Style Me Pretty California Feature - Rengstorff House

As is the case every summer, I am insanely behind on updating my blog. The queue of items I have waiting to be prepped for the blog is embarrassing. But I have a general rule that current clients work, such as editing, comes before blogging, etc. So blogging gets very little attention during the busy summers.

However, when I received an email from Style Me Pretty this morning letting me know I was going to have another feature on their California blog I was just too excited not to share! I haven’t even had time to blog my favorite images from this wedding! Take a peek at the images SMP chose and I will try to post my favorites soon.  

http://www.stylemepretty.com/california-weddings/2012/08/06/mountain-view-wedding-by-chyna-darner-photography/

Mallorca Wedding Published on Style Me Pretty Destination Blog!!

There are nice things to wake up to and there are really great things to wake up to! 
Sipping on my coffee and checking my email to find a message from Style Me Pretty stating, "I just wanted to let you know your feature will go live this morning at 10am EST on SMP Destination Weddings!" is one of those really, really great ways to wake up. 

Click on the gallery image below to view the featured destination post.

Recent Features in Wedding Blogs

Time flies and before I know it I have forgotten to post a bunch of things that have been happening here! So in an effort to catch up, here are some weddings that have been published on bridal blogs in the past year.

Follow the links to view the articles. The links are not showing in a different color, but if you roll over the blog name it will show that it is click-able. Happy viewing!
Nguyen and Nina's Engagement Session on Lucy Dylan Weddings and their Wedding on Lucy Dylan Weddings
Dan and Emily's wedding on Inspire a Bride and Modern Jewish Wedding
Sam and Misty's Wedding on Savvy Deets Bridal
Josh and Michelle's Wedding on California Wedding Wave
Nick and Joanna's Engagment Session on California Wedding Wave

I think I'm missing one or two, hmm. I'll add them to another post if I find more.

Cap Rocat Resort Mallorca Spain Wedding - The Reception

Now for the Reception images from the Cap Rocat Spain Wedding! We had a few moments to take some reception detail shots while the light was perfectly glistening through the banquet hall windows.

The bride chose travel books as their favor. Her sisters-in-law worked late into the night to wrap them in beautiful gold paper. Unfortunately the coordinator unwrapped them in morning. :( So sad! Another testimony to how important it is to pick a good wedding day planner and communicate every little detail to them!

The bride and groom's table was fittingly titled New York after the city that brought them together.

The bride spent endless time on the print designs for the wedding. The menu's had an ornate design on the back and were meant to be displayed on top of the plate setting. Unfortunately they were hidden under the napkins. I'm sort of glad I had not been privy to all the wedding details or I would have spent too much time chasing people down giving orders! :)

Cap Rocat has a gorgeous area for guests to lounge and chat during the cocktail hour. Below is a an image taken by Jennifer of the paparazzi as they capture the bride and groom entering the party.

The Swedish guests love their toasts and speeches! Skål!!

I kept rushing back to my table to get food shots and a few bites but didn't get to the sorbet quite as speedily as I would have liked. Even though it was a bit melted the sorbet and raspberries made a great color combo and very tasty treat!

The guests were given sparklers right before the bride and groom had their first dance. I love the orange glowing background lighting.

Below in black and white the bride and one of her brothers. He is a super nice guy and great model! The music guys were awesome! And this is about where I put my camera down to enjoy some dancing before passing out from exhaustion! Jennifer (the second shooter) and I calculated about 15 hours of shooting just on the wedding day.

Cap Rocat Resort Mallorca Spain Wedding - The Ceremony and Photo Time

This is part three from the beautiful Mallorca, Spain wedding. The ceremony took place under a huge umbrella on top of a roof. They both shed a few tears along with several of the guests, including myself.

After the ceremony we escaped to a hidden area to take a few bridal party photos before we headed out to the sea side. The groom's new brothers below.


The bride and groom gazing out at the sail boats and communicating with the coordinator regarding timing. I love walkie-talkies!

Cap Rocat Resort Mallorca, Spain Wedding - Getting Ready

I love Spain! So when my cousin Greta asked me to photograph her wedding in Mallorca I was super excited. She picked the most gorgeous location to get married!

