Amy and Ryan felt like family from the moment we met them. In addition, they were really careful and exacting and specific about what they were looking for in all their wedding vendors and thet picked US- and that felt great.
The engagement portrait they did with Michael in Santa Cruz was unbelievable, both for the great locations and Michael’s artistry, and for their willingness to play with him and really enjoy the process. It made a gorgeous guest signing book- we are so pleased we started including those in our packages as they have been a huge hit at every wedding.
Something about their wedding really touched us as it was beautiful to see their plans unwind and most especially to behold Amy’s complete delight, joy and excitement at being a bride on her wedding day- shared by her bridesmaids. She stopped frequently during her transformation into drop dead gorgeous bride in the lovely Clos la Chance Winery bridal room to really drink in the fact that this really was her wedding day. Her joy was infectious to everyone around her.
Meg wrote to Amy afterwards about some of the things that touched us so greatly and among the things she mentioned-
-Amy’s wonderful foot attire- black and white tennies for the bridemaids, and pink for her. In concert with the hot pink bridesmaids dresses and the fabulous flowers the visuals were a photographers dream! We knew Amy would be beautiful but she really was a fairy tale bride.
-The prayers Amy shared during her getting ready with her mother and Ryan’s mother- real, moving, full of the love they all obviously shared.
-The fact that her mother and Ryan’s parents stood with Ryan as Amy approached with her father. It was a moment of pure magic.
-The way Ryan and Amy stood for a few moments forehead to forehead in a prayer, feeling the moment as they stood ready to marry. Time stopped, it seemed to be just the two of the in the world just then.
-Even during the ceremony there was an obvious sheer delight in being there- wanting to stop and behold the guests, to drink it in, the look of amazement from Amy as her new husband put her wedding ring on her finger.
-The foot washing ceremony as they washed the feet of their best man and maid of honor, and of each other, an act of service and tenderness that was so very moving as to have Meg in tears.
-The sign hanging as Ryan lifted his new wife to hang a sign her father had made with their newly shared name.
After the wedding party boogied back down the aisle the beautiful reception just flew by- and their celebration was just as fun and fabulous as their ceremony had been profound and moving. Especially memorable were the heartfelt toasts at dinner- when Amy said she would truly be married for life you knew it was true, and we shed a few tears again as we did all day
As ever, the able energetic DJ’ing by Woody of Big Fun powered the partying and some serious dancing was happening in Big Funs fabulous lightshow. All too soon Amy and Ryan was leaving friends and family through a gauntlet of bubbles. It was a memorable day from start to finish.
Not only do we thank you Amy and Ryan for including us in your day, but we also know you are now friends of ours and so appreciate you making us feel like family that day.
We have to admit we have somewhat of a bias when it comes to couples named Meg and Michael. When they contact us we feel it is practically fate that we will do the wedding – and when we click with them as we did with this lovely couple it is so cool! We really looked forward to this day.
From the moment we came into the Madsen home and saw the plate of frog cookies commemorating Megan’s kissing of the frog-become-prince we knew it would be a special day. One thing that makes for wonderful moments during the getting ready is being in the home in which the bride grew up – and that was true on this day. Being in a bride’s girlhood room- surrounded with momentos, awards, photos from a life lived fully -as she prepares for her wedding is touching on a deep level. Seeing photos from Mom’s wedding day and recreating them with a modern twist- those are the things that we love about the work we do.
Megan was an exquisitely beautiful bride- fresh, sparkly, glowing– (Meggie wonders if it is due to her name? ; ) To photograph her with her parents on the doorstep of their home was a moment that photographer dreams are made of. The florist , San Mateo Florist , did an excellent job recreating the feeling of Megan’s mother’s bouquet- again it’s those little touches linking past to present during life’s transitions that fuel our love for these events!
