A-WEDDING LOCATIONS- Foothills

The first time I connected with Mary on the phone in regards to their Serrano Country Club wedding celebration, we talked for a long time. We talked alot about education as my daughter Jaz was having her first year away at boarding school. Mary is a mathematician/teacher the kind you know the students adore, and Bill is retired with a passion for all things outdoors, biking, paddling, mountain climbing. Together they enjoy hiking and traveling. He also makes wine…some very, very good wine, infact. They had a tasting station set up and their friend Steve insisted I try a few.…

For their summer wedding, Brianna and Dave transformed the elegant Sequoia Mansion into a nautically-inspired dream!  The best part about it was that the couple made many of the beautiful decorations themselves, which gave their special day a heartfelt and authentic touch.  Creating your own decor is a tall order for any bride and groom, but was made even more impressive by the fact that they pulled it off long distance from their home in Alaska!  Honestly Brianna, I truly think you have a future in wedding and event staging.  Your eye for detail and composition is nothing short of stunning! So…

When I met Jennifer and Abner photographing their engagement, I knew their wedding was going to be special. Jen and Abner, share a strong and playful love and I felt privileged to be invited to witness their vows.  They are each other’s rocks, they are soulmates, and they are a perfect match.  It’s no surprise that their summer wedding at the Sequoia Mansion was a great day! Jen wanted an elegant, classy, Victorian celebration, a style that she pulled off without a single flaw (big kudos to Dottie at Camino Flower Shop and Matti and Ben from Cocomont Vintage…basically their wheelhouse!) From Jen’s incredible lace…

Ashlie and Jay may have tied the knot a year ago, but waited until a beautiful summer evening in the El Dorado Hills before making it official in front of their friends and family.  And who could blame them?  The Serrano Country Club provided a beautiful setting for their stunning sunset reception.  Ashlie’s mother in law helped plan an evening that was equal parts warm, personal, intimate, and elegant.  For this beautiful couple it was all about the fellowship, food, fun and – luckily for me – photography!  I love it when my couples want to get the absolute most…

Ellee and Jonathan – what a couple!  This was not our first wedding with a full-scale Jenga set, but it definitely was the first where the Jenga did double-duty as a guest book!  It was so cool to see how these two incorporated their love of games and good times into their wedding, giving their guests an opportunity to leave a lasting memory on each of the wooden blocks.  But the individual touches didn’t stop there: hand-wrapped car cans with sentimental sayings hung in the lounge, a birch tree bedecked with Marvel Comic heroes directed guests to their seats in the ball room, and…

Proof that it doesn’t always take months of planning, Steve and Stephanie organized a breathtakingly-lovely riverside wedding in only a few weeks!  Having worked closely with Steve in the wedding business, I am completely versed on his easygoing, calm style, so there was never a doubt in my mind that he and his bride could pull this off without breaking a sweat.  They even handled a last minute venue change with ease: when many more guests arrived than what the couple had expected, they moved their ceremony from the hilltop to the river to accommodate all their friends and family.  Any…

On a warm late summer evening at David Girard Vineyards, Jenna and Casey said “I do”.  The sun may have been blazing hot but not much could hold a candle to the love that shone from these two.  These sweethearts proved how sweet they really are on each other by lighting a “unity Sterno” during their ceremony, which they then used to toast marshmallows for s’mores.  Sounds funny at first, until the bride and groom told us that they had shared s’mores on their very first date.  And before she slipped into her elegant lace gown, Jenna had been wearing the same dress that…

Chelsea and Chava celebrated their wedding on a sunny summer day in August at the Wedgewood Sequoia Mansion – and what a celebration it was!  Between the handmade, personal touches (s’mores trail mix!) and the enthusiastic mariachi band, this was a wedding that was guaranteed to make you smile.  Of course, a bride and groom as completely in love as Chelsea and Chava are doesn’t hurt matters, either!  Chava kept us laughing with his joking ways, and Chelsea’s bridesmaids (who also happened to be her sisters!) kept things light and fun for the bride. Chelsea and Chava shared their how-we-met story…

Rarely do we see this level of familiarity in a couple after 1 month of courtship…this depth of love and strength of connection is typically reserved for those brides and grooms with a 6, 7+ year bethrothel! Just kidding!  Hayle and Mason have been a couple for a lot longer than 1 month (since their late teens), so there is certainly no question about their familiarity and love for each other.  They just chose a fine weekend in early June to make it official. Watching these two together, the word “soul mate” comes to mind again and again.  Hayle and Mason…