Author: Shanti

Miramar Farms — Half Moon Bay’s Magical Event Space

Posted on | by Shanti

One of my favorite places to photograph when its not the beauty of emotion is this majestic and serene environment located in a gentle meadow like space of Miramar which is located in the sunbelt of the Half Moon Bay Coastside. The short tree lined drive is the prelude to this beautiful garden like atmosphere in which most of everything you eat is grown or raised right from the grounds. From eggs from their grass fed chickens to the bee’s homes in which they are able to harvest their own honey from, everything is natural and real and is the perfect spot to leave your troubles behind and reconnect with new visions and ideas and really reconnect either in a solitude fashion like I do, or with your fellow team mates. Miramar Farms is the perfect venue for anyone seeking an off-site meeting space that is unique and different and raw but real and genuine all at the same time.

Elliston Vineyards. Cassy and Zack, a Fall Vineyard Wedding

Posted on | by Shanti

Nestled in the hills of Sunol, California is a romantic winery known as Elliston Vineyards. The estate, with its historic stone mansion built in 1891 & acres of vineyards and gardens has set the backdrop for a small & intimate wedding celebration last October. Their story is somewhat of a traditional romance lead by fate… meeting for the first time at a dog park with their beloved animals that instantly connected (the dogs and the couple) Cassy and Zack, both soft spoken, were brave enough to recognize this connection and the rest is history. Although the dogs weren’t in the wedding, they made sure that there was moments that symbolized theses cupid-like animals… customized shoes for Cassy were a must, but my favorite was seeing each other before hair and makeup and outfits were on to have some alone time with these dogs and each other to really reflect on their journey here.

Thank you to these fellow vendors for making this day so special!

Bridal shop: Emerald City Gowns, Berkeley, CA
Shoes: Uninique customarts
Cake, Cake Delight, Livermore, CA
Catering: Eliston Vineyard Chefs
Flowers: Fremont Flowers
Music: Elegant Touch Strings
Videographer: http://www.lt3productions.com

A Winter Wente Winery, Livermore, California

Posted on | by Shanti

I fell in love with November light combined with a beautiful bride and a gorgeous venue. Wente Winery is a beautiful winery nestled into the rolling hills of the Livermore Valley Wine Country. Coral dresses, and golden hues are what complimented this day, but the true magic was in the love of the couple. Such real emotion with every look and smile, it was easy to fall into a zone of capturing this love story.

December Wedding at the Mountain Winery, Saratoga, CA

Posted on | by Shanti

Through the hustle and bustle of the holiday I was fortunate to have captured this lovely and breathtaking wedding at the very majestic Mountain Winery in Saratoga. Nestled in the mountains of northern California is a sweet little venue with vineyard that lead you to a stunning ampitheater that overlooks the southern bay area.

Because this was a December wedding and the sunset is so early and the ceremony capture closest to sunset we had to adjust the schedule to capture everything earlier on in the day… and as a photographer, it made me a little nervous to have to capture the beauty of this venue on a very bright and sunny day (yet very chilly). This wedding taught me that stepping out of my comfort zone of sunset light, or even filtered light can give results that are so powerful and stunning it makes you just want to take it all in.

The decor of this wedding was an obvious choice being that it was less that a week since Christmas had passed. The place cards were set in cinnamin sticks and holy, the centerpieces were made of wreaths and the venue was lit up in white holiday lights that brought on such a festive glow.

I couldn’t finish this post with out talking about the one thing that inspired me most about this day, and that is the couple. This is a couple that you look at and can visually see the love they have for each other, its in every look, every smile, every gesture towards each other. They have weathered the distance of colleges keeping them farther apart than they’d like and survived a romance that was meant to be and I am so happy to have captured the start of their next chapter of happily ever after.