Featured in Marin Magazine

Serene & Conor’s wedding was definitely magazine worthy – inspirational, fun and elegant. Thanks for Marin Magazine to showcase the great celebration in their January issue. Looking at the images, one would think this happened somewhere in France or Spain.. but it was right here in Marin county, at St. Vincent’s School for Boys in San Rafael.

You can view more of their wedding images on my website www.LionPhotography.com.

Behind the Scene with Jin Wang

Jin Wang presenting her gowns with live models at the 2009 San Francisco Bridal Fair at the Four Season Hotel, January 18, 2009

Flowers by: Karen of grandi-flora
Make Up: Stacy McClure and Carrie L’esperance

Holiday Greetings

There is light in all of us for these holidays and for the coming year…

A collaboration of local friends and people we have met for the first time!
THANK YOU all for being part of this!

LET THERE BE LIGHT FOR…

The Loosies

The Life of a bride lasts for only one day.. or maybe longer…  so it’s nice to stay connected with some for their post bridal days.  Beginning November I had one of these opportunities, when Susan -invited me to the Friends & Family Concert of her all-female cappella group based in San Francisco, called “The Loose Interpretations” or short just “loosies”.

Great entertainment needs to be shared – so I brought along my friend Christine Koenig of Ribbon and Tie – Wedding Planning. The evening ended with a small celebration at “Sugar Cafe” with an attractive ambiance – somewhere between cafe/bar/lounge/ modern/yet cozy.. only back draw on this day was that the place seemed understaffed to handle the larger crowd streaming in from Susan’s performance..

Check out their site if you’re interested in joining their cappella group or even better, just show up at their next performance, “Holiday Party & Carol Singing“, on December 12, 2008.

An Artists’ Collaboration: Serene & Conor’s Guestbook

This was a special treat!

The making of Serene & Conor’s custom guest book that combines a fun photographic story with humoristic art added by the groom himself! With the comments of their friends and family from their wedding day, this book is the most unique & personal book one can imagine.

Conor, loves painting and creating art with found objects…. Serene, is a savvy word smith and spirited woman….. So how can photographs best capture the multitude and layers of such vibrant couple? By going beyond the usual photographic form! … and this couple made it happen…. we joined our artistic talents & bound it into a book!

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Summer Solstice Wedding of Wendy + Kevin

Wedding Venue & Catering: Elain Bell Catering
Day of Corodinator: Dee Merz – Weddings & Special Events
Gown: Jin Wang
Cake: Scandia Bakery
Florist: Blair Phillips Design
Band for Ceremony: Café Americain
First Dance Song: “I Am Hydrogen” by Phish

A wedding designed to inspire the rest of their lives.. Wendy, a graphic designer, pulled all her clever imagination together to carefully design & create the finest details for this Summer Solstice Celebration.

What I thought especially imaginative were the many design and decor elements -  a chandelier,  an antique couch, an old photo album, doilies, and silver pitchers – Wendy found at flea markets; craigslist and on eBay, and “have found their way into our house and are treasured reminders of the wedding.”

“The feeling of the wedding was a sort of “faded elegance” -remarked Wendy – “all parts of the event were meant to evoke a sense of history and timelessness.”

“We love things that are old, so the Beltane Ranch with it’s deep sense of history and its ancient oak trees were the perfect setting. The wedding was on the summer solstice, so there were also reminders of that throughout the ceremony and into the reception: sunflower seeds to plant in the garden for the favors, Summer Solstice beer from Anderson Valley Brewing Company was served at cocktail hour, our bridesmaids wore sunny orange, and a vintage sun illustration was on many of the items that I designed.”

“The invitations were designed and letterpressed by me on an antique tabletop press from the 1800s. The other components of the invite were inspired by vintage postcards found at an antique shop in San Anselmo. The photos were taken by Kevin and myself and made to look old. The map was scanned from a vintage road map.”

On a final note, Wendy “thought that Dee Merz, the day of coordinator, was *amazing*. I would highly recommend her to anyone. “

Sunset at Mount Tamalpais

Another great photo session with a fun couple.. they didn’t even know how fun & unique they were: David + Erin. They both grew up in San Rafael. So looking for an environment to create their photos for the custom wedding guest book  – Mount Tamalpais,  was a natural choice. Thank you both – with good luck of clear, sunny weather, we had a panoramic view from across the bay, to San Francisco to Bolinas… no wonder we were all inspired and just had a good time.

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Project Here – Quilt of photographs of Petaluma folks

projectHERE:
Somewhere between your home and your community there’s a door. projectHERE is about opening it. And so, as part of the door-2-door campaign, they invite people of petaluma to submit a portrait of their front door, with the people who pass through it everyday. from these photos they will create a tapestry, a modern day quilt if you will, that represents the welcoming spirit and rich culture of petaluma.

Voila! Here is our submission … with a twist…

Serene + Conor

Wedding Venue: St. Vincent’s, San Rafael

Catering: Alta Cuisine

Cake: Branching Out

Florist: Waterlily Pond

Day of Coordination: Eventful Days

Gown: Amsale

Music: DJ Matteo

Video: Axiom Videography

You can view a clip of their video by clicking here.

Serene + Conor still amaze me how great they were as the Royal Couple of the day.
It sounds so mundane… though I don’t know how else to put it… charming, graceful, always ready for fun – radiating free flowing, contagious happiness you could feel throughout the day….. This wedding was plain beautiful & had tremendous soul!

Surrounded by the old mission style setting of St. Vincent’s in San Rafael, one felt transported into a vivid, festive plaza of an old-world town somewhere in the Mediterranean.

Guests received a stylish glass bottle with Olive Oil or with Irish Cream to represent the couples heritage (Irish & Palestinian).

With a belly dancer and arabesque music the dance floor was soon filled with a hip and belly swinging crowd.

The Making of A Custom Guest Book with a Literary Twist

“… I can’t tell you how much people loved the guest book. We got so many compliments on it and it will be a truly special keepsake to look at over the years,” Danielle.

For Danielle & Jason’ s wedding we created a unique custom Guest book, combining portraits shot in our studio with environmental lifestyle photos taken at a nearby park here in Petaluma.  Read more