We had an exciting weekend of two weddings on the last Saturday and Sunday of October. Elizabeth and Gerad’s wedding took place at the scenic St. Francis Yacht Club, which is located near the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco. The weather was perfectly clear and this wonderful day really seemed to go off without a hitch!

Seeing each other for the first time on the wedding day:

Natasha and I were invited to ride along in the bridal parties’ limos and we visited a few scenic and beautiful locations for the photo shoots. Elizabeth and Gerad decided to see each other prior to the ceremony which always helps with making the day go smooth and gives us a lot of time in which to get creative with the photos. We checked out the Legion of Honor as well as the gorgeous intersection at Jackson & Octavia.

One of the highlights of the couple’s outdoor ceremony was a unique reading of the vows from Apple’s iPhone. It really seemed to work as intended and it was a fun and interesting touch. The audience was in obvious appreciation of this entertaining gesture as well! :)

Sunset photos with the bridge:

The band’s name was The Sound Effect and they were really grooving throughout the night. Natasha and I both felt the incredible connection between Elizabeth and Gerad and it was our pleasure to capture these feelings.

Thank you for a fantastic time!! Click here to see the engagement photos.

Mike

This couple’s fabulous day started for us at The Fairmont where the girls were finishing up their preparations. Jennifer was already in her dress, looking stunning and ready to take on the world. David and the guys seemed equally ready and they were wearing kilts and everything that goes along with traditional Scottish wedding attire.

First stop: Alamo Square!

This couple’s beautiful day included a Rolls Royce which took Jennifer and her dad to the church and assisted in the getaway after the ceremony. The couple’s nuptials were preceded by bagpipes and were accompanied by organ music during the processionals. It was truly a special ceremony.

The couple’s getaway:

The cocktail hour and reception were held at the private University Club on Nob Hill. There were two floors: one for the cocktail hour and dancing while a separate floor held the elegant dining. Highlights included toasts so entertaining that people were unable to withhold their laughter and joy.

The awesome cake:

View from the University Club:

During the couple’s dance:

An enchanting moonrise:

Thank you for sharing this day with us and congratulations!

Mike

When I met Dasha she was 1.5 months old and I left on her 2 months anniversary. My mom had been dutifully sending me lots of Dasha’s pictures since her birth, and I was pretty sure that I knew how she looked from almost every possible angle.

I was so wrong! When I first saw her sleeping in the crib she was soo tiny, so much smaller that I could’ve ever imagined her to be! I was seriously afraid to hold her the first couple of days, but when my fear disappeared I just couldn’t let her go. Dasha looks so much like my sister when she was a baby that I was constantly referring to her by my sister’s name “Ira”.
It’s really interesting how this new addition to the family, this tiny human changes everything in the life of a family. It’s still weird to me that my still-very-young parents are suddenly called “grandparents” and my little sister, who still sleeps with stuffed toys of her, has now become a mother.

I could really notice the baby’s growth during my time in Russia: she gained weight, started to smile and also to “talk” much more. In fact, I already see a much more grown up baby in the most recent photos my mom sent to me since I came back. The changes at that age are happening so incredibly quick! Although parents usually want their small babies to grow up fast, it’s impossible to turn back the time later on and at some point they are probably going to regret that they tried to rush the time.

So here are some of my favorites I took of Dasha:

My sister & her baby:

It was so incredibly hard to select just a few pictures from hundreds I was taking of Dasha! If you’d like to see more, check out the whole slideshow!

Auntie Natasha

We met Erica and Mike through a referral from one of our great couples and we were thrilled to meet more friends. Natasha and I consider having a connection with our clients as one of the most important aspects of doing our job. Our goal is always to do anything we can to help the couple relax and get to know us, so that when the big day comes along we can all be very comfortable around each other! And it doesn’t hurt to make friends in the process :)

For Erica and Mike’s engagement session they thought of Vasona Lake County Park in Los Gatos as a place which is both beautiful as well as meaningful to them. As the sun was close to setting on this Tuesday afternoon the light was just perfect for a portrait session. We checked out the main trail to the creek, took a rest break on the widespread lawn and walked down a set of mini railroads going through the park.

Thanks for a great time!

Mike