She said she knew from the beginning. She said that she knew on their first date that things between the two of them would just work. And as they stood hand in hand on a beautiful Saturday evening, exchanging vows in front of their families & friends, it was very, very clear-John & Clarissa work together perfectly. There is no doubt that they make each other happy…that they love each other with their whole hearts & that together they are an incredible couple. I was SO lucky to be able to document their beautiful & personal wedding day-from start to finish their wedding was filled with details that were a perfect reflection of who John & Clarissa are as a couple. Their ceremony was performed by John’s father & each member of the bridal party read quotes, poems about cupcakes & even did a re-inactment of a conversation (with sock puppets!) that was important & personal to John & Clarissa. Music is a very important part of both of their lives (Clarissa is an incredible Opera Soprano & John also has an incredible voice) and I loved how music was incorporated throughout the day-part of the ceremony was a musical piece performed by Clarissa & John along with their friends. Music was also a huge part of the celebration during the reception-with a personalized song written by John’s aunt, performances by a Cal Berkeley musical group as well as a gorgeous German Opera song by Clarissa. Like I said, their wedding was soooooooooo fabulous because it was filled with things that are meaningful to them. The evening was spent enjoying beautiful music, toasting with yummy milkshakes, filling out crossword puzzles & enjoying incredible food. All in all, it was an amazing day celebrating the joining of two incredible people.
John & Clarissa-I LOVED being a part of your beautiful wedding. I don’t think that words can describe how much I enjoyed being a part of your day…when I came to your engagement party I was crossing my fingers AND toes that you would think of choosing me as your photographer-I knew that working with the both of you would be amazing! It is so obvious that you were both made to be with each other. Thank you so much for being my friends & for giving me the chance to photograph the best day of your lives!! Wishing you happiness, love & delicious cupcakes forever!!! XOXO, marielle.
Clarissa & her mother are very close & I was happy to capture these sweet images of them together….
LOVE this one of the shiny shoes & argyle socks…
I’m completely smitten with this photograph…
John’s father has this darling Model A car & I LOVED having it there for photographs! I’m a sucker for old cars at weddings…
The Berkeley City Club is filled with amazing places to shoot…
John & Clarissa live in New York City so each table was named after different Subway Stations…
John sang a fabulous solo during the reception…
And Clarissa sang a song, as well. Here’s a photo of John thanking Clarissa for her beautiful song…
LOVE this…
The clouds looked like cotton candy in the sky as the guests took their seats. Situated on the pasture of Caitlin’s childhood home were chairs, bales of hay & vintage quilts for guests get cozy. Vintage doors & windows outlined the ceremony site & glass chandeliers & horseshoes dotted the property. It was the perfect setting for a beautiful wedding of two incredible people. Hand in hand, Caitlin was escorted down the aisle by her loving father as Brad stood at the end of the aisle simply beaming. They were all smiles & as they were pronounced husband & wife, Brad kissed Caitlin not one, not two- but three times! Needless to say, Caitlin & Brad were beyond thrilled to begin their lives together!
The thing that I love about shooting weddings is that every wedding is different. Another thing that I love is that every wedding is a perfect reflection of the couple-their style, their creativity, their vision. I loved, LOVED that their wedding was set on Caitlin’s parents home & that it was chalk-filled with amazing details. Caitlin’s dad has a vintage truck & a vintage Buick (both pale yellow!) that we were able to use in the photographs which was fabulous! They had a s’mores station, antique bottles & cans filled with brightly colored flowers, vintage suitcases, three wedding cakes & tons of fun. The night was spent dancing under a white tent as family & friends celebrated Caitlin & Brad’s new lives together.
Caitlin & Brad-thank you so much for choosing me to document your beautiful, beautiful wedding day! Your love for each other is so sweet to watch & it is without a doubt that you’ve found your perfect match in each other! Wishing you a lifetime of love & laughter…XOXO, marielle.
Why have one pair of wedding shoes when you can have TWO?!?!?
Quite the perfect setting for a wedding if you ask me!
Love this one of Brad seeing Caitlin for the first time…
Mr. & Mrs. Kroshus!
