Amanda and Matt's Wedding Day

We started out yesterday bright and early to photograph Amanda and Matt's wedding day. When I left the house it was in fog, but by the time I picked up Tina and Kelly in downtwon Sacramento it was sunny. We piled our gear in the back of my SUV and with coffee cups full, we made the road trip to Chico. Our first stop was at Stanford Oaks, where we caught up with Matt setting up for the ceremony. I introduced the team to the guys and after quick hugs we were off again in the car to begin some photo site scouting at Chico State. Amanda had recommended Celestino's pizza across the street from the university - so we grabbed a slice at the end of our scout. New York style - oh YUMMY! Finally, we were off to meet the girls and begin the official start of our day.

Amanda's invitations were made in Ireland. The hand drawing on them is simply amazing. While the girls were eating a bite, we captured her dress (a beautiful gown from Bella Donna Bridal), her colorful flowers, and the super fun individualized shoes of each girl - which matched the unique color and style of each girls' dress. Amanda wore a cross necklace that belonged to her grandmother, and Matt carried the pocket watch that belonged to his grandfather. Faith had on Napolean Dynamite socks - I had to take this picture to show Cory. Before finishing up with the details, I had Amanda and the girls gather around as I had fun capturing their reflections in her perfume bottle.We took a few images of both Matt and Amanda (separately of course) before we headed over the Chico state where we had planned their first sighting. The anticipation of seeing Amanda as a bride was building and they both laughed as the moment arrived.The guys were handsome and the women beautiful. After finishing up some wedding party shots, we spent time with just Matt and Amanda. They were so easy to photograph and they trusted every idea I had - even a quick limo stop along the way to the ceremony to walk down a tree lined county road (you have to see the sneak peak for that shot!).The ceremony began just before sunset. I love hand shots - the first one is the bride and groom, the second is of Matt's parents in the front row (kudos to Tina for the 2nd shot). During the ceremony Matt had written special vows to read to Faith (their daughter) and they presented her with a beautiful silver locket. This is the image of her immediately after she returned to the girls' line-up - I swear I had to keep back the tears! Matt and Amanda exchanged their vows and rings and were pronounced man and wife just as the last rays of the sun came through the trees (kudos to Kelly for this amazing image).As the reception began, we took this family photo of Marci (bridesmaid) and her husband Kevin (event coordinator extraordinaire - seriously he was awesome!) and their new son. Aren't they cute!!!
The cake was gorgeous and colorful to match the fall colors. And we could smell the chocolate for miles. Matt and Amanda played nice and laughed during their first few bites of cake. You can check out more of Matt and Amanda's wedding "sneak peak" by going to our Clients page and using the password of "Amanda_matt". Thank you both for having us photograph your wedding and for trusting in us so completely. We love you guys!

Some of the great vendors that Matt and Amanda used are: KTL Events (Kevin Lang), Bacio's Catering, Vino 100, Bella Donna Bridal, Dimensions Hair Salon, the Powder Room (make-up), Magik Entertainment, Floral Design by Anita Starr, Upper Crust Bakery, and accommodations at Hotel Diamond.

And finally, meet Kelly (photo by Tina). She added a great touch to our team yesterday and I'm looking forward to spending more time with her in the future.