Melissa and Anthony's wedding has been on my schedule for quite sometime.  They booked me originally for a wedding that was to have happened last year, but unfortunately had to reschedule for family and health reasons.  So...I am SUPER happy to bring you this blog post because I think the photos show just how special this wedding was!

First off...you need to know just how close their families are.  No, really...CLOSE.  As in, Melissa's grandma and Anthony's grandma were best friends in grade school.  Their fathers grew up on the same street with each other.  AND, their parents now live next door to each other in Nipomo.  To say that these families are already entwined is an understatement.

The preparations were easy in the morning.  The guys got ready at one house on the hill, and the girls got ready at the other...and I just had a hop-skip between them to shoot the morning's activities.  But, they did it in a distinctly different way.  The guys had a morning drink(s) at Jacko's, followed by some good dice games...and the girls had twirling skirts, earrings, and adorable flower girls.



And then we moved onto Saint Patrick's Church in Arroyo Grande for the ceremony. As people arrived, there was more than the usual hugging and smiling. Made me feel really good. And, the abundance of large belt buckles and wranglers made me smile too.

Everyone was holding it together pretty well when the ceremony started. Pretty well, until Anthony's sister started walking up the aisle, saw her aunt who surprised everyone by flying in from Texas, and she started crying. It spread through the guests like wildfire...everyone was reaching for their kleenex.

Melissa and Anthony had a wonderful ceremony, made even better by the fact that the priest who married them has known the family for a looong time. After a blessing for the couple, we were off to Spanish Oaks Ranch in Santa Margarita for the reception.

Here's Melissa's side of the Mallosoaresry family

And here's Anthony's side of the Mallosoaresry family

Formal photos out of the way, it was time for the party to begin. The toasts were HILARIOUS and touching. One of those times where you are wiping away tears as you are laughing.

Melissa and Anthony started their first dance to a very traditional song...although I can't remember what it was. Because about 20 seconds into the dance, Anthony walked away to the DJ table, whispered something to the DJ, and a new song started. The new song's lyrics had everyone roaring. And, for the life of me...I can't remember which song it was. Will someone from the wedding please leave a comment and let me know what the name fo the song was?!

Another cool idea that I've never seen before...they had homemade cookies from various family members as part of a dessert table. It was all the favorite family recipes for things like lemon bars, chocolate chip cookies, mexican wedding cookies, and snickerdoodles (my personal favorite!)

as the sun was setting...this place still looked magnificant

and, this wedding would not have been complete without a singing cowboy.

Some exciting new mail came the other day.  Last season, I photographed Megan and Keith's wedding at Zenaida Cellars.  And....California Weds Magazine for the upcoming year has chosen Megan and Keith's wedding as one of the feature articles!  YEAH!  I submitted photos from their wedding awhile back because they just had such an interesting story to their wedding and guests.  One of my favorite memories from the wedding was talking to Megan's Danish cousins...they asked me at about 9 p.m. "So, how long are you here for?"  And I smiled and responded "Until the party ends!"  Their eyes got big, they slowly looked towards each other and then back at me.  "REALLY?" they asked in disbelief.  After a little bit more conversation we learned that Danish wedding receptions go until about 4 a.m., and they seemed a bit disappointed to hear that American weddings don't go as long.  I think they had been pacing themselves for a longer night and were sad to hear it would end earlier than they'd expected. 

Annie and Casey brought the party to Paso Robles with their wedding.  I had such a wonderful time at this wedding...but I must admit a couple of things.  One...I owe Annie's friend George a good dry cleaning since I stepped back into him while I was taking photos, knocked his hands, which happened to be holding a glass of red wine.  Ugh.  My heart stopped.  (Good thing I carry an emergency stash of Shout Wipes, Tide Sticks, AND Oxyclean.)  Two...I had to go out shopping almost immediately after this wedding was over.  The people here were so well dressed and stylish...that I felt like an little wardrobe update for myself was imperative.  I *almost* bought a pair of 4 inch heels even.  But, when I walked in them I didn't look nearly as good as it should've looked...so I stuck to some other good essentials.

The wedding venue was Summerwood Winery in Paso Robles.  If you don't know much about it, the wedding happens on the Summerwood Inn's grounds, under large beautiful oak trees near a green vineyard.  The reception takes place across the street at the winery and tasting room area.  Simply stunning backgrounds for everyone to enjoy.

Annie and Casey were definitive in their wedding plans with me.  Over all else, they wanted to enjoy the day with family and friends.  This wedding focused on candids more than formals, and I liked that.  It gave Annie and Casey more opportunities to hug, smile, and enjoy their day with everyone. 





Annie walked down the aisle with her mom and dad. The ringbearer though...he ran like the wind. He accidentally took a short cut down the aisle, lost his bearings for a second, and then bee-lined it for his dad who happened to be officiating the ceremony. SO stinkin' cute to watch.

I am going to catch up on some long overdue blogging over the next few days.  YEAH!  lots of fresh photos and fun times!

First up are Ivy and Charlie.  They got married at the lovely Mission Ranch in Carmel.  Ivy and Charlie chose the location for several reasons, but I was most impressed with the unrivaled views from the ceremony location...you overlook a beautiful meadow all the way out to the ocean.  Complete with adorable grazing sheep. 

Ivy had lots of relatives in from out of the country, and unfortunately her mom couldn't make it for the ceremony for health reasons.  I sure hope that through the day's photos she'll be able to feel like she was there, too.  Now, if Ivy and Charlie can share photos of their honeymoon in Italy that will make *ME* feel like I was there...that would be great.  I've always wanted to go to Italy!  I am exceedingly jealous of their trip.  One day...a couple will figure out a way to put me in their carry-on baggage for their vacations, right?  LOL!

Stay tuned for some awesome photos from their day-after session.  We couldn't make it together for an engagement session before the wedding...so we did it after!  The results were amazing.

Charlie's mom was beaming all day long. She was so happy for her son.

Yesterday's wedding was so incredibly fun.  I'll be back to give the details, but the photos are still downloading.  I was watching them import to Lightroom and saw this one go by...had to stop and share it.  I ADORE this shot!