House wedding in California wine country

Taking the drive out towards Napa and St. Helena and photographing weddings in that beautiful setting is high on the list as one of our favorite things.  There are so many nice venues out there and it's great having the chance to discover new ones each season.  A few weeks ago we had the chance to experience something new. Eric and Melody had a house wedding in California wine country that was a fantastic mix of small, intimate, beautifully detailed, and fun.  Our friends, Wylie Weddings, did a great job creating a warm and inviting environment and the home owners, cousins of the groom, were so generous to open up their home.  To top if off they managed to get Matt Costa to play the reception!  As all good days do, the day sped by fast but right as we the saw sun setting we managed to get across the way to a small vineyard and capture some couple portraiture with the Bride and Groom in the fantastic evening light.  Our night wound down with dancing beneath an outdoor tent complete with hanging chandelier and twinkly lights. Eric and Melody were so great to work with and we wish them all the best as they move forward together.

Check out more of our Bay Area wedding photography here.

Gold wedding rings on wine grapes in St. Helena, CA

Bouquet on stone and wedding dress on ivy

Detail of lace wedding dress on vine

Bride approaching Groom during first look

Portrait of Bride with Portrait of Bride and Groom holding hands

Portrait of bride and groom in Olive grove

Bride and Groom embrace

Overview of ceremony site at Napa house wedding

House wedding in California wine country

Candid of Bride and Groom during house wedding ceremony

Bride and Groom kiss during ceremony

Happy married couple

Bride and Groom walk down the aisle after wine country house wedding

Details at house wedding in california wine country

Matt Costa performing at house wedding

Wedding reception at house in St. Helena, CA

Wedding guests during reception

Rustic table settings at California wine country house wedding

Planter style table arrangment

Couple walking through St. Helena vineyard at sunset

Portrait of Bride and Groom. Bride holding wine grapes in St. Helena

Black and white of bride and groom holding hands in wine country field

Bride and Groom first dance in St. Helena

Black and white of first dance at California house wedding

Father of bride dancing at wedding reception

Guests dance under wedding tent

Portraiture of Damian King

We've been really excited by the amount of portraiture work we've been getting lately!  With our wedding season wrapping up, it's been so great meeting new folks and helping them update their websites and social media profiles with new portraits.  A few weeks back we met up with our good friend Damian King at his home in North Berkeley.  Damian is a freelance illustrator and sign painter and we love following his work.  We used the natural light in his workspace as well as the area in front of his home to take a variety of casual portraits.  We even uncovered his vintage BMW 2002 to use as a prop. You can view Damian's work online at http://www.damiankingart.com.

For more information about our portrait photography in the Bay Area or to schedule a session, please fill out our contact form.

Chris and Christian

Portaiture of Damian King

Damian King, Illustrator

Detail of light table and portrait of Damian King

Environmental portraiture of Damian King

Damian King with his BMW 2002

Wedding at Diablo Ranch

We first met Dina and Vince about three years ago when we took photos at her friends wedding in Walnut Creek.  A year later we found ourselves shooting Vince's sisters wedding in Oakland.  When they finally came to us to shoot their wedding we couldn't wait!  They had a beautiful ceremony at a Greek Orthodox church in the foothills of Mt. Diablo followed by a lovely reception at Diablo Ranch.  This was our first time shooting a wedding at Diablo Ranch and we were excited to show up and start shooting.  We loved the sprawling grounds and the staff did a great job putting together the space and helping us take some great shots of our couple. Working with Dina and Vince makes us appreciate the connections that carry us through the years and allow us to build relationships with friends and family.  Congratulations you guys!

Chris and Christian

Engagement session on the Embarcadero

The other day we were walking around in downtown San Francisco and we thought it would be so great to one day do an engagement session on the Embarcadero.  Many of our recent engagement sessions have happened in wide open nature spaces, so the idea of exploring a more urban area and experimenting with some new scenery was exciting.  A few weeks later that opportunity presented itself.  We had spoken to Michelle and Geoff and had been going back and forth about where to shoot their session and we remembered some of the cool city spots we had found recently.  We met Michelle and Geoff near Justin Herman Plaza and set off to explore some green space at Sydney G. Walton Square and some of the areas around the Embarcadero.  The couple brought their fantastic smiles and great attitude as well as their two dogs George and Frankie. Our evening ended with us shooting some twilight photos on Pier 7. We had a lovely time shooting with these guys and wish them well as they set off for their wedding in the Dominican Republic next year.

Chris and Christian

Indian wedding at Lake Merritt in Oakland

Sharmila and Pace originally contacted us looking for some basic coverage for their Indian wedding at Lake Merritt in Oakland.  While many couples are looking for the full experience of their wedding day to be captured, we are always happy to work with couples that are after something more simple.  Even a short amount of photography coverage can provide a great representation of your day. Sharmila and Pace got married at the historic bandstand surrounded by friends and family.  They were having so much fun and really let it show.  They have to be one of the most expressive couples we've worked with to date.  Indian ceremonies are always so beautiful, engaging, and full of color, and we love shooting them.

After the ceremony, we took a short walk around the lake to The Terrace Room , which is a great space for a wedding reception.  Guests played a round of trivia while waiting for dinner and instead of the traditional "tinking" of glasses to get the couple to kiss, people had to perform a song that had the word 'kiss' in it.  This was a riot!   The evening progressed into some grooving on the dance floor with both traditional wedding hits and some Indian tunes that got everyone moving.

We had so much fun shooting this one!  Congratulations Sharmila and Pace!

Chris and Christian

Detail of woman holding conch shell during Bengali ceremony

Indian woman blowing conch shell during Bengali wedding ceremony in Oakland

Indian wedding at Lake Merritt in Oakland

Couple during Indian wedding in Oakland

Candid photo of bride during Indian Ceremony in Oakland

Exchanging of rings during wedding at Lake Merritt band stand in Oakland

Bride and Groom kiss at Lake Meritt wedding

Detail of Henna on hands and portrait of Indian Bride

Bride and Groom at Lake Merritt in Oakland

Wedding reception detail

Mini cupcakes at Terrace Room wedding reception

Wedding toasts at Terrace Room in Oakland

Guests singing at Terrace Room wedding reception

Bride and Groom kiss during wedding reception in Oakland

First dance at the Terrace Room in Oakland

Traditional Indian dancing at the Terrace Room in Oakland

Wedding guests having fun in Oakland