Alex and Rich's Engagement Photos, Piedmont Community Hall

Alex and Rich came from LA and Austin, respectively, for their engagement session in Piedmont. Alex and I have been talking and emailing all the time about the details for their upcoming wedding in Yountville, and I had met her in person once before, but this was my first time meeting Rich, so I was really excited. He was great, and, as you can see, they are a perfect match for each other! They really complement each other well...





I loved Alex's dress and pretty pale pink painted nails, as well as Rich's very hip Texan outfit and shoes!









We shot these in Rich's brother's backyard, then moved on to the Piedmont Community Hall, a lovely venue that is usually booked up with weddings on the weekends (and was when we were there, 7/28/07, also), but which has big lawn areas and playgrounds that are still public, right in the middle of Piedmont. It's a lovely and mellow place to photograph a wedding - I shot there waaaay back in the summer of 2004!





I have lots more to say about my excitement in working with these two and the wonderful details and fun that they have planned for their gorgeous wedding at the Villagio in Yountville, but I don't want to give anything away, so I'm going to wait until after their wedding day!



I've gotten rave reviews from Alex and Rich (and their families!) from last weekend's engagement session, and I'm so touched that they love their photos. I cannot wait to photograph the wedding! I know it's going to be such a blast : )

Edited: Slideshow has been removed, 10/16/2008.

Diamond Girl

I recently heard this song on the way home from an engagement shoot in Oakland, while I was wearing one of my favorite necklaces:



(mine's the blue)

This was a gift from my friends Lauren and Derek, whose wedding I shot in 2004 (and which you can see in the galleries of my weddings site). It's gotta be my favorite tip ever! I'm not a big diamond girl, but I have totally taken a shine to these fake, glamorous diamond styles. Take a look at the jewelry maker's site here - Jennifer Kellogg. L&D have kind of a wood grain fondness, so they had her make their wedding rings like these:




Adorable!

I'm hoping I'll someday see one of these styles as an engagement ring - so cool and unique!












If you're looking for other diamond alternatives, let me know - I know of a few great resources. One of the best, of course, is buying antique jewelry - I have a beautiful ring that my great great aunt had made in the late 1800s. This is the same kind of theory as vintage fur or ivory. Then there are lab made diamonds - beautiful, perfect, and totally cruelty free. Green Karat has some great rings made from recycled gold and lab-created diamonds (in all kinds of colors!). Here's some of my favorites:











And, finally, another great option is to have something custom made by someone you trust and like - this way, you can ask about where the stones came from, as well as pick the one you like best out. I had mine made by a family friend here in Santa Rosa (a beautiful light blue Sapphire from a Montana mine, set in an un-delicate white gold and platinum - just what I wanted!), but I've heard great things about 14 Karats on College in Berkeley - and they have great work on their website.













Although I adore my wedding ring, all this looking is making me wish I could go ring shopping. Back to work!

Finished!

I'm done with the book, sadly and relieved-ly, and am resisting overdoing it by rereading the rest of the series or rewatching the movies.

I thought the book was good overall, though slow in some parts and crazy fast in others.

And, now, I am totally open to discussion and am not so terrified of spoilers!

Sidenote: supposedly a friend of ours was riding Muni in SF on Friday before the book came out. He's not really a fan, nor does he look like Harry, but I guess in a skinny, brown hair, rumpled kind of way, maybe. Well, someone dressed as Draco Malfoy hopped on the bus, saw our friend, and, thinking he was dressed up as HB, shouted, "unhand that wand, Potter!".

Awesome.

hp7.jpeg

same question, different answer:



I am around page 600 and am terrified of spoilers. But I don't wanna finish it... sniff...

A big sign of geekiness, I think, is comparing events in real life to events in the book... suffice to say that a local bank got robbed right while I was reading Chapter 26...

Jessica and Neal's Wedding, Old Point Reyes Schoolhouse Inn, Point Reyes Station, West Marin County, California

Jessica and Neal had a beautiful, West Marin County wedding on Bastille Day (July 14th). I met them through my college friend Sarah (who, unfortunately, couldn't be at the wedding as she and her boyfriend are spending a year in Budapest!), so I felt like we were already friends from the start. They are both AWESOME, and work for Grace Street Catering. Jessica works in the event planning part, while Neal's a chef, so they really planned this as a celebration and gift from their hearts and passions to their families. Jessica coordinated with Grace Street's awesome floral department to create by far the most unique and interesting bouquets, arrangements, centerpieces, and details I have ever seen, while Neal planned the menu from the appetizers to the four course dinner. It was a joy to be there, and I cannot thank them enough for including me!



I could post for hours about their unique details, which involved everything from feathers, to birds' eggs, to birdcages, to an abandoned wasps' nest, to thistles, to scarab beetles (!!), to seashells, to vintage bottles... Okay, my point was supposed to be that a picture is worth a thousand words, so I'll shut up and let the photos do the talking. I am just still so blown away by the amount of creativity!





























And the food! So amazing. I even tried the duck mole - although not a duck fan - and it was delicious... mmmmmm, so good!





This one was my favorite. Spicy and scrumptious!



And the beautiful ambience - the wedding was at the Old Point Reyes Schoolhouse in Pt. Reyes Station. I love this area of West Marin, and have a lot of wonderful memories tied to it from driving to my grandmother's house in Stinson Beach growing up. Devon and I got there way early, sampled snacks from the yummy Bovine Bakery, watched the hardcore bikers (the spandex and leather kinds) taking a break, and enjoyed the sunshine (a rarity near the coast) until the lovely salty mist rolled in around 6.









And the best for last - look at how beautiful and adorable these cutie pies are! I loved working with both of them, and the toasts, and meeting their loving families and friends.

















I seriously could go on and on about how wonderful they looked, how perfect all the details were in representing the couple and their uniqueness, and the gorgeous food and location, but since I've already rambled quite a bit, I implore you to take a look at the slideshow!

edited 1.2.08 - the slideshow has been taken down for server tidiness. Please let me know if you're interested in seeing it.



(the above shot was taken with a vintage 4x5" camera - ask me if you're interested in having portraits made with it!)