Pia + Tommy // Estate Yountville

It has been a minute since I last blogged, and although I love publishing my work and sharing a bit of background on my weddings, clients, and all the incredible vendors I get to work with, there simply is not enough hours in a day to prioritize blogging these days…

HOWEVER…

Pia and Tommy’s wedding needed immediate blogging attention because their day was something out of an ethereal dream, and I still can’t shake the magic from it. Their wedding day was the most beautiful hybrid of modern and bold, with fine art details and expert styling throughout. The orchid arches stole the “wedding decor” show, and the dueling pianos for the dance party had me screaming with joy from behind my camera. From the donut wall, In N Out late night delivery, and t-shirt swag thrown into the crowd, this was hands down one of the best (+prettiest) parties I’ve ever been to, and easily one of the sweetest couples I’ve ever worked with.

THANK YOU Pia and Tommy for trusting us vendors to do our thing, and for being so warm and welcoming throughout the entire process. Still on cloud nine from this day…

Coordination + Design @curatedbygw 

Venue @theestateyountville 

Beauty @carriealdous 

Photography @d_lillian

Videography @studioarcady

Florist @eothen_

Pianos @the_killer_dueling_pianos

Harpist @kristastraderharpist 

Signage @shimmerandstain 

Rentals @brighteventrentals 

TJ + Stephanie // Piedmont Wedding

To know TJ and Stephanie, even just barely, is to love them completely. I met these two at the beginning of 2020, moments before the world shut down, and we frolicked around some old Sausalito bunkers for their engagement session. It was one of the most magical engagement sessions I’ve ever had, and we clicked quite instantly. It got me so excited for their October 2020 wedding…which, not-so-spoiler-alert…was cancelled and rescheduled for 2021. Luckily, I was available on their new wedding date, and we were able to resume with what ended up being one of the most laid back, charming weddings of the year.

What I loved about this wedding in particular is that TJ and Stephanie made the intentional choice to do things their way for their wedding day. They got ready together in a hotel room (but not before lounging in robes while drinking champagne because WHY NOT), they did ALL the family photos and bride and groom portraits prior to the ceremony, and they really did have any sort agenda other than to get married and spend quality time with their favorite people. Absolutely nothing was rushed about their wedding day, and I loved watching them be present for each other at all moments of the day.

Cheers to the sweetest sweethearts! Thank you for sticking it through with me, and for hiring me twice! :)

Catie + Greg // Palace of Fine Arts Wedding

“How did I get so lucky?” has been the theme of this insanely hectic wedding season. Every. Single. Client. has been beyond wonderful to work with, and all have made me feel so valued and appreciated in a way that makes me feel like they might possibly understand how hard things have been in the last year for those of us in the event industry. Catie and Greg were no exception to this, and we effortlessly clicked when we met a few months prior to their wedding for their SF engagement session. Hanging with them for just that one hour on this day had me feeling like they were old friends, and I was beyond elated to see them again on their wedding day.

Catie and Greg’s wedding day went on to be absolutely perfect, and their calm, loving energy made this one of the easiest work days I’ve ever had. They trusted me completely, and that kind of validation makes it possible for me to approach the day with originality and creativity, and produce some of my best work. Very thankful for these two beautiful humans, CONGRATULATIONS, newlyweds!

Photo //  D.Lillian Photography

Venues // Palace of Fine Arts & Gallery 308

Video // Moving Pictures

Catering, Bar // Anaviv Events

Dessert // Tartine Bakery

Floral // Orange Moon Floral

Music // Tainted Love Band

HMU // D+A Bridal

Rentals // Standard Event Rentals

Transportation // Big Bus Tours SF

Planning, Design // Jenni Grubba Events

Dani + Jason // Holbrooke Hotel Wedding

Trying to get caught up on an insane wedding season while also not rushing through the editing process has been QUITE the feat this year. When I start really feeling the heat of my workload, I remind myself that my clients deserve the same attention to their images that every client prior to this year has received, even if there has been double the work due to the mass rescheduling of 2020. Dani and Jason’s wedding at the Holbrooke hotel was one of my favorite weddings of the year, and I wanted to make sure I did this stunning and newly-renovated hotel justice. I tried out a new natural lighting technique to emulate the romantic, moody lighting of the hotel, and I also had the pleasure of working with some of the most talented vendors in the industry, along with the world’s sweetest couple. Through the combined talented of these vendors and Dani and Jason’s vision, we gave this wedding our all, and I think you can see each individual vendor’s best work on this day. I left feeling inspired, valued, and so damn happy that Dani and Jason chose me as their wedding photographer on this day.

