Their wedding was epic. All the regular adjectives (beautiful, gorgeous, emotional, exciting… etc.) apply with fervor. But here they apply in a different sort of way. Barb and Don have been through the ups and downs of life in a way few couples who are just getting married have. And on their wedding day, as I woke up and drove out to Livermore I felt like everything about the day had been created for them. The deep blue sky, the rich olive trees, and the roses growing through the grounds of the immaculate Purple Orchid Inn were all were saying in unison… “we are alive to celebrate this couple, join us!” And the people did! For me this was one of the most emotional weddings I’ve ever shot. Don and Barbara have, over the course of the last 6-8 months after I met them become my friends, and I was moved by their wedding and the tenderness with which they obviously love each other. Rarely, if ever do I cry at a wedding, since I’m so intent on shooting and my mind is running a mile a minute. But I think I cried twice on this day, once during the ceremony, and then again during the best man’s toast. And I wasn’t the only one.
While they could have been married anywhere in the Bay Area, and many of their friends drove in from San Francisco, they chose to get married ten minutes from their house. Livermore is a rich wine country, but it also has some beautiful orchards, and the Purple Orchid Inn is nestled at the foothills of some olive trees which were dripping with ripe olives. I love the burnt summer grass and juxtaposed with the flower gardens. Personally every six months or so I feel like I take my photography to the next level. I’m not sure what exactly happens, but all of a sudden things I’ve been working on fall into place, and bam! I’m struck by how excited I am about the images I just captured. I feel this wedding, along with the one I shot a couple days ago (which is soon to come) was one of those turning point weddings, and I’m thrilled to share it with you today. Please leave a comment and let me know what you think.
Along for the day, I had the talented Chris Shum, who caught this shot below, and some of the details you’ll see later in this post.
Chris’ shot below.
Don had pocket watches made for all his groomsmen, and I wanted to catch his reflection in the shine of the watch (above). I also thoroughly enjoyed photographing his groomsmen, who were some of the easiest guys to work with. I could almost palpably feel how much they cared for and respected Don. I think the image below embodies that.
I try to always have my second shooter with the bride right before she is about to walk down the aisle, here she’s watching from a room as the ceremony begins. Nice work Chris.
Along with the tears there was quite a bit of laughter during the ceremony.
Just following the ceremony the couple and their best man and matron of honor went upstairs to sign the marriage license. Sometimes the best was to catch an emotional hug is to look for a different angle. I loved what I saw and dig the final result below.
Cork!
Is she stunning or what?
Don and Barbara are also part of a sweet band which did set the crowd rocking later on in the night. Everything looks so classic all set up and ready to go.
The favors were fantastic little cookies that Don’s mother baked from scratch.
Before the band took the stage Barbara surprised Don with a song that put him and pretty much everyone else in tears.
I love the look on Cristin’s face here before she’s about to head downstairs to meet Luke. I think it exemplifies the calm joy she carried throughout the day.
Cristin changed dresses three times, to honor her Vietnamese and Chinese heritage. The lion dance shook the floor.
One of the things I love most about weddings is the emotion. Whether its dancing, toasting, or congratulating every moment is wondrous.
Cristin & Luke’s first dance was an intricately choreographed Latin spectacular. Afterwards they had Salsa lessons for everyone and burned holes in the floor themselves.
At the end of the night we took a moment to incorporate their centerpiece candle into a moody shot.
Wedding dresses weren’t only thing on show. Among others, I’m loving the St. Regis cakes, hors d’oeuvres, and their wonderful staff, the Champaigne of Nicolas Feuillatte, and the fantastic floral designers from 
And now for my four favorite dresses of the day…
If Black and White = Elegance, then Color = Pretty. Now that’s the math I love, and I hope they’re teaching it in schools
After the Shakespeare Garden we headed down to the baseball fields across from the Botanical Gardens where the fun continued.
Cindy is going to be a such an elegant bride.
George is pretty much a stud too.
For cuteness…. see below
Now that you have seen the laughter, the snuggles, and the playfulness of these images, you’ll probably agree with me that George and Cindy have the makings of a both a fun and absolutely beautiful wedding: Genuine sweet love, laughter, and willingness to be a little silly. Did I mention they really like each other?
