I thought to myself I have met my “dream couple” when I first met Matt and Maggie and they have told me about their plan to get married on Mount Diablo Ranch in Walnut Creek, CA. That magical place has always been a perfect spot for a perfect sunset time wedding in my mind.

In the day of the wedding I have met Maggie at the Embassy Suites Walnut Creek hotel in Walnut Creek, California just as she was finishing getting her makeup done and getting ready to get into her dress.

Maggie was radiating with joy and so calm – there was a quiet feeling that everything is going just as planned! What a blessing to get on your wedding day!

While Maggie was getting ready Matt and his groomsmen were having a good time of their own at the Diablo Ranch:

Every little corner of this venue had a simple rustic charm of a working cattle ranch:

It was time for the ceremony, the beautiful bride walked down the aisle accompanied by her father and serenaded by a vibrant mariachi band. As heartfelt vows were articulated Matt and Maggie were pronounced man and wife:

The warm August sun was going down I was lucky enough to capture a few private moments of the newlyweds right after the ceremony:

Our cowboys and cowgirls were ready to party into the night:

And our Matt and Maggie were ready to start a new beautiful chapter in their lives together…

For more adventures of Matt and Maggie on their wedding day check out this wedding slideshow.
The whole wedding gallery is available here.

It wasn’t THE day, not quite yet … but very very soon they would be married, joined by their families for the grand celebration and enjoy their “happily ever after.”

Before the commotion of the wedding day would begin Mike and Amy wanted to document the current slice of their lifetime together, the beginning of their new adventures together.

We have arranged to meet on the Oakland LDS Temple grounds an evening leading to their ceremony and have some fun taking pictures without worrying too much about time. You could feel the sense of excitement and enthusiasm about this couple; the air around us was filled with laughter and joy.

The soft evening light was basking my soon-to-be-newlyweds in it’s pleasing orange glow, the golden sunset overlooking the bay was sealed with a sweet kiss.

On their wedding day, Mike and Amy celebrated in a hall filled with beautiful antiques and vintage items. Vintage and antique items always are great at wedding receptions. Antiques show class. They are a throwback to earlier times. They are a reminder of the past.

Ironical, they remind us of when ‘things’ didn’t matter as much. They remind of us of when family was the most important thing. With that spirit Mike and Amy wanted to start theirs.

Getting married is wonderful, exciting, and at times overwhelming. It is such a blessing to be able to capture the tenderness of this BIG moment.

It was a scorcher of a day: 105 in the shade and no shade to be seen.

Rudy stood sweating out each moment waiting for Danielle his bride to make her entrance.

Radiant, she walked slowly down the aisle with a smile to Rudy.

The ceremony was brief and beautiful.

Group pictures were taken then the party retreated to the cool shade of the reception hall and the celebration began.

I like having fun while taking pictures of people, it makes such a difference when clients are relaxed, flirty and playful. This weekend I took engagement pictures of Keela and Les the Lawrence Hall of Science in Berkeley. And they did not disappoint…


It was a foggy day and we couldn’t see the city from up in the hills. This fact didn’t really matter, Keela and Les were still “fighting” over the observation binoculars.
        
Although we had little luck with the panoramic view Lawrence Hall of Science offers on a sunny day, we took a few very cute pictures by their waterfall.

It’s fun to visit family and friends around holidays. I was in Utah right before Thanksgiving for my sister-in-law’s wedding and had some time to hang out with my best friend Masha (Masha #2 he-he-he, I am Masha #1) and her little boy.


It was a nice warm day to take pictures and I had very cooperative models! And then Masha and I have decided to open a new line of woman’s clothing and have Masha be the model for our catalog .

I took these pictures for Chad to send out to his family for the holidays. As always I am attracted to old magical buildings with wrought iron candelabras, park benches and fall foliage.



Thanks Chad for being patient and going along with any of my ideas.

A week before Thanksgiving I went to Utah for my sister-in-law’s wedding. It was a lot of fun visiting my Alma mater, hanging out with family, eating the best tasting breakfast burritos in the whole world and taking lots of pictures. Here is the bride:


And the groom:

And the blue emergency phone that was so kind and served as a good prop.

I didn’t know people could have so much fun being outside in a blistering cold wind. You couldn’t even tell from the pictures that I was bundled up in my warmest coat and still freezing.


I bet their love kept them warm throughout the process.

It is amazing to me how many people think they are not photogenic… if I had a penny every time someone told that to me, I would have a lot of them! While taking pictures for Nicole and Cary, they told me they would be happy they looked “good” only in one picture. Well, I am not sure how to break the new to them, but we definitely got more than one good one. Here are a few of my favorite ones:

A few weeks ago I have attended my sister-in-law’s wedding in Utah. While I took a million pictures of the couple, I also had a privilege to take family pictures for my other sister-in-law, Erica and her family.


Every time we visit them I remember the good old days of going to school in Utah and I want to move back in and live next door to them.