The sun beat down on the dusty roads of wine country as the green grapes clung to the vine…it was a hot day at Arista winery-almost 100 degrees. Despite the heat, it was a beautiful day in wine country…and an even more beautiful day for Grace & Nick to be married. The white chairs were arranged so each guest could look over the vineyards as Grace & Nick were married. It was a unmatchable view for a wedding ceremony. Grace & Nick pledged their love for each other in a touching, sweet ceremony as guests held white paper umbrellas. They laughed, cried & were simply beaming knowing that their wedding day was finally here. Grace & Nick are two people who live life & find joy in every moment of every day.
Grace & Nick have the ability to make everyone around them happy. At their reception, they laughed, danced & held their families and friends close. The night was filled with heartfelt toasts, an amazing cake & dancing under a sky of paper lanterns. I loved the super saturated purple tones throughout the wedding…each table showcased an assortment of wildflowers-with chopped lemons placed at the base of the vases. I loved the Zara suits the groomsmen wore & the Badgley Mischka shoes that Grace wore. During the sunset, I snuck Grace & Nick out to the vineyards for a few more photos…and they are my favorites. The golden light was amazing! As the sun set & cast a warm glow on the reception, guests drank wine, ate incredible food & toasted to a wonderful, happy life for a wonderful, happy couple.
Grace & Nick-thank you soooooo much for giving me the opportunity to photograph your incredible wedding. Your day was nothing short of perfection & I LOVED being able to document each sweet moment-from the moment you said I do, the moments of your first dance, the moment when your fathers wanted photos together & all the moments in between. Wishing you all the joy & happiness that this beautiful world has to offer! XOXO, marielle.
Isn’t Grace a STUNNER?
My favorite…
And these are my favorites, as well!
They had a chip station at the reception! It was such a fun idea!
The cutest kids ever at the reception…
It all happened because Jerrica isn’t very tall. Yes, you read that right. At the basketball state championship, Jerrica was having a hard time seeing what was going on..so she switched seats & asked a tall guy if she could sit where he was sitting. He obliged & as they began chatting, they realized that they had a few classes together at Reno High School…and they have literally been inseparable ever since. Jerrica & Matt have been dating since High School-they have spent years together, falling in love & having THE BEST time together. After years of being together, Matt took Jerrica to the same stadium where they first met & on the basketball court he asked her to be his wife. She said YES!!!! After she accepted his proposal, Matt & Jerrica’s family & friends came down into the basketball court to congratulate them. Doesn’t Matt get 5 gold stars for turning the proposal into a party? I sure think so.
We had such a fun time at their engagement session…and since they began dating while they were at Reno High, we thought it would be fun to meet up there for their engagement session. I am so lucky to have such fun, amazing clients like Jerrica & Matt who make my job so fun! We had a great time exploring areas of Reno High that I hadn’t been to in years & we ended up by the Truckee River to finish things up. AND then we got slurpees together to wrap up the fun photos! Jerrica & Matt are a completely darling couple who is so in love, even after all these years. You can truly sense they joy they feel when they are together…and I know they are going to live an amazingly happy life together! That said, I literally cannot wait for their wedding next year! Here are my favorites from their session!
Hands down this is my favorite…
But this comes in at a very close second…
Who knew that the back parking lot of Reno High School has such AMAZING light?
After I was done with their photos, I had put my camera away & then I realized how amazing the clouds were. I asked them if they wouldn’t mind shooting just ONE more…and I’m so glad they agreed!
There are good days. And then there are really good days. And then there are completely amazing, perfect, great, fabulous days. And guess what? I was lucky to be able to photograph Michelle & John’s amazing, perfect, great, fabulously perfect wedding day. There really aren’t enough adjectives in the world to describe the joy & happiness that was in the air on their beautiful June wedding day. Michelle & John are both genuine, sweet & two of the kindest people you’ve ever met so it’s no surprise that each of their family members, friends & guests were all in turn genuine, sweet & kind people. Together, they spent the day celebrating the love of two people who are so incredibly happy to be by each other’s sides.
Michelle & John were married in the beautiful St.Helena church-their family & friends surrounded them as they promised to love each other, honor each other & to stand by each other’s sides for the rest of their lives. As they exited the church as husband & wife, they both beamed with total excitement. Their reception was held at the amazing Hans Fahden Winery-nestled in the hills of Calistoga. Guests enjoyed wine (of course!), beautifully prepared food & a candy station…then spent the night dancing to great music. My favorite details were the steel drums playing during cocktail hour, the beautifully detailed wedding invitations, Michelle’s classic Kate Spade shoes, their simple & beautiful wedding cake…but my favorite part of their day was the CAVE where their reception was held. Guests arrived at Hans Fahden for the reception & after Michelle & John’s first dance, John gave a speech thanking everyone for coming. As they welcomed everyone to their reception, they opened the metal doors to reveal the cave where the reception would be held. As the music played & as guests started walking into the cave, Michelle was completely overwhelmed with happiness & literally cried with joy. Their day was so meaningful, so special & was a series of incredible moments-one after the other-for Michelle & John. And if there are any two people who completely deserve incredible moments one after the next, it’s Michelle & John.
Michelle & John-thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for having me photograph your beautiful wedding. I feel so lucky to have been able to witness such a special love between you two. It’s completely obvious to everyone who knows you both how completely perfect of a match you are. Wishing you a wonderful, fulfilling life filled with happiness-you both deserve it & so much more! XOXO, marielle.
Michelle was an incredibly beautiful bride!
John was more than happy to see Michelle & to finally be her husband!
I love this candid shot I got of them right after they walked out from the church as husband & wife…they were soooooo happy!
My favorite…
You really can’t go wrong when you hold your wedding in a winery…every location & view is beautiful…
It wouldn’t be a wine country wedding without lots & lots of wine!
Isn’t she the most darling flower girl ever? And no, her eyes aren’t photoshopped-that’s really how blue they are…
And aren’t these boys completely adorable, as well?
Their reception was held inside a cave at Hans Fahden…such a cool venue!
The sun was setting during their reception so I snuck them away for a few photos…
