Brooks and Sarah - at the Legion of Honor

So we are posting the engagement after the wedding because we shot the session just days before the wedding.And now for an embarrassing reveal exposing how snobby we are: Often when we are asked to go to places like this, we roll our eyes and think it would be cheesy... we know, we know, that is lame and elitist and TOTALLY WRONG!! The light was stunning, the shadows strong, and the color vibrant!! The beautiful light mixed with these two beautiful people was a match made in photographer-heaven! These two are so IN LOVE it is palpable, contagious and so much fun to photograph. Thank you Sarah and Brooks for being wonderful, in love, and trusting. It was an absolute pleasure to make pretty pictures with you!

In truth,

Robyn and Maria

Sandra and Derek ... a few years later.

Four year ago, back when Maria and I first started photographing weddings together as Verité, these two lovelies got married on Treasure Island and brought the two of us along for the festivities, and we have loved them ever since! Recently, they've been itching to get dressed up again and visit one of their favorite places, to do some more "wedding" photos. So early last Fall, we all went down to Carmel for the weekend and visited 1) an Antique Mall! Sandra and Derek LOVE antiquing! and 2) Pebble Beach, at the very spot where Derek first proposed.

Man, it's great to hang out with happy couples and old friends!

Amanda and Jesse's wedding in Yosemite

Amanda and Jesse started their wedding planning with every intention of getting married in Sonoma, but somewhere along the way, they ended up in Yosemite! Which was perfect. These guys love the outdoors, hiking, exploring, camping, etc. so this was waaaayyy more them! After meeting these two Maria and I were so taken with their hilarious dry senses of humor, their honesty, and their adoration of each others quirks that we were super bummed when we thought it wouldn't work out, but then we brought on Natalie!! Natalie is Verité's first ever associate photographer and she was the lucky one who got to photograph A and J in the stunning valley of Yosemite.

So, after nine years of dating, these two got to use this grand and beautiful place as the backdrop for their grand and beautiful love! . . . and nobody was crapped on by a pigeon! (That's what happened to Jesse on their first date :))

Verité Associate Photographer- Natalie Eidelman Venue- Ahwahnee Hotel, Yosemite

Maria and Andi at Cornerstone Gardens

If the world were to make a yearbook right now, Maria and Andi would totally win "cutest couple". Hands down. Seriously. They're adorable. It's ridiculous. These guys met in Dental School, which totally makes sense if you've seen their matching perfect teeth :) I know we mentioned their killer smiles in the engagement session post, but I think they somehow managed to make them even better for the wedding day! :) Both of them have this way of smiling that is not only gorgeous on the outside, but it makes other people just feel so welcomed in their presence! They are each so full of kindness and warmth, and they readily share that both with each other and with everyone around them!

And the great thing about being a dentist couple . . . you can tell each other exactly which teeth you have food in between! (We witnessed Andi lovingly whisper to Maria "between 11 and 12"). How useful is that! :)

And one of our favorite moments of the day was what may have been a nod to some of those Dental School loans; Maria customized her vows a bit when the priest said "for richer, for poorer", she repeated her part by saying, "for richer or probably poorer" :)

Congratulations you guys!

Event Designer- Sugar Rush Events Church- Saint Francis Solano Venue- Cornerstone Gardens Floral Design- The Flower House Caterer- Elaine Bell Catering Rentals and Lighting- Hartman Rentals and Impact Lighting Videographer- Khai Nguyen Cake Artist- The Cake Maker Hair and Makeup- Giao Nguyen

Kristen and Andy Engaged

Kristen and Andy are two of the most instantly likable people ever. Everything they think, say and do is so genuine and unpretentious and just cute! One of my favorite things Kristen said to us (which I think sums them up pretty good) was concerning the time right after they met when some people close to her were maybe just a little concerned that she was just maybe a little too excited about Andy maybe just a little too quickly, but the girl apparently knew what she was doing! She told us: I was head over heels into him and didn't even TRY to play games!

For their engagement session we did something a little different- we relived their first date. These guys met online and chatted for several weeks before actually meeting in person. For their first date, Kristen took the train down to Palo Alto where Andy picked her up and they went over to a mock trial at Stanford where they held hands and doodled hearts on a pad of paper and then went to Sprinkles Cupcakes- sooooo, we went to the CalTrain Station, the cupcake shoppe, and the Stanford campus, but with Buster this time, their beloved fur baby.

(Also, I don't know if Maria and I have ever seen so much pretty light in one place as we did at Stanford this day)!