Hilary + Jason: Sweet romance around Berkeley and more... (Berkeley, CA)

Hilary and Jason's love story started on the Berkeley campus. So for their pre-wedding photo shoot, they wanted to return to these special places on campus to reminisce those memorable school days spent together. And before we went on campus, we stopped by the refreshing Berkeley Marina and pier to get some 'cool' shots near water. And we lucked out having a not-so-windy day!

It was a nice day on campus. Hilary and Jason brought me to all those places they had their sweet memories, and they even got to relive the graduation moment too! 

Our next stop was Baker Beach. By the time we were ready to shoot, the whole place just fogged up and the crimson red Golden Gate Bridge was fully covered in fog. But the best thing was, we had the entire beach to ourselves and we pulled some great shots! 

We finished our photo shoot in the city, when the twilight started blending in with the city lights - a time of day I love most! Thank you Hilary and Jason for such a fun shoot! And best of luck to the lovely couple for their upcoming wedding in Hong Kong!

Jane + Simon: A simply lovely engagement session! (San Francisco, CA)

It was a beautiful day in San Francisco for an engagement shoot! We started off in the Potrero Hill neighborhood. It was a quiet and serene little town, and we roamed around the area to get some beautiful images. Simon is an amateur photographer and has good eye. It was funny we spotted a red Volkswagen at the same time and borrowed it as our prop! We then stopped by the popular spot with the City skyline as backdrop. 

After a short stay in Potrero Hill, we headed over to the Ferry Building and the nearby Embarcadero Center to get some more city shots. Simon, despite being a bit nervous at the very beginning, actually did so well. The sweet couple was so natural and we got some really nice moment shots! Jane and Simon are such a photogenic couple and I could just feel the love in the air!

Our last stop was Little Italy, when it was time to catch some sunset and city light. It was quite crowded and we weaved through traffic and crowd for some nice night shots to end the day. 

Special kudos to Jane. Even though she was not feeling well that day, she had really great spirit and did awesome throughout the shoot. 

Thank you both for a great and fun afternoon! Very much looking forward to your wedding!

Katherine + Timothy: A Lovely Wedding With Tears and Songs (San Francisco, CA)

On the day of Katherine and Timothy's wedding, it started raining hard when I headed out to meet Katherine at the Fairmont San Francisco Hotel. My heart sank a bit. I was hoping some nicer weather as the previous two weddings also had rain. Turned out when I got to the hotel, the rain already stopped, and the day remained wonderful.

People say it's never easy for a Dad to give away his "little girl" to the man she loves, and the father of the bride proved it. Mr. Padaoan was very emotional the moment he arrived to the Meeting Hall, especially when he placed his daughter's hand into the groom's hand.

And again at the reception when he gave his speech, it immediately brought tears to Katherine as well as himself. Those were really touching moments. Later, Katherine told me that it's her first time seeing her dad so emotional! And come to think of it, the earlier rain was the prelude of happy tears from Heaven.

Another highlight of the wedding day was Timothy's fascinating singing to Katherine, and it's probably the best gift for the bride too! And it reminded me of my own wedding since I also sang on my wedding! But of course, Timothy's performance was a lot more professional and serious - as I followed him on the Uber from the church to the reception venue, Timothy was very focused instructing the helpers to ensure the sound equipment was set up correctly, so as to deliver the perfect songs to Katherine. It was just lovely.

And special thanks to Joseph Tan for rocking another amazing wedding with me.

I sincerely wish Katherine and Timothy a lifetime of happiness with beautiful songs! 

Ceremony at: The Church in San Francisco Meeting Hall
Reception at: 1300 on FillmoreWedding Consultant: Amy Lin
Make-up Artist: Julie Dy
Hair Artist: Natacha Dennoun
Cake: Nothing Bundt Cakes
Photo Booth: SnapBots Photo Booth