Lianne + Nik // Paros, Greece Wedding

In the depths of my 2020 Covid stress, I often wandered over and through the thought of, "Can my photography business can come back from this?", and while I braced myself for a possibly wonky 2021 wedding season and potentially more rescheduled weddings, I pleaded with the universe to let this wedding that has been on my calendar for what feels like forever remain unscathed. Greece opened its borders to tourism only a few weeks before this wedding was scheduled (not stressy at ALL), and it was the biggest Christmas miracle (in July), and wiped away all residual Covid-blues from the moment we landed.

Every once in awhile, I get to shoot not only incredible destination weddings, but I also get to shoot weddings for very special, dear people in my life. This wedding was a combination of both, and I have known the bride, Lianne, and her family for what feels like a lifetime, and they have been such amazing supporters of me/my entire family for as long as I can remember. It felt only natural to volunteer myself for the role of Lianne and Nik's wedding photographer, and I was really excited when they didn't reject this offer/me. :)

Lianne and Nik have one of those love stories that feels too "The Notebook" to be real, but truly and wholeheartedly, they were meant to find each other again in this exact season of life. Their story is not mine to share, but it's a heartmelter, and it made this wedding day so special to document. I have never seen such a bright, permanent smile on Lianne, and it brings me such friend-peace to know that she found her person, and to meet Nik even just once, is to love him forever.

Cheers this couple that made this trip possible, and also ruined me on international vacations. I really can't understand why i'd ever-ever go anywhere else.

Jessie + Mike // Bodega Los Alamos Wedding

I think a large majority of people might loathe a solo 5+ hour car ride, but not this mom of two who (barely) survived the pandemic, and is forever enjoying every.bit. of solo time that (hardly ever) exists. All this is to say that when Jessie and Mike had to move their Aptos wedding to Los Alamos, I was ALL FOR IT, especially when they revealed that Bodega Los Alamos was their new venue...

Beyond the beautiful drive and the 10 podcast episodes I was able to get in, driving through the itty bitty town of Los Alamos made me feel like I was instantly on vacation. The town itself was both quirky and vibrant, and I got strong Marfa vibes as I drove through the town "strip" and pulled into the venue parking lot. I had been dying to see this venue in person, and if you're wondering if it's cute enough to plan an entire road trip around, it is, and you should.

I had already anticipated easy-going and kind clients based on all of our email exchanges, but Jessie and Mike were BEYOND LOVELY, and so my kind of people. Mike gave me a big hug upon arrival and Jessie and I said at the exact same time, "It's so nice to finally meet you!", and it set the easy-going vibes for the whole day. I must have said to myself, "I love my job so damn much" about 25 times on this day, and it was such a privilege to get the opportunity to travel to such a lovely location, be all the way back at work, and surrounded by the good energy that Jessie and Mike and their wedding guests exuded all day long. Don't even get me started on seeing people on the dancefloor again...

Cheers to one of the sweetest couples who somehow made me feel like a wedding guest on this day (and let me take home the fanciest beer!).

Special thanks to the following vendors who were extra amazing to work with on this day:

Venue: Bodega Los Alamos

Planning: Wunderland & Co.

Florals: Fluid Bloom

Catering: Lucca WoodFired

Hair & makeup: The Queens Bees

DJ: DJ Curly

Photo bus: Bessy The Foto Bus

Rentals: Amigo Party Rentals

Cake: Solvang Bakery

Tricia + Patrick // Temecula Olive Oil Ranch Wedding

After an entirely cancelled 2020 wedding season, I am slowly-now-quickly getting back into the swing of things, and while my schedule is jam-packed with 2020 rescheduled weddings + new clients, I am so happy (+relieved) to be working again, and to finally shoot these weddings that my clients unfortunately have had to reschedule so.many.times.

You may remember Tricia and Patrick from this engagement session, and I knew from that day on that we were a kindred match, and I have spent every day since counting down to their wedding day. I had heard so much about this venue from the Tricia, and I learned that she helped to plant these olive oil trees with her dad and grandpa when she was a little girl, but I was definitely not prepared for the beauty and uniqueness of this location upon arrival. The denseness of the olive oil tree "forest" was something out of a fairytale, and the intricate details of the ceremony site and the A team of artists that brought it all together truly made this day beyond memorable, and one that I feel so lucky to have been a part of.

This wedding day was one for the books, and I am so proud of this couple for their wedding planning perseverance, despite all the obstacles that 2020 brought them.

