MEF Photography Blog! » San Francisco-Based Wedding, Family + Portrait Photography

 

It’s here! It’s here! My last wedding of 2014! And man, was it a good one to go out on, my friends. Zoe + Ethan are incredible people with amazing family and friends and a beautiful relationship. Their wedding was elegant and a touching celebration of their love for each other. I’ve listened to a lot of vows while doing this job, and these put my heart in my throat. My words won’t do justice to theirs (if you had been there, you’d understand), so instead I’ll just show you the pictures, because I think those are pretty fabulous, too. ;)

Hi, Ethan! :D

Those are Zoe’s grandmother’s hands. :)

You can’t see it in this photo, but those sunglasses say EZ DOES IT on the sides. :D

Hi, Zoe! I am sort of obsessed with your freckles.

They opted to do a first look…

…and it was pretty dang cute. :D

Kennolyn Camp was a pretty great backdrop.

Then we took some time for portraits! FAVORITE! :D

Way to look good, guys. :D

Zoe + Ethan didn’t say vows during their ceremony. Instead, they gathered together all of their closest loved ones before the wedding. Everyone stood in a circle, holding hands, while Z+E read vows to one another and signed their ketubah. There was nary a dry eye in those woods.

They didn’t have a traditional bridal party, either. But they had their parents and siblings stand up with them.
Ceremony time!

Ethan’s eye color is seriously mesmerizing (and I don’t care if that’s a weird compliment). His sister has them, too, and they’re courtesy of their momma. :D

Love all of the smiles in this one.

In lieu of vows, their rabbi read letters they’d written to each other. I wish I had copies of them, because they were incredible—honest, touching, funny. Perfect.

A kiss so good it knocks off your yarmulke! MARRIED! :D
After 20 minutes of alone time, we snuck in a few more portraits. Favorite. :D
So I took this photo and was feeling pretty good about it…

…until my outstanding second shooter, Stacey, showed me this shot that she got. And blew me totally out of the water. High fives, Stacey! I’m claiming yours as a favorite. :D

Ethan’s sister gave an awesome speech.
And they had a great live band (The Cosmo Alleycats) for their reception.
Cake knife to the rescue again! :D
Horah! :D

Everybody got in on it, including Ethan’s parents:

And his grandmother and their niece:

And Zoe’s parents!

The rest of their reception was relatively low-key and focused on their guests. But at the very end of the evening they broke out some giant sparklers and I took my favorite photo from the whole day. Ending it with this one:

Zoe + Ethan, what can I say? I’ve told you straight to your faces how much I adore you too many times to count. You two are something special; you have kindness, empathy, intelligence and beauty in spades. I was honored beyond explanation to spend this day with you. Secretly, I hoped a little of your awesomeness would rub off on me. It was a pleasure to be present at your wedding and to get to know your friends and family. I am proud of every last one of these images and how they showcase your relationship, and I am thrilled to give them to you. I hope you love them as much as I do. Let’s spend some more time together soon, so I have more chances for your greatness to infect me, k? xo, M

In other news, this blog is probably going quiet for awhile, friends. This was my last wedding for the season and I’m taking a much needed step back while some big changes happen in my little family’s life (they’re all good, I promise!). I hope that you all have a fantastic holiday season and welcome the new year with lofty resolutions, iron willpower and happiness in your heart. That’s my plan. ;)

Beautiful wedding filled with beautiful people ahead! There’s only one more wedding after this one; you might want to savor it. ;)

Katie + Frank’s engagement session is one of my favorites of all time, so of course I was excited for their wedding. And guys, I was not disappointed. Despite it being about a million degrees that day (which really doesn’t come across in the photos, but seriously, we were melting), it was completely perfect. Let’s get to the goods!

Katie + her ladies were totally ready to go by the time I arrived (a first for me!), but we hung around the hotel for a few anyway. Hi, Katie! :D

I will not even bother explaining to you what this means. :)

Meanwhile, my second shooter, Elsie, was over at the apartment with the guys. Hi, Frank! :D

You clean up well, my friend.

The girls and I headed over to Hacienda De Las Flores for Katie to put on her dress—which was totally gorgeous. Also, these are officially the only shoes I am okay with not breaking in ahead of time. ;)
Loved this shot Elsie grabbed of the girls toasting.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Corset dresses take at least 20 minutes to put on. Plan accordingly!

First sight time! (Love that you can see the shoes peeking out here.) :D

This was hands down one of the best first look reactions I’ve ever seen. High fives for being enthusiastic, guys.

Then we spent a little time on portraits. My view on the left (favorite); Elsie’s on the right.
Holy freaking hot tamales, Katie. Just stop it. Favorite.

Your happiness is perfection. Favorite.

This was a recreation of a favorite image from their engagement session. Did we do it well?

Guys. Stop.

Favorite! Duh!

Then some bridal party photos! :D

Way to look fabulous, friends. :D

…and to be super fun. :D

Ceremony time! I don’t actually know what’s going on here, but it makes me laugh so whatever. I’m including it.
Anyone who claims a first look ruins this part of your ceremony can eat these two photos and shush.

If memory serves, Katie’s dad made that frame.

Katie said she wouldn’t cry during her vows. That photo on the right is Frank comforting her when she totally broke that promise. :D

Their exit was seriously like the end of a kids’ soccer game—high five gauntlet. Married!

The theme of their ceremony was “All You Need Is Love,” and lyrics from the song were cleverly woven through the whole thing. At the end, a six piece band snuck up behind everyone and started playing. It was incredible to experience.

Katie being hugged by her new father-in-law. :)

More portraits! Are you surprised?

Favorite. I know… another one. I make the rules here! :)

Agreed, cake. Agreed. Favorite on the right.

Back of the cake knife to the rescue!

Loved this shot Elsie got of the band!

Then we switched gears for reception time.

Grainy as heck, a little blurry, and totally perfect. Love.

Yeah, okay, too many dance shots. But I liked this one, too!

The rest of the night was dance floor insanity. Here’s a small taste:

Katie + Frank, the amount of affection I feel for the two of you is downright embarrassing. You bring love and joy in abundance everywhere you go, your smiles are infections and your hearts are warm. I was honored (really, truly, totally, honestly) to photograph your wedding and to get to know your friends and families. I am immensely proud to give you these photos; your beauty (both physical and emotional) pours from them. I hope you see that as clearly as I do. Thank you, from the bottom of my toes, for asking me to be there. Best day ever. xo, M