I will be 100% honest. It all started with my green snakeskin pants. Yes, people-my relationship with my husband all started with my awesome outfit choice on that day in March of 2003. Sam & I had been set up by my dad & his cousin who had been lifelong friends. He flew out to Reno to meet me & I figured that the best outfit to wear when we first met would be a pair of green snakeskin pants. My sisters begged me to not leave the house, “Can’t you just wear jeans like a NORMAL PERSON!?!?!?” The problem was that they were so sexy that I couldn’t NOT wear them! So off to the airport I went, proudly wearing my sexy pants-excited beyond belief to meet Sam for the first time.
We first met in the airport in Reno-I remember him turning the corner, seeing his beautiful smile & my knees turning to mush when I saw him. He liked my snakeskin pants & the rest is history! We hit it off right away & it didn’t take me long to realize that I was head over heels for Sam. We were married in 2003 at the beautiful Oakland Temple with all of our family & friends in attendance. It was the most perfectly wonderful day I’ve ever known. And incase you’re wondering, I still have my green snakeskin pants.
Today is our 7th Wedding Anniversary! I am so lucky to be married to such an incredible, wonderful & fabulous person. He supports me in my business, helps me with so much & I thank him for helping me become the person I am today. I thank God every single night that I found my best friend, my love, the best father for Hadley & my favorite person in the world all wrapped into one person. Sam & I have shared so many adventures together-biking through the streets of Florence on Easter Sunday, scuba diving in the Philippines, late night visits to Taco Bell (Baja Blast, baby!), and our biggest adventure to date-raising our little daughter Hadley. I’m so grateful that I’ve had Sam by my side for the past seven years & I can’t wait for all the years to come!! Happy Anniversary to us!
Here’s our engagement photograph…
Here’s a photo of us taken by my fabulous friend, Brooke!
It would be a total understatement to say that Keli & Johnny are fun. They are the happiest & funnest couple on this side of the Mississippi. They are the kind of people whose joy is infectious-their smiles make others happy & their joy is apparent in every step they take. They are always having fun-whether it be while traveling, shopping, skiing, going on walks, auto racing or camping-without a doubt Keli & Johnny are having the time of their lives. They live to have fun & they love to have fun together-no matter what is on the agenda.
Just within minutes of meeting them, it was very apparent to me that they are best friends & that they will have a life together filled with laughter. Through their long distance relationship, they have learned to depend on each other, confide in each other & make each other laugh. They have been together for six years & had the chance for their love to grow deeper over the years. They are tying the knot this summer & I can’t wait to be a part of their celebration! Knowing them, I know that their wedding will be filled with more laughter & fun than any wedding in history!
We met up at the Legion of Honor in San Francisco & then headed over to Baker Beach to finish up their engagement session. I know that the rest of the country is knee-deep in snow, but we had bright green grass & flowers in November for their session! Horray for California weather! Keli & Johnny-you are both fabulous & fun-I am so excited to have the chance to photograph your wedding! xoxo, marielle.
It’s amazing how life works. It’s even more amazing how love works. Years ago, Shannon & Robert were classmate boyfriend & girlfriend in Elementary School. And as time went on, they attended different schools & led different lives. Until one fateful day. They had mutual friends & attended the same party. Robert recognized Shannon & introduced himself as her childhood boyfriend. They’ve been together ever since. They are beautiful inside & out, fabulous as ever & crazy in love with one another. As time went on, they realized something that they realized so long ago-that they had a connection. Although they were older & wiser than they were in Elementary School, they were still giddy with excitement when they were together & they realized that they truly did have something special. They tied the knot in Reno at Idlewild park as the leaves changed from their summer green to a glistening gold. As they pledged their faithfulness & love to one another, tears streamed down Shannon’s face. Robert grinned from ear to ear. They were pronounced husband & wife & it was the perfect, perfect moment for two people-fabulously in love!
Their wedding was held at Idlewild Park & their reception was held at my new favorite venue-the California Building. The lighting inside the building was amazing & I loved all the details that their wedding planner Liane helped execute. The night was spent dancing & celebrating Shannon & Robert’s fabulous, long-lasting love for one another. I’m a sucker for details & I loved how they incorporated the color purple into their wedding- from Shannon’s to-die-for shoes to her beautiful bouquet (seriously I loved Shannon’s shoes SO much. You will too, I promise). I loved, LOVED their gorgeous (and delicious!) multi-tiered cake & I loved all the fun dancing that lasted into the night! It’s fun to witness the special connection that a couple has for one another…their love shows in everything they do-the way they glance at each other…the way they speak of one another…the small things that they do for one another. Their wedding was just as fabulous as Shannon & Robert are!
Shannon & Robert-your love is amazing. People can tell you are both over-the-moon-in love just by the way you look at each other. It is such a beautiful thing & it makes everyone around you happy! I know that you will live a life full of laughter, happiness & so much love-you both deserve nothing but the best in your new adventure together…xoxo, marielle.
I had a slight obsession with Shannon’s shoes…
Shannon’s father was so sweet as he walked her down the aisle…
This is one of my favorites from their wedding…they look so, SO happy!
LOVE.
Shannon-you are beautiful!
The most amazing wedding cake in all creation! Such a gorgeous cake…
Robert & his mother danced to, “That’s Amore”- I loved it…
And Shannon & her father’s dance was so sweet…
When I first decided that I wanted to become a wedding photographer, I would go to the Oakland Temple on Saturdays & sit on the benches outside while brides & grooms walked by. I would watch their photographers, watch how things worked & I would occasionally snap a photo or two of the bride & groom (without them knowing). It sounds a little weird, but the idea of ME ever becoming a wedding photographer seemed like an unattainable goal-something that was reserved for people much, much more talented & amazing than I was. I loved the idea of capturing love, beauty & fun on people’s wedding day. Fast forward a few years & lots & lots of time devoted to learning & teaching myself how to use my camera…I am so beyond happy to say that I truly have my dream job-photographing fabulous people who just so happen to be fabulously in love. What I never thought would happen in the process of it all is that I would make friends while having the time of my life.
