More with Karen & David

Well, it's been way too long since we last mentioned we'd post more wedding shots of Karen and David, so here goes! We trust they had a wonderful honeymoon and are getting settled into married life (as we are too!)

We loved Karen's choice of colors and her flowers were simply beautiful. Take a look at how calm, cool and collected Karen was --


Even before the wedding began, Karen was looking so "together" as we met them on the beautiful grounds of David's employer in Worcester. Nothing could spoil their day, certainly not the lawn which was, shall we say, littered with little "gifts" from a multitude of Canadian geese that hang out there!



Before the ceremony we had some time in the vestibule of the church, and we spotted a fantastic Victorian settee that would be the perfect prop for a portrait of the bride. We loved the photo we were blessed with by our own photographer in Napa, California, and so when we saw this we just knew we had to create the same for Karen and David. What do you think?














It would be extremely difficult to get a photo that was NOT attractive of this couple! Here's a photo of Karen and David after being pronounced husband and wife ... there's something so romantic and timeless about a black and white shot where the subjects don't even know they're being photographed.




A heartfelt thanks to you both, Karen and David -- you were such a pleasure to work with and it was an honor to share in your most special day!!!



~ Christopher and Victoria

Karen and David -- August 14, 2010

Saturday the 14th was a gorgeous day for weather, but not as gorgeous as Karen ... here is the happy couple arriving at Worcester's First Unitarian Church just before the ceremony. David's smile all day couldn't have been any more beaming ! It was definitely a joy just being around them, and I think their family and friends would agree!

This is just a teaser for now ... we'll be posting more within the next couple of days.

Our Napa Experience

The weekend in Sonoma was great. We had dinner in downtown Sonoma that Sunday evening, at a divine Portugese restaurant called La Salette, al fresco. However, the pinnacle of this whole trip for me was Napa Valley! I was SO excited as we made our way Monday morning through the Carneros region, passing acre upon acre of grapevines. We ate a country-style breakfast, grits and all, at the cutest little place called the Fremont Diner.



Arriving at the Beazley Inn in Napa, we immediately knew this was going to be a special time. The gardens here are so beautiful, and the interior of this antique Victorian mansion is just as well-manicured and polished. Our innkeepers, Carol and Jim Beazley, made us feel right at home, upgrading our room to the Master and offering us discount passes to various wineries which we immediately put to use. We dropped our luggage and were off to Mumm Winery for a tour of their facilities and a taste of their famous sparkling wines. The grounds and the art museum inside were just as fascinating.




Tuesday morning we were up and out relatively early to meet the minister who would marry us, Reverend Blane Ellsworth. (www.enchantingelopements.com) We chatted for over an hour and he cleverly put together a service where he mentioned many of the topics we'd discussed that morning, including how we'd met through my friend, Chris' mother! We stopped into the Napa town clerk's office to get our marriage license ... here we are!




I then took off to treat myself to a manicure -- it was my wedding day after all! Back at the inn it was time to start preparing, for our photographer was due to arrive by 3:00 p.m. Here are some shots she took that Chris is so familiar with taking himself (yes, he found it rather strange being on the other side of the camera for a change). The photos to follow are naturally not "ours" but rather courtesy of Nadine Ohara.



The weather on this day, and every day for that matter, was absolutely perfect -- sunny, temperate, low humidity ... thank you God for a good hair day!












Reverend Blane performed a customized ceremony for us on the gorgeous grounds of a private home in Napa, complete with vineyards, flowering shrubs, water fountain and arbor. As our iPod played the nature music we'd chosen, we exchanged our vows and shared in the symbolic cup of blessings and cup of sorrows. Although our family and friends couldn't be with us as witnesses, it was so very nice to feel totally relaxed, unhurried and at peace during this whole experience! Here are a few more shots of our day, and what fun our photo shoot was! Nadine is a consummate professional in every way, and she accommodated our every photographic wish.



This gorgeous property offers a treasure trove of photo ops!







