UC Berkeley Botanical Garden Wedding

Recently we had the opportunity to photograph a small wedding ceremony in the Mather Redwood Grove at the UC Botanical Garden at Berkeley. We’ve photographed weddings before at these gardens and are always reminded how beautiful of a space it is. Not only does it make for a perfect wedding venue but it’s just a really lovely place to come and spend the afternoon. The garden itself takes up 34 acres and has over 10,000 plants, many of which are rare and endangered. We love that this amount of natural beauty is right in our backyard and it’s available for Bay Area weddings!

These two exchanged vows surrounded by an intimate group of family and friends beneath the beautiful, towering redwood trees. Following their ceremony we worked with each of them and their families to take some portraits within the redwood grove and the expansive garden across the street.

While this wedding opted for a wedding reception off-site, the UC Botanical Garden also has the Julia Morgan Hall available for wedding receptions. It’s a beautifully restored building with a warm indoor atmosphere and a great deck outside that overlooks the garden.

For more information about renting the UC Botanical Garden for your wedding you can view their rentals page here.

San Ramon Waters Wedding

This was our first wedding at San Ramon Waters in several years and it was nice to be back. It was also our first "normal" wedding since the pandemic put a stop to just about everything. It was so great to be out shooting again and finally documenting these two celebrating their love together surrounded by their friends and families.

San Ramon Waters is managed by Wedgewood Weddings and sits on the edge of the San Ramon Golf Club. The venue is a 30 minute drive from downtown Oakland right at the base of the East Bay hills. It's a simple, yet beautiful wedding venue that comes complete with planning & coordination, DJ & MC services, Food & Beverage, and more. It's a great wedding venue if you want something easy and inclusive but still want elegance and a picturesque setting.

We met these two at their separate hotels in nearby Dublin for a little bit of getting ready photos and then made our way to San Ramon Waters. Their ceremony took place on the lawn in the afternoon shade of the venue’s beautiful willow tree. The pergola was adorned with beautiful floral arrangements by Eva at Pearl White Wedding. The grounds of San Ramon Waters may be smaller than some wedding venues but there was no shortage of beautiful light and pretty backgrounds to use for their family and couple portraits.

Following their ceremony and some quick couple portraits, we made our way inside for the reception and an evening full of fun, good food, dancing, and of course, cake!

We loved working with these two and the Wedgewood Weddings team at San Ramon Waters. We love our job and couldn't be happier that weddings are back and we can finally celebrate with all of our amazing couples.

San Ramon Waters Wedding Vendors

Wedding Venue - San Ramon Waters

Photographer - e&b photography

Hair / Makeup - Skyla Arts

Wedding Dress & Floral - Pearl White Wedding

Officiant - Konrad Höle

Preservation Park Wedding

We love shooting weddings at Preservation Park. It’s one of our favorite outdoor wedding venues in Oakland.  We were super excited to shoot with Christina and Justin as they got married outside in the Pavilion, surrounded by friends, family and gorgeous flower arrangements by Ash & Oak Floral. We had the pleasure of shooting Christina and Justin's engagement photos and were pumped to work with them for the second time on their big day.  

We could tell that the day was going to go well from the moment we started capturing getting ready photos.  There is an image that we captured of Christina getting ready that encapsulated the pure joy that she exuded the rest of the day.  We love shooting weddings because not only are they are milestone occasions but also because we simply love to see people in moments of genuine happiness.  Christina and Justin really delivered on this end. 

Preservation Park is a venue that has a lot of built in charm but Christina and Justin enhanced its positive features with beautiful floral tablescapes, fun games for people to play and even a photo booth.  Bride and groom portraits and family groupings are always fun to shoot but it is nice to also capture the details in the decor that each couple brings to make the venue their own. Christina and her bridesmaids held incredibly fun and fresh bouquets that coordinated with the table centerpieces and floral arrangements that greeted guests at the entrance to the venue. 

The day was not only beautiful but also a ton of fun. It was easy to snap a ton of photos of not only the decor but of the friends and family who were also feeling the joyful vibes of the day, which included being able to play a Pac Man game that the couple crafted themselves. Guests were able to relax, unwind and enjoy some great dancing to the music of a live band in the open air pavilion. They were also able to snack on delicious, elegantly plated appetizers and some sweet desserts (we may have grabbed one or two). We loved hanging with Christina and Justin and the people that they love and can’t wait to see how the next couple we work with makes Preservation Park their own!

The Gardens at Heather Farm Wedding

The Gardens at Heather Farm in Walnut Creek is such a beautiful wedding venue and among one of our favorites in the Bay Area to shoot a wedding at. Tucked along the hillside the garden’s six acres are full of natural beauty all year long. We got extra lucky this Spring however when we photographed Jake and Janel’s wedding surrounded by the lush rose garden in full bloom.

Spending time with Jake and Janel to shoot their engagement photos gave us some insight on just how great of a couple these two are.  Having had this time to capture the two of them together set some high expectations for their wedding day and these two really delivered.  We knew it would be a great time but the level of love and warmth that Jake and Janel have for their family and friends-who so obviously love and appreciate them back is a great reminder of why we shoot weddings.  The elegant, bright and beautiful scenery of Heather Farm provided a beautiful backdrop for a heartfelt ceremony and a loving (and incredibly fun!) reception. 

We love that we are able to document the wedding day as it unfolds while also witnessing friends and family adoringly speak about the couples that we feel are turning into our friends as well.  Jake and Janel’s wedding wasn’t only fun to shoot because of the thoughtful details and well appointed tablescapes throughout the Camellia Room -- it was fun to hear Jake speak about how nervous he was to first ask Janel out on a date, to hear Jake being poked fun of a bit for promenading on a Hawaii beach in his “short-shorts” but ultimately being appreciated for his protective nature, to hear Janel’s intelligence and presence being complimented by Jake’s sister.  

The evening was filled with warmth, laughter, joy and love. It was obvious that family is important to both Jake and Janel and their loved ones. You could tell that Jake’s sister was speaking from the heart when she spoke about Janel felt like a part of the family from the beginning.  We felt that sense of warmth throughout the night and felt lucky to be a part of Jake and Janel’s evening. Congratulations Jake and Janel!

For more information on booking your wedding at The Gardens, visit their event website and schedule a tour. As a recommended vendor, we offer a complimentary engagement session to all Gardens at Heather Farm referrals who book us for 8 or more hours of coverage. You can see more of our wedding photography here.