Gina and Gera’s wedding day was dramatic: it was simply overflowing with emotions and beauty. We visited a couple of different sites in the city for the photoshoot while the ceremony and reception took place at the bright and airy Temple Emanu-El. There was a lot of excitement throughout the day and we loved being a part of it all.

Gina and Gera opted to see each other before the ceremony to allow more time for photos at a more relaxed pace. I can’t say enough about how much we love to shoot portraits earlier in the day. This also lets the couple to see each other for the first time in a more private setting – it’s so beautiful and emotional without having two hundred eyes on you.

We had such a blast photographing this day. Please enjoy some of our favorites:

The first look:

This was the actual kiss at the end of the ceremony:

A very emotional toast from Sasha, the Maid of Honor:

Ceremony & Reception Venue: Temple Emanu-El
Hair & Makeup: Metamorphosis Salon
Video: AE Studio
Band: Regina’s All Stars
Florals: Inna’s Flowers
Catering: La Boheme

Erin and Paul had a beautiful ceremony on the front lawn of a private residence in Atherton. Erin described her vision for the day as “A fun, lighthearted enjoyable outdoor wedding”, and it was just that – fun, relaxed and elegant: full of friends and laughter.

After the ceremony we went to the Menlo Circus Club for some pictures of the newlyweds. Erin and Paul arrived in a beautiful green Ford Mustang that’s been in Paul’s family for a couple of generations now. The couple was up for anything and we had a ton of fun with them and this car! I love the freedom that comes from being a wedding photographer – when you are with a bride, you can park the car in the middle of the street and start taking pictures. Nobody will say anything except “Congratulations!” :)

Here are a few of our favorites:

The whole ceremony Erin and Paul couldn’t take their eyes off each other:

All the wonderful vendors and venues from this wedding:

Catering: The Other Woman Catering
Hair/Makeup: La Belle
DJ: Relative Motion
Florals: Patrick’s Flowers

Jennifer and Alex’s Kohl Mansion wedding was a day filled with love, joy, and celebration. Our preparations photos were taken at the Westin in Millbrae with a ceremony at the Holy Name Church is San Francisco and a Chinese/Vietnamese tea ceremony at the Kohl Mansion. It’s always exciting to be a participant in such an elaborate event and we loved watching Jenny and Alex really enjoy their grand celebration.

In any wedding this size it becomes important to understand who the family members are and to provide extremely thorough coverage. Sometimes it feels like you’re in the middle of a raging twister that is all around you as you capture one significant moment after another. We love the intensity as well as the responsibility of preserving the fleeting memories the couple will enjoy for years after their big day has passed. It feels like we gain inspiration from events such as this one.

The highlight location of the day was undoubtedly the Kohl Mansion. This venue has a particular charisma about it which makes even large events feel like an intimate celebration. It was so much fun to capture the wedding photos at Kohl Mansion that we still had energy left even after the 12 hour shoot. It also didn’t hurt that we live literally few minutes away and we were home to get rest in no time :)

Congratulations to Jenny and Alex!! We hope you enjoy this series:

Jenny looked absolutely stunning:

Natasha went crazy seeing the yellow shoes! She’s been hunting down her own pair for our wedding forever:

We didn’t have to ask twice for these fun-loving groomsmen to figure out what to do with the bouquets:

Our favorite shot of the girls:

Love the Kohl Mansion! How can you get bad shots with backgrounds like this?

One particular time of the day when the Kohl Mansion looked magnificent was at dusk. Capturing images of a venue just after sunset is something we try to to at every wedding and you’ll see these photos towards the end of this blog post.

The stars who made the day:

Wedding Coordinator: Mary Phan of Very Merry Events
Ceremony: Holy Name of Jesus Church
Reception: Kohl Mansion
Hair/Makeup: Maria Lee Makeup
Video: Thomas Hughes
DJ: Big Fun DJs
Florals: 8 Events Co