Raquel & Sonny's Wedding Day - Tuscan Ridge Golf Club, Paradise CA.

Since Raquel & Sonny's engagement session, I have been so excited for their wedding. I loved photographing the couple and knew that their wedding was going to be just as fun. I was right! The entire day was so beautiful and the group of friends and family who gathered to celebrate this day were so excited to be there...it really made my job easy!

Raquel and her bridesmaids started the day getting ready at Oxford Suites. Raquel had decided on her perfect wedding day hair and that meant cutting her hair in the hotel room. She was so excited and I loved how it turned out. So sweet, with the soft curls.

The wedding and ceremony were at Tuscan Ridge Golf Club just below Paradise, CA. The couple knew they wanted to do a first seeing before the ceremony so they could take as many family photos before the ceremony. Just after the ceremony, we photographed the entire bridal party together and they had to get a photo with one of the groomsmen's Jurassic Park Jeep. But one of the best parts of Tuscan Ridge is the sunset, so of course we planned to sneak away from the reception at this time. It truly was a beautiful evening to celebrate the couple's love for each other. Congratulations to the newlyweds, Raquel & Sonny.

Kristina & Ian's Wedding Day - Donner Lake, Truckee, CA.

I have been so excited for Kristina and Ian's wedding day. Ever since their engagement session, back in February, I have seen the wedding details unfolding on Facebook and Pinterest. Additionally, the bride met with me for a "wedding schedule consultation" where we had a chance to discuss all of the elements that were being planned for their wedding day. Because I went to school with the groom, I knew I was going to see some old friends and it was wonderful seeing how happy everyone was to be together for such a special occasion.

The mid-day ceremony was at Donner Lake and the bridesmaids were to get ready at a cute mountain home down the road from the ceremony site. You could feel the love in the air as the the chairs were being filled with family and friends; even onlookers gathered on their paddle boards, canoes and ski boats on the lake to watch this special occasion. The couple decided to do a sand ceremony with sand from Kristina's home, Seattle, and sand from right where their ceremony site was, Donner Lake. With the help of their daughter, Mackenna, the sand ceremony was a special moment for all.

After the ceremony, we took all the family and bridal party photos and as soon as we were done it was party time. The food was amazing, catered by Ian's family business. The DJ had a fun mix of dance music and the guests were loving that dance floor! The Best Man and Maid of Honor speeches were thoughtful and sweet, and there were hilarious surprise speeches which made for big laughs during dinner. The cake cutting was a classic face smash: nobody got too messy, but frosting was on both bride and groom's faces. As planned, we sneaked away for some sunset photos on the lake which looked as though it was enveloped by a layer of morning fog: it was a very pretty night. To end the evening, there was a sparkler send-off which was a lot of fun. It allowed all of the guests to play with sparklers and made for a great opportunity to catch a few more romantic shots of the bride and groom with sparklers.

Congratulations to the amazing newlyweds! I am so glad to have been the photographer for your wedding day. The love that you two have for each other, your family and your friends, is truly something I am thankful to have been able to capture. I look forward to future family portrait sessions.