This is just a taste of what I have been up to during my latest trip to Italy. The little Islands of Brissago on Lake Maggiore host a Botanical Garden and are just a  photographic treasure for wedding photography. So, instead of Lake views, I got mostly inspired by other plants and scenery… and brave Noemie and Ernesto indulged me

More soon….

In the peaceful and green surroundings of the Stonetree Golf Club in Novato, Lindsay and Lukas celebrated their wedding, just after welcoming their first child, Valentina, born a few weeks prior the wedding. You may remember the romantic e-session photos of the couple a few months back at the Presidio and Baker Beach in San Francisco…

Valentina is such a good girl, Lindsay tells me she sleeps all night, and at the wedding is was just so happy… everyone wanted to hold her.

Lindsay is showing off her after/pregnancy stunning figure in her sexy wedding gown! Her glamorous make up is by Yas Artistry.

Lindsay bouquet and flowers for her wedding were created by Julie Stevens Designs

The beautiful terrace at the StoneTree Golf Club hosted the ceremony.

I have to say I have rarely seen so many beautiful people all together attending a wedding! You will get a better idea when I will share Lindsay and Lukas slideshow! Many of Lukas friends came from Czech Republic (I was longing to do a “we did it” session in Prague with Lindsay and Lukas in September but my work schedule didn’t allow me to stay in Europe longer, sigh!) and part of Lindsay family is Italian.

Shana Goldberg of Dee Merz Event Planning supervised the ceremony and reception and made sure everything would run smoothly. She was a pleasure to work with, I thank her also for making sure me and Nellie Guerrero had our dinner at the right time…which is rarely the case when shooting weddings Catering for the Event was Elaine Bell Catering.

It was also my second time working with Nellie, always fun to be around, I love her work and look forward to see her takes.

Back to our sweet couple, a few more favorites from the pond view at the StoneTree Golf Club.

Much happiness to this adorable couple, congratulations Lindsay and Lukas!

One last look at my favorites from Wine Country Style Wedding of Kristin and Brian’s at the Vine Hill House  in Sebastopol, Sonoma. Enjoy their SLIDESHOW… I picked Coldplay as a soundtrack because their Brian’s favorite band… and MINE too!

Another round of favorites from the glamorous Vine Hill House Wedding of Kristin and Brian.

These are killer shoes! Love them! And how brave is Kristin to wear them to walk down the aisle??  Here she is surrounded by her dearest girlfriends while getting ready.

The natural light coming through the rooms at the Vine Hill house was stunning!

I always prefer the ’second kiss’ as married couple rather then the one at the alter… this one has more action with Kristin and Brian walking down the aisle and every guest clapping around them!

And after the formalities.. let’s party!!

A big thank you to my second shooter Gerald Carvalho, here he captured me and the groomsmen while I was showing them how great their jump was during the ‘formal’ shots. Thank you Gerald, hope to work with you again very soon!

Wedding Venue: Vine Hill House, Sebastopol, Sonoma

Flowers by: Rivertown Flowers

Music by: AMS Entertainment

Related Posts of Kristin and Brian: Engagement Shoot, Sneak Peak

Just skimming through few images from Friday’s wedding at the Vine Hill House in Sebastapol.  Here’s just a few of my favorites of super fun couple Kristin and Brian, much more to come this week…

Here’s the first encounter of Kristin and Brian, before the ceremony… an intimate time for the bride and groom…

And a few bridal shots of Kristin, which I could have photographed for hours… she’s so much fun to work with.

One of my favorite weddings from 2009 has been published on Style Unveiled blog. Check it out as Stacie talks about her special Puerto Vallarta Destination Wedding.

