Alex and Rich's Wedding, 8/18/07, the Pavilion at the Villagio, Yountville, Napa Valley, California

I knew that Alex and Rich's wedding was going to be unlike any other, and I'm SO excited to finally post the photos and show you how it was so unique! This is a long one - lots to share!



First of all, the couple was amazing. Alex and I had been talking and emailing very often, so I got to be privy to a lot of the fun details as they evolved. It was great to finally meet Rich when we did their engagement portraits - they are perfect for each other!



Alex used to be in a roller derby league in LA, so her ushers were these lovely, sassy ladies on roller skates! What a great photo op!











May I just say that this was the BEST shoot we had ever done with it?! That's all thanks to goofy Devon - he may make silly faces but he checked the setup while I was taking the formal stuff, and these shots came out looking SO awesome! I mean, look at these guys - they're like a wine country commercial! I love it!



And then we have some more derby ladies... ooh la la! How hot is this?!





The ceremony and reception was all at the Pavilion at the Villagio in Yountville - a gorgeous, classy, and really fun space. I loved talking with Katherine, the event planner there! She was totally open to all the quirky things Alex and Rich brought in, and they were really accommodating with things like dogs, stinky cheese, setting up a bounce house, etc etc etc. I highly recommend the Villagio! Gorgeous hotel and spa, and the Pavilion area itself is just perfect for a wedding. This is like an epically beautiful place to get married, right in the heart of Napa, and (as one guest put it, close to midnight) stumbling distance to other hotels, restaurants, etc, in lovely downtown Yountville.



Very wine country, see?





The Villagio caters and the food was also amazing. I saw that the child's meals had beautiful heirloom tomatoes on their cheeseburgers!

Rich and his brother/ best man had really cool vintage ties from Rich's vintage collection:





You know who else was in suit and tie?



Yup, they had the whole getup!



They got quite a reaction coming down the aisle:



Alex's dress had some beautiful blue custom beading, done by her "maven of honor":



During the ceremony the sun was pouring down which made for some fun sun flare:



But I didn't want to get too carried away. Thank goodness for lens shades (and for parasols - so cute!)





The ceremony was very sweet, with lots of tender moments, funny speeches, poems, and songs. I could tell that they have a wonderfully supportive family and friend group!





Then! After the formal stuff, a cocktail hour, dinner and a few toasts (all of which are on the slideshow, but I want to feature more of the unique details), everyone moved over to the Barrel Room, which was set up with things like:



An old fashioned candy bar with model cars (A&R are big vintage car people. Their seating arrangement was laid out on vintage hubcaps, and each table had a vintage car's hood ornament demarcating it.)

Which resulted in many cute and happy kids:



A cupcake tower:





An "Alex and Rich" piñata (which they didn't end up breaking, and I'm glad!):



A swanky lounge band called Project Pimento, which played all kinds of groovy stuff like lots of Bond movie themes, the Pink Pather theme, "the Girl from Ipanema", etc etc.



A "cheese cake" made out of rounds of delicious, potent cheeses!



Aaaaand of course... the aforementioned bounce house!









I must confess... I've never seen a bouncy house almost tip over before! This one was definitely rocking with adults and kids alike! Everyone danced, bounced, and partied until almost midnight. The weather was perfect and the party was definitely swinging!



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



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

And the link to their engagement shoot photos.

What a wonderful wedding!

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.

the Bridal Guide, Alex and Rich's Napa Wedding

The editors at the print magazine The Bridal Guide loved Alex and Rich's August 2007 Napa wedding, and have featured it in the current (Jan/Feb 09) issue, on newsstands now!











I think that this wedding is such a hit because of all the details Alex and Rich incorporated to their wedding, and especially because of the lovely roller derby girls! You can check out more photos from the wedding on the blog here.

Besides all of Alex and Rich's hard work, the venue (The Villagio/ Vintage Inn) and the planner (Alicia Falango at AK Designs) made the wedding extra special, fun, and fabulous.

I've got some more published work, a brand new website, a new line of albums, and many photo shoots to share coming up soon!