Chee and Ravi's Napa Wedding - April 16, 2011

Chee and Ravi have got to be probably the most laid back bride and groom I've met.  They're from the East Coast and decided to do a little destination wedding in the beautiful Wine Country of California, Napa.  They're wedding was very intimate.  Compiled of just their immediate family and close friends.  Chee and Ravi really wanted to just enjoy the day with their friends and family and didn't want to be bothered with being posed for a million photos, so we aimed for mainly candid shots.

I started off the day with Chee at Details with Dixie Hair and Nail Salon.  Being a female, I have been to a million hair and nail salons.  This place has got to be THE CUTEST salon I've ever seen.  The ambiance and the decor really reminded me of those really unique little mom and pop stores I used to go in and shop in downtown San Francisco when I was a kid.  There is just so much character in this shop!  From their broad selection of hats, jewelry and of course hair product, it was hard to be bored at this shop.  If I forgot to mention before, Ferd (my fiance), is usually with me as my assistant/second shooter/confidant/support system/everything person with me when I go on my photography events.  So he was with me on this one and during the girl's primping, he went out to explore the rest of Yountville while I was in the shop.

There are cute little vineyards all over the place and water fountains.  This was his first time to Napa and I really think he enjoyed it.  So after we went to the salon, we followed Chee to La Residence, the inn where they were staying.  This place is hidden off the side of the highway but let me tell you, once you turn the corner, you can see how beautiful this place is.  It of course has its own little vineyard in the middle of the inn.  The scenery there was just awesome.  There was so many places for us to photograph.

Finally we made it to the Brix Restaurant in Napa.  Chee and Ravi had their reception in front of the huge vineyard and scenery of luscious mountains.  The weather was really in their favor that day because it was so beautiful that day.  They got so much sun and clear skies, I kept telling them over and over again that they really lucked out because that must have been the one day in two weeks that there was no rain.  We got to join them for the reception and stayed long enough to see the wine train pass by and see the sunset.

And as the day unfolded, Ravi really surprised us and ended up posing for a lot pictures.  I guess its hard to resist the photo op when you have such a scenic view right there.  Ferd and I really enjoyed the view, the food, and most of all being able to be part of Chee and Ravi's Wedding day.  We hope that they enjoy their photos!  And we hope you all enjoy the photos we have up.  These are just a few of my faves :)

Constance and Darnell's Afterparty - April 15, 2011

So its been about a year since I decided to take my love for photography and start sharing it with strangers.  Yes, I said strangers. lol  I have been doing portraits and taking photos at birthday parties and events and even some weddings for friends and families since I can remember. Over a year ago, I ventured into advertising on the internet and took my dive into doing portraits and event photography for people I had never met.  Luckily, I have encountered some very awesome people, who I can now even consider friends.

So since the good outcome with event photography, I decided to bite the bullet and give it a shot at weddings.  I won't lie, I have been avoiding them and was kind of scared to get into the Wedding scene because of... BRIDEZILLAS!!!!  Hahaha!  No really, I'm serious... 

Darnell found my site through Craigslist and relayed my information to his wife Constance.  Constance and Darnell are a super cool laid back couple that had a very small intimate wedding late last year but had yet to have a reception.  So now that the holidays are over and the sun is coming out, they have decided to have their "afterparty" reception so that they could share their joy of being newlyweds with their close friends and family.  When we met for our consultation, I explained to them that I am just trying to get into Wedding Photography this year.  Constance is the total opposite of a bridezilla!  I'm very glad that Darnell and her gave me a chance to photograph this special day in their life. 

So below are some of my favorite shots from their Wedding Reception at the Metropolitan Golf Links in Oakland, Ca.  I hope you guys enjoy the photos as much as I enjoyed being a part of such a fun and loving crowd!  It was very easy to capture so many happy moments with so much joy and love in that room :)

Isabella's 2nd Birthday - San Bruno Park

I had the pleasure of joining and photographing little Isabella's 2nd Birthday Party in San Bruno Park.  It had been a while since I'd seen her.  During November, I took some family portraits of her with Mommy and Daddy and she really is a big girl now!  Her friends and family lucked out and got good weather despite the rain coming and going.  Here are some of my favorite shots from her picnic.  Happy Birthday Isabella!