We met Samantha and Mike sometime ago and the more we heard about their elegant and easy going outdoor wedding the more exited we got to photograph it. They were describing their venue – Clos La Chance Winery – as a unique site, elegant but informal, with white stucco walls, a red-tile roof and immaculate landscaping. It sounded like something belonging in France and it was hard to believe it’s just twenty miles from Silicon Valley. We could hardly wait to finally see it!

Well, I can tell you that you won’t believe you’re in California anymore when you see the Clos La Chance Winery. It surrounds you with beauty and elegance the minute you enter the grounds and it’s a true winery experience.

We have a million favorites from this beautiful day and here are just a few:

 

We absolutely fell in love with all the details of this majestic venue and the wedding itself, so I’ll be sharing quite a few of the detail photos here :)

 

Samantha was getting ready in the Clos La Chance Bridal Suite – a big and bright suite full of charm and character. I thought that this vintage weathered dresser perfectly off-set Sam’s brand new sparkly heels!

 

 

We were happy to have a lot of time for Samantha and Mike’s portraits and right after their First Look we went all around Clos La Chance, taking full advantage of the winery’s nooks and crannies:

 

Mike and I absolutely loved this beautiful, flower-studded petite courtyard right at the entrance to the winery, complete with a bubbling fountain and ivy-covered entrance. Sam – you looked gorgeous!

 

The ceremony was held on the Grand Lawn overlooking acres after acres of green vineyards and golden oak-studded hills of the Hayes Valley:

 

I couldn’t get over the spectacular views; the wooden arbor, laced with climbing roses, framed the golden hillsides so well!

 

 

With some time left for portraits after the ceremony, Samantha and Mike were ready to go along with anything and climb a hill or two for photographs. For this one Mike was shooting from the next hill over and I was coordinating the movements over the phone :)

 

 

 

 

Every part of a wedding day has its place at Clos La Chance and every scene seemed prettier than the last. The Grand Terrace, paved with flagstones and surrounded by rose bushes, was the perfect setting for an evening dinner. Loved every detail of it:

 

Fun – and funny – toasts:

 

And here’s the wide view of the Terrace. Told you it looked amazing!

 

Just a few more details of this elegant ivy-covered winery:

 

 

And a few more, complete with the Cake Room!

 

Love this first dance photo with a gilded mirror reflecting the light of the wrought-iron chandelier. So pretty!

 

Guests moved into the Grand Salon for the dancing and this room included French Doors, a large stone fireplace, and dark wood ceiling – do I have to say more? It was the perfect place for the end to this evening. The father-daughter dance:

 

This is my favorite cake-cutting photograph ever! Love all of the guests’ reactions :)

 

 

And a few more evening portraits in the Cellar Room:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our fellow professionals of the day:

Ceremony & Reception Venue: Clos LaChance Winery
Hair & Makeup: Tracy Shelor
Florals: Bloomster’s
Catering: Cafe Primavera
Wedding Cake: Jen’s Cakes

 

We welcome you to visit the new Choco Studio Boudoir website! This has been a long time in the making and we are excited to offer all the new services.

In celebration, there is an introductory promotion just for the launch: for a limited time, book our popular “Hot” session and enjoy an upgrade to the next-tier session: “Super Hot”. This collection includes one additional hour of portraits and an album with twice the images of the standard session (value of $300).

So hurry and get in touch to sign up for your glamorous portraits! The promo is valid only for sessions booked in the next two weeks, ending on October 31st.

 

 

 

We’ve shot at the Marin Art and Garden Center in North Bay many, many years ago at the beginning of our career and were super excited to come back there again. There are eleven exquisitely landscaped acres to photograph at and the grounds are full of gorgeous courtyards, lawns, cute benches, fountains, roses, and gazebos – the photo opportunities are truly countless!

One of the most surprising parts of their landscaping is the rose garden which is actually surrounded by a tall fence. As it turns out, the fence is there to keep all the neighborhood deer from eating the rose plants they so love.

 

This wide, landscape portrait is probably my favorite from the day – love the reflection in the fountain and all the fall colors!

 

Love seeing creative bouquets! Crispy at Natalini Flowers added branches of tangerines and red peppers to these fall-themed bouquets for an extra spicy look:

 

One of the quite and serene nooks of the Marin Art and Garden Center:

 

And yet another gorgeous corner of the property :) I’ve heard that they sometimes have ceremonies right there by the fountain area. We’ve never seen one, but I can only imagine how pretty it would look:

 

 

How do you like this fall-themed chuppah? And those marigolds on the grass? We were swooning over all the textures and colors and shoot them from every possible angle :)

 

Walking down the aisle with dad:

 

This one is my favorite candid of the day: love both the emotions and the berries on the chuppah!

 

Their ceremony was on the Gazebo Lawn:

 

And the cocktail hour was at the Garden Room Patio – an expansive garden patio enclosed in ivy covered walls. It has a lava rock fountain in the corner and numerous flowers all around.

 

A few more timeless details of the Garden Room Patio:

 

We also loved this gorgeous Yael Designs sapphire engagement ring!

 

The wonderful vendors of the day:

Ceremony & Reception Venue: Marin Art and Garden Center
Hair & Makeup: Gayle Parker
Florals: Natalini Flowers
Catering: Knight’s Catering
Rings: Yael Designs