This was just the beginning of a very fun, and action packed couple of weeks for me as I left California for three weeks to spend some quality time with my family.  The first event started off with my nephews wedding and it was a great way to start off this vacation/business trip.  Laura and Alex have been a couple for as long as anyone can remember and they finally made it a legal union.  They had a beautiful and very colorful summer wedding full of bright yellows, oranges, pinks, and green the grooms favorite color.  They exchanged vows at Emmanuel Baptist Church which has been the groom’s family church for generations and the reception was at the Northbank Center in Flint, Michigan. ( Funny enough that is where I had my high school prom and it was so surreal to be there-lets say a few years later.)  The day was filled with joy, laughter and a little joking.  In fact, Laura’s step dad started the day off with having his shotgun ready as the groomsmen drove up to the bride’s house for photos.  One of my favorite parts of the day is when I saw an old barn where I wanted to photograph the couple.  We pulled the limo on to the farm,( which I later found out had been in the same family for over 150 years) and just knocked on the door.  Good ole Frank was so excited but couldn’t figure out why we wanted to shoot with the barn when he had a lovely pond in the back. It was a great property and we were able to get some of my favorite shots of the day.  Besides the ones you see here we were even able to get Laura hanging laundry in her wedding dress.  A tease about her new wifely duties.  One of the more special memories was their first dance.  They did such a great job and it seemed so very natural and not contrived as they spun around the floor together.  I have to admit this was the best lift I’ve seen for a first dance.  It was very impressive. If you know them they are not a huge couple who shows a lot of affection in public.  But you couldn’t help but see the love and the special sweetness the two of them have for each other.   To see more of their day click here to view their slideshow and remember to leave them some love on the post below so they know you’ve been here.

OK my neighbor came across this article and I had to share it.  I have to admit this is one of the weirdest things I’ve come across that a bride would need to wear.  In the article it says that it takes over 20 to take the dress off and on.  I”m sorry but I’d get a new dress before I put a diaper on for the day.  How uncomfortable and what are you going to change it.  Wouldn’t it take as long?  Why can’t you have your girlfriends take you in to the handicap stall and hold your dress up.  Women have been doing that for generations. I admit if you have a problem then that is understandable but because your dress is too big.  It just cracked me up and I hope it makes you chuckle.

http://www.marieclaire.com/fashion/fashionista-blog/bride-diapers

Still looking for a venue to your wedding?  Have one but still need some vendors?  Come tonight to The Hotel DeAnza downtown San Jose from 6-8pm to find out more about some wedding vendors and the beautiful hotel for a wedding destination.  Luke Goodman films and I will both be there and we would love to meet with you.  Here is a wedding that I did this past year at the Hotel DeAnza.

Congratulations on the third year for  “Una Bella Sera 2010″.  This event is one of the highlights of  the year and its creators Crystal Lequang from Amaze Special Events and Nicole Ha of Nicole Ha Designs did a beautiful job transforming the Craneway Pavilion.  The Craneway Pavilion is a beautiful open space with natural light pouring in from all directions.  Located in the Marina District of Richmond it has an amazing view of the bay with its water front location.   If your looking for a location for your wedding or reception this place is breathtaking.

I love participating in this event and it is always such a great time with wonderful vendors.  To see everyone that helped create this event please click here. The photos below were taken by friend Tanja Lippert and me.  The dress featured is from Priscilla of Boston in Santana Row and you can see all the wonderful windows at this location.  My favorite room was the colorful, fruit and veggie room.  From the amazing centerpiece with it’s whimsical design to the veggie art on the wall by Thomas John Events (one of my favorite caterers). I really loved the fun and creativity of this room.  I also had the honor of meeting Mr. Shin of Michi Sushi in Campbell, California.  He is quite the character as you can tell from his photo with Flamingo.  He caught the bird stealing some of his display.    But if you love sushi you should try his.  If you don’t like sushi try his.  I’m not a fan of sushi but his could make you change your mind. It was really delicious and you can tell they take the time to create an experience with their food.  Plus, how can you not love his presentation.  The caterpillar was adorable.

Thanks again to Crystal and Nicole for inviting me to participate. I hope that some of their creations inspire you.  If you have an event/wedding  you would like to throw contact these girls or any of the wonderful vendors listed to help make your dream happen.  Even if you don’t know what you want, they can help create a dream you didn’t even know you had.

