Day two of Tasneem and Imrans traditional Muslim wedding included a Mehndi party. This is a traditional reception style dinner for close friends and family only and is almost as full of customs and ceremonies as the wedding day itself. The candle procession leads the bride to her future family, and traditional gifts of jewelry, beautiful clothes, shoes, and even a gorgeous book of the Quran is given as a gift to the bride to start out her life as a married woman. Then there is of course the stealing of the shoes… which is always so much fun to watch. The women try their best to wait until the groom is distracted and then rush in to try and steal his shoes, only to extort a large sum of money out of him and his family to get them back! This is one of my favorite customs and I think everyone’s face will tell the story of how much fun this is so much better than my words! Tasneems sister  ended up with them, and I’m fairly certain she got a pretty penny from the boys to get them back!

Preparation for this day is almost as involved as the wedding day and Tasneem was absolutely stunning. Her custom made dress was dyed from virgin fabric and each item she wore throughout the wedding festivities was designed especially for her in Pakistan. The craftsmanship of each piece is amazing, and I may have to reconsider what I want to wear on my wedding day because of it! Overall this day was a nice way to prepare for the multitude of traditions full of prayer and ceremony to come the following day. A perfect mild summer night at the Ruffled Feathers Golf Course lent itself to a perfect photo op, and finally let Imran scratch his itchy beard!

Nick and Nicole are one of those couples that everyone loves… and maybe loves to envy a little too! They met randomly when Nick stopped into a tiny hole in the wall bar in San Francisco on a super hot day to get a beer. Nicole was the sassy bartender minding the store. Somehow, Nick made his way back to that spot more and more frequently, and it wasn’t because of the drinks! It’s really no wonder that Nick fell head over heels for her, Nicole is a truly beautiful person inside and out, and has the best sense of humor to go with it! I haven’t laughed as hard as I did on their wedding day in ages… my cheeks actually hurt by the end of the day!

As Nick’s family is a very conservative Russian Orthodox group, there really was no other place they could think to get married except the breathtaking St. Johns Academy Church in San Francisco. Having a wedding there is a very special thing, and the beautiful traditions of this ceremony were fitting to the mood of the day. Two people must actually be married in the foyer of the Church and the vows and ring exchange are done here before they are allowed to enter. Once they are married, the couple enter and are blessed by not one, but three priests to seal their union. This space in particular with its stunning gold domes on the outside, and the wall to wall decoration inside transforms you. St Johns Academy Church is by far the most awe inspiring place I have shot in recent years.

One of my other favorite things about shooting this wedding in San Francisco was the wonderful opportunity to take some extra time to get amazing portraits. Nicole made sure to bok out 2 full hours for us to run around the city for portraits! Having the Golden Gate Bridge in your wedding photos is a dream of mine, so I got to live vicariously through Nick and Nicole… and take full advantage of Nicks favorite secret spot! We only had to do a little hiking to get there… and even hiking in heels and a wedding gown Nicole had us roaring with laughter the entire time.

The Hotel Monaco with its quirky sitting room, elegant ballroom, and grand staircase created the perfect backdrop to Mexican traditions of Nicole’s family! Throw in a little shot of vodka for good luck, and you have a day that I will never forget. This is one of my absolute favorite events I have had the privilege of taking part in, and I can’t wait to go back to the City By The Bay again!

This year carried with it some terrible losses, my beloved Great Grandmother Ann and my sweet Grandma Tootie both left this earth, which was so hard to swallow. It’s easy to get caught up in the sadness of so much loss in such a short time, but then my thoughts turn to all the beautiful things that have come from this year, and I could only feel overwhelming gratitude. Alex and I have more love for each other than I ever thought possible, and our family grew when we welcomed our little pup Sasha into our family. I was able to spend more time with my family this year than any other year since I moved out at 17, and I couldn’t be more grateful to have had that time. I turned 30 (and still look pretty good haha)! I had one of the most interesting and wonderful wedding seasons of my career, and I was very fortunate to have some good friends, my darling sister, my 2 nieces and 2 nephews here Thanksgiving week to remind me of just how much love I have in my life. So I’ll leave you with just a few shots I took after cooking our Thanksgiving meal for almost 8 hours solid (after going shopping in the morning thank you!!). I hope they remind you of the the beautiful little things you are grateful for, and inspire you to think about what you are looking forward to next year. I am grateful to you all…. and I hope you all had a beautiful holiday!

The wedding was a beautiful small affair at the lovely Presidio Park in San Diego which overlooks the city and the bay, and with rain on both ends of this weekend I was so surprised they landed on the one beautiful sunny day! While the family went on to Breandans’ brothers house where the reception was held to set up, the three of us stole a couple of hours to take a few photos in the park, and go have a cup of coffee and a treat in Little Italy at the absolutely delicious Cafe Zucherro. As the sun slowly set over the Pacific ocean less than a mile away, the backyard reception complete with home made paella, beautiful drinks and h’ordeurves , and a selection of cakes from the to die for Extraordinary Desserts felt more like being among friends than work… because that’s exactly what it was. Congratulations to the both of you, and all of my love to you both for the future.