One more take on Proposition 8

I have a beautiful wedding that I am so excited to share, and will post either later today or tomorrow - but first I felt the need to share one more opinion on the Proposition 8 vote, forwarded to me by a friend. I don't know this commentator (we don't have cable here, so I only come across MSNBC on mute at the gym) and his style is a bit melodramatic for me, but I also found myself so impressed with how he so eloquently puts into words the questions and sentiments I have been trying to come up with.



I want to say one more time, how beautiful, sweet, and simultaneously exceptional and totally normal the wonderful gay and lesbian weddings I've photographed this year have been. These are people who are both making history and just leading their lives in a way that is best for themselves and their partners and families. I applaud and congratulate all of the activists who have been fighting and will continue to fight the legislated attempts at separate but equal!

It is shocking to realize that President-Elect Obama's PARENTS had a marriage deemed illegal in 16 states. His parents - not his ancestors or a distant relative of some kind! His story is so fascinating and unique to me, yet it speaks to so many Americans.

That's my soapbox for today. Many lovely photos coming soon! Thanks for letting me share a bit of what I believe isn't truly "politics", because it is so personal to so many people (myself and my family included). And thank you so much to my lovely clients of all backgrounds, genders, faiths and beliefs! I am honored to work with you, and feel such a respect for you and your families well beyond your wedding day.

Happy Friday!

I really wanted to share another full shoot today, but ended up running around swamped with work (and more to do), so instead, here's a link to an awesome, totally behind the scenes flickrstream from Barack Obama (well, someone clearly close to him). Check out Mr. President-Elect getting congratulated by one of his daughters!



You have regal and presidential-looking shots like this:



and nerdy, eyes-closed shots like this:



And look at how the man loves his mother-in-law! : )



I would never have imagined that unedited, imperfect snapshots of a president-elect and his family as they watch the election night news unfold would be posted like this! Though the photographer in me wants to see the family through the lenses of the experienced professionals that surely must follow the Obamas everywhere, I also adore that there are just family snapshots for everyone to see. Somehow I can't quite imagine the Bushes sharing these ; )
The world amazes me every day.

This is my favorite by far:



On that same note, we are loving and adoring our new house! I hope to finish up a lot of the setting up and finessing this weekend, and share photos with how far things have already come very soon. In the meantime, I keep running back to where we now have a washer and dryer (!!! so luxurious!) and jumping up and down in awe.

Here are a few very hurried sneak peeks, taken during painting, moving, cleaning chaos:







What a week!! This is my first weekend off in a couple of months (and by "off", I mean, running errands, cleaning and organizing and unpacking, and maybe meeting with a client or two), and I hope you all have a lovely one as well.

Defining Marriage

I am feeling pretty low about the passing of Proposition 8 here in California, and decided to actually look up the definition of marriage. Now, I know that Wikipedia isn't exactly Websters, but I think it's a good starting place, and their definition is fascinating to me:



"Marriage is a social, religious, spiritual, or legal union of individuals...



"Marriage is an institution in which interpersonal relationships (usually intimate and sexual) are acknowledged by the state or by religious authority. It is often viewed as a contract. Civil marriage is the legal concept of marriage as a governmental institution, in accordance with marriage laws of the jurisdiction. If recognized by the state, by the religion(s) to which the parties belong or by society in general, the act of marriage changes the personal and social status of the individuals who enter into it...



"People marry for many reasons, but usually one or more of the following: legal, social, and economic stability; the formation of a family unit; procreation and the education and nurturing of children; legitimizing sexual relations; public declaration of love; or to obtain citizenship...



"A marriage is often formalized during a marriage ceremony, which may be performed either by a religious officiant, by a secular State authorised officiator, or (in weddings that have no church or state affiliation) by a trusted friend of the wedding participants. The act of marriage usually creates normative or legal obligations between the individuals involved and, in many societies, their extended families."



It deeply saddens me that this proposition has passed, and worries me that people who voted for it were misinformed about many things (same sex marriage being somehow "taught" in school, made up threats to the current state of heterosexual marriage, etc). I normally think that when a popular vote is cast, the majority should win out no matter what my opinion is - but in this case, the civil rights that are being walked on are just too important, so we will not sit back and let the loving, committed same sex marriages be pushed down or cast aside.



