Emily & Ryan Say "I Do" - Forest House Lodge, Foresthill CA.

I am so excited to share this wedding as my last wedding of the year. There is no way I would rather have had it than to be at the Forest House Lodge with my best friend from college, Emily, as she married the man of her dreams, Ryan. After months and months of planning, Emily & Ryan and their families put on one awesome wedding. Now, since Emily is a dear friend of mine, I was also asked to be in the wedding. How does one photograph a wedding and be in it, you ask? With the help of my good friend, Don Campbell, and my boyfriend Sean Orozco, we made it happen. While preparing the wedding day photography schedule, I made sure Don and Sean would be covering anything I could not.

For those who do not know about Forest House Lodge, it is a rustic mountain venue located in Foresthill CA. The lodge itself is a three-story log cabin complete with a full bar, a glamorous and spacious bridal suite, a massive game room (ping pong, billiards, shuffle board, foosball and air hockey), a private man cave and an entire room dedicated to Rock Band. Yeah, it’s pretty spectacular! The ceremony site is just 2 miles down the road at a spot Grand Sierra Point - a stunning site overlooking the canyon. This venue was perfect for Emily and Ryan: chic and elegant for Emily, rustic for Ryan and fun for all.

The ladies spent the morning in the bridal suite getting their hair and makeup done while sipping on mimosas. Emily surprised her bridal party with silk getting-ready robes. Emily looked gorgeous! Her dress was stunning and her hair and makeup were flawless. But what really made Emily, Emily was the pink flower in her hair - it tied everything together. With our pink dresses and shoes, we really looked great with our bride.

For this wedding, the groomsmen outnumbered the bridesmaids two-to-one. They were wearing pink vests and ties, while the father-of-the-groom, the ring boy and the best man were given unique vests to wear for during the ceremony. Despite one of Ryan’s two best men (his brother) being in another state, because he and his wife were having a baby, he got dressed up and we were able to get some creative photos with him using an iPad with FaceTime.

All the details that made up Emily and Ryan's wedding were perfect! The beer koozies as a wedding favor, the axe to cut the cake, the pumpkin centerpieces, and the "with us in spirit" table turned out stunning and really made their day unique. It truly was a magical day and I am so glad to have been part of it. Congratulations to the newlyweds, Ryan and Emily Bateman!!! I wish you many, many years of happiness and I hope you will always look back on these photos to remember this day.

Linda & Ryan Maternity Session - Chico, CA. Portrait Photography

I love photographing maternity sessions. Linda and Ryan are so cute together, this was the first time I had met them and I immediately could see the love they had for each other and their growing family. We decided to meet at Chico State for the variety of backdrops. They brought their dog, Keanu, and a few fun props. I enjoyed photographing this special time in their lives. Congratulations Linda & Ryan and I look forward to future family portrait sessions with you.

Kira & Travis New Clairvaux Engagement Session - Vina, CA.

When I met Kira & Travis for their wedding consultation, I quickly grew fond of the couple. There was just something about the way they looked at each other that convinced me that they were going to be a joy to photograph. For their engagement session, they wanted to take their photos at the New Clairvaux Winery in Vina, CA, which is also home to a Monastery. Travis called to confirm that it would be okay to do the photos there and they said yes, but we would have to be done before the gates closed.

Hoping for warmer weather, we decided to meet a little later in afternoon. Since the gates to the Winery would close at sunset, we knew we had to work fast. We spent some time photographing in the vineyard and around the areas open to the public. One of the coolest things about their location choice is The Abbey. The architecture of this building is so classic and romantic it was the perfect location for Kira & Travis's engagement photos. The entire session, I was in awe of how cute these two are.

I am so excited to share these engagement photos. Congratulations, Kira & Travis! I look forward to your wedding day.