So thankful to the following dream team that helped to make this day unforgettable:

Planning: @epic_thyme

Venue: @holbrookehotel

Floral: @sweetrootsfloral

Makeup: @oliviagarvinmakeup

Hair: @bristleandbloomstyles

DJ: @thecelebrationdj

Cake: @palettecakes

Dress @moniquelhuillierbride

Bridesmaids dresses: @jennyyoonyc

Groomsmen: @theblacktux

REGINA + BEN // Fig House Los Angeles Wedding

My 2021 wedding season has been the craziest, busiest, most fun year yet. I somehow managed to shoot 25 weddings (when 14 is my typical amount per year), and many weekends have included double headers, driving up and down California, and crossing international borders, all while trying to wrangle two kiddos at home and remember to drink water. EXHAUSTED doesn’t even begin to cover it, but wildly happy and and thankful for wonderful clients and a thriving work year feels more important to note here.

Regina and Ben were one of my favorites to work with this year, and I was thrilled to shoot at Fig House again- a beautiful, modern art gallery situated in Highland Park, Los Angeles. This wedding has been a long time in the making, with Covid cancelling their original wedding date, but Regina and Ben were all smiles on their wedding day, and I’ve never seen a hype team quite like their wedding party. The day went on to be absolutely perfect, with jaw-dropping florals and pops of color that permeated every square inch of their wedding day. Even through my insane shoot schedule, I felt so creatively ALIVE on this day, through their total trust in me, I believe I was able to make some of my best work on this day.

Cheers to this beautiful and outrageously kind couple who I’ve been lucky enough to work with this year. Thank you for sticking with me through a full blown global pandemic.

planning: Milk Events

florals: Little Branch

catering: Room Fourty

hair+makeup: Kelly Zhang Studio

rentals: MTB Event Rentals

dj: Dart Collective

Emma + Adam // Timber Cove Wedding

Never could I have imagined that after a totally cancelled wedding season, I'd be having my favorite "work" year, and amid (a very relentless) global pandemic. Not only has this year brought me beautiful venues, scenic road trips, and very impressive vendor food, but there has been such a refreshing sense of, "we're in this together" energy with all of these wonderful couples, and their rescheduling loyalty really got me through a "zero out of 10, do NOT recommend" kind of year last year.

I may have only met Adam and Emma ON the day of their absolutely stunning Timber Cove wedding, but they were quick to treat me like an old friend and their warm presence was palpable. To know them for any length of time is to be mystified by their generosity and to love them completely. Their laid back, fun-loving attitude made it easy for me to get into my creative zone, and it meant the world to me that they gave me their trust without knowing me at all before this day. It's couples like Adam and Emma that keep me wondering how I got so lucky, and help to fuel my passion of being a wedding photographer.

Congratulations to these two, and thank you so incredibly much for letting me be a part of your unforgettable wedding. I have still not come down from the high of this perfect day.

Special thanks to all the incredible vendors I got to work with on this day:

@maryhuynhphoto

@sharkpigweddings

@w_i_n_k_a_r_t

@timbercoveresort

@bloomgeneration

@soundselevated

@sogoodphotobooth

@beauty_on_set

@butter_and

@encoreeventsrentals

@foundrentalco

@thevesselrentalco

@jennigrubbaevents

@taylorkimiko

Jessica + Chris // The Olympic Club, SF

Classic, timeless, and "quintessentially San Francisco" best describes Jessica and Chris's wedding at the Olympic Club, and I've been missing this day, this couple, and those burger dogs ever since (if you know, you know)...

It has been awhile since I've shot an indoor wedding, and this particular venue boasted ceiling to floor windows, offering the best San Francisco views that showcased the familiar, beloved fog we have all grown to love. The venue, as objectively striking as it is, is not what I'm excited about on this day. It's getting to tell the story of Chris and Jessica through my lens, a couple who I have loved and admired since the day I got their first email (which naturally feels like forever ago because Covid+rescheduled weddings).

I have been doing this long enough to know that you can learn so much about a couple through the speeches of friends and family members at these weddings. It comes as no surprise, but it was unanimous that this couple is so loved beyond measure by their community and every speech was testimony to their thoughtful, selfless, and loving personalities. From beginning to end, these two were so amazing to work with, ending every email and tackling every "covid wedding planning" obstacle by saying, "thank you for sticking with us through this mess". I'm definitely the lucky one though.

