Charles & Melissa's San Francisco Presidio Wedding - Jazz by the Golden Gate

This passed October we shot the COOLEST wedding at the San Francisco Presidio Golden Gate Club. It's kind of bizarre how much we have in common with this fantastic couple. From our mutual love of New Orleans jazz and San Francisco to history & cooking-we hit it off completely. Naturally when their wedding rolled around we were SO stinkin excited! 

 Charles has two daughters Clementine and Adalaide (hello awesome names) and they were never far from Melissa's side while she prepared at the San Francisco Marriott hotel. The two girls also were Charles' "Best Girls" during the ceremony. Love.

Nathan spent time goofing off with Charles before the reveal at the chapel-I'm sorry but I just love bow ties like the one Charles rocked.

Charles and Melissa got married at the Interfaith Center at the Presidio which is SO neat. We did their reveal just steps away from the front door. Then we took them up into the trees for a beautiful bridal shoot.

Charles and Melissa's ceremony was a perfect reflection of their very unique love. And there were SO many stinkin adorable kids. 

Um....do you see the girls during Charles & Melissa's first kiss? Yeah. Pretty much awesome.

 In keeping with the theme the Brass Monkey Brass Band arrived right after the first kiss & led the guests down the road to the Presidio Golden Gate Club where the reception took place. To say these guys were out of control amazing is the biggest understatement in the world. FUN FUN FUN!!!

Charles and Melissa used Jane Hammond Events to help create their completely amazing reception! Dancing, laughter....and a gumbo bar!!

 

We had the great pleasure of working with Burkart Studios who did the videography for Charles and Melissa-check it out!!

Charles + Melissa | Wedding Highlight Film from James Burkart on Vimeo.

p.s. if you missed their ADORABLE at home cooking engagement session check it out here: 

http://weddings.bellaluphotography.com/#/charles-and-melissa/

and to see their wedding slideshow set to music check it out here!

http://weddings.bellaluphotography.com/#/charles-and-melissa-wedding/

Disneyland Family Vacation - our official endorsement

When we were investigating Disneyland and all of the Disneyland Hotels naturally we were searching youtube and vimeo videos and google images etc-we never found exactly what we were looking for in regard to where exactly we should go and what exactly we should do.

This trip was a big deal to us because our children have been raised in a disney fantasy land since birth-they wear their princess dresses out and about to the grocery store regularly and sometimes I walk around my house and can hardly function between my clumsy little spinning princesses and blaring Disney soundtracks constantly streaming through our pandora-oh and let's not even talk about all of the bruises on my feet from stepping on and over the endless princess figurines, mini carriages, pixar dolls and castle displays throughout our hallways.

The bottom line is-Disney is massive part of Bella and Lulu's childhood-just as it was mine. We only get to make magic for our children for a few years (if we're lucky) until they grow out of it and into pop stars and ipods. Nathan and I try to indulge these first few priceless years of pure imagination whenever possible. It's pretty much the highlight of our lives.

We did not tell them we were going to Disneyland. We just told them we were going on a (very long) drive. We got in late at the Disneyland Hotel and hid them from the characters in the lobby and any mention of where we were-they just thought we found this uber cool hotel themed like disney somewhere between San Jose and Sacramento. (oh to be young and oblivious) 

You'll see in the video how long it took them to figure it all out :)

Lesson: Disneyland is intense. Exhausting. Expensive. And TOTALLY WORTH EVERY CENT AND MORE. 

I wanted to grab these princesses and hug them when they danced with my girls so intently and joyfully-I wanted to scream "YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW MUCH YOU ARE MAKING THEIR LIVES RIGHT NOW! I LOVE YOU!!!" Magic magic everywhere....

go. NOW!!! before they grow up...