Wedding Photography at Canyon View Dining Hall, San Ramon, CA / Arturo and Vanessa

Holy cow, its almost been a year since this blessed day… I am finally catching up on some blogging. Since this day, I have also had the pleasure of capturing their beautiful baby girl too. Such a great couple and now such a great family!

Vanessa and Arturo chose a love bird theme that they integrated into all the details of their wedding day. The venue, Canyon View Dining Hall, is nestled into the hills of San Ramon. Coordinated by Tony White; from invitations, to decorations, to the beautiful flowers by La Martine Florals, it truly was all about these love birds.

I think my favorite part of this wedding was stumbling upon this beautiful golf course that was untouched by golfers during the sunset hour. And what made it even so much more perfect was the site of a bird house nestled into some foliage that made for the perfect backdrop for their amazing shots. Now I mentioned stumbling because this golf course was right below the venue, and seemed relatively easy to get to… unless you were a beautiful bride in a wedding dress and some heals… and this is why I love Vanessa… she simply kicked off her shoes and was ready for the adventure! Thank you Vanessa (and Arturo) for being such an awesome couple to get to know.

Portraits by Shanti DuPrez / Canyon View Dining Hall / Alpine Pastry / La Martine Floral /  Filmtwist Productions / Golf Course BridePortraits by Shanti DuPrez / Canyon View Dining Hall / Alpine Pastry / La Martine Floral /  Filmtwist Productions / Golf Course BridePortraits by Shanti DuPrez / Canyon View Dining Hall / Alpine Pastry / La Martine Floral /  Filmtwist Productions / Golf Course Bride

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San Francisco Bay Area Vendors:

Wedding & Reception Venue: Canyon View Dining Hall, San Ramon

Officiant: Willie Vega from New Hope Church, Concord

Wedding Coordinator: Extreme Elegance Events by Tony White

Wedding Flowers: La Martine Floral Designer

Wedding Cake: Alpine Pastry, Concord

DJ: Hugo Gomez with NorCal D'J's

Wedding Videography: Filmtwist Productions

Wedding Photography at Our Lady of the Pillar and the Oceano Hotel and Spa / Irene and Dan

It’s a story of fate. I had the pleasure of meeting Dan and capturing a glimpse of his world about 8 years ago when I was commissioned to capture his beautiful family at a very tender moment in their lives. Dan and Robert, his son, were soon to loose a very special woman in their lives, his wife and Robert’s Mother. Even though I don’t get to linger long in one’s life, I do come away feeling vulnerable to all the emotion that is within a family, and this particular moment left me feeling so fortunate to have been apart of this brief encounter.

Fast forward 8 years, I am contacted by this vivacious and wonderful woman who would love to inquire about my wedding services. You see, she met a wonderful man a few years back and she thinks I know him… thank goodness for small circles!

Their wedding vows were exchanged at Our Lady of the Pillar in Half Moon Bay and the celebration continued at the Oceano Hotel and Spa. Elegant Cheesecake did an exceptional job with helping these two celebrate a love that was meant to be!

Portraits by Shanti DuPrez / Oceano Hotel and Spa / Pillar Point Harbor / Half Moon BayPortraits by Shanti DuPrez / Oceano Hotel and Spa / Pillar Point Harbor / Half Moon Bay

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Portraits by Shanti DuPrez / Oceano Hotel and Spa / Pillar Point Harbor / Half Moon Bay

As seen in Lucy Dylan Weddings

Half Moon Bay Wedding Venue: Our Lady of the Pillar

Half Moon Bay Wedding Reception Venue: Oceano Hotel and Spa

Half Moon Bay Area Wedding Cake: Elegant Cheesecakes

Half Moon Bay Area DJ, Photobooth, & Lighting: Golden State Productions; Wayne Noel

Wedding Photography / Coastside Lutheran Church and I.D.E.S. Hall, Half Moon Bay / Nicole and Danny

There is really nothing like a good ol’ Half Moon Bay wedding, especially when the party leads you to the I.D.E.S. Hall… the place, if you are a local, has held a special memory or two. For me, its where I met my husband 19 years ago but for Nicole and Danny this will be the place they celebrated their amazing day!

