As many of you may already know, my sister Ira is expecting a baby. My family lives in St. Petersburg, Russia and it’s difficult to be so far away from them during this time. To keep me updated they send new pictures to me every couple of weeks. With each additional set I notice big and amazing changes in my sister.

Here are a few latest pictures taken by my talented mom. I cannot believe that we’ll meet the baby in less than a week now!

Natasha

Last week we had an exciting and adventurous photo session with Lisa and Andy. Not only were they not scared away by the idea of shooting in dark and not-always-clean alleys of SF Chinatown, they had many creative ideas of their own.

We always consider it a great compliment when other photographers choose us to take their photos, and we feel flattered and blessed to know this great couple.

We spent a bit of time on touristy Grant Street and then decided to leave these scenes behind in search of something a little different.

The four of us were seriously on the lookout for cool spots and had so much fun in the process!

Thanks Lisa and Andy, you guys rock!

Mike and Natasha

Mahshad and Brad tied the knot at Piedmont Community Hall at the end of July. We were happy to come back to this beautiful venue for our second time this summer. In the morning, when we came to Mahshad’s room, she was happily preparing sandwiches for her family and friends. The smile never left her face and the day was really just flawless.

I immediately fell in love with their doggy Foxy who proudly marched down the isle at the beginning of the ceremony.

The guys looking handsome:

Following an American ceremony it was time for a traditional Persian ceremony. We were looking forward to this for a long time and it was totally worth it! I was moved by the beauty and rich traditions of this culture.

Every item used in the ceremony symbolized a different aspect of the ancient traditions: there was a mirror and candles for purity, coins to represent wealth, honey and crystallized sugar to sweeten life, flowers for beauty, and a basket of decorated eggs to symbolize fertility. Again I thought how lucky we are to live in the Bay Area among so many different cultures.

Here we had just a few moments with the bride and groom:

The evening had yummmy Shish Kebabs, toasts and lots of music and dancing. It was a beautiful outdoor reception.

Congratulations to Mahshad and Brad! We’re very happy for you guys.

This couple’s Engagement photos can be seen here.

Natasha and Mike