Alyssa and Paul’s wedding celebration was far from a traditional day.  Even though it did incorporate some of the traditional things they did it with a new little flair. For example, the two dresses and looks Alyssa had for the evening only enhanced the theme she had going.   First of all their ceremony was small and intimate  with just grandparents and parents attending.  No wedding party or honor attendents just a minimal few to watch the vow exchange.  But that wasn’t how the rest of the night went with people piling in to help party and celebrate with the couple at their reception.  Bloomsters did a wonderful job transforming an already beautiful and historic location in to a magical one. Besides their flowers, they did the linens, and the lighting.  I’ve photographed many weddings at the St. Claire and each one has been amazingly different.  It is such a versatile location  but I loved how the ballroom was arranged for this wedding. In the ballroom, I loved the location of  little sweetheart table and in the atrium  the draping fabric from the ceiling just made it majestic. It added a completely new element to the venue.  Besides a huge selection of tasty treats at the candy bar Cero of Cake Expressions did a beautiful job on each of the individual cakes for their guest.  Part of their party favors was each person could take home their own personal cake.  I can’t remember them all but there was 3 different flavors to choose from.  To see more of their day click here to see their slideshow or scroll down to see some of their photos.  Don’t forget to leave them some love and if you like what you see don’t forget to vote for them.

With Sadness the doors of Adorn Bridal will be closing soon.  After the first of  April we will no longer be meeting clients at this beautiful location.  But if your looking for fantastic deals there will be some great closing sales.  I will continue to meet with clients and to refer the wonderful people who were part of the vendor team down there.  I’ll just have to keep you updated on our new meeting location.

Congratulations John and Pilar for your wedding being featured in Today’s Bride.  I”m so excited that it was picked.  You had one of the most colorful weddings I’ve ever seen.  Congratulations also to the great team of vendors that made this event so beautiful. Cristine Thomas and her staff always does such a beautiful job with this wedding guide.  It is one of my favorites in the area.  It is the perfect size for brides to carry with them.  If you have a chance pick a copy up of their 4 page spread in Today’s Bride at Adorn Bridal or from many other vendors and locations in the bay area.

To see more or their photos you can look at the following post on Aboutweddings.com or here in my archives.  Click on engagement or wedding.

What a great wedding to end my 2009 wedding season.  Sara and Derek were awesome and it was so much fun sharing in their day.  They exchanged vows at the beautiful San Juan Bautista Golf Club.  It was a beautiful intimate ceremony out on the terrace.  Instead of doing a unity candle, they planted a tree together.  It was really different and I love how they can keep the tree potted or plant it at their house.  Like their marriage it will be fun to see it grow and I hope it will be something they can take with them in their adventures.  Another little touch they did which was very touching  was that they tied little red ribbons around their flowers in memory of Derek’s brother.  It was such a sweet and sentimental gesture.  It was a fantastic day and the couple and their party was full of laughter.  To see more of their day click here to see there slideshow and remember to leave them some love below in the comments box.

San Jose, CA Febrruary 09, 2010 – WeddingWire, the nation’s leading wedding technology company, just announced Jill Johnson Photography has been selected to receive the WeddingWire 2010 Bride’s Choice Awards™ for Wedding Photography.

The annual Bride’s Choice Awards recognizes and celebrates excellence in quality and service within the wedding industry, as determined by recent reviews and extensive surveys from over 500,000 newlyweds.

Jill Johnson Photography is among the top five percent of all vendors in the WeddingWire community, which includes over 100,000 wedding professionals across the US and Canada. Awards were given to winners across 19 different service categories, from wedding venues to wedding photographers.

“We are excited to recognize and honor the success of the top wedding professionals within the WeddingWire Community” said Timothy Chi, WeddingWire’s Chief Executive Officer. “The annual Bride’s Choice Awards program has given us the unique opportunity to highlight the best wedding professionals in each region as reviewed by brides and grooms who have utilized their services in the past year.”

We are happy to announce that Jill Johnson is among the very best Wedding Photographers within the WeddingWire Network, which includes WeddingWire and Martha Stewart Weddings. We would like to thank our past newlyweds for nominating us for the 2010 Bride’s Choice Awards.