What I love most about this day is the couple themselves: Nicole is the most upbeat, go with it, kind of person… even the wet gray skies and a pesky garden cat couldn’t frazzle her. Getting married at the Lutheran Church in Half Moon Bay and partying at the I.D.E.S. Hall left me with few area’s in which to really get some nice formals… so luckily, my own hidden secret was also the florist of this beautiful event, Alena of Alena Jean Flower Shop and Nursery, who graciously allowed us the use of her beautiful and rustic gardens. Perfect! Except what I didn’t factor in for the day was the light mist we would be having throughout the morning and into the early afternoon… ick! I was ready to switch it up and find an indoor venue with which to work… but Nicole was so calm and so willing to still make this work and I am so glad she did… the pictures turned out awesome.

This, paired with the fun of the whole bridal party and their willingness to make each image the best it can be, made the day full of some spontaneous surprises. We also had some fun capturing bridal pictures at the historic San Benito House Inn and Saloon. The food catered by Cheat a Little Catering and the ambiance of IDES Hall, made for such amazing day. Congrats Nicole and Danny!

Wedding Portraits by Shanti Duprez / IDES Hall Half Moon Bay / Cheat a Little Catering / Alena Jean Flower Shop /  Coastside Lutheran ChurchWedding Portraits by Shanti Duprez / IDES Hall Half Moon Bay / Cheat a Little Catering / Alena Jean Flower Shop /  Coastside Lutheran ChurchWedding Portraits by Shanti Duprez / IDES Hall Half Moon Bay / Cheat a Little Catering / Alena Jean Flower Shop /  Coastside Lutheran ChurchWedding Portraits by Shanti Duprez / IDES Hall Half Moon Bay / Cheat a Little Catering / Alena Jean Flower Shop /  Coastside Lutheran ChurchWedding Portraits by Shanti Duprez / IDES Hall Half Moon Bay / Cheat a Little Catering / Alena Jean Flower Shop /  Coastside Lutheran ChurchWedding Portraits by Shanti Duprez / IDES Hall Half Moon Bay / Cheat a Little Catering / Alena Jean Flower Shop /  Coastside Lutheran ChurchWedding Portraits by Shanti Duprez / IDES Hall Half Moon Bay / Cheat a Little Catering / Alena Jean Flower Shop /  Coastside Lutheran ChurchWedding Portraits by 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Half Moon Bay Wedding Venue: Coastside Lutheran Church

Half Moon Bay Reception Venue: IDES Hall

Half Moon Bay Wedding Florist: Alena Jean Flower Shop

Half Moon Bay Wedding Caterer: Cheat a Little Catering

Half Moon Bay Wedding Events: San Benito House Historic Inn

Half Moon Bay Wedding Photographer: Portraits by Shanti

San Francisco Bay Area Wedding DJ: Soundwave Mobile

What to wear for your portrait session?

Blue Jeans and white shirts is the all-traditional go to when picking out your wardrobe for your upcoming family portrait. I only have one word for that: BORING! Its been done, heck I’ve done it… and I’ll be honest, it works, but you will look just like the last family that did that.

So here are my suggestions when trying to figure out what to wear. Really try to envision your backdrop, is it beach, country, more monotone like a forest? Once you have that vision, pick some of the key colors from that, for instance if it’s the beach this is what I would pick: light blue, beige, soft pinks (tones of the sunset hues), soft purples, etc.… however the country I would choose more earthy tones, such as browns, maroons, darker blues and greens.

Now, lets add a little personality to this recipe who are you? Don’t pick an outfit strictly because it fits into my color suggestions, pick it because you like how it looks on you, you pick it because its something you would “normally wear”, and you pick it because it fits into the environment we will be shooting at.

If you aren’t a color person, then fine, easy peasy lemon squeezy… simply take the basic look, blue jeans and white shirt and add a splash of color somewhere, a scarf, necklace, belt, etc.

Now here is what not to do: Don’t find a shirt that fits the color scheme but has a logo on it, and don’t mix patterns… in fact, if you can, try not do any patterns…. of course I have exceptions to this rule (I love a good plaid shirt in a country setting).

Take these suggestions and apply it to your whole family, not just yourself, and make sure you guys compliment each other (you don’t have to be matchy matchy, just complimentary)

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