Cheers to such a lovely, special couple who I missed immediately after this day was over.

Lily + Alex // Timber Cove Micro Wedding

I'll never stop saying it: I love micro weddings. I hope they never go away and I hope people continue to ask me to shoot them in stunning locations and I hope I get to continue pretending I'm the quirky/odd cousin out of the tight knit family that is in attendance.

If you haven't been to Timber Cove Resort, think: absurdly beautiful coastal views with cozy cabin vibes, modern amenities and legit food options, and a bed so comfy that you can trust fall safely and fall asleep immediately. Lily and Alex's micro wedding here knocked my Blundstone boots right off, and I've been wondering if I should uproot my entire life and move to Jenner, California, ever since.

I loved the way these two approached their wedding day. They did away many wedding traditions, and unanimously decided that if they were going to keep it small, they wanted to do things in a way that would speak to who they are, and how they love. What was especially refreshing was hearing the guest speeches during the ceremony, and everyone had prepared something deeply genuine for the couple during this time. Post-ceremony, they shared a toast with these friends and family, and I watched as they remained hyper-present for their guests and each other, for the entire day.

I experienced IMMEDIATE post-wedding blues the day after this wedding, as this was a couple I had such a wonderful, instant connection with from the very beginning, and it made me so happy to see the way they changed their big wedding plans into something intimate, and deeply personal. It feels impossible to feel nostalgia for a day that only just passed, but micro weddings BE like that...

Cheers to this lovely, outrageously fun+ funny couple. Please accept me as your life photographer??

Sarah + Luke // Sea Ranch Elopement

I have been LOVING all these deeply personal ways in which my couples are choosing to get married these days. With all of the 2020 rescheduled weddings, so many of my clients have pivoted to change not only the headcount, but their entire wedding vision altogether this year, and many of them have opted for small, intimate gatherings and elopements, like this breathtaking one at Sea Ranch from last month.

Sarah and Luke's Sea Ranch elopement was an absolute dream to capture, and I am still daydreaming about it even a month later. Known for its objective beauty and specific, unique architecture, this was my first time visiting the town of Sea Ranch, and the coastal road trip alone left me breathless and overjoyed with the quintessential Northern California landscape that is not (too) far from home. If the feeling of wanderlust was a place, Sea Ranch unanimously embodies it.

My jaw dropped the second I showed up to this pristine, mid-century inspired Airbnb to greet Sarah and Luke for their elopement. Normally I get work day jitters that dissipate within 10 minutes, but I knew the story I wanted to tell immediately, and I got right into my vision's mind and got to work. The day unfolded so perfectly, with a backyard ceremony in the meadow with the ocean as our backdrop, and I weeped from behind my camera during their vows as they perfectly articulated their first date, but from their own perspective. We then gallivanted around as many places that would speak to the true uniqueness of Sea Ranch and that two hours of coverage would allow, and stopped when we were windblown and satisfied with the adventure we chose on that day.

Special thanks to this outrageously kind, and open-hearted couple for letting me do my thing on this day, and for giving me a front row seat into such an unforgettable day.

Evann + Kyle // Boonville Wedding

After almost a full year of cancelled weddings and what felt like never leaving the house (or my sweatpants) in 2020, this year has brought me more podcast-infused road trips (Armchair Expert or Smartless, anyone??), and great-slash-mediocre hotel rooms than ever before, and all in the name of a 'full steam ahead'-esque wedding season that is currently in full force. Due to these 2020 rescheduled weddings + new clientele, my comfortable, 14 weddings/year average has doubled to 28 weddings, and while I'm still adjusting to this new workload, I have tried very hard to not rush my process of delivering one of a kind images (memories) to my clients. All this is to say that Evann and Kyle had a dream wedding in Boonville back in June, and they've waited so patiently for the delivery of their wedding gallery, and I am beyond thrilled for their eyeballs to see these images for the first time.

This wedding day was absolutely flawless and I'm not kidding when I say that both Evann and Kyle were the easiest humans to work with. Without meeting me in person beforehand, they still gave me their full trust and complete creative control to do my thing for this entire day, and I loved every minute of working with them. From the heartfelt speeches from friends and family, along with the kindness they extended to me on this day, it was easy to learn how much this couple is loved and admired by all. Cheers to this amazing couple and thank you for allowing me to lurk in the background of your wedding day.

Planning: The Poppy Group

Hair & Makeup: Lea Buehler

Dress: Wild Bride

Catering: Anaviv

Florals: Wild Coast Flora