling of their wedding day over and over again.

I hope you enjoy the eye candy of this wedding.  Adam and Leora’s friends and family were from a wide spectrum of places.  They put so much of themselves into this wedding – just so they could combine their worlds together and share their lives with their friends and family.

You can read more about the details on Dream A Little Dream’s Blog.

Thanks for taking a peek!