Shoutout to all the amazingly talented vendors who helped to make this day the very best:

Planning + Design: @Alex_everlybymge @everlybymge
Venue: @temeculaoliveoilcompany
Floral: @soireefloraldesign
Rentals: @sigpartyrentals
Lighting: @brillianteventlighting
Catering: @do_or_dine_catering
Entertainment: @jukeboxproductions
Neon Sign: @pacificentertainment
Beauty: @Lauren.ashley.hair @lockswithlexi
Napkins: @hostesshaven
Menus: @something.lettered

Hailey + Alex // Santa Rosa Airbnb Wedding

You know you're getting old when some of the client inquiries that show up in your inbox are from kids that you used to babysit, and now they are full blown ENGAGED adults, asking if you will be their wedding photographer. This was absolutely the case with this outrageously stunning microwedding I recently shot for Hailey and Alex, and I may or may not have seen Hailey since she was an actual child who was begging to stay up past her bedtime.

Nothing could have prepared me for how beautiful this day was. Hailey had previously sent me the address to this airbnb they were getting married at, and while the pictures were stunning, seeing it in person was an entirely different experience. It was dream home status. And in so many ways, it felt like my dream venue to shoot a wedding in. I walked in that house, and truly felt like I knew exactly what story I wanted to tell, and got straight to work on capturing such a gorgeous, unforgettable wedding day.

Not only did I get a "unicorn venue" opportunity on this day, but I also had the BEST, "do your thing, we trust you!" kind of clients on this day. Hailey and Alex were so warm and inviting, and they were completely comfortable with taking direction and they really just let me geek out in that house and with that light, and with all the shadows and textures we found along the way. They booked me for two hours on this day, and I feel like we made some real 'team magic', and in record time.

With things opening back up and full weddings starting to resume, I sure hope these microweddings stick. I have come to love these intimate gatherings and the stress-free vibes that follow, and the timeline feels so organic on these days. Cheers to these two for creating a dream wedding under some not-so-ideal conditions, and to Hailey for remembering that her vintage babysitter is a wedding photographer.

Dani + Jason // Petaluma Engagement Session

While we're not out of the (Covid) woods just yet, 2021 has yielded so much hope, and my calendar is starting to fill up with amazing client meetings and promising possibilities of what this year could hold. What I DO know is that I have the most amazing list of clients who have been 'ride or die' with me, and just holding Zoom meetings to chat wedding details is filling my cup more than anyone could ever know right now.

I chatted with Dani and Jason a few weeks back about their Fall wedding, and it was an undeniable, instant connection and we quickly moved forward with scheduling this engagement session. They were graciously flexible and left the creative reins to me for this, so I landed on this beloved Petaluma location that boasts these Sound Of Music hills and also provided all.the.social.distancing.space (funny thing I MUST consider these days when location scouting).

We had a blast during this session and I was quickly reminded that I love meeting new couples, and learning more about them during these sessions. It's such a great opportunity for couples to feel comfortable around a camera, and also comfortable around me (and my bad jokes?). I always leave feeling creatively re-centered and full of gratitude that couples find me, and then choose me as their photographer, and Jason and Dani single-handedly restored my 'bah humbug' feelings about a 2020 forced year off of photography.

Cameron + Matt // SF Micro Wedding

Never could I have imagined that weddings would continue to be impacted in 2021, but here we are. Still pivoting, still doing our best, and taking it all one day at time. Luckily, I've been more than blessed with amazing couples who have worked so hard to ensure that I am still a part of their future wedding date, and if we're looking for silver linings, it's that I am getting more opportunities to connect with these couples, and it truly feels like we're all in this together.

Cameron and Matt had an original wedding date set in March 2021, but due to continued uncertainty, they pushed their wedding to Fall 2021 and opted for a small, four person wedding ceremony in San Francisco to officially seal the deal, and dare I say that I love shooting these micro-weddings and I will miss them once we can gather again? While large gatherings are ideal for the typical client, being forced into creativity and developing new ideas for how to marry your favorite person safely has been the infamous challenge for my 2020 couples, yet these microweddings have been the saving grace for many of them. With gatherings as low as four people, there are infinite forms of flexibility, and I especially love how Cameron and Matt walked by this location a few days before, and decided this was the spot they loved, and sent me an address to meet them at. It was all planned and put together within a week, and it was such an easy, breezy wedding day that left me so excited for the other few I have on the calendar this year.

Congratulations to this couple who feels like old friends at this point. Definitely going to be a loud ceremony crier at this Fall wedding.

Nina + Eric // Yosemite Engagement

Somewhere around three weeks ago, I had a scheduled phone call with Nina and Eric, an engaged couple who was looking for the right photographer to capture their wedding day for early next year. We hopped on a video call, and within minutes, we learned that we were both vacationing in Colorado from California. It made for a good conversation starter, however, we quickly uncovered many similarities the longer we chatted and the connection just felt serendipitous right from the start...annnnnd that's how we ended up in Yosemite together, just a little over a week from our initial phone call.