The ceremony at St. Catherine’s in Burlingame was as personal as marriage vows can be as they were performed both by the resident priest, Megan’s family priest of longstanding, and by Michael’s great uncle. To be married by a family member- how poignant and meaningful! With time passing quickly the way it does on that day we did the extra portraits and wedding party fun stuff right there in the shaded grassy place next to the church and then had more luscious time with our gorgeous couple on the hill next to Emerald Hills Country Club –Oh we do love those extra nuggets of time paying with our couples like that!
And then the partying began! This couple was obviously surrounded by family and friends who loved them a lot- and that was a feeling in the air all evening. There was a delicious meal- the in-house caterer Dominic’s was scrumptious- the abundantly-stocked candy bar kept children of all ages (and we mean grown-up ones too) busy, and DJ Danny Fisher kept everyone rocking until all too soon their last dance arrived.
Another Meg and Michael are husband and wife- and we so appreciate being trusted to be their family historians. Thank you M&M!
From the first time Cindy and Meg e-mailed each other, Cindy seemed like a kindred spirit, and long after they booked us we exchanged e-mails through what was a trying year for both of us. We had a lot in common and we really looked forward to this wedding!
We had done a family/engagement portrait for them and had a great time with Cindy, Eric, and Cindy’s daughter Jenna, who was also in a sense marrying into a new family. It was a delightful time- and it was our pleasure to give them a special gift of a book including some of the images to display at the wedding. Our packages all include kickass signing books, really lovely, with linen covers, from the portraits- but one of the wonderfully unique touches at their wedding was that they used a guitar as their guest sign-in – Eric being a guitarist. We loved that!
We especially loved that Cindy and Eric included giving Jenna a necklace during their wedding. In this time of blended extended families being common we really appreciate those special moments being part of a wedding ceremony.
There were more great touches – a wicked good candy buffet, a beautiful and delish cake from Dolce and Nirvana, lovely flowers from San Matoe Florist , rockin sounds and MC’ing from Rich Amooi of Hey Mr. DJ, and a great group of family and friends eager to celebrate the union of these two.
Did we mention- they are gorgeous? The fact Michael got to spend some time with them between ceremony and reception was a wonderful gift for us.
See for yourself!
Thank you dear Cindy , Eric, and Jenna, for including us in your wonderful day!
We met Robin and Hector through our wonderful couple Julie and Charles (the Weegeels- see their wedding blog below). Not only did we get to photograph them at the Weegel’s wedding, but we just love referral weddings- our couples tend to know who we are and how we work, and the friends they send have often seen us in action and will already know they are a “Meg and Michael couple”. .
Their ceremony was at one of our favorite churches, Church of the Nativity in Menlo Park, and had not one but two priests presiding, including a good a friend from San Francisco, Father Ray.
Robin and Hector had so many wonderful touches at their wedding- and we adore the unique features that a couple selects to give their wedding a personal flavor. Guided by one of the very best around in party planning – F. Duncan Reyes- Events by Design , we knew that their reception at Mexican Heritage Plaza in San Jose was panned to pay tribute from beginning to end to their Mexican roots, and it gave the celebration an especially festive and joyous flavor. From the unique choice of tequila in place of champagne for the toasts to the wonderful mariachi band and TWO piñatas- one for the adult and one for the children- this party told you beautifully a lot about this couple.
Other memorable features included luscious hors d’Ouevres from Plaza Garibaldi , a delicious dinner from Asqew Grille ,a carrot cake- proclaimed by the bride and groomn to be the BEST in the world- from Linnae’s in San Luis Obisbo along with pies baked from the heart by Robin’s sister-in-law, rocking sounds from Jose Mena with Jammin Music, and a really fun photo booth from Party Booths. Robin and Hector’s wedding was truly a a big joyous party- and we think you will see that in the photos!
Thank you Robin and Hector for letting us share this memorable day!
We loved Amy and Ryan from first meeting and can’t wait for their July wedding at one of our favorite wineries- Clos la Chance. We also knew that they have the spirit and energy to really let loose and play at their engagement portrait and wow- we were right! I want all our couples to have a look at these images to see that when you let yourself relax and play with Michael then magic happens. No more words needed- the images say everything…
When Karen and Kyle contacted us about how very much they loved our work but lamented that they were creating a wedding on a tiny budget and could not afford us- we replied that we should meet and see if we could make something work. Their wedding was to be in March and that is normally a very slow time and one we like to have slow for other projects so we knew we could create a special package for them.
