We’ve been looking towards Anna and Gary’s wedding ever since they told us their wedding theme – Doctor Zhivago. How super creative and awesome is that? This winter wedding took place on a rainy Friday afternoon, but the uncooperative weather didn’t spoil the day even a tiny bit.

The day started at Campton Place Hotel where I probably spent way too much time photographing Anna’s awesome shoes :) and from there we made our way to City Hall where all the guests were ready for the ceremony to start, right on the Mayor’s balcony.

I just loooved this pair of Louboutins:

Most of the couples getting married in San Francisco City Hall choose to get married under the Rotunda- which is absolutely gorgeous, but I think my favorite spot for a City Hall ceremony now is Mayor’s balcony. It has an amazing view of the rest of the building, it is always quiet and private as the area is roped off to public, and it allows for the couple to have pretty much as many guests as they want!

We decided to do all the portraits right inside of the City Hall because of the rain. We spent about an hour shooting in the halls, on the stairs, in the elevators, and even by the drinking fountains! Anna and Gary were great sports, ready to participate in any crazy ideas we had :)

Then we were off to a candlelit reception at Saint Francis Yacht Club. In line with the Doctor Zhivago wedding theme colorful matryoshka dolls were set as centerpieces at each table surrounded by brightly lit candles. The live piano music greatly added to the evening’s atmosphere. The Saint Francis Yacht Club wedding also included a beautiful ice sculpture of a Russian Orthodox Church in the cocktail area and the guests were treated to black caviar and other hors d’oeuvres.

That evening at Saint Francis Yacht Club had much delicious food and warm toasts. The reception ended with a traditional Russian folk dancing performance in which Anna was one of the stars.

Congratulations, Anna and Gary!!! We were honored to be a part of your day :)

Happy Friday, everyone! Have a wonderful weekend.

 

 

 

We love to photograph City Hall weddings and would love to photograph YOURS! View more information here: San Francisco City Hall Wedding Information.

 

We are excited to have Philana and Michael’s Westin Hotel wedding featured on the Stylish Events blog! Click on the image to check it out:

We are working on a beautiful Doctor Zhivago themed winter wedding that we’ve recently photographed. It’s going to be on the blog by the end of the week!

Have a great Tuesday, everyone.

Natasha

 

The winter months are usually a quiet time for weddings, but that didn’t stop Anna and Gene from having a spectacular wedding this January at the legendary Mark Hopkins“>Mark Hopkins hotel in San Francisco. As luxurious now as when it opened in 1926, InterContinental Mark Hopkins is one of San Francisco’s finest hotel wedding venues – located at the crossing of three cable car lines, Mark Hopkins has plenty of event facilities for different sizes of celebrations.

There was no shortage of gorgeous details, special lighting, and emotions for us to photograph on this big day. We loved shooting at Mark Hopkins hotel and this wedding was beautiful in every way:

Decorated with chandeliers and dark carpets, Mark Hopkins’ moody lobbies provided great background for classy portraits.

We love working with inside and outside lighting to create a full spectrum of photographs, so prior to the hotel reception, we accompanied the happy couple to several San Francisco hot spots for memorable daylight portraits. We had a great time taking photos on the Embarcadero, inside the Sir Frances Drake Hotel, and of course, around Mark Hopkins Hotel on Nob Hill.

I’ve known Gene since we went to college together, so it was a true honor to take part in his wedding day.

The bride looked magnificent thanks to make-up by Annette Avilla at Lavish Salon in San Francisco.

How spectacular is the city view from the top of Mark Hopkins Hotel??

There was no shortage of gorgeous details, special lighting, and emotions for us to photograph on this big day. The Jewish wedding ceremony sparkled thanks to this beautiful Chuppah provided by “Miracle Chuppahs”:

The reception room at Mark Hopkins was beautifully lit and decorated with dramatic white orchid bouquets by Amazing Flowers and Events.

Music by Sunlight Orchestra really got the crowd going!

The toasts went on all night:

We love working with talented videographers, so it was a true pleasure to work with Bob of Video Madness:

Of course, no wedding would be complete without the food. I think it’s fair to say that catering by Beli Deli never disappoints :)

We loved shooting Anna & Gene’s wedding because of our personal connection to the couple and the beautifully dramatic setting of the Mark Hopkins Hotel.