Valentine's Day wedding on Commodore Cruise Lines

A winter wedding in Northern California is a risky proposition, but the sun shone shone through an uncharacteristically rainy season for Hayley and Arthur's Valentine's Day wedding on Commodore Cruise Lines. What a sweet and loving couple! One thing I love about being a wedding photographer is seeing how couples celebrate their love and bring together their families. It's hugely inspiring. 

This couple had been together for over 7 years, but planned their whole wedding in just a few weeks. When the time is right, just go for it. A great option for accommodating a last minute wedding without sacrificing style and character is to book your wedding on Commodore Cruise Line. They have different size options to accommodate large and small wedding parties, and you can book any day of the week...a great option if your family and friends reside nearby. The wedding begins with a dockside ceremony, and then you celebrate onboard with dinner and dancing, all while enjoying stunning bay views and cruising the open water. If San Francisco's city lights and beautiful bridges weren't spectacular enough, throw in a full moon and lunar eclipse in Leo. The love and magic had everyone shining that night.

Congratulations Hayley and Arthur!

Best Wedding Photographers in Oakland List!

A big thank you to the team at Expertise for the shout out on their list of the best wedding photographers in Oakland! I love what I do and it means a lot to get some love in the local scene for what I've been dreaming together here.

Now that wedding season has wound down and the hectic holidays have passed, I'm excited to be editing more of the weddings I shot this year and will be sharing them with you soon! Stay tuned...

Best Wedding
Photographers
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On first looks and wedding jitters

Therese and Brian's San Ramon wedding was a beautifully classic affair. The details were so stunning for this wedding: simple, polished, and elegant touches that made the whole day shine. 

The bride was so very nervous throughout the morning as everyone quietly prepared her for her ceremony. It was beautiful to see how she melted into smiles when she got the chance to be with her groom. The nerves were met with loving support and it was beautiful to see her come out of her shell. All the stress of planning and organizing can definitely get to you, and in the end we do all of this work to celebrate the love!

If I could offer one piece of advice to someone planning their wedding it would be to find a way to connect with each other throughout the day of your ceremony. It can do so much to bring you both back to the love. The vows and commitments made on your wedding are of a life changing significance, it's true. The pressure can feel amplified with family visiting from far away, old friends coming to honor your new chapter, religious officials and the whole nine! In the end, all of these serious things are just there to anchor the sweetness, the lightness, the joy, and they harmony between two people. Some couples opt for a first look before the ceremony to see each other for the first time on their wedding day somewhere private, without the eyes of everyone on them. I have seen that this moment can do wonders for dissolving the wedding jitters, as you get a chance to laugh together and reunite with the support you have from your partner before entering into the ceremony. For those couples who want to meet their spouse-to-be on the altar for the first time that day, exchanging a wedding gift and note is a beautiful way to express your sentiments at the moment when your loved one will need to hear it most. 

Here's to Therese and Brian, and to coming to that magic moment of feeling yourself, feeling your love, and feeling the beauty of your wedding!

Venue: The Bridges Golf Club, San Ramon

Groom gets ready with his best man

Shoes by Calvin Klein

Shoes by Badly Mischka

Therese looking fierce and saucy

Amazing floral cupcake tower wedding cake!