Jacqueline and Gregory's Wedding, Sonoma, California

(click the photo above for the slideshow)

I'm so excited to share these photos of Jacqueline and Greg's beautiful day! This wedding had so much thought, planning, and personalization poured into it for months, so I knew it would be a blast to photograph. Although it was late May and high atop a Sonoma Valley mountain (at a private estate that sadly no longer does weddings - these lucky two were grandfathered in), the weather called for cold, wind, and rain!



A rainy wedding is a difficult situation for any wedding planner as it is, but Greg and Jacqueline were planning everything themselves (with a few key vendors and LOTS of support and help from family and friends), so I wouldn't have blamed them if they lost their minds. When we showed up, however, they were both calm, happy, and grounded (although busy with getting ready while rearranging what was intended to be an entirely outside party). I was really impressed with how they just deal with problems as they arose, without freaking out or becoming anxious, and I think it bodes really well for their marriage.



On to the photos - wow! What a location, what a couple, and what a fun event to photograph. I have a TON of shots of the two of them to share.

I love that I am becoming known for shots of shoes. I'm embarrassed at how scraggly (er, "relaxed") my own footwear tends to be, but that doesn't mean I can't adore beautiful, colorful high heels! Jacqueline had picked out these amazing green Camper sandals and told me she thought of me. I was practically drooling over them; unique and gorgeous!



The bride was stunning herself:









I loved these flower girls and their serious-smiley-serious expressions!



The ceremony was lovely - very personal, with lots of laughter, tears, readings, and even a very old-school children's book that I remember from my youth (do you still have it, mom?).







Jacqueline's beautiful veil and flowers (florals by Zuzu's Petals, who I later found out did Jenny and Mike's beautiful arrangements as well! Linda doesn't have a website yet, so email me if you'd like her contact information, she is GREAT):





The happy newlyweds:



You may remember Jacqueline and Greg from their fabulous engagement session a few months back. They were great subjects, seemed totally comfortable in front of the camera (despite warnings to the contrary - why do I always get people who swear that they're not photogenic, but who end up totally relaxed and actually having fun and looking great during the shoot? You guys are too modest!), and were very playful. We got on the roof of a 3 story building, went in a tree house, and meandered all around a house they used to live at.



I knew that they wanted their wedding photos to be even more memorable, and that the priority were creative and classic looking photos of the two of them, so even when the schedule was running behind, we made sure to take a few extra minutes to get these beautiful shots, and they definitely paid off.



Don't let these favorites fool you - we had a great self portrait setup for guests; I took some more formal shots of the families and wedding party on the lawn (for which the sun finally came out!); and I got lots of photos of the guests laughing, eating, talking and enjoying the party. But my favorites are these classic-looking, romantic photos of Gregory and Jacqueline, so these are the ones I'm dying to share!





There's something unique and offbeat about this action shot that I like a lot:



And this is probably my favorite shot of all - I adore the light, the shallow depth of field, the colors, and even the funky sun flare!



We also took the time to do a few old-fashioned Polaroids with my vintage 4x5" camera:



And here's what I was looking at (the ground glass makes the image upside down and backwards, it's a weird p.o.v.!)



We also had this stunningly moody sunset and sky:



Since college, I have been obsessed with Adirondack chairs, so of course I had to have these dried off for at least a few of their portraits:



Beautiful peridot custom-made ring:



On to dinner! Since dinner had been planned for the lawn and deck areas, it was quite a squeeze to fit all 50 or so guests in the normal sized living room, but they made it work and had a wonderful, family-style meal made fresh by a personal chef, in the kitchen right off of the dining area. The food was phenomenal and the guests were happy and warm inside.









Even the cakes were fabulous - THREE cakes, plus petit fours, custom made for these discerning Berkeley foodies, with beautiful seasonal fruit and a variety of flavors.



The flowers were again done by the fabulous Linda Snyder of Zuzu's Petals, and I have to give props to Erica Carr of the Barber Lounge for being a fabulous makeup artist - not only did she do a great job (Jacq looked gorgeous and very natural), but she was fun to be around and a calming influence on everyone. Great women to have on board!

I'll post the guests' self-portraits as soon as I get the slideshow completed. Thank you Gregory and Jacqueline for such a beautiful visual (and, you know, literal) feast! I hope you are having the time of your lives in B.C.!