Jon and Nikki were my first official wedding clients. Their wedding was the very first full-day wedding I shot as a lead photographer! Was I nervous? Not really. Why? Well, aside from me already knowing both Jon and Nikki, they got more comfortable with me as a photographer/businessperson during our consultation and engagement shoot. This puts everyone’s minds at ease, including myself! During the consultation we got together at Paris Baguette and talked about scheduling for the wedding day. This gave them an idea of how I do my work and helped them plan things, it was a win-win for all of us. Though this may seem like it was all business, it was a great time just hanging, catching up, but at the same time getting work done.

Fast forward to the wedding day! I first arrived at the hotel where Jon and his groomsmen were getting ready. Before the wedding, Celine, the wedding planner, sent me a list of what shots that they would like to have in their gallery, so this was all straight-forward! It was a beautiful, sunny day in South San Francisco, so I had plenty of window light to use for Jon’s portraits. His blue suit really popped out with this lighting.

My second photographer, Kevin Reber, and I then hauled over to Nikki and the bridesmaids. The ladies were getting ready at Nikki’s house a few minutes away from the hotel. I could feel the excitement and positive energy when I walked in. I saw a couple of old friends which was very refreshing! While Nikki and some of the bridesmaids were getting ready, I took detail shots of the flowers, décor, dress, and the overall vibe of what was happening. I like to have these small things in the gallery to give a better feel of what was going on that morning. Once Nikki and the bridesmaids were ready for photos, we were able to get some of the getting ready pics. Again, since there was a shot list, everything went very smooth! The ladies having a great time. They had some breakfast laid out and took some celebratory shots before heading over to the ceremony at St. Augustine Catholic Church.

St. Augustine may seem like a tricky church to shoot in due to it limited natural lighting. The church has more of a modern feel to it. There aren’t any big windows on the sides to let natural light in, but it is still very doable! I had a flash on my wide-angle camera and no flash on my close-up camera. The ceremony was beautiful. Jon’s eyes were tearing up as he saw his soon-to-be wife, Nikki, walking down the aisle with her parents. All those years after being together turned into tears of happiness as the moment was finally there. Proceeding the ceremony, we were able to get through the post-ceremony pics quickly and smoothly! Celine did a GREAT job planning it out and calling out the groups to the alter for their picture with Jon and Nikki. Once the alter pictures were finished, everyone was lined up outside of the church for the send-off! For a less messy approach to this, Jon and Nikki decided to use bubbles. Celine, again, did a great job lining everyone up for this. Since the sun was behind everyone, no one was squinting, and the lighting was even! The moment and pictures could not have gotten any better.

Before heading to the reception, the bridal party took their pictures at a nearby park, Sellick Park. Originally, we were going to take the bridal party pictures at Oyster Point, but that area gets way too windy in that area. I like wind for photos, but not too much wind! In the end, everything worked out, the Sellick Park shoot was great. Everyone was giving off positive energy, being that Jon and Nikki were officially married, it was such a great time!! The high trees of the park provided plenty of shade on the sunny day. Another nice perk was the playground at Sellick. One of my favorite pictures of Jon and Nikki were on the little park dinosaur! After finishing up the bridal party photos, we headed over to Oyster Point.

Finally, the reception! The reception took place at Ac Marriott in South San Francisco in the Oyster Point area. The hotel has a very modern feel to it since it was just recently built. I was able to get some cool shots of the exterior and courtyard with its unique architecture. The decorations were done very nicely by Celine. She stayed up until 5AM the night before, and it showed how talented and dedicated she was! During the reception Jon and Nikki really showed how fun of a couple they were. Their dances were one of the funniest first dances I have ever seen! Some might have been too inappropriate for the gallery haha! The guest seemed to enjoy it as well, they were getting super hyped up. So many good vibes were happening throughout the night, I felt so fortunate and blessed to be there, and to be apart of Jon and Nikki’s big day. I hope they can look back at the gallery and feel the same feelings they felt that night.

Congrats Jon and Nikki! I cannot express how happy I am to see you two spending your life together.

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The groomsmen getting ready shots was hilarious! The sense of humor was something else. Let’s just say there was a lot of Hawaiian pineapple lotion involved, it will be your job to decide was that means. Trust me, I was confused as much as you probably are…still am!

The wedding ceremony was held at the beautiful St. Clare’s Catholic church in Roseville, California. With its open space and high ceilings, it was perfect. The church has a circular configuration so the light was entering all around, making my job a lot easier. Phew!

Now for the reception venue. Catta Verada Country Club in Lincoln, California. The warm colors and mosaic fountain really adds a nice European touch the photos. This again goes back to what I mentioned about how much thought was put into the details! The staff of the club were SO helpful. One of them offered and drove us, the photographers and videographer, around to popular photo spots!

The inside of the venue was very warm and welcoming. Since Jordan had her stylist go for the Beauty and the Beast theme, you can see how the tables, special projections and small details support the theme! Again, it was done very well.

The reception had so many beautiful moments. One of my favorite, heart-touching moments was the Father-Daughter dance. Since Jordan’s dad was not around, she instead danced with her son. She was then surprised by her two older brothers who accompanied her after. Overall, it just shows how connected everything and everyone was that day. Congrats, Jordan and Darren!

Please check out the wonderful vendors that helped make this wedding a reality!

Second Shooter: https://www.kevinreber.net/

Video: https://www.theuncommonweddings.com/

Venue: http://www.cattaverdera.com/ 

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