This past weekend I drove my family and I up to the Bay Area so that I could photograph the wedding of Shelby and Ben. Their wedding took place at Sally Tomatoes in Rohnert Park, California which is in the North Bay Area away from the hustle and bustle. It was an overcast day where the sun hardly peeked out, but the weather was beautiful, and so was the wedding.
Shelby and Ben had such a timeless, classically beautiful wedding. With deep blue suits, red bridesmaid dresses and ties for the groomsmen, and a stunning bouquet filled with white florals and greenery, this wedding was truly pretty. One of the best details of the day was the groom’s beauty of a car. He revved the engine as he pulled up to the venue and parked it up front. Of course I had to run up to him and get some of those GQ looking shots with it.
The ceremony began with two of his groomsmen playing the guitar and violin, as the wedding party walked in. Shelby and Ben didn’t do a first-look so this was their first time to see each other all day. Ben looked quietly as his bride walked down the aisle as his eyes started to water. He hugged her parents, took his bride, and walked up to the officiant as they had a Christian ceremony and finished it with communion together. Their first kiss… woooooooah their first kiss. Now THAT was a kiss! He grabbed his WIFE and kissed her long and passionately. Everyone kept mentioning that kiss later in the day, I thought it was so so sweet.
Now this family. Man oh man, this family! For some reason I think I forgot until I got to the wedding that the groom was 1 of 13 siblings. Yes, 13. So needless to say the family photos were LARGE and full of laughter. Every time I thought I would be narrowing down the list, it just kept getting larger! haha. It was so incredible to see so much love in one large family, and watch that expand as they welcomed in Shelby and her family. Truly one of the more beautiful parts of the day.
The reception had beautiful details of greenery and white linen. It was timeless. The small two-tiered cake was just as elegant as the rest of the details. The toasts were filled with laughter and tears as I documented the groom’s brother and bride’s sister tell hilarious memories and sweet moments. One of my favorite things to do is watch the parents reaction. Often times there is lots of tears and smiles from them. Which just continues when the first dances happen. It always gets me emotional to watch these moments between the parents and their children… thinking of my own son. He may only be 2 years old right now, but one day he will get married too. And I just think of how fast time flies, as I try to put myself in the shoes of these parents. It’s such a beautiful transition to watch their children go through, and I love watching it every single wedding.
The final part of the day was to take Shelby and Ben out for “sunset photos” which ended up just being beautiful photos with an overcast sky. The sun never came out, but that was okay. We didn’t need the sun to make these photos shine when I had the connection and love of these two. The passion between Shelby and Ben was so on fire, that not having the sun was totally fine.
And of course we incorporated Ben’s car into the photos as well, because I mean c’mon, she’s a beauty!
Congratulations again to you Ben and Shelby!! Your wedding was absolutely stunning and it was such an honor to document your day.
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PHOTOGRAPHER BASED IN LONG BEACH CA SERVING SOCAL + BAY AREA + BEYOND
SITE CREDIT
I love this one! Those suits are incredible. Love the blue/grey/red combo.