One of the things I love is capturing dramatic portraits while the bride is getting ready, here, on the left you can see she’s getting help putting on her necklace, on the right you can see how the way she was holding her arms made a perfect frame for beautiful face and eyes on the left.
Meanwhile, the guys are having their own good time. My friend Chris Shum, who is an amazing award winning photojournalist in his own right was working his own magic with the guys. The two below are his. 
The flower girl was totally cute and stopped running around for one minute to let me get this shot.
The ring-bearer on the other hand looks like he’s still getting used to the idea of wearing a bow-tie…
I really enjoy the anticipation in this next shot by Chris.
Lots of crying and laughing….
Ok, here’s my favorite part of the day… I like a capturing fleeting moments, but there is something about a beautiful portrait that just get’s me so excited… Here’s a few:
I’m totally digging her blue shoes and his converse.
And a few more…. This wall really took my right back to Tuscany.
So many fun wedding details. Candy is always a winner!
As big San Francisco Giants fans (maybe that’s why we’re friends), Brett and Nichole ordered tables according present and former Giants players. 
Chris nailed this shot as Nichole and Brett made their entrance,
And once the toasts began the laughter and tears really kicked into high gear…
And the joyful tears just didn’t stop..
And then the dancing started in earnest. These people can get down!
When I saw this staircase and the wall’s colors and designs earlier in the day I knew I wanted to use it for an image… happily Nichole and Brett didn’t mind taking a minute out of their dancing to give it a shot. I think it was worth it
Finally they moved outside for some final dancing, and I love what this allowed me to do with the lighting as they danced unaware of everything around them. I got to frame this shot and wait for their kiss… Here it is:
At the Botanical Gardens we wondered through the trees looking for patches of light. Once we found one, I just couldn’t stop shooting.
And not only did we find cool light, but we also found mist… thanks to the afternoon sprinklers at the Botanical Gardens. I’m all for that grass getting watered!
Everything is just so green, and the colors in the afternoon shade explode vibrancy.
Tracy is going to be an absolutely stunning bride!
So by now you may have realized that Tracy and Charles have everything that inspires me to shoot weddings.
I could not decide between these last two shots. I love them both for different reasons. The black and white silhouette is just such a bold image, but the color of the evening sky and the tenderness of their touch really stands out in the second. Which do you like more?
You guys inspire me, can’t wait for September!
I love mirrors, negative space and the possibility of capturing the drama of the moment by utilizing them creatively. This next shot was untouched in photoshop… just a clean white wall.
Once at the Church I saw the officiant walking around with the wedding program and was caught by the fact that the colors of his robe matched it perfectly.
So many emotions run through a wedding day, but I love this image of anticipation as Aileen waits for people to be seated just before she walks down the aisle.
And here comes the bride…
Its always a little risky to leave the hall when the ceremony is going on, but I pre-visualized this image and was able to catch it quickly.
Below is one of my favorites of the day, there is something timeless and firm in the marble cross, with the soft juxtaposition of John and Aileen in the background on their knees.
Below, this little guy’s just chillin’, wondering why the guy with the camera keeps lying down in the aisle… (see above)
Another one of my favorites is here below. While I love the framing and the reflections of light off the stone, what makes this shot for me is the man’s reflection in the top right corner watching Aileen.
Now for a few of the couple at Sutros Park after the ceremony… Can you say, IN LOVE?
Once at the reception we were in for a serious spread! Mounds of fruit, lamb, salads and so much more.
And of course cake!
One of the other things that John and Aileen did a fantastic job of was making sure everyone at the reception had a great time. This included having a special entertainment room for the kids where they could color, play and entertain themselves with kid-fun.
And of course, they were appropriately greeted by the bride and (evidently very funny) groom.
And we did slip out for a couple more shots right before the sun went down…
How about some dancing?
As the sun fully set the beauty of the candlelit centerpieces really shown.
Unbeknownst to me, Rosaura has a special skill at being the human “kiss-cam”. Below are her shots.
Sometimes I’ll walk into a location and see a shot that I know will make it on my website. The minute I saw this orange wall light in the reception hall I planned this first dance shot. My absolute favorite of the day.
I’d also like to take a moment to thank Jessica Goldblatt of 
Leslie told me that they love black and white… me too! Especially when there is a gorgeous bride like her to photograph!
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