The pine trees that surround Valhalla seemed to reach all the way to the sky. The blue, blue Lake Tahoe water matched the incredible blue sky. It was a calm, beautiful day-perfect for two wonderful people to celebrate their love. Jane slipped on her lace dress as her family excitedly talked about the wedding that would soon take place. Both Kevin & Jane’s families had traveled far from all over the country (and the world!) for their Lake Tahoe destination wedding. And as Jane walked down the aisle, arm in arm with her sweet father, Kevin was in awe of his beautiful bride & cried tears of joy. The officiant read a beautiful Navajo indian poem that spoke of how their lives had no room for loneliness now that they had found each other. And when you know Kevin & Jane, you know that is entirely true-that because they have each other, there is no room for loneliness in their lives. They make a great team & they have so much fun together. They were all smiles & laughter their entire wedding day & that’s how it should be!
They were married at the beautiful Valhalla at Lake Tahoe & it was a perfect location for their destination wedding. Lake Tahoe is a serene location nestled in the trees & everywhere you look is beautiful. Their ceremony was held inside the historical building & after the ceremony, guests sipped Sangria & played croquet as the sun set. The food was amazing, each guest took home a bottle of wine & each nook & cranny was decorated with manzanita branches, beautiful bold flowers & vintage touches. Kevin & Jane spent the evening chatting & dancing with their guests & enjoying a beautiful Lake Tahoe sunset. I snuck them outside for a few more photos as the sun set over the lake & I’m so glad I did!
Jane & Kevin-I LOVED being a part of your wedding! You both make each other soooooo happy & there is no doubt that you will have a wonderful, exciting life together! Thank you for trusting me with your precious memories-I feel honored to have been a part of your special day! Wishing you a lifetime of love & joy! XOXO, marielle
Aren’t Jane’s shoes DARLING?!?!
Kevin & Jane didn’t want to see each other before the ceremony so they decided to hold hands with a door in-between them. It was a cute moment-look how excited Jane is!
My favorite!
Loved how they had a croquet set at the wedding!
Jane’s sweet parents made this sign out of old barn wood they found in Texas!
I am E.X.C.I.T.E.D!!!!! to do mini sessions again this year! The mini sessions will be held both in Oakland, CA and Reno, NV. Quite honestly I wanted to create a cute flyer on my blog with amazing graphics, a fabulous typeface & possibly some glitter if it was possible. The problem is that I don’t know how to do any of those things so YOUR job is to just pretend that this post has amazing graphics, a fabulous typeface & some glitter. Plus, I figure that my photos can speak for themselves. If you haven’t had a mini session done before, it’s a great way to have family photos taken at more than half the price. If you have done a mini session with me in the past, I hope to see you again this time around!
Here are the details:
Each mini session is $249, includes a 35 minute time slot & ALL of the high resolution images. You will receive a print release so you can print the images at your leisure, wherever you’d like. Heck, you can even print wallpaper with your photos if you want. You can pick your time slot & pay via paypal at the bottom of the post. After you’ve signed up for your mini session you will be entered to win a FREE custom designed coffee table book with your family photographs inside (valued at $350) if you simply share this link on Facebook. I will pick one winner & the winner will be announced the week of August 13th. I’m looking forward to all my mini sessions this year! Here are some of my favorites from my mini sessions last year…
Oakland Sessions
Alexis was sure of it. She was sure that to make it to the hockey game that she & Shay needed to take the train. She was so positive, in fact, that Shay didn’t question her-although he knew that the game was close enough to not need public transportation. When they arrived at the arena, they saw quite the opposite of an ice hockey game-they saw an ice rink full of aspiring figure skaters. Alexis was embarrassed that she had led them the wrong way…but Shay made the best of the situation because in reality, he was way more interested in Alexis than he was in watching the hockey game. Shay suggested that instead of taking the train back, that they walk along the river & get hot chocolate. They spent hours in the crisp night time air talking, joking, playing on the playground, singing an off-key version of “O Christmas Tree” to a solitary evergreen & ultimately realizing that they just might be the one for each other. They both loved how comfortable they were around each other & because they had taken the wrong way, they were able to get to know each other better.