A meeting is everything- without that you really cannot know if the right chemistry is there. After that meeting we knew we had to make it work for them as they were such a sweet couple we wanted to make sure they had the high quality images that experience (and therefore higher prices) brings.
It turned out that they had planned a very short event combining wedding and celebration into three hours… and with offering coverage by Michael alone we were able to make it totally work for them. We sent Zach along as a special wedding gift.
This was the wedding that love and support built! First and foremost, Karen’s amazingly talented and supportive mother Kathy not only acted as designer and coordinator but managed to be Mother of the Bride too! Karen shared that it was her mom who had the vision for the look and feel of the wedding and who “through months of hard work and elbow grease, created and arranged *all* the decor that transformed a standard community center into a stunningly beautiful wedding location. Almost everything that made the room look nice was a do-it-yourself project that was either designed, created, or arranged by my mom!”
Some of the touches that made this wedding breathe it’s special life included flowers by the talented Michaela of Michaela’s Flower Shop , a delicious and pretty cake from Bewitching Elegance , and first rate catering from Divine Catering.
Everything else was did-it-themselves , along with generous and loving help from both families, setting up, cleaning up, officiating by Karen’s uncle, talented singing from cousins- everyone truly came together to give this sweet couple a day full of memories.
See for yourself!
Karen and Kyle thank you so much for allowing us to share your day!
When our favorite dog trainer Felix wrote to tell us that his cousin Crystal was getting married in February we instantly knew that we would love to be there. Felix has been our own dog whisperer with our border terrier Carter through his Grand Island Dog Training and we have loved having his special touch teach us to work with our beloved dog.
We really looked forward to meeting Felix’s family after working with him and we were right to think it would be a great group of people! Michael had a lovely time doing an engagement portrait with Crystal and José- they were loving, warm, and easy to be with. They were introduced by a mutual friend and José had welcomed Crystal’s two year old Elise with ope arms- already a sign of a special man and a sweet family.
Zach and Michael did this wedding and had a feeling that Kula Ranch Island Steakhouse would be a fabulous place for a wedding- offering one great location for both ceremony and reception and the opportunity to go to the beach for photos. We are all about having the chance to play with our couples at some point during the day – give us a little time and we will make magic!
It was raining hard on the way there but blessedly cleared up for the wedding (funny how that works!). It was overcast- perfect light for photography. The wedding took place with an absolutely breathtaking backdrop of beach dunes. We love love, and we are always enchanted and moved hearing the vows between two people who have chosen each other for life partners- but there was something particularly moving about seeing José give their daughter Elise her own ring during the ceremony as they vowed to be a family . I imagine the fact that Michael and Meg and Zach became a family at M&M’s wedding could have something to do with our feelings- but you could see that everyone beholding this special moment was touched as many a tear was shed. Crystal and José wore leis and they as well as the beautiful headpieces, and bouttenieres were from Hi’iaka Florist.
Hooray- we got to head off to the beach in the limo with the bride and groom and it was a total honor to be able to share time with them on the beach right after they became husband and wife. The bright overcast beach was a great background and the weather Gods continued to bless as it started raining again only after family shots were finished and our couples was back inside ready to eat and celebrate.
The food was fabulous- a royal spread so tasty that we took Michael there for his birthday two weeks later! Crystal’s Mom Dolores had made lovely centerpieces for the tables - there is nothing like the special touch that hand crafted things given in love bring to a wedding. The partying then began in earnest and there was dancing – and again a really sweet moment when Jose had a special dance with Elise.
After a yummy fresh pineapple and strawberry cake made by Alex and Olga at the Royal Deli Bakery the dancing went on under the able guidance of DJ ACE of DownLow Productions and all to soon the night was over.
Thank you Crystal, José, and Elise (and Felix!) for letting us share your special day!