I am back after 3 weeks of vacation if you were wondering about my blog absence! While relaxing and EATING in Italy, I was most lucky to be in the vicinity of Locanda Del Sant’Uffizio for their official presentation party. The Locanda is 15 minutes drive from Asti in the Monferrato region (in Piemonte), land of great wines, the new Tuscany, how I like to call it. The Locanda is an enchanted event venue and I was invited to spend a couple of days by Laura Pavanati, the Event Manager. The Locanda was an old Monastery, now revived by the incredible vision of his director, Michele Alberti. Besides his peaceful and breathtaking surroundings, the Locanda is a beautiful and elegant location for weddings, events or simply to spend a few relaxing days enjoying the views and the activities provided by the Locanda (wine tours, tennis, the outdoor pool and the ‘in house’ delicious cuisine). I was in awe of the attention to details everywhere!

A little breakfast nook, and here I surprised director Michele Alberti enjoying breakfast with wife Alessia.

Marble stairs leads us in the night area, this elegant corridor brings us to the most important suite, n.40, which is offered as a gift to any bride and groom that books their event here.

The fresco on the wall is a jaw dropper, too bad I didn’t have my wide angle lens with me.. me and my need to travel light on vacation! This room is a must see. And, how about the view from the bride and groom suite…

The Locanda has only been open since March 2010. They are currently booking events/weddings for 2011. I think it’s a fabulous place for a weekend destination wedding, in their elegant setting tasting their delicious food (word of an italian!) you will feel in heaven. You can email Laura Pavanati with your questions at info@locandadelsantuffizio.net

Jennifer and Mike chose an intimate corner of Bol Park in Palo Alto to celebrate their wedding with a small audience of family and friends attending their special day. This was mostly a DIY wedding with the precious touch of Audrey Lee’s beautiful flower arrangements. I am so thankful for that orange touch!

Audrey’s creation for the ceremony site was also my lucky background for some romantic pics of Jennifer and Mike and a few formals with their family and friends. Here’s Jenn with her happy dad and her sister and close friends.

Moving to another spot in Bol Park had to deal with plain sun light, so decided to soften these images with a vintage filter, I loved the ‘country background’ too much to miss it.

When I visited Bol Park with Jennifer and Mike for a picture scouting a few weeks before the wedding, Mike noticed that the names on the playground horses where their own names! How perfect for a fun photo, Bol Park was meant to be! Wishing Jen and Mike a world of happiness, they are a sweet pair!

A note for my readers: I will be on vacation for 3 weeks so probably not updating the blog for a while. Enjoy this wonderful summer time and take care… Looking forward to be back with all the exciting events that August has in store for me. Stay tuned.

Ready to be delivered, here’s Melanie and Ben’s wedding album. You may be familiar with this couple as we already featured their engagement, wedding, slideshow and we did it session.  Melanie and Ben’s preparation started at the Sir Francis Drake Hotel in San Francisco…

Here we are at St. Ignatius church waiting for the ceremony to begin, lots of emotions as family members come to visit for quick congratulations.

it’s time for the ceremony…

a few formals… a must have in the wedding album to make the family happy. I would have loved to shoot formals outdoors but it was quite a windy day, San Francisco style!

And here’s the Pacific Athletic Club staff members preparing for the reception and party can begin when Melanie and Ben are announced!

A few collage pages, normally I would like to display less photos, but I know how much the bride and groom want to see as many friends as possible in their album, after all they made their day so special!

And now, more emotional moments on the dance floor…

I love the next few pages… Melanie and Ben had a tight schedule on their wedding day, so we decided to shoot a ‘we did it’ session a couple of weeks after the wedding in Holbrook Park, plus Melanie wanted a real Fall theme for their photos and waiting those two extra weeks made the timing just perfect at the Park. I wish I could have always as much time to play around with the camera with all my brides and grooms!

A few weeks ago I started a collaboration with Italian Blog “OGGI SPOSI” created by Chiara Besana. It explores the wedding world and its newest trends worldwide. I will contribute with my stories of Californian and Destination Weddings… Here are a couple of articles on Boudoir Photography and my latest Destination Wedding in Puerto Vallarta. Oggi Sposi is also on Facebook… and, did you visit my own Facebook page?  Become a Fan and stay connected