We finished up our evening with a wonderful dinner at Brix Restaurant in Yountville.



OK, well ENOUGH of us already! Our next blog entry will focus on someone else ~ we just shot a beautiful wedding for a fantastic couple, Karen and David, and we look forward to providing you some previews. Stay tuned ~ this couple is really photogenic! And please, let us know if you enjoy these 'peeks' by clicking on either Facebook or Twitter "follow"; better yet, leave us a comment!

Hot Rod Racers in Sonoma

Backing up a bit to three days before our private wedding ceremony, we made our way from San Francisco to Sonoma's Infineon Raceway for the 15th leg (out of 24) of the 2010 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series. It was Chris' first time at this racetrack (and it's not easy to find a racetrack he hasn't been to!) The minute I (Vic here) stepped out of the car that Friday evening, the first thing I thought was, "it's so loooouuuuud!" Kind of like being smacked upside the head, really. But one becomes acclimated to the noise after a while, and it's not so bad. We had the good fortune to bump into Del Worsham and his wife Connie, relaxing in their pit's dining/hospitality area. I asked Chris to approach Del so that I could get a quick shot of them together. Nightime drag racing is especially exciting -- as the sun sets you see dramatic flames from the headers (exhaust pipes) of the dragsters shooting 10 feet high as they speed down the track at over 300 mph.










We were back at the track about 11:00 the next morning to continue with qualifying sessions. The place is so huge that you have to park in a beautiful hay field about a mile away from the spectator area, and take a minibus over to the grandstands. There was a constant breeze but a steady beating sun, so by the end of the day we were quite "toasty" despite using a high SPF sunblock ... right down to burnt feet complete with blisters from so much walking. We were sitting directly downwind from the starting line where microscopic bits of rubber (contained within the massive burnout smoke) waft through the stands and deposit themselves on your skin and clothes. You'll see evidence of that on my neck in the next picture -- I was quite elated and didn't care what I looked like as I spotted my favorite funny car racer, Ron Capps ... who just so happened to win the title for the Wally award in the Funny Car category! (The word is, he was wearing his 'lucky' underwear.)







On Sunday we were back to the track for Finals. And our lucky stars were still shining as we visited every driver's pit, our camera in hand, and took many shots that I'd not imagined possible -- this is a sport where the fans really have access to the crew and drivers, can ask questions, gain autographs and pose for photos. It was a blast! Here is my favorite driver in the Top Fuel category, Cory McClenathan.


See what I mean by 'access'?!

MARRIED IN NAPA VALLEY

WE'RE HITCHED ... WE TIED THE KNOT !!!


How can we begin to tell you how wonderful our elopement/honeymoon was in California?! Even photos won't do the nine days justice, but suffice it to say that during every aspect of our trip the angels seemed to be smiling upon us ... from seeing our favorite professional racers in person (and grabbing photos with them), to enjoying the most wonderful of ceremonies at a private vineyard in Napa. We couldn't BE any happier with the results of our planning!

Now we know exactly how our clients feel about their special day -- every one of them is a unique and precious experience! That's why we believe it's so important to make your wedding day a unique expression of who you are as a couple -- an entirely new entity.

We're still in the process of sorting through the photo files from our FABULOUS photographer, Nadine Ohara. Should you ever decide to get married out in the Bay area, please let us know and we'll gladly hook you up with her. She operated much like Chris does -- capturing the minute details that a couple might otherwise forget if they didn't have a photo of it -- both before, during and after meeting with us. There is so much to "take in" on your wedding day, and that's why it's so important to deal with a professional with wedding experience, and not leave the most lasting mementos to a member of the family or a friend who likes to get 'creative' with their camera. Regardless of cost, your wedding photography is THE one lasting item of your day that you don't want to take a chance with.

This shot by Nadine is one of our favorites. More to come later as we continue with our sorting and post-processing.

Much love ~

Mr. & Mrs. Christopher Wakeen :-)