Greta and Waldo met in New York while he was there on business and she was there attending school. Waldo was living and working in London. Shortly after they met Greta relocated to London. The rest is history.

This is the second post from their wedding trip and the first from their wedding day.

Greta is a jewelry designer. She designed and created both hers and Waldo's rings.  

Below (top right) is an image of my sister and Greta. They are both so pretty! Greta, (lower right) giving me one of her mother's eyes wide open poses. Vendor list will be in the next post.

Mallorca Wedding Meet and Greet Party at Puro Beach

Mallorca anyone? Greta and Waldo had a meet and greet at Purobeach Bar and Restaurant for all their guests who flew in the day before the wedding. This restaurant on the beach has the best views of the night lights and you can hear the water gently splashing against the barrier walls along the patio.

My five year old niece said, "they have good ham". Yes their Jamón Serrano is super yummy!

Jen saw the love birds sitting near the pool toward the end of the night and I rushed over to get in on the fleeting moment. Nice eye Jen!

Lafayette Park Hotel Wedding

Adam and Katelyn were married at the Lafayette Park Hotel on October 15, 2011. Its nice when the wedding is all in one location; seems like it makes for a more relaxed bride and groom.

Adam's wing tips were super cool. They went perfectly with Katelyn's white dress that had a black sash.

Adam and Katelyn had an intimate ceremony and dinner reception; which gave them plenty of time to visit with all their guests.

I love the candy apples! They had enough for my assistant and I to take one home. It tasted so yummy! One of my favorite "favorite" ideas!

And I can't get enough night time images of the Lafayette Park Hotel courtyard. It makes a great location for bride and groom night shots.

Congratulations to Adam and Katelyn!
Thanks to Jennifer Low for second shooting.

Sausalito Woman's Club Wedding Photography

Kevin and Sherry put in a lot of long hours preparing for their wedding day. It showed in all the nicely thought out details that decorated the venue. They tied the knot at the Sausalito Woman's Club on October 1, 2011. They both love to bike and met on a group bike ride. So naturally their wedding bicycle designs were mingled into the decor. Along with my favorite detail an old blue Schwinn tandem bicycle.
I love it when the couple does a first look prior to the wedding ceremony. Having more than half the pictures done prior to the ceremony keeps the guests from waiting too long for the bride and groom's much anticipated appearance.

They planned their wedding ceremony at the perfect time of day. Just the right amount of shade and fill light for walking down the aisle.
Since Sherry is a still life photographer I wasn't surprised to find out that this wedding was full of great details. Here are some of my favorites.
This was my first time photographing at the Sausalito Woman's Club. I can't wait to photograph there again! They have beautiful views of San Francisco's skyline.
Thanks to Keith Hornback for Second Shooting!
Event Styling by: www.cakewalkbaking.net and www.cakeeventsblog.com
Catering: Back to Earth www.organiccatering.com
Invitations & Graphic Design by: Becca at www.cakeeventsblog.com
Hair Stylist: Lauren Rouleau - lauren.rouleau@gmail.com
Wedding Favors: BILT Products
Wedding dress: BCBG Max Azria

Paradise Ridge Winery Wedding Photography

Nick and Joanna exchanged vows on August 20, 2011 at Paradise Ridge Winery. This was my first time photographing at this venue so I arrived an hour early to scout out photo locations. They have a beautiful property with a variety of locations to photograph. I'm in love with the old oak on their front entry way. It has perfect filtered light!
Jennifer Low my second shooter for this wedding took two awesome ring shots! So they are both in this post.
There is another great oak tree on the way up the drive in an overflow parking area. It's a little more private so we drove the bride and groom down after they did their first look.

Here is that second ring shot. Nick and Joanna had these stones with cute sayings in their center pieces and around the head table. Really a neat idea!

Nick and Joanna were referred to me by previous clients Mel and Alisa. Thanks you two! It is always nice to know more than the bride and groom.
After Nick and Joanna ate their meal we snuck out for a few images at dusk. They have a great view of some of the vineyards right outside the reception hall.
Then on to the party! They had a lively group with most everyone hitting the dance floor at some point during the evening.