This was by far the most spontaneously planned engagement session I've ever done, but due to the connection we established on that video call and learning we were both randomly going to be in Yosemite on the same exact dates, I knew a last minute engagement adventure was the perfect option for our new "team". I think all of our eyes collectively lit up at the idea of adventuring around in the most serene, perfect nature, so it was an easy, "I'm in, if you're in!" unanimous kind of decision.

We hit a comical number of roadblocks when trying to meet up in a MASSIVE National Park with zero reception on this day, but the fact that we made this day happen at all still feels so impressive, and I'm still so proud of how hard we hustled to make it to all of our premeditated locations on this day. Sure, we might have SPRINTED during a mile hike in to chase the sunset at our last location, but we knew it was worth it the second we saw the views. Our destinations on this day were even more magical in person, but I'd like to add that these images of Nina and Eric being blissfully in love actually DO these locations justice.

We hiked back to our cars with headlamps and iphone flashlights, and I left with a giant smile on my face, feeling like somehow we just conquered the world. Thank you to this amazing power couple for saying yes to this experience...I don't think any of us can forget that one (or the fact that we saw a freaking bear?!).

Emily + Ryan // Oakland Micro Wedding

Oh, weddings, how I've missed you so. I've been a wedding photographer for the last seven years, and while I've been madly in love with my job and the opportunities and people it has brought into my life since the very beginning, I never knew I would miss it THIS MUCH after just six months of not being able to do it. We are all more than our jobs, but for me, photography has always been my outlet, and a way for me to still tap into who I am as a creative, and let's be honest...a break from stay at home mom life.

While 99% of my weddings have been rescheduled for next year, a few clients have been interested in keeping their wedding date, but pivoting from "large gathering" to a small, intimate ceremony with just family and a few friends. I've been calling these "micro weddings", and Ryan and Emily were the first of my clients to plan one, and it definitely brought on all the feels. If this is what weddings will look like for the unforeseeable future, I. AM. HERE. FOR. IT.

You may remember Ryan and Emily from this forest engagement session. This was the first time I had met them in person, and they felt like old friends by the end of the session. On the day of their Oakland micro wedding, we laughed (cried?) about how much life has changed since we last saw each other, only six months prior, and then focused on the beautiful day they planned, with 13 of their closest supporters as witnesses. While everyone was wearing masks and remaining six feet apart, it held just as much meaning as any large wedding I've shot in the past, and for a moment in time, or rather, for a moment in the last six months, I temporarily forgot about the pandemic, and felt like my old self, doing what I love: documenting love.

Thank you to this couple for still figuring out a way to let me tell a REALLY INTERESTING part of your story that none of us will ever forget (and thank you for giving me a reason to wear an actual outfit for the third time in 2020).

Jamie + Kyle // Ocean Beach Engagement

It has only been FIFTEEN WEEKS since I last worked, and while my 2020 wedding season has undoubtedly been cancelled, taking on a few sessions this week has restored a tiny bit of normalcy in my life, and reminded me how much joy my job of photographing beautiful humans brings me.

Practicing 6 feet of social distancing while wearing a mask was an interesting obstacle during Jamie and Kyle's beach engagement session, but I think we were all pleasantly surprised with how quickly it felt normal, and how easily we adapted to the safety parameters we put in place. It was a typically gloomy day in San Francisco, and we practically had the entire beach to ourselves, so we took our time galavanting around the sand dunes, running along the beach, and not taking ourselves too seriously, and I think (know) it was the most fun I've had in actual months.

Congratulations to these two amazing humans who were so instantly warm to be around, and for being as natural as humanly possible when your photographer is wearing a mask over 60% of their face and you've never met them before this.

Jess + Chris // Golden Gate Park Engagement

Anyone who has ever worked with me and stepped in front of my camera knows one thing: I become a slightly obnoxious motivational coach. My couples and I even laugh about it, in the moment. Over time, this has become my inadvertent alter ego, and I know I must sound like a really proud (stage) mom to all of my subjects (or anyone within earshot). The over-the-top enthusiasm comes from a genuine place of understanding how not-so-comfortable it is to have a giant camera pointed directly at your soul, and wanting my couples to openly know that know matter how far out of their comfort zone they feel, they are absolutely crushing it.

Jess and Chris reached out at the end of last year for their wedding this Summer, and after tossing around a few ideas for their engagement session, I knew two important things: 1- they didn't have many pictures together (I instantly commiserated- my husband and I have .5 pictures together in the 11 years we've been together), and 2- they weren't looking to achieve the cliche engagement photos that I know we've all seen (aka hard no to the "heart hands"). We met at the Conservatory of Flowers, and within the first five minutes of this session, I knew this was a great location fit for them, and that they were a great fit for me. In true D. Lillian stage-mom form, I was basically cheering throughout this entire session, but can you honestly blame me? They're gorgeous (and I'm the luckiest photographer).

Cheers to these two for owning this session, I can't wait for round two this Summer!