Written by Candace on August 26, 2013 | 6 Comments

Our First
Big Fat Greek Wedding

This past weekend we had the pleasure of photographing our very first big fat Greek wedding.

When Nicole initially emailed to inquire about our services, she asked if we had ever photographed a Greek wedding. I believe in transparency, so I told her we had not. Then I followed with, “But we have seen the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding so perhaps that will help us prepare.” She played along and assured me that was exactly what we should expect. I loved Nicole’s sense of humor and was thrilled when she and Anthony chose us to be their wedding photographers.

Nicole and Anthony’s wedding was this past Saturday and I’m still smiling about it today. It was everything I dreamed a big fat Greek wedding would be and more. Towards the end of the reception, I hugged Nicole’s mom goodbye and told her I wanted to be Greek. We laughed together as we had many times that day. I don’t know if it’s the Greek culture or just Anthony and Nicole’s family and friends, but they not only made us feel welcome, they made us feel like we belonged.

As we drove home exhausted and achy after the long day, I couldn’t help feeling thankful. I love being a part of doing whatever it takes to make our clients’ wedding day the very best it could ever be. This brings Vitaliy and I true joy. And it’s achieved in many more ways than just taking a picture.

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Written by Candace on August 22, 2013 | 9 Comments

Larry+Amy
Engaged

Amy sat at the bar chatting with a friend during one of San Francisco’s many festivals.

The chair next to her was empty until serendipitously Larry sat down. He struck up a conversation with the two friends and then went on his way. Before Amy got up to leave, she noticed a piece of paper sitting near their drinks. It was Larry’s phone number. Amy was unsure who he’d left it for until her friend assured her it was meant for Amy. She called him following their first meeting, but the curiosity eventually fizzled out as the days passed by.

Though Larry was out of sight and therefore out of mind, Amy soon realized the attraction was still there when she ran into Larry a few months later. She gave him a hard time about not following up with her and he consented to her accusations. As he looked into her eyes and felt the same attraction, he knew he wasn’t going to make that mistake twice.

On one of their first dates, Amy snuck Larry into her job to watch a screening of a new movie. As they ran through the entrance gate together to appear as one person instead of two, it all became very clear. This was the start of two becoming one. Larry was the one she wanted to walk side by side with for every adventure life may bring.

Larry and Amy, this is the start of something beautiful. Marriage is such a sweet gift and we are so excited for the two of you. It was so much fun getting to know you both during this session. We cannot wait for your upcoming wedding! And we hope for many more Italian dinners together. Congratulations! We love you both!

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Written by Candace on August 20, 2013 | 8 Comments

7 Years:
The Deets

As I mentioned a couple weeks ago, Vitaliy and I celebrated our 7 year anniversary.

Though I made the announcement, I realized I never followed up to share how we celebrated. It was an absolute perfect day so I wanted to tell you all about it in case anyone wanted to steal any of the ideas.

The night before our anniversary, we swapped ideas, but we went to bed without any real decisions being made. That morning we woke up and decided to do 7 things that day to celebrate. We decided not to plan the day out, but to see how we felt after each activity at which point we’d plan the next. Without having a set plan and feeling like we needed to rush off to the next thing, the day flowed with total relaxation and ease.

Here are the 7 ways we celebrated.

1. Alana’s Cafe: One of our favorite things to do is go out to breakfast. We have a lot of memories together at Alana’s so we naturally found it to be the best way to start the day.

2. Oceanic Foot Spa: Getting pampered always feels like a good way to celebrate. Oceanic does incredible foot massages for an unbelievable price. The best part is that it ends up being a full body massage with an emphasis on the feet. We left feel relaxed for the rest of the day. I don’t think we’ll be waiting another year before we go back there.

3. City Lights Bookstore: The very first place Vitaliy ever took me when we started getting to know each other as friends was to Borders bookstore. He took me straight to the photography section (go figure!) and picked out a few of his favorite photographers. Then he sat me down and completely impressed me with his knowledge of the craft. Sadly, Borders is now a store of the past, but City Lights was located right by the restaurant where we planned to eat dinner. Vitaliy grabbed a few photography books on San Francisco and we enjoyed a little history lesson on our great city.

4. The House: We were first introduced to The House while celebrating our friends 10 year wedding anniversary. The food was so spectacular we decided it was a perfect place to return for our anniversary. As usual, it did not disappoint! If you live anywhere close to San Francisco or are planning a visit, you must checkout The House. It’s small and always packed so make a reservation or show up 15 minutes before it opens.

5. Anthony’s Cookies: After dinner, we needed something to satisfy our sweet tooth cravings. Chocolate Chip cookies are my go-to dessert so Vitaliy spoiled me with Anthony’s. We grabbed an assortment and made our way to the next destination.

6. Two Guns: Vitaliy and I like to think we’re movie connoisseurs. We love to watch movies of all kinds; we even go back to the old black and whites. We love to talk about the characters, the cinematography, the music, everything that makes up a good film. It only made sense that going to the movies would be the perfect way to end our day of relaxation and celebration. We picked Two Guns for a good laugh, and it did the job.

7. I take that back! We wanted to end our day with…I’m sure you can guess what the final activity was for our anniversary date. The best way to celebrate and keep the love alive. :-)

The photos above were taken at Alana’s Cafe.

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