In an evening ceremony, they were married with an intimate group of guests attending at Monticello Vineyards in Napa.



Theresa putting the ring on Ron.


The post ceremony congratulatory hugs and kisses.


Throughout the evening we could see and hear flocks of geese flying overhead, which I think added to the celebration.


Here they are with their Maid of Honor and Best Man.

Ron wore a custom tailored suite with their names and wedding date sewn inside.

As mentioned, this was an evening ceremony and with the sun setting within minutes, we had fun spending some time with them in the vineyards for these sunset shots.




We worked quickly as the warm light is available for only a short window of opportunity. Here are the results . . .what a beautiful sunset it was!


They received congratulations via cell phone; you can see the joy written all over Theresa’s face here.

The candle-lit table setting with rose petal accents down the middle for their intimate dinner.

Their rings in the foreground with Corley Reserve wine in the background.

Evening romantic shot with beautiful deep blue sky.

Congratulations Theresa and Ron! Thank you for choosing us as your wedding photographers.

It was a Thursday afternoon in Napa Valley when Cara and Matt exchanged vows at Churchill Manor.

This table contains the wine, glasses and decanter which were used as part of their ceremony. Each of their mothers poured wine into the two outside glasses at the beginning of the ceremony. The bride and groom, in turn, took a sip from each glass and then poured the remainder into the third glass in the middle and each drank from it.

The bride and groom is of course our main focus; however, we are always on the look out for what other family members and guests are doing and capture additional story telling images. During the ceremony I noticed this little girl momentarily peeking at me over her mother’s shoulder.


The processional is always a great time for spontaneous moments such as this.

Little details like these carefully stacked forks are a small example of the attention to detail given at Churchill Manor.

These cute little bride and groom bears that have “just married” on them were attached to the inside of their car.


Best wishes!

They planned a Napa Valley wedding and traveled from Iowa for their destination wedding at Churchill Manor in Napa with their children as their guests.

They’re married . . . the processional.

A variety of portraits.



Some fun stuff!

After their ceremony, champagne toasts and cake cutting, they went on a limousine tour of some of the wineries in Napa Valley along with a yummy picnic basket of goodies from Churchill Manor.


Wishing you all the best!

They were married at the Presbyterian Church in St. Helena with Pastor Jonathan Eastman officiating and had their reception at The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in St. Helena. This time of year, the available day light goes quickly in the late afternoon and many couples are having all or most of their formal photos done prior to the ceremony. This works out well as the bride and groom have their photos together before it gets dark and, as an added bonus, they can spend more time with their guests post ceremony.

Lois and Guy with their Bridal Party.


A lot of the warm ambience inside the church comes from the large windows that let the available light from outside to filter in.


The backlighting from one of the windows provided this nice silhouette of one of the bridesmaids during the ceremony.



Pastor Jonathan’s wife rings the church bell as Lois and Guy exit the church.

This photo was taken right after the ceremony behind the church before they noticed anyone was there. I hope they always remember how they felt at that moment when they look at this photo.

Dramatic early evening lighting makes this an even more engaging photo as they talk a walk together after the ceremony. Sun flair perfectly directs the viewer’s attention to the couple, who are the center of interest.

Then it’s off in a limousine to the Culinary Institute of America for their reception.


I love photos that are not only story telling but I also like to be alert for compositon that is multi-layered. Here Lois and Guy are entering the Culinary Institute to join their guests for their cocktail reception.


Guests enjoyed chilled oysters and shrimp along with their wine and other hors d’oeuvres prior to dinner.

A detail of the place settings inside the Barrel Room where the reception was held.

Cake by Patisserie Angelica.

This silver bell was used to get the attention of the guests prior to Guy addressing them all and thanking them for joining them for their special day.


Guests enjoyed dinner in the Barrel Room which was lit softly with candle light along with minimal other lighting.

End of the evening romantic shots shows off the grand architecture of the Culinary Institute.



Congratulations Lois and Guy!

With a small group of family and friends, Sylvia and Gary were married at Auberge du Soleil in Rutherford.


View of ceremony site, which has a breath-taking view of the valley below.

Sylvia and her mother are seen here exchanging smiles. The thing I love about this photo is that because of the mirror, you can see both of their expressions at the same time.

A couple of portraits of Sylvia.



Sylvia and her Bridesmaids.

A portrait of Gary.

Gary and the Groomsmen.

The harp played softly in the background for the processional by harpist Krista Strader.

Sylvia was escorted down the isle by her mother and father. Here is Gary’s reaction to seeing his bride for the first time.



The wedding cupcakes.

Each guest’s place setting had one of these gift boxes which contained a grape-cluster wine stopper.

We had some quite time with the bride and groom, away from the guests, for these portraits.




The traditional clink of glasses at the reception provided this kiss.

Best wishes!

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