I am also terrified that so many voters' arguments seemed to be that their definition of marriage being between one man and one woman comes from the Bible (which is odd, because there are all kinds of polygamists in the Old Testament!). When Devon and I married, we did so in a civic ceremony, saying nothing about any religion or deity - does this mean our marriage will be annulled or threatened next?



On a much happier note, I still have several beautiful weddings from the last few weeks to share (both hetero and homosexual weddings!), and still feel so blessed to be working with wonderful, sweet couples of all backgrounds. I hope that the diversity of my clients continues, and that the gay and lesbian couples (and straight ones!) out there know I am always happy to work with you, and support your commitment and union. Maybe breaking the law can be fun? : )



I know that this is a "hot button" (oh, are you so relieved that the pundits will finally stop talking about the elections?!) issue, but it comes from my heart, so I am unafraid of sharing my feelings here on the blog. Thank you for the support, and let's keep working towards a unified USA!

Happy Election Day!!

I don't want to bump Maya and Danny's wedding too far down, but I adore this casual wedding day photo of Barack and Michelle Obama in 1992. I like watching the two of them interact on tv, because I feel like they really adore and support each other. I also LOVE that Barack called her his "best friend for the last 16 years" when thanking her in his speech tonight. What an exciting time for this country!



Congratulations to the new first family!!

Maya and Danny, Berkeley

(Click on the above photo to see the slideshow!)

Maya and Danny had a private, 30 person ceremony and reception at Maya's mother's beautiful home in the Berkeley hills. October - sunset - Berkeley - family - view of the whole Bay - small and intimate group - beautiful and sweet bride and groom - these elements came together so nicely for Maya, Danny and their families, and resulted in a lovely evening that I felt honored to be a part of!

Various friends helped prepare the deck for the ceremony. The decorations included these amazing flower arrangements, which not only looked stunning against the backdrop, but which smelled amazing! The gardenias draped on the deck railing and up and down the chuppah poles made the whole place smell like a tropical heaven... Mmm!





A few getting ready shots:







Danny's brother, Peter, had arranged all of Danny's accessories and details just so on the counter. I wish I had Peter around all of the time to make everything look so organized and neat!



Musn't forget to arrange the groom too!



Maya is so pretty! I loved that she chose an untraditional dress in a grey-silver-lavender kind of tone. Though it wasn't the typical bridal gown, it definitely still had a fancy, almost regal feel to it.







Isn't she just stunning?! I was trying to figure out who she reminded me of - then someone mentioned Joan Holloway from Mad Men, it totally clicked. I think that Joan (played by Christina Hendricks) is the hottest woman on television, and she makes me feel so proud to be a redhead. Once Maya's hair was up in a subtle 60's-ish updo, I thought, oh, yeah, Joanie!

Back to Danny:



Jessica, a good friend, waiting to officiate the ceremony:



Part of the beauty of having a small, private, at-home wedding is the comfort level. Things sort of flowed along naturally, and though things ran a bit behind schedule, it ended up working out perfectly, with the beginnings of sunset starting right as the ceremony ended, and the family and couple portraits finishing just as dusk disappeared. All of which made for some dreamy lighting.

More importantly, Maya and Danny seemed comfortable, happy, and (mostly) relaxed even during the excitement of the ceremony. Just minutes before the ceremony, Maya's niece was playing with a toy squirrel someone gave her, and Maya's sister was feeding her baby son. Then, when Maya got thirsty before the vows, the ceremony was briefly interrupted while someone got her water. When Danny choked up with emotion while trying to express his love for Maya, she shared the water with him. I think if this had been in front of hundreds of people, they might've felt distracted or intimidated by the "production" aspect. But in front of just their closest friends and family, they were allowed to just be in the moment and take from the event what they needed. And I loved witnessing that!





Newlyweds!



I love that the composition of this shot kind of draws your eyes to the Bay in the background. Love that view!





Maya and Danny loved showing affection for each other, which is always good for photo purposes.





The chic hairdo:



Champagne, strawberries and blinis flowed to celebrate the happy couple!



Then everyone caravanned over to Oliveto in Oakland for a full dinner.



Thank you to Maya and Danny, and their kind families, for having me along to photograph your beautiful wedding evening!