Jennifer and Kristin are just the most adorable, fun loving, joy-to-be-around couple. They had a quiet morning getting ready together with a quick visit from their moms. The only thing better than one bride is two brides! They adventured around the city with matching bouquets and sandals, but they each wore their own gorgeous wedding dress that encapsulated who they are as individuals. 

They had their wedding at Greenhouse Loft on September 7, 2018. The beautiful floral arrangements and decor throughout the entire space served for both their ceremony and reception. They choreographed their first dance, had a doughnut wall for their guests, and shared a macaroon on the dance floor. 

These two were just so in love and their main goal was to have fun on their wedding day. We don't have to tell our readers that Jennifer and Kristin are best friends and a perfect match for one another, it is so apparent through these photographs.

C&A Photographers: Hadassah Brand + Kristin Parra

Venue: Greenhouse Loft

Vanessa and Bastian became husband and wife on October 28, 2019. Their story began with grabbing tacos and beer at a hole-in-the-wall restaurant. They both love the beach, so after dinner they spent hours talking on lifeguard tower in Capitola. Their first kiss happened on their second date, after chowing down on some pizza. Basti dragged Vanessa back to Capitola and proposed on the beach near the spot they shared their first date - how romantic! 

They had an intimate ceremony with 50 guests and took portraits in the breathtaking San Francisco City Hall. It's not your typical city hall, no waiting line or stiff office rooms, this building is gorgeous! It was built in 1913 with steel, granite, and four floors of white marble interior, in addition to the gilt exterior detailing, a sweeping grand staircase, and the massive dome - which is 307-feet tall and 42-feet taller than the dome of our nation's capital. 

In the heart of the building they shared their vows beneath that dome. After taking more portraits near the Bay Bridge in San Francisco, the newlyweds boarded their cruise ship for their reception. Yup - that's right, they had their reception on a BOAT! As the sun was setting and the party was kicking off, the boat toured around the Bay Bridge, the skyline, and off into the sea toward the Golden Gate Bridge. 

The two have traveled the world together, so it makes sense that they would have an adventurous wedding day! Vanessa and Bastian said "Our wedding day is about friends and family, celebrating our love." My oh my, did they do it well!

C&A Photographer: Shelley Anderson

Ceremony Venue: San Francisco City Hall

Reception Venue: Hornblower Cruises - San Francisco 

You only wear your wedding dress once, usually. Most brides are torn between keeping their wedding dress clean throughout the day and being adventurous and daring with their white gowns for photos. What if you didn't have to choose? 

Holly and Gordon had a beautiful wedding at The River Roast. It was a full day with love and laughs and polished photos. They ventured around the city for photos before spending the rest of the night on the river surrounded by twinkly lights. Her dress was preserved and looked perfect all night on the dance floor. Holly knew she would want to wear that dress again - and who could blame her! So we planned a morning-after session. We'll call it a 'dirty-the-dress' photoshoot, not trash-the-dress, because who could ever damage a gown as beautiful as this one?

Gordon and Holly got up early the morning after their wedding, changed back into their wedding attire with beautiful, messy, second-day hair and headed to the beach. It was 6:00am and the sun was rising with precipitation. I'm sure they were exhausted (and maybe even a little hungover), but you would have never known. They looked so alive and in love!

First they ran around the beach with umbrellas, embracing the wind whipping their hair, then threw the umbrellas aside because they were already married. They stood in puddles, climbed hills, and walked through meadows. Holly didn't care what happened to this dress - she just wanted to have fun with her husband. 

We LOVE this idea and we hope this inspires you to plan an additional photo session where your dress can have its own story too. 

C&A Photographer: Hanna Walkowaik

Before you can celebrate in your wedding attire, you have tons to cross off your to-do list. There is endless shopping, Amazon list making, and meetings. On top of all that you need to send out save-the-dates, followed by wedding invitations, and your wedding website AND registry. UGH! Can't we just fast-forward to the big day?!

Unless you are the most carefree person or have hired a planner to execute and think for you - you are going to have to do some planning. The first steps usually involve booking the venue, the photographer, and the DJ. (At least, that's what we as experts tell couples to do.) Then you might start looking at wedding dresses, suits, transportation, dinner menus, and tastings - easily the best part of planning a wedding is eating gourmet appz + cake right?

In the midst of all this preparation though - you might forget you are in the middle of a milestone. This is the time where you are ENGAGED! Not married, not boyfriends or girlfriends, but fiances. This is a chapter. This is a time capsule when you took a big leap forward, together. It is SO important to capture this part of your life. That's why we think an engagement session is a must. The photos serve multiple purposes! It gives you a little break in-between real life and planning to connect with one another, have fun at your favorites spots, feel completely in love, and the have pics to prove it. ;) You then have photos to use for save-the-dates, wedding invitations, and your wedding website. Several couples even print and frame them to use as decor around their reception space and/or as their wedding guest book!

Megan and Mike are saying "I Do" at Saint Gertrudes Catholic Church and throwing their reception at The Library on 8-8-2020. What a cool date right? They chose Lincoln Park Zoo as their location for engagement photos. We shoot here almost every weekend and it looks good no matter the season. It has city skyline views, a pond, the famous Honeycomb Structure, a beautiful stone tunnel with a bridge overlooking the pond, the nature boardwalk, fields, flowers, and tons of greenery! 

So quit putting off your to-do list and go book an engagement session - you'll be sooo glad you did.

C&A Photographer: Hadassah Brand