Time passed & they knew that they were perfectly matched for each other. One night after a romantic dinner, Shay asked Alexis to take a walk down the Charles River…she was surprised because it was about 28 degrees outside with 15 mph winds. Along the walk, Shay had placed a beautiful table with sparkling cider, flowers & a scrapbook that he had made-detailing their story together from their first date together. Then he told her that the best way to continue their story would be for him to ask her to marry him. Inside the scrapbook, Shay had cut out a space for the ring. With tearful eyes, Alexis happily accepted. They are getting married next month at the beautiful Oakland Temple & I am SO excited to be a part of their celebration! All of their engagements were shot at the beautiful Joaquin Miller Park & I had a great time laughing with them! Here are my favorites….
The park is lovely & the light was amazing…
Love this one…
I was obsessed with the tree on the right…
At their wedding reception, there was a sign that simply said, “Love Grows.” Because Carol & Derrick have spent the past three years together, they have definitely seen their love grow & blossom over time. And on a beautiful, warm day, they exited the Oakland Temple as husband & wife-ready to finish their long-distance relationship & ready to begin their lives in the same city…together. Their day was filled with sunshine, love & laughter and it was a joy to see Carol & Derrick so happy! You can definitely tell just by being with Carol & Derrick that their love for each other will continue to grow each & every day-that each day they will fall more & more in love with each other. They are a sweet, wonderful couple & I was blessed to be able to document the beginning of their lives as a married couple!
I loved the simple yet elegant feel of this wedding-the vivid green & yellow colors popped against the cream color of Carol’s dress & the tan of Derrick’s suit. Carol wore a lovely J Crew wedding gown & accented it with a flower in her hair & a long gold pendant. Derrick wore a tan three piece suit & a green tie which looked equally dapper. Their wedding reception was held at Derrick’s parents beautiful home-guests visited as they admired the gorgeous views of the rolling California hills. The reception was perfectly simple-Carol & Derrick wanted to spend time with their guests & that’s exactly what they did. They were able to talk to each guest & express their appreciation for coming to celebrate their special day. I loved that they were able to take the time to talk to every single guest. The food was incredible, the cake was to-die-for & the afternoon was spent celebrating a darling, darling couple. What could be better than that? After their reception, they headed off to spend their honeymoon in…wait for it…Belize! How.lucky.are.they?!?!?
Carol & Derrick-thank you so, soooooo much for having me photograph your beautiful wedding! I loved getting to know you both & I know you will have an exciting & beautiful life together as a couple! With appreciation, XOXO, marielle.
Husband & Wife!!!
Derrick makes Carol sooooo happy!
I know it goes without saying, but isn’t Carol sooooooo fashionable? I loved her Heidi Klum shoes & her pendant necklace!
Carol & Derrick are the BEST because they jumped on a trampoline for some fun photos! I love how much fun they were having!
I loved the chalkboard sign that pointed to the reception & I thought their cake was beautiful!
He thought his chances were slim. It seemed that Katie had the attention of every guy around-after all, she is funny, sweet & a complete doll. But he decided that if he never asked her out, then he would never really know if he would have a chance with her. So Ryan made what he calls the best choice of his life: getting the courage to ask funny, sweet & darling Katie out on a date. She.said.yes!!!! And not only did she say yes to Ryan after he asked her on the first date, but she continued to accept his invitation for each & every date he asked her on. With each date they went on, they realized more & more how blissfully happy they made each other. They realized how much they laughed when they were together. They fell in love & you can imagine how thrilled Ryan was when he asked funny, sweet & darling Katie if she would become his wife & she said yes! And Katie isn’t the only lucky one in the relationship-Ryan is a kind, genuine person who makes Katie laugh. Together they are a perfect match & I am excited to shoot their wedding at the Oakland Temple in August!!
We had a super fun time exploring the lovely Cal Berkeley Campus for their engagement session. We laughed so hard & I love how their photographs turned out! Can’t wait to shoot their wedding next month. Here are my favorites…
I love this one!!!
