This past weekend, I photographed the beautiful wedding of Patrice and James in Half Moon Bay. They chose the Hastings House for the ceremony site- it was beautiful! Here is a little peek of what I am working on. More to come soon!

Hastings House Wedding

This month has been crazy and I haven’t had a chance to post in this category- sorry! I have a lot of weddings to get through and post, but for now, I thought I would post a few things for adding color to your event. You can see my first post for adding color to your even here.

Amy Butler is an artist who makes all sorts of things from scrapbooking supplies and cards to sewing patterns and fabrics. I love the idea of making place mats or runners for a wedding table setting out of her gorgeous fabrics. Mix up the patterns but stay in the same color scheme and you have a colorful chic backdrop for your table settings.

You may remember my recent post of Greta and Jeff’s late summer Nestldown Wedding in Los Gatos. They incoorporated eggplants and grapes into their centerpieces for color. You could do bowls of crisp green apples, platters of artichokes, or baskets of heirloom tomatoes. The possibilities are endless and can be sent home as favors. Super easy- and a “green” idea!

Another centerpiece idea that has a vintage, but modern look is metal planters with succulents plants. They are low and allow guests to see each other at the table and have wonderful texture. They are living and can be sent home with guests of honor to live on at their homes.

I am gearing up for the wedding of Patrice and James in Half Moon Bay at the Oceano Hotel this weekend- should be beautiful! Happy friday and enjoy your weekend!

At the beginning of September, Jen and Brian were married in a lovely wedding ceremony at Ardenwood Historic Farm in Fremont. Ardenwood Historic Farm is a beautiful spot for a wedding, and the pool site, where the reception was held,  is very private. Here are some images from their joyous day. There is a link for the slideshow at the end.

Three of these gorgeous girls are Jen’s sisters! I love the gerbera daisy’s in their hair- great pop of color.

Jen and Brian had a first look which you know I adore! They were very sweet.

Jen arrived to the ceremony in a horse drawn carriage. I believe I overheard this horse is a wee bit famous- he appeared on the bachelor!

Congratulations Jen and Brian- here’s to many years of happiness!

Click HERE for the slideshow and to see more wedding photos from Ardenwood.

I had the honor of photographing Rob and Julie’s Wedding this past weekend at a private home in Morgan Hill. More to come soon!

Congrats Rob and Julie! Have fun in St. Lucia!

In case you missed it featured yesterday on Wedding Chicks, I have a fun little offer going on right now for brides and grooms that book me for their 2009/2010 wedding before October 31, 2009.

Click here to check it out on Wedding Chicks Sweet Deals!

A couple of weeks ago, I met up with Sarah and Brent in San Francisco for their engagement session. We had so much fun together! It was little cold out- but these two rocked it!

Sarah and Brent are really cute together and I had a great time getting to know them a bit and witnessing their love for each other.

Did I mention they are super fun as well? LOVE this one!

Thank you Sarah and Brent- I had a blast!

Photographing a wedding at Nestldown is a photographer’s dream. Add in Greta and Jeff who are not only gorgeous, but super fun, kind, and have immaculate taste and you have an amazing event! Nestldown is a wedding venue located in Los Gatos Mountains, off Summit Road.

I think I may have gone a little overboard with this post (ok, I know I did!) but I had so many amazing images to choose from, I had to stop myself so I could get these up! I could have posted twice as many! Thank you to the wonderfully talented Loren Weltsch and amazing Katy Roybal for helping me out on this day. Also, a big shout goes out to Jamie Angeli, the day of event coordinator for making this day go so smoothly!

There is also a link to the SLIDESHOW at the end of the post.

Greta’s dress was beautiful!

Greta and Jeff had a “First Look” which I adore. We set up a moment for them to see each other before the ceremony. This allowed them to have a special moment together and to get most portraits and family shots done before the ceremony even started! Greta and Jeff got to enjoy much more of their party because of it! How sweet are they???

I love this moment between the two of them, so sweet.

The flowers were perfect, done by a dear friend of the mother of the groom, Kathy Pottol.

The chapel is breathtakingly beautiful, surrounded by towering redwoods and overlooking a small lake.

The kiss!

Pure joy.

Greta and Jeff took care to add in many details to personalize their event. Jeff is a sous chef at Dio Deka in Los Gatos, so naming their table after herbs was the cutest thing ever! They also had Rosemary Salt for the guests as favors. The centerpieces were magical- I love the incorporation of succulents, grapes, hydrangeas, and moss.

The grounds at Nestldown are incredibly gorgeous.

There were train rides for the guests to enjoy during the cocktail hour. The cake topper was made by Jeff out of legos- so original, I love it! Don’t you love how Jeff found the perfect chef outfit for the groom?

Congratulations Jeff and Greta!

Venue: Nestldown

Florist: Kathy Pottol

Day of event coordinator: Jamie Angeli

DJ: King Raffi

Cake: Gayle’s Bakery

Click HERE to see the slideshow!

This past weekend I got to photograph Jen and Brian’s lovely wedding on a working farm in Fremont- Ardenwood Historic Farm. More photos to come soon!

This past week we got big news…. our house sold! It had been on the market for 5 weeks, not that long, but long enough that the process of selling (open houses, etc) had gotten old! Selling a house that you love is hard- especially in this economy where you don’t necessarily get what you think your house should be worth.  I have stayed pretty positive about the experience, but will admit I have had my fair share of pity parties too! When I am in that sort of funk, I usually seek out something that helps get my head on straight again, helps me remember what really matters- you know? So coming across a blog called An Inconvenient Tumor was just what I needed this week. It is the online diary of Christie and Bryan and “and their commitment to life, each other and kicking cancer’s big fat ass.” Just thought I would share it in case any of you need a little something like that this week. I think their story and attitudes are pretty inspiring.

Another find this week that I LOVE and I am totally doing… Secret Agent L. They specialize in anonymous acts of kindness and day brightening. If you have ever wanted to be an undercover agent- here is your chance! You can sign up for their affiliate program and Secret Agent L will send you your assignment. It could be leaving a note on a bench to be found telling a stranger that they are awesome or leaving dog treats in baggies at a dog park. The whole point is to do something little that will brighten someone else’s day. If we all did this, I think the planet would shine a little brighter!

Have you discovered Wedding Chicks yet? If you haven’t, head on over! I am a preferred vendor for San Jose/ Monterey. Woohoo!

This past weekend I was lucky enough to spend some time with Sarah and Brent in San Francisco doing their engagement pictures at Baker Beach. It was so cold and completely foggy! Such a surprise after such a hot few days. We had a blast together, here is a sneak peek, more to come soon!