This isn’t Vegas baby…it’s Fresno!  Richelle and Chris live in Las Vegas but returned home for the holidays to Clovis.  Luckily we were able to get their engagement session booked while they were here because the wedding is just around the corner in March.  We started the shoot in the Tower District and moved our way to downtown and the train station.  It was one of those days in Fresno where the fog never lifts so with lots of cuddling, the couple stayed nice and warm while I cheered them on.  I thought we were going to miss the train but just as we were finishing, the 3:30 north bound came in…perfect ending to a terrific engagement shoot.

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A little rain never hurt anything. In fact, I have read that it is good luck to have rain on your wedding day. Of course I loved the opportunity to take some pictures in the wet weather. It’s a little challenging but the moody, romantic quality that the stormy weather provides is terrific. It was definitely not a problem capturing the romance between Tony and Melanie–these two love birds are clearly enchanted with one another. I was taken back by the beauty of the First Presbyterian church in Visalia. It has a big, beautiful steeple and was decked out with holiday garland and wreaths….very warm and cozy. The Dotted Apron catered the reception and as always, Natalie did a remarkable job on all of the amazing desserts. I’ve had such a great time getting to know Tony and Melanie and I’m sure they are having a wonderful time on their honeymoon in the Figi Islands. Congratulations to my last wedding couple of 2009!

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These high school sweethearts, Courtney and Sam,  were married on November 21st in Clovis, California.  It was a crisp, but beautiful Fall day in this couple’s hometown.  We took advantage of the Fall color outside and enjoyed some picture time at a nearby park.  Then it was off to old town for some more pictures and the brunch reception.  The couple made a quick exit for their honeymoon as family and friends waved goodbye.  Off to Cancun to celebrate!  Congratulations Courtney and Sam…your wedding was just perfect.

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It’s always chancy scheduling a photo shoot in San Francisco…that is, if you want to see the Golden Gate Bridge instead of fog.  I love this city in fog but it’s so nice to get that beautiful bridge in some of the pics.  This time around we hit it on a perfect, clear day.  I met Nicole and Brett at the Palace of Fine Arts and then we made our way to the beach.   I’d been looking forward to meeting Nicole and Brett in person and we had a great time getting to know one another.  These two have super chemistry together and I’m looking forward to their June wedding.

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Alex and Matt were married on October 24th and I was so excited about their pictures that I posted them to my blog before I had a chance to edit or organize.  So, now, a few weeks later and I’m posting some more from this adorable, country wedding.  I loved that this couple decided to get married at their home and of course, the old truck, owned by Alex’s father, made for terrific pictures.  Alex and her grandmother made jam as the favors–once the guest found their name on a jar of jam, it directed them to their table.  Very cleaver indeed.  An amazing October sunset to top it off–pretty much a perfect ending to a wonderful day.  Enjoy.

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Many of you may remember Gina from my wedding post in June 2009, Love, Llamas and the Italian Princess.  I had the pleasure of nominating Gina for the prestigious honor of Valley Bride Magazine, Bride of the Year.  We just got word this week that Gina is a finalist!  Gina is the perfect candidate for this honor.  She is from Kerman, has the most wonderful, fun personality, and graduated from Fresno State.  Not to mention that she is drop dead gorgeous.   Gina is currently doing her graduate work at UOP in Speech Pathology.  So now it’s up to you to vote!  If you would like to vote for Gina here are instructions:

How to Vote:

Send your vote to: P.O. Box 26208, Fresno CA93729

Or e-mail your vote to: editor@valleybridalmag.com

Or call: (559) 434-1585

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I just received these images back from editing and I love them!  Generally, I do all of my own post production editing but being that I have had 5 weddings in 5 weeks I had to call in the emergency crew!  Luckily, my emergency team consists of my son, Aaron, who is one of the most talented graphic designers (and musicians) that I know.   Of course I would love to have him working with me full-time but he is off being a “rock star” in San Francisco.  Check out the tags above to see more of Aaron’s work.  Thanks Aaron for the great work and getting your Mum back on track.  Nicole and Brian’s wedding was picture perfect and such a joy to photograph.  Enjoy!

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Katelyn and Eric are planning a spring wedding at Victoria Gardens in Visalia, California.  I’ve expressed my love of Victoria Gardens in the past…such a great wedding venue and I love the green barn.  It was so much fun meeting this couple and trekking to my favorite orchard for pics.  Much to my surprise, my favorite orchard is now firewood…so sad.  Eric is a farmer and explained to me that trees go down when they aren’t producing any longer.  Which did make me feel a little better knowing that these beautiful trees weren’t being sacrificed for another housing development.  Looking forward to a beautiful May wedding!

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It’s been a busy month.  On Saturday (10/24), I finished up October weddings with Matt & Alexandria’s wedding in Sanger, California.   Alexandria is every photographers dream.  She is quite comfy in front of the camera and basically very little editing required.  The old truck in the pics was the first truck Alex’s dad bought when he was a teenager.  I love old trucks almost as much as I love my 1969 VW Bus.  The wedding was held at the couples home and they did such a terrific job fixing it up.  Alex is a high school English teacher and a writer (yep, beauty and brains) and Matt is the real deal….a farmer.  I’m not sure why I have been doing so many country weddings lately but it sure is fun.  Alexandria and I will be doing a trash the dress shoot in the near future so stay tuned.  Congratulations Alex and Matt!

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Alex with her Dad and his truck.

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I always take a parting shot and as I turned the corner to head to my car, here was a cloud of smoke and cowboy hats.

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Oh my goodness…I was in heaven at this beautiful venue.  Nicole and Bryan were married October 17th at the Ritchie Barn in Visalia, California.  This was my first time shooting a wedding at this venue and it was just magical.  If you are ever in doubt that cowboys still exist, visit the central valley of California.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many cowboy hats at one wedding!  Everywhere I looked, there were pumpkins and gourds…it was beautiful!  Bryan is a firefighter and so the wedding party made their entrance on a fire truck–Nicole made her entrance in a vintage red truck.  The guests dined outside under the clear October skies while the authentic country band warmed up inside the barn.  Nicole is a high school Ag teacher so the venue could not have been more perfect.  Beyond the aesthetics of this wedding was a wedding party that really knew how to have some fun.    The wedding party danced their way down the aisle after the ceremony and also had a little bling, bling performance when they entered the reception.  It was such a terrific, fun wedding.  Congratulations Bryan and Nicole!

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