Favorite…
Caitlin…you are stunning!
Let’s be honest. There are a lot of crazy photography ideas out there. This might be the sentimental side of me speaking, but one idea that I think is a little crazy is when people completely trash their beautiful wedding dress. I’ve seen photos of brides burning their dress, laying in mud in their gown & plenty of other cuh-razzzzy things. One thing is for sure-if I burned my wedding dress, my mama would march right to my house & sucka punch me in the face. Well, she’d probably call me on the phone & ask me, “What were you thinking?” but you get the idea. I realize that everyone has different ideas of what they want to do with their wedding dress & I respect whatever people want to do but let me tell you-I kept my wedding dress so that one day my daughter can try it on, run around the house in it & laugh at me because my wedding dress was soooooooo 2003 (just like my sisters & I have done with my mom’s wedding dress).
One idea that I love that I don’t think is crazy is getting back in your wedding dress after your wedding dress (days, weeks or months after the wedding) and doing some beautiful photographs in a different setting than where your wedding was. In a field, by the mountains, downtown…anywhere that reflects your style. I think it’s a great way to get some more beautiful photographs in your amazing wedding gown before you box it up for your posterity to see!
I met up with Nicole & Luke for some relaxed, fun bridals at sunset…the best part of the shoot was that we figured out a location to shoot & then saw this gorgeous home with the most perfectly landscaped lawn-Luke rang the doorbell & the family was nice enough to give us full reign of their yard! The other best part was that Nicole stepped in the Truckee River for a few shots! Luke spends a lot of time fishing there so he was sooooooo excited to do a few shots in the river! All in all, it was a lovely day spent with two wonderful people! I LOVE these photographs (and this couple!) so, SO much!
Gar & Lane spent their wedding day basking in all things fabulous-beautiful weather, great company, amazing food & of course-basking in the love they have for one another. Gar & Lane are so cute together-the way their fingers intertwine, the way that Gar looks at Lane, the way that Lane always, always takes care of Gar. Weddings are always such a sweet thing to be a part of & this wedding was no exception. Gar & Lane’s lives began together on a perfect August day in the Oakland LDS Temple. LDS weddings inside the temple aren’t photographed because the wedding ceremony is considered very sacred. It is exciting to watch couples exit the temple doors as husband & wife-they are always grinning ear to ear! Gar & Lane are two of the sweetest people on the planet & their wedding day was just as sweet as the two of them!
Sigh….I loooooooooove summer weddings! The vivid colors, the beautiful weather & the outdoor wedding receptions! Gar & Lane’s beautiful wedding was the ultimate summer wedding-from the bright colors right down to the beautiful backyard wedding reception. Gar is such a talented person & she made all the flowers for the wedding-don’t you just adore her fun bouquet? I’m pretty much obsessed with her tea-length dress & her feather hairpiece! Their reception & ring ceremony were held in Gar’s mother’s home-it was the perfect setting for all to mingle, eat & congratulate the happy couple!
Gar & Lane-congratulations to you both! What a fun adventure you have started together…and it’s only the beginning! Thank you for putting your trust in me to document your wonderful wedding-I loved, LOVED being a part of this special journey with you both! Wishing you all the best! XOXO, marielle.
They’re married!!!
Favorite. Favorite. FAVORITE!!!
I love how the ribbons in her bouquet are swishing in the air!
Gar-you were such a radiant bride! I still can’t get over the cuteness of the feather in your hair!
Lane cleaned up nicely…and wore some awesome shoes!
Their ring ceremony was very heartfelt…
I love this last shot-a sweet moment between them both during their reception…
I loooooooove shooting bridal photography…and I looooooove these photographs of Caitlin-she is the most beautiful person & she is so much fun to photograph. Her wedding was last weekend & she had a few of her bridal images printed on a canvas to display at the reception. Caitlin’s beautiful dress is from Swoon in Reno-don’t you love how beautiful it is? I can’t wait to post the images from her beautiful, beautiful wedding! Here are my favorites from her bridal session for the mean time…enjoy!
LOVE this one…