To say that I’ve been blessed this year would be a total & complete understatement. Each of my clients this year (and every year) have enriched my life, laughed at my lame jokes & have become my friends in the process. I am grateful to each & every one of my clients from this year-you give me the opportunity to do what I love & have fun while doing it!
Here’s a look at all the fabulous weddings I’ve been lucky enough to photograph in 2010. I love how each of these weddings were SO different & so perfect for each of the couples. If 2011 is anything like this year was, I know it is going to be awesome!
To say thank you to my 2010 clients, I’ll be giving away an 11×14 canvas print to one of these lucky couples. Please leave a comment below & tell me which of these weddings was your favorite for 2010-the couple with the most votes will win a canvas of their choice from their wedding! Voting ends on December 21st at midnight. So get voting, y’all!!!
My year started off fabulously with Crystal & Nathan’s Oakland Temple Wedding…
Ben & Lisa’s intimate Valentine’s Day wedding…
Will & Shariana’s romantic wedding along the shores of Hawaii…
Alex & Jane’s springtime Oakland Temple wedding…
Sam & Melanie’s amazing DIY wedding in Fairfield…
Jennifer & Jason’s beautiful Oakland Temple Wedding…
Steve & Erin’s rainy, windy & utterly fabulous wedding in Utah…
Casey & Melissa’s incredible DIY wedding at Grace Vineyards…
David & Sarah’s perfectly Spring wedding at the Oakland Temple…
Tim & Rachel’s sweet wedding at the Oakland Temple…with the cutest wedding dress everrrrrrrrr….
Dave & Evelyn’s gorgeous wedding at the Montalvo Arts Center…
Jakob & Gretchen’s fun & fabulous wedding at Hakone Gardens…
Nick & Angie’s lovely summer wedding at Nestledown in Saratoga…
Dave & Laura’s fabulously fun wedding at the Grove in Reno…
Alfredo & Kaitie’s simply beautiful Oakland Temple wedding…
Mike & Meghan’s wedding along the shores of Lake Tahoe at Sugar Pine Point…
Justin & Stacie’s fun wedding at the Oakland Temple…
Mike & Crystal’s “wedding” re-shoot at the Oakland Temple…
Robert & Shannon’s incredible Autumn wedding at the California Building in Reno…
Joe & Kim’s sweet & touching (although rainy!!) outdoor wedding in Reno…
Matt & Jen’s backyard wedding in Woodside, CA…
Chad & Kelly’s beautiful Palm Springs wedding at the Rancho Las Palmas Resort…
Matt & Leanne’s perfect Fall wedding at the Berkeley Faculty Club…
Chris & Jen’s wine country wedding at Kenwood Farms in Sonoma…
And Stu & Sarah’s perfect weather Cavallo Point wedding…
One of my favorite sayings of my fabulous Mother-in-Law is, “Shoe on the other foot.” In essence, if you could switch shoes with someone & walk a day in their life…in their situation, you would see things very differently than you do. The other night I was on the phone with my cousin & she told me about her neighbors who are going through a very rough time right now. While she told me the trials that this family is going through, the words of my mother-in-law kept going through my mind…”shoe on the other foot…shoe on the other foot….” I went to bed thinking about this family & I wanted-more than anything to help them. I’ve never met this family, but I can imagine that if I were going through a hard time in my life, that I would hope that people…perfect strangers…would reach out to help. And that’s what I’m asking you to do. To put your shoe on the other foot & help this sweet family out in their time of need. Here is their story…
Jairo Corral is eleven years old and a sixth grader at Peavine Elementary School in Reno, NV. About a year and a half ago he ended up in the ICU at Stanford University Hospital in California from a very severe case of pneumonia that almost took his life. After weeks of being sick and away from home he was able to fully recover. However, on November 27th he was taken back to the hospital in Reno, Nv for another severe case of pneumonia. After being admitted into the hospital, he suffered from a stroke on the right side of his brain which has affected most movement on the left side of his body. Due to increased swelling in his brain the doctors were forced to remove a part of his skull. After doing tests of why he suffered from a stroke, the doctors are finding that there may be a problem with how his blood is filtering from his heart to his brain…..meaning Jairo will most likely have to have surgery on his heart as well. Jairo’s father, Moises, is a very hard worker and was laid off from his job in the late summer. He was able to find a new job immediately but now he has no medical benefits to cover the cost of his son’s medical needs. Jairo is a very sweet, respectful, kind young boy that any parent would be proud of. He is the oldest kid in his family with one younger brother and a baby sister born earlier this year.
My heart breaks for this family & I’m hoping that YOU-all my fabulous friends will help out! Here’s how you can help…
I am selling the below photographs for $5/photo. My lovely friend Liz has donated two of her photographs to help Jairo out (hers are the two beautiful photographs at the bottom). Each photograph that you purchase will be emailed to you in a high resolution format. The photograph is then yours to print, frame, give as a gift, use for Christmas cards, use as a desktop photo, etc. ALL the proceeds will go to Jairo’s family to help pay for his medical bills, etc. Thanks in advance for helping this sweet family in their time of need. I really feel that the Christmas spirit is one of giving…helping. I hope that you can help Jairo & his family!