Event Planner: Denise Kramer Weddings
DJ: Dave Tutton 415-474-9283
Cake: Michelle Marie's Patisserie
Floral: Stems Floral
Makeup: Serendipity Salon

Radonich Ranch Wedding Photography

Bret and Lindsey were "hitched" at Radonich Ranch on August 6, 2011. Lindsey did a phenomenal job with the details! There were more detail images than I have room for on the blog.

When preparing the blog post I started with 62 favorite images. In an effort to reduce the 62 images I only included two of the ceremony images, to make room for more details. :) Bret and Lindsey ask me not to spend to much time on their posed pictures. I really tried, to keep it brief but they were so vibrant and photogenic. It was difficult to stop taking pictures of them.

They set up the day to be super kid friendly; with tons of activities for kids of all ages to enjoy. Besides the usual entertainment they also included a photo booth, S'mores, bubbles, hula hoops, Italian sodas, Coca Cola and an ice cream bar.

Lindsey changed into a cute, white summer dress and yellow button up sweater just before dinner. Speaking of dinner Marky at Vignette Events is one of my favorite chefs! The food was so delicious!
After dinner we took the bridal party to some old, rusty farm equipment on the ranch. Radonich has many different mini locations that allows for a variety of image settings. Such a fun location to photograph!

Thanks Lindsey and Bret for allowing us to capture your wedding event! All the details were like wedding photographer heaven.
Thanks to Jennifer Low for second shooting and all the other wonderful vendors who took part in this event.
Florist: Lindsay at The Wild Geranium
Makeup: Natasha Burwell
Hair: That Girl Hair
Dj: Kevin at Elite Entertainment

Lafayette Park Hotel Wedding Photography

Josh and Michelle tied the knot on July 10, 2012 at Lafayette Park Hotel.
Jennifer and I both started with the girls getting ready. Then Jen caught up with the guys once they were ready for her.
Michelle gave each of her bridesmaids one of these adorable handmade hanky; perfect for patting teary eyes.

The ceremony was held in the hotels main courtyard. The wind made for some fun flying veil images. I know a veil flying around you is probably a bit annoying, but if it flies just right it can make for a great photo opportunity.

I love the rod iron gate and the old filled in well in the upper courtyard. They both make for great backdrops. The upper courtyard also has ivy growing up the walls and has a good amount of shade in the afternoons. Perfect place for photos!

Having everything in one place makes for a smooth transition between events. Once pictures were done they even had a few minutes to chat with guests at the cocktail hour before the reception began.

Makeup by Sealed with A Kiss
Thanks to Jennifer Low for second shooting!

Boulder Ridge Golf Club Wedding Photography

Nguyen and Nina were married at Boulder Ridge Golf Club Pavilion in San Jose on May 21, 2011. The reception followed at Joy Luck Palace in Cupertino.
The hanger for Nina's dress was just too cute! And the dress was just as fantastic!
Nguyen and his groomsmen did a great job working with Jen (the second shooter) on some fun images before the ceremony. Meanwhile, I photographed Nina making herself look fabulous with her girls.

Sun is inevitable with outdoor weddings. The question is "who will be squinting, the bride or the groom?" Sorry guys but I prefer a squinting groom over a bride with half opened, watering eyes. You see, we don't want to eye makeup to run. ;o)

Picture Time! We took tons of family and bridal party pictures at Boulder Ridge immediately following the ceremony. By the end of formal pictures it was just Nina, Nguyen and two photographers following them (me and Jennifer). This is when we grabbed a golf cart and took a little adventure around the golf course. Fun!

Then off we all went to Joy Luck Palace for the reception. In addition to having a Chinese banquet there was plenty of Hennessy to go around and a fully stocked candy bar! I must admit I had a pretty good sugar high going by the end of the night! Almond Roca, yum! Really though the funniest part of the evening was... well lets save a thousand words - the next to last image tells the entire story.

Thanks to Jennifer Low for second shooting!

San Jose Wedding

Brian and Karen had a small quaint wedding on Thanksgiving day at Santa Teresa Park. Twenty of their family members gathered for the ceremony before they all headed over to Brian and Karen's house for dinner.   It was simple and sweet.  We were all very thankful for the perfect weather!