A little announcement regarding Northern California Weddings

I just wanted to make a little announcement that for all weddings taking place in 2012 and beyond in Northern California will be subject to a $250 travel fee to cover my flight and rental car. I haaaate to do this and was hoping to avoid it, but I'm realizing that the travel isn't quite as easy as I thought it would be and I'm one tired little photographer! In order to save money, I decided to drive up for all of my May/June weddings this year, something that I am now regretting, haha. Too bad for me plane tickets are outrageous since I waited so I'm forced to stick to my initial decision. I actually had to pull over and sleep on both legs of my trip this weekend - no fun and not really the safest! As far as portraits in Northern California, I will be allocating certain days to fit sessions in. If you are hoping to book a session and you live in the Greater Sacramento area, inquire about dates where I will be in town :) Those sessions will not require a travel fee since they will be during times where I will already be in town. If you need me on a different date, you are welcome to pay my little travel fee and I'm all yours ;)

I realize that a lot of people have been confused about where I live and work. Well, I live in Southern California and while a decent amount of my work is down here, a decent part is also in Northern California since that's where I lived until July of last year. We are living in Southern California while my husband goes to school (he's a from UC Riverside next Spring).

Thank you so much for your understanding. I love love love Nor Cal but not the drive!

I took this out the window...gorgeous for a session...too bad it's in the middle of no where. haha.

Kira & Jordan | Sacramento Engagement Photographer

I've known Kira since she was a 9 year old tomboy. And when I say tomboy, I mean that gorgeous tall blonde girl who is athletic, cool, and you know will grow up to be a stunning woman (which she obviously is). Kira and I met in elementary school and she is the 3rd of our friend Amanda's bridesmaids to have me do their engagement photos (Hello Jessica and Kelly!) I should have known better than to book an outdoor session on Memorial weekend in Sacramento. It ALWAYS rains. Always. Kira and Jordan's session was no exception. We had been texting all day and were trying to decide if we should reschedule. Kira wasn't feeling well (a cold) and I hated to drag them out into the rain, but they were leaving the country for 3 weeks in just a few days and I wouldn't be back in Sacramento again until late July. So, we decided to give it a try. We met at the convention center and even the Starbucks was closed. The day was not starting out well. We decided to go outside and give things a try in the rain and with an umbrella. I got some cute shots, but overall just wasn't feeling it. So, we said "screw it!" and headed to a wine bar to get a glass and see if I could take some shots there. Cute idea, huh? Well, right around that time it stopped raining. The weather gods love us! We then noticed that one of Kira and Jordan's favorite hang out spots, Mix Downtown was just down the street. It was shortly after 6pm on a Sunday so we figured they might be slow enough to let us shoot inside. Sure enough, they were. Huge thanks to them for granting us permission because I was in HEAVEN! What a cool place for engagement photos, right? By this time, it was flat out sunny outside so we walked back towards the car and finished the session with a real bang - champagne. Kira had mentioned this idea to me and I was stoked to try it out. I'm not quite sure it was legal to open a bottle of champagne in the middle of downtown Sacramento, but what can you do?

So, a session that barely happenend turned out to be one of my favorite engagement sessions ever. The rain had nothing on us.

Sarah & Peter's Wedding! | Northern California Wedding Photographer

Sarah is one of the coolest people I have ever met. No, seriously. She is hilarious, generous, smart, and overall just an awesome person. Peter too, but I don't know him quite as well :) I wasn't sure if I was going to share this, but I will. Last month, I was driving on the freeway on my way to shoot Sarah & Peter's engagement session in Davis. My dad was in surgery and I got a call from my step-mom when I was about 5 minutes away from their house. This was when we found out that my dad's illness was cancer and that there were two dozen tumors found in his lungs. So, yes, not a good call to get. I sat in front of their house (I was early) crying with my step-mom. I hung up and got out of the car trying to pull it together. I have never, ever had to cancel a session especially on such late notice. I wanted to try to shoot their engagement session anyway. As soon as Sarah saw me (I was a hot mess from crying) she put her arms around me and asked what was wrong. I told her and she insisted that I go home and be with my family. Her kindness is something that will stick with  me for well, ever. She was the first person I talked to that evening after receiving the worst news of my life. Okay, phew, onto lighter subjects :) This is Sarah and Peter's wedding!! It was a beautiful, fun day filled with more laughter than any other wedding I've attended. All of their family and friends are just as cool as they are - funny, sweet, down to earth people. Their wedding took place at the beautiful Forest House Lodge. Everyone got ready inside and then we drove down the road to the ceremony site. It was a tad cold and overcast, but call me crazy, I think it added to the romance a bit. Also, they had a MASHED POTATO BAR waiting back at the lodge during cocktail hour. Kinda perfect for a chilly day (okay, mashed potatoes are great on any day).

Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Barnes! It was truly my pleasure to be your wedding photographer. This might make me seem like a bit of a nerd, but as I was watching Sarah and Peter and all of their friends dance and have a great time, I found myself wishing that I was a part of their circle of friends too. (I swear, I do have my own friends, haha....yes, that last comment DID make me sound like a nerd!)

This is the face of an older sister when she sees her younger brother er, dancing with a pretty young lady ;) I was dying!