Melanie + Ben: Santa Rosa Wedding Photography-Hyatt Vineyard Creek

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She nervously put on her dress, with mom by her side, all seemed a little bit better when mom embraced Melanie after seeing  her in her dress for the first time.

Both Melanie and Ben come from families with long-lasting marriages, it's what inspires them to make the kind of commitment they made on their special day. The ceremony was definitely filled with tears as they boldly stated their vows to one another. Sometimes in the midst of wedding planning, the real heart of a wedding can be missed. But I love the moment when a bride and her groom professes their love for one another and boldly makes their promises in front of all their witnesses, it makes all of the stress, the detail planning, the things that didn't quite turn out the way they might have wanted, all fade to gray in comparison.

We had a blast capturing their lovely day! Thanks Melanie & Ben for sifting through all those Yelp pages to find us, it was truly an honor!

Chris is the ring guru, and he wanted to add a little personal touch by adding a purple hue to their rings. So Chris pulled up this light app on his phone to create a cool uplighting effect!

 

These have to be hands down THE BEST CUPCAKES in the world! Seriously, I fell in love! And I have eaten many cupcakes in my day! They are from Sift Cupcakes.  

The DJs from Planet Entertainment kept the party alive and going all throughout the night!

 

Our groom surprised the wedding guests with his stunning rap performance during the reception. We were surprised too, we didn't know he was a rapper!  

He obviously captured and entertained the crowd!

I love how excited the garter catcher looks in this photo! He's flexing in true manly spirit!

Love the floral arrangements by Vanda Floral, the bouquets, centerpieces and the cake table were adorned with gorgeous purple hues! Thanks to everyone who made this wedding such a beautiful day!

Stop Doing Photography!! Little Did I Know This Would Change Me

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"Stop doing photography!" That's what I had to tell myself after my husband and his friend advised me to take more breaks in my work day and give myself some breathers. Sometimes it's just hard to stop when I'm deep into editing and the hours just roll on by, before I know it, I've crouched over the computer screen for a good 6 or 7 hours without any lunch or breaks. 

So, I did just that. I stopped doing photography, not for good of course (don't panic!)... just for the evening. You see, I mentor a sweet high school girl and week after week I encourage her to explore her God-given creativity and to not neglect the artist within herself. Last night, we did a creative exercise, you know, to take her mind off things and to get her creative juices flowing.  Little did I know this exercise would change me. 

We spent several hours going through magazines picking out things that represented us. We sifted through color palettes, textures, images, words that we would soon combine together to make an art piece, something that makes us, well, us.

Thanks to many PDN & Rangefinder Magazines ( I promised I've already looked through them before doing this project) and other fashion magazines, I came up with something I ended up liking more than I expected. It's funny, I've done a couple of mod podge projects before, but this time was different. The way I composed was different. I found myself finding random things yet coordinating my colors, textures, I even added some pieces to make it 3D. 

 

When I stepped back to see my final project, it was clear the things that move me. I realized that this time was different because of my thought process and how I knew what I wanted before I could see the end product. It wasn't a bunch of random things anymore, each piece was significant. And this is exactly how I should compose my photography. (Roberto Valenzuela light bulb moment!, he was our mentor at WPPI 2012) What a great experience to "stop doing photography" only to find myself that much more inspired to do the things that I do everyday. My favorite phrase in this whole project was this, "Celebrating the world's greatest love stories." (thanks Tiffany & Co. for the awesome ad from which I borrowed this) This resonated with me so much because I truly feel that is what I do weekend after weekend. Chris and I get to celebrate the world's greatest love stories! And then of course, with one camera and multiple lenses, our possibilities are truly endless. 

So, I would encourage you to stop doing what you're doing. Stop having mundane overworked weeks (or weekends for all you fellow wedding vendors) and have a little fun and do something to get your creative juices flowing. Yes, even photographers can lose their drive for creativity if you don't make room for it in your lives. I'm glad to say that I now have an encouraging art piece hanging in the entrance to my urloved office. You never know how one little project could become an inspiration for endless possibilities. Now go, be creative! I'd love to see what you come up with!

Clarissa + Hwa-Shyang: San Francisco Wedding Photography- Drisco Hotel & St. John's Presbyterian Church

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We stepped onto the hills of the Presidio of San Francisco to find ourselves in such a quaint Drisco Hotel where Clarissa and Hwa-Shyang would first lay eyes on one another on their wedding day. The place was full of light and peace, just like much of the day we remembered. It felt like we were attending a family member's wedding, the feel was very different--warm, calm and collective. 

I love seeing how each wedding day, truly reflects that of the bride and groom's personality. This day was no different. The suave day definitely reflected Clarissa and Hwa-Shyang's light-hearted and easy-going personalities and most definitely their fun love for one another. Their infectious smiles and laughter, and tears of joy spread throughout the day to family and friends as they committed their lives to one another.

 

 

The ladies were prepped and beautified by the amazing Vanity Pham for hair and make-up. Van and her team came to Clarissa upon my personal recommendation after having the Vanity team at my own wedding. Her bubbly presence coupled with her beautiful professional work definitely set a bright start to the gorgeous day! 

 

 

I normally stay with the bride, while Chris sneaks over to cover the groom and his groomsmen. Clarissa mentioned that she is constantly on her phone and would have a hard time parting with it for the day, when we looked back at the photos, now I understand why...she was connecting with her soon to be husband!!

 

 The intimate setting of St. John's Presbyterian Church in the heart of the Presidio made for a lovely ceremony and matched Clarissa's wedding colors accented with a red aisle and red pew cushions. 

 

The ceremony was beautifully filled with Pachelbel's Canon in D from very talented trio of Corelli Strings. I've heard many play this piece, but this trio truly set the tone for a gorgeous and elegant ceremony. 

 

 

The reception took place at the Grand Palace Seafood Restaurant in South San Francisco and it was filled with celebration and dancing! 

 I love the joyous face on the mother of the groom as she dances her son into his new marriage!

Clarissa and Hwa-Shyang went with a DIY photobooth with hand-made signs, masks and picture frames. We helped them set up their backdrop and lighting while their "crazy cousins" helped take photos throughout the night with a Nikon D800. The photo in the bottom left of this collage was taken by one of the infamous cousins!

 

Clarissa rocked sparkly dark silver Kate Spade heels, a Casablanca dress and rings from Tiffany & Co. Her bridesmaids also had the cutest Hello Kitty glasses that gave a little flair of fun for the day! The beautiful bouquets were from Branch Out Floral and Event Design which complemented the amazing cake from Gerhard Michler Fine European Desserts of San Francisco. Clarissa + Hwa-Shyang left red boxes at the dinner tables for guests to fill up with desserts from Gerard Michler as their wedding favors. What a creative way to say thank you to family and friends and to end the night on a sweet note!  

 

Of course the day wouldn't have gone quite as smoothly and calmly had it not been for Adrienne Lee from Tickled Events. Clarissa and Adrienne were the most detailed when it came to the planning and it was such a great pleasure to be a part of such a wonderful day!