When you are about to get married, you’d want only the best for your big day. You will do everything you can to make it as beautiful and romantic as possible. Sometimes, you’ll need to make sacrifices in terms of time, money, and relationships only to make this special day as memorable as possible.
One aspect of a wedding day that couples, specially brides, arrange with excruciating details is the venue and styling for the reception. Sure, all the formalities, legalities, and some of the touching moments happen during the ceremony. But the reception is that moment when you and your guests will spend most of the time.
In the reception area, they will take more pictures. A long program usually unfolds there. That’s when they will listen to the speeches of guests and the couple. And of course, that is where you all will eat a sumptuous meal. The couple picked an amazing California location for their reception. And yes, they made a great decision.
This wedding venue allows a very classy and elegant reception styling that will impress everyone. Thanks to the photographer for capturing this wonderful image of the reception table. The couple surely could not ask for more.
The bigger story about the bride, groom, and their wedding day ... One of my very favorite things about my profession is that I get to travel to new and beautiful locations to capture destination wedding celebrations all over the country. In this particular case, I got to spend a weekend at one of the most gorgeous villas I have ever laid eyes (or lens) on; Villa Montebella in Glen Ellen, CA on the edge of Sonoma county. It seemed very fitting that this wedding was directly following my own personal first time adventure to Italy, as I had just recently come to appreciate Italian culture including the leisurely (& delicious!) meals, the amazing wine, and the breathtaking landscapes & countrysides all along the northern region of Italian wine country. Kajsa and Taylor were beyond amazing to work with, top to bottom, left to right and 360 degrees around. Their warm and welcoming personalities were contagious...not to mention the insane backdrops I had to work with for their outdoor ceremony, their romantic couples portraits around the property, and for the intimate reception/dinner in the wine cave. Mmmmm.... the wine cave and the hundreds of candles that lit it up were unlike ANYTHING I have ever seen at any wedding, anywhere, ever. And as if all of that wasn't enough, their love for each other and all of the special people that graced their union was oozing out of them like light energy. My trigger finger literally couldn't keep up with my eye, but I shot my heart out to it's absolute content with a feeling of joy and satisfaction and absolute connection for two straight days.
Kajsa and Taylor came to me by way of their wedding coordinator, Paige Reberry of Colorado Wedding Company. Taylor is a long time friend of Paige's and based on her glowing recommendation and my online portfolio, they hired me sight unseen. I knew I would love them (because Paige said so!), but I had no idea just how far I would fall in love with two total strangers over the course of two days. This is yet another thing I love about what I do and something that has enriched my life in countless ways over the last ten years. When I spend time with couples, documenting their love as a celebration, clients cross over into the realm of friends more often than not, and in this case, they made the leap within milliseconds of my welcome and instantaneous observation of their warm spirits and beautiful relationship. Nothing gives me more satisfaction than giving what I know how to do best to people that appreciate the power of imagery and artistry that is, in my mind, what wedding photography is all about.
When I get a letter like this, I know I have done something special... "Oh my Gawd! They are absolutely amazing, from the portraits to the candid shots, we just can't believe how amazing the photos turned out. The poses/moments, you were able to capture on film are nothing short of amazing. And to top it off, you also had gorgeous artistic shots utilizing the light/angle/subject... we are over the top thrilled and can't wait to share them with friends and family. Thank you does not convey the gratitude we have for you agreeing to fly to California and spend the weekend with us. You are amazing! We absolutely love them all and are having trouble even trying to narrow them down for cards and framing. :) Now that's a great "problem" to have, right? We must find a date to meet up, raise a glass to all the effort that went into this amazing weekend and the new found friendships that emerged! XOXO Kajsa & Taylor"
To Kajsa and Taylor, I look forward to a beautiful and long lasting friendship with you both! Thank you from the bottom of my heart for including me in such a special time in your lives. It was an honor and a gift. To Paige Rebbery, thank you a million times over for connecting me to this amazing wedding! You are simply the best & I love you! To Kelsy Albright, your execution of this weekend was flawless on every level. Thank you so much for all of your hard work!! And finally, to Alex Rubin, my CA local associate photographer, thank you for capturing the garden party day for me so that I could red-eye it back to Denver for my last wedding of the season. Your images are a perfect fit and I truly appreciate your efforts and talents!
Location: 4377 Warm Springs Road, Glen Ellen, California.
Keywords: destination wedding (11), Villa Montebella.Copyright © Frances Photography 2023
