Joyce + Lucas in Menlo Park, CA

summer wedding at allied arts guild in menlo park with photography by alison yin We found ourselves at the Allied Arts Guild in Menlo Park again for Joyce and Lucas' beautiful outdoor summer wedding.  It was a perfect day, the garden was gorgeous, and Joyce and Lucas were radiant.  Throughout the ceremony, Lucas kept glancing at Joyce, and as soon as their eyes locked, he would break out into a sweet smile.  Both Joyce and Lucas are very close with their families - Joyce's sister was her maid of honor and Lucas' father was his best man, and it was truly a privilege to witness these two families coming together.  Both of their mothers shared stories and poems about the two during the ceremony, and after the ceremony, they held hands as they walked back down the aisle.  Similarly, both of their fathers gave beautiful toasts, sharing stories of Joyce and Lucas as little ones, and sharing stories of the two coming together.  With all the love and support surrounding these two, we know they'll have a long and happy life with one another.

For the wedding itself, Joyce worked with Andrea and Johanna of Lily and Mint to create thoughtful and beautiful details.  Joyce is a big Scrabble player (I think I overheard that she even played a couple of Scrabble moves the morning of her wedding), and so they used Scrabble tiles to decorate all of the tables.  They also had a soft pink, peach and pale blue color scheme that tied all of the details, flowers and table decorations together.  We love seeing and photographing all of the ways that couples make their wedding unique to them, and Joyce and Lucas' was certainly no exception!

outdoor summer wedding at Allied Arts Guild in Menlo Park, California

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outdoor summer wedding at Allied Arts Guild in Menlo Park, California

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outdoor summer wedding at Allied Arts Guild in Menlo Park, California Here are all of the details (photographed by both Adm and myself):

Next three photos by Adm: Adm made this photo below of Joyce and Lucas' first dance, and it is one of my all-time favorite first dance pictures:

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outdoor summer wedding at Allied Arts Guild in Menlo Park, California

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outdoor summer wedding at Allied Arts Guild in Menlo Park, California

Jenni + Steve in Ross, CA

summer garden wedding at marin art and garden center in ross, california With the roses in full bloom, a bright blue sky above, and chickens wandering, Jenni and Steve could not have had a more perfect summer garden wedding.  They were married at the gorgeous Marin Art and Garden Center in Ross, CA, and they imbued their wedding with lots of personal and sentimental touches.  For starters, the bouquets and floral arrangements were created by Mill Valley Flowers, the same floral shop where Steve created many a bunch of flowers for Jenni during the beginning stages of their relationship.  The shop's owner, Anabella, came to deliver the flowers herself so that she could congratulate Steve and Jenni.  On that same note, Jenni saved all of the ribbons that were used on the bouquets she received from Steve, and they used these ribbons to decorate the cake table.  Additionally, Marin Art and Garden Center is located just a few minutes from WildCare, an organization that provides care for ill, orphaned or injured wild animals, where Steve volunteers every week.  Steve and Jenni included donations to this worthy non-profit as a part of their registry, and they decorated their tables with photos of wild birds, which is what Steve primarily cares for when he volunteers.

I love how weddings are a reflection of what's important to each couple, and Jenni and Steve did a great job of using their wedding to share their interests and values with their family and friends.  Congratulations, Jenni and Steve!

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Prairie + Andris in San Francisco

Anyone who plans an outdoor wedding in San Francisco in April is keeping their fingers crossed to have the weather gods on their side.  Well, it was actually lightly raining about an hour before Prairie and Andris' wedding in the Shakespeare Garden of Golden Gate Park, and the weather seemed farthest from their minds.  These two are world travelers as they both work for international non-profits, (Andris was unexpectedly sent to the West Bank just days before the wedding), so I should've known that a little rain wouldn't have fazed them.  As an observer, you could just sense their excitement and happiness for what was to come, and in the moments leading up to their ceremony, the drizzle stopped, giving way to one of the sweetest ceremonies we've witnessed.  Adm and I had so much fun photographing these two, who have such a pleasant and easygoing aura about them.  We wish them loads of happiness as they continue their adventure together, now as husband and wife.

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Prairie's gorgeous dress was custom-designed and made by Karleen Eberle.

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