Wedding DJ Ron Grandia | San Jose Museum of Art

We've been to a LOT of weddings...A LOT....and when it comes to the reception it has been made abundantly clear to us that the better the DJ-the better the party. 

I think we used to be kind of ignorant as to how critical it is to successfully get the party going at a killer wedding-because let's face it-we've ALL been to a boring wedding or two...or three...

We've come to find out-it's all about the DJ. And it's so much more than the actual music played...it's about the quality of the equipment, the personality, the lighting....if you get those key things right-you've taken your event to a whole nother' level :)

We got to shoot one of our FAVORITE Bay Area DJ's Ron Grandia at a local NACE meeting held at the San Jose Museum of Art. We wanted to get some moody "live" shots to mix with some new headshots for him we'll be doing later and it was SO much fun!!

 

 perhaps a little TOO fun :)

Peninsula Golf and Country Club Wedding | Lisa + Mike

Mike and Lisa's gorgeous wedding at the Peninsula Golf and Country Club was one of the most touching and creative we've ever worked on. Lisa's gorgeous little firecracker personality mixed with Mike's gently nature made this day not only visually perfect but an absolute blast to work on!

There were so many sentimental touches from the jewelry wrapped around Lisa's bouquet to the handmade moss petal holders and table decor. Soooooo pretty!

The ceremony held in the  PGCC's grand ballroom was absolutely stunning and incredibly emotional.

After the ceremony we had about a 6 minute window where we peeked outside and realized the sky was pink and blue and absolutely breathtaking. We stole the bride and groom out the side door to snag some shots before the sun went down...

Everything about this wedding was personalized. Vintage buttons mixed with moss and tree branches and a gorgeous and delicious cake made by the incredible Studio Cake Design were just some of the exquisite touches Lisa and Mike treated their guests with during their reception.

What an absolutely amazing day!! We're beyond blessed to have been asked to be part of this incredible experience and wish Lisa and Mike all of the best in life and love :)

 Venue | Peninsula Golf and Country Club
Dress | Bridal Galleria
Hair and Makeup | Monina Wright
Cake | Studio Cake Design

Testarossa Winery Photography | Carlie + Gabe

We teamed up with The Ranch Studios and Danny Lund for today's bridal shoot at Testarossa Winery.  This incredible shoot was done almost completely in film so unfortunately you'll have to wait for the full blog :) But until then, check out how Gabe and Carlie rocked it OUT in our digital preview!!! We had about 2 hours of a pause in the heavy rain right at the PERFECT time!!! Special thanks to Monina Wright for Carlie's perfect hair and makeup :-)

Bay Area Engagement Photography | Zanne + Andrew

Zanne and Andrew aren't technically from the Bay Area but made the trip down to us after absolutely rocking the Valentine's Cuties contest we did on our Facebook page in February! They're getting married in Tennessee very soon and we were thrilled to be able to take them out and pull off a kick butt mini-engagement session before their big day!!

Andrew is in the military and works on planes so I thought it would be perfect to shoot in this small flower patch right in front of the runway-they were SO STINKING CUTE!! Total naturals!

Thank you so much to everyone who helped them win their shoot!! And if you aren't a fan on our facebook page get on over there! We do these contests all the time!!

Santa Clara Engagement Shoot | Nicole + Drew

One of the best parts about living here in California is the endless amount of options when shooting engagement shoots with our clients! One week we'll be up in the snow and the next we're down in an orchard...or at the historic Santa Clara Train Station in this case :) 

Check out highlights from Nicole and Drew's adorable engagement shoot last week!!! And don't forget to show them some comment love since they rocked it out so fabulously!

Alice + Will | Rain, Snow & Sun-Just another Santa Cruz, California Engagement Session!

I know I know, we talk about how much we adore our couples allllllll the time but please allow me to produce reason #2401053. 

Alice and Will flew down from San Diego for their engagement shoot so we had 1 shot at it. Wouldn't you know it within the 3 hours we shot we got a rain storm, a snow storm and a gorgeous bright afternoon! It was AMAZING!! And these two were totally up for it! They absolutely rocked it out!!!

Here's some highlights from the day! Special thanks to Camille Goldston for keeping Alice pristine and fresh the entire day!! Amazing work!!!

Personal Post | Lindsey | Field Trip to the Firestation

We're not videographers but we are proud parents :) Nathan missed out on this field trip so I put this together for him on the fly. Special thanks to the amazing Santa Clara Fire Department for being so welcoming!!!

Bellalu Photography | M Magazine | Riley's Place

Check out Riley's Place featured in the new M Magazine!! We're so excited about this-we absolutely adore this non-profit! Look for their blogpost soon as well!!!

© Bellalu Photography