08 Oct 2011, Posted by Carmen in Blog, Church Wedding, East Bay Wedding, Recent Blog Highlights, Weddings, 1 Comments

Berkeley City Club Wedding Photography | Hotel Shattuck, Berkeley, CA |Mary Magdalen Parish | Sinthia + Phillip

Sinthia and Phillip had their fantasy-come-true wedding at St. Mary Magdalen in North Berkeley and the Berkeley City Club, perfectly castle-like. Basing their day on the Disney movie Beauty and the Beast, this couple didn’t cut any corners when it came to bringing their dream to life, and we even got to see butterflies released as the wedding party was announced . The flower girl and ring bearer were in full yellow and blue Beauty & the Beast outfits, the cake was in the shape of a stack of 3 large fantasy books, and Sinthia’s bouquet sported a perched butterfly. Phillip, who is incredibly gifted at design among many other things, made the thematic invitations, complete with old fantasy-style maps of how to get to the different venues. He also crafted his own ring in the shape of a crown and a real rose-under-glass centerpiece for the head table that lit up from the inside of the flower itself (!!). I think he’s a bit too handsome to really qualify for the role of The Beast, but Sinthia sure could pull of The Beauty! I had so much fun photographing them and their friends and family. Sinthia’s sister’s toast, and their mom’s reaction which you’ll see below, almost made me lose it! Thank you to everyone involved for a fantastic day all around.

Getting Ready Venue: Hotel Shattuck, Berkeley, CA

Ceremony Venue: St. Mary Magdalen Parish, Berkeley, CA

Reception Venue: Berkeley City Club, Berkeley, CA

Cake: Masse’s Pastries

Flowers: Pat Gibbons Floral

Makeup: Lily Huang

20 Jul 2011, Posted by Carmen in Blog, Church Wedding, Marin Wedding, Weddings, 3 Comments

Sausalito Wedding Photography | Sausalito Presbyterian Church & Sausalito Yacht Club |Jensen + Eric

Seemingly never-ending piles of cardboard boxes have been trying to thwart my progress, but at long last, here is Jensen and Eric’s wonderful Sausalito wedding! I had such a great feeling about these two from the minute I met them, but as individuals and as a couple. They laugh so easily together that it’s really fun to photograph them, as you can see in many of the photos. And we had sun, actual sun in Sausalito while photographing on the water front… They are currently living in Minneapolis, where Eric is from, and chose to get married in Marin, where she’s from. Gotta love the quaint little wood-interior Sausalito Presbyterian Church where the ceremony was held, followed by a classic destination wedding reception at the Sausalito Yacht Club.

And in case you’re wondering while you browse what’s up with the Cracker Jack shots, there’s actually a relevant story there, involving hotel rooms, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, and an engagement ring – we’ll leave it at that! ;-)