Engagement session in Burlingame

It's not often that we have a chance to shoot engagement sessions but when we do it's always a good time and we quickly remember how much we love doing them.  Not long ago, we headed down to the south bay to the cute town of Burlingame and met up with Laura and her fiance Eric. We met them at their apartment and strolled around their neighborhood where we took photos as spots and light presented themselves. It was a real treat chatting with this lovely couple and getting a feel for what they were planning for their out of state wedding this summer. We have a feeling that Laura and Eric will have a great time tying the knot and wish them all the best and safe travels.

Cheers,

Chris and Christian

Couple hanging out in apartment engagement session

Engagement session in Burlingame

Engaged couple in front of natural wall

Burlingame engagement session

Couple in front of brick building

Intimate wedding in Bolinas

A few weeks back we made our way up the coast to photograph Nathan and Minna's intimate wedding in Bolinas. Their ceremony took place in a small chapel and was short, sweet, and simple. They tied the knot in front of just us and our favorite officiant Elizabeth Rivers. We love having the opportunity to document small weddings and always feel lucky to be part of such a personal moment. After their ceremony, we took Nate and Minna down the street for some portraits. The tide was high and beach access was not going to be easy so we hopped in the car and went exploring.  We managed to find a lovely spot just a short drive away with beach access and some great landscapes to use for couple portraits. We really enjoyed working with Nathan and Minna and appreciate being part of their very special day.

Chris and Christian

Wedding at Shelldance Orchid Gardens

Ever dream of getting married in the company of lush and vibrant plants? Kate and Michael lived the dream at their gorgeous wedding at Shelldance Orchid Gardens. Shelldance is a magical place tucked away just south of San Francisco on Highway 1 in Pacifica and while it may be a bit off the beaten path it is well worth the trek.

Kate and Michael were a super fun, vibrant couple with a vibe that matched the colorful display of plants on view in the assortment of greenhouses on the Shelldance property. The couple exchanged vows beneath of canopy of hanging plants and delicate paper lanterns, a site that was later filled with round tables for the intimate reception. There were so many wonderful small details that are woven into the décor of this venue, including the sparkling lights woven in to the arch behind the couple as they said their “I dos. Shelldance has the versatility for all season and we love how this October wedding was decorated with touches of rich autumn colors, including centerpieces that incorporated flowers but leaves, plants and also a pear or two! We also appreciate the commitment to the plant theme throughout the event as even the wedding cake featured an assortment of succulents.

These two also brought us a very different idea for a reception by moving the whole kit and caboodle over to the local bowling alley that "rolled" the party into the evening. It was great to be able to shoot photos of the couple and their friends in a more relaxed atmosphere. We loved to see how people really come alive while bowling! This a group of people that really has fun together and this really shows in the images that were captured.

Though this was our first experience at Shelldance and it quickly made it one our list of favorite wedding venuesom/blog/bay-area-outdoor-wedding-venues.

Reception at Hamel Family Wines

While we often spend most of our time shooting weddings and portraits, we love having the opportunity to bring our candid approach to photography to other types of events. We recently worked with Sam and Daisy at Hamel Family Wines in Sonoma County. They had already had a wedding celebration on their own but they wanted an intimate gathering where friends and family could enjoy each others company over good food and wine. Some friends of the family were able to host the event at their new vineyard and it was lovely. We really enjoyed using the architecture of the space and all of the natural light to create some fun and candid images for the couple to look back on. Chris and Christian

Wedding at Griffith Woods in Santa Rosa

Lisa and Eric's wedding at Griffith Woods in Santa Rosa had two of our most favorite ingredients: lots of  love, and an amazing venue that lent itself to do what we do best, natural light photography. This venue had everything from a babbling brook, cute bridges, towering redwoods, as well as a small vineyard where we were able to capture some great first look images. 

We have also heard that Griffith Woods does a limited number of weddings a year-allowing couples to have the whole weekend for setup and cleanup at this simple sweet venue. We know how stressful time constraints can be for weddings so having a little bit of wiggle room allows for a more relaxed atmosphere.  We feel pretty lucky to have booked a wedding at this venue as it feels like a secluded hidden gem-like a secret spot that we feel (somewhat) guilty sharing with the world. 

It was clear to us from the beginning that Lisa and Eric shared a very genuine love for one another and were just good people to be around. All of their friends and family were so happy to be there on their beautiful day and we had a great time celebrating with them. Even the flowers on the table accentuated the jubilant atmosphere of the wedding as each table setting was filled with bright and shiny yellow flowers. Guests enjoyed toasting to the couple and eating dinner in a beautiful clearing adorned with string lights and paper lanterns.  The serene backdrop of Griffith Woods doesn’t need much to feel magical but we loved the extra touch of lighting for some evenings shots. 

When all of these things come together it makes us so grateful we have the chance to capture great images for folks that will last them a lifetime.