carlie statsky photography » modern wedding and portrait photographer

Gabe and I would gladly adopt Katrina and Robbie into our family if we could, they are honestly two of the nicest people you could hope to meet, let alone have the honor of documenting their wedding day. This was a wedding so full of soul and personality, from the bouquets and boutonnieres made by Katrina’s mom and the hand-crafted origami cranes, to the home-brewed beer and the vintage film camera that recorded greetings from all of the guests. All of the thoughtful and creative details made the day feel so atmospheric, intimate and warm despite the unexpected rain in June. The wedding was planned to be out on a bluff overlooking the ocean, but when the rain showed no sign of letting up it was moved into a nearby church at the very last minute. Katrina and Robbie gracefully went with the flow of the changes, and their laid back spirits set the mood for all of their guests. I’m pretty sure that they also manifested the clearing of the stormy skies at exactly the time we had scheduled to do some sunset pictures and I’m so thankful that they were both able to get out to that bluff to enjoy the beautiful light as husband and wife that day.

I can’t think of a better location for a rehearsal dinner, (their party is the bonfire to the left in the very last photo.)

This day was simply meant to be….we had been forced to re-schedule this engagement session a few times due to bad weather, but it was well worth the wait to get a perfect city day like this one, a day that shows San Francisco in all it’s glory. We started in Potrero Hill where we found a beautiful little community garden and got some great city views. We also visit Pier 7 and then headed over to Baker Beach for some classic Golden Gate views. I love that we basically had the whole beach to ourselves to enjoy the golden hour, almost as much as I love to photograph couples like this who so clearly enjoy each other’s company, who are so comfortable together, and who are so obviously in love. I’m already looking forward to part two of their engagement session, where we’ll have all of AT&T ball park to ourselves, and to their wedding later in the year at Clos La Chance winery.

Just a tiny little preview of a beautiful wedding day, more to come…

This is part two of Anne and Ganesh’s amazing wedding day that began with their vibrant Hindu ceremony (you can see part one here.) I was so impressed with how swiftly Anne changed out of her sari and into her gown, tamed her wind blown hair, and was was ready to begin their intimate and personalized western ceremony. After the second ceremony we went and had some fun exploring around Cornerstone’s beautiful gardens in the crazy wind while guests enjoyed cocktail hour by the barn. Everyone then moved into a perfectly heated tent for a family style dinner, and then headed to the equally cozy barn for dancing and cake. Anne and Ganesh, together with the help of the talented team at Dandelion Events, did such a wonderful job bringing two traditions together to create a day that felt so cohesive and full of joy, and they couldn’t have chosen a better venue for such a day than Cornerstone Gardens.

This was a day so saturated with color, joy, ceremony and love. There were so many amazing details and moments to capture, and since my blog posts are already notoriously long, I thought I’d break this post up into two parts, beginning with the traditional Indian ceremony in front of the lotus pond at Cornerstone Gardens in Sonoma. This is the first Hindu ceremony I’ve ever photographed and I was overwhelmed by the beauty of all of the family participation, the movement., the chanting and the symbolism throughout. The ceremony concluded with mango lassis and sweets while Anne and Ganesh went to change for their western ceremony…post number two coming up…

I have to thank Jessica and Tim for having me come up to Seattle to shoot their engagement session, and basically forcing me to take an amazing and much needed mini-vacation in one of my favorites places in the US. I always seem to avoid the rain that everyone complains about, leaving me wondering why we don’t all move to Seattle to enjoy the waterfront living, the woods, and the beautiful light there that remind me of my old home in Sydney. Jessica and Tim recently moved up that way for Tim to finish his studies, and so together we explored the unchartered and inspiring new territory around the aptly named Discovery Park. It was hard to lay my camera to rest that evening, and as we headed home I even made them pull the car over on the side of the road to pick it up again and catch the very last drop of sunlight before it set into the low clouds on the horizon. Jessica and Tim, I can’t wait to see you guys again when you’re back in California for your wedding at Cornerstone Gardens in less than two weeks!

I adore Donna who is the matriarch of this family. She also happens to be the matriarch, founder and head teacher at my daughter’s amazing Montessori school. Her daughter Christine is also one of the teachers at the school and she is hands down one of my daughter’s very favorite people on the planet. These ladies have given my daughter such a loving and positive start in her schooling life, and as my daughter is about to leave for Kindergarten at a new school in the fall, the best way I know how to say thank you is with some photographs that capture a time and a place and a connection between family members. As I drove away from this session I felt so inspired by this family’s dynamic and hoped that it was a glimpse into what I have to look forward to when my own kids have grown up, but not apart. I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed that my kids, like Donna’s, keep hugging and loving on their mom without reservation, because really that’s all a matriarch needs.