Annie K. Rowland Photography: September 2009

Monday, September 28, 2009

Nikki & Rob- Santa Cruz Chaminade Wedding Photography

It was a gorgeous day in Santa Cruz, a beautiful day for a wedding. The Chaminade resort was the backdrop as Nicole and Rob tied the knot in the company of family and friends. Nicole’s mom worked hard to ‘let go’ as she watched her lovely daughter prepare for the wedding. Bridesmaid (and namesake) Nicole was the ultimate assistant, handy with makeup, veils and anything else a bride could need. The couple was joined together on the bluff with the ocean as a backdrop, and after cocktails and hors-dourves retired to the Santa Cruz room, which was exquisitely decorated by Eventscapes with ornate table decorations and mood inducing uplighting. One highlight of the evening was the couples dance, which featured two couples who’d been married for over fifty years! Their secret for a long relationship – tolerance. The couple will honeymoon in Las Vegas before heading to Aruba in November.

Roselle & Arland- Bay Area Wedding Photography

This event was a bit of a road trip as we started in Lafayette, then travelled to Vallejo for the ceremony at the couple’s local church. The Lafayette Park Hotel was beautiful, with courtyards on the outside and exquisite architecture and furnishings on the inside. After the ceremony we dashed back to the hotel, unable to keep up with the stylish couple in their ribbon adorned Z4. This was our first Filipino wedding, where we were introduced to the concept of ninongs and ninangs (wedding sponsors) and cassava – a delicious cream cheese/coconut cake. The guests were as gracious as hosts, offering up their homemade appetizers. We were very impressed with the ninongs and ninangs – they were oh so dignified during the ceremony, but their announcement as honored guests was followed by a flourish of dance moves that put younger folks to shame! Another highlight was the best man’s toast, which included a touching and hilarious story about Chinese take-out, with Roselle feeding Arland in the car. Roselle wore one gown for the majority of the evening, then slipped into a simpler (but no less lovely) dress as they carried on into the night.