Melissa and Greg | Beetle Rock Wedding | Sequoia National Park

Melissa and Greg's wedding will definitely be a highlight of my year when I look back to all the new places I was able to shoot. This marks my first wedding in Sequoia National Park and I couldn't have asked for a better couple to experience it with. We were met with a stunningly beautiful day, and even though it was a special day in the park, crowds were light and we were nearly alone with the 20 or so guests in attendance. After a beautiful afternoon with their ceremony on Beetle Rock overlooking the Sierra foothills and Central Valley in the distance, we headed down to Three Rivers for their reception at an amazing jewel of a home set alongside

Nicole and Kenny | Koetsier Ranch Wedding | Visalia, CA

I was honored to photograph the wedding of Nicole and Kenny at St. Peter's Church in Lemoore, California.  When you are around this couple you can really see how deeply they care for each other. After the wedding we took the short drive to one of my favorite south valley venues - Koetsier Ranch.  Nicole and Kenny arranged to have her Grandpa's sweet truck out at the ranch.  They also had the Rolling Cones ice cream truck from the great Superior Dairy in Hanford (and ice cream makes everyone happy)! Here are a few of my favorites from the day:

Bri and Justin | Koetsier Ranch Wedding | Visalia, CA

I was happy to head out to Koetsier Ranch for Bri and Justin's wedding.  I hadn't been there in quite awhile and, in some ways it was like seeing it for the first time all over again! Bri and Justin are a really sweet couple and I was honored to be a part of their wedding. I had a lot of fun with the group at this reception and the party continued as the couple and I snuck away for a nighttime portrait or two!  

Maribell and Rick | Wedding from St. Mary’s Catholic Church | Visalia, CA

Maribell and Rick were the winners of the 9/10/11 sweepstakes, securing that date before all others! I was happy to make the trip to Visalia and shoot at St Mary's, a beautiful and historic church that I've long wanted to photograph. Following their ceremony, they had their reception at the Holiday Inn complete with Mariachis and a tequila toast.

Melissa and John | Wedding from the Visalia Holiday Inn | Visalia, CA

For Melissa and John's wedding I once again had the chance to work with the fabulous Dawnelle of The Divine Event and once again she did not disappoint with the decor.  Melissa's ideas were executed flawlessly!  Working in new venues is an especially exciting thing for me, particularly hotels where there typically aren't a lot of "obvious" places to go shoot portraits - it takes a lot more creativity and tricks to make it all work.  I loved the skeptical looks from Melissa that preceded looks of joy once I showed her the results of the back of the camera.  So if your photographer has you posed in a construction area, or at the edge of a crowded parking lot, trust them,

Kayla and Nick | A Koetsier Ranch Wedding | Visalia, CA

I have to say, it was a real pleasure to hang out with these two and shoot their wedding.  Kayla and Nick are just a couple of cool, down to earth people just full of enthusiasm to be finally having their "real" wedding.  There were lots of homemade touches, and that along with the small, intimate group of friends and family making up the guest list, really just made everything very warm and personal.  To top it off, they chose a great venue that has all the vibe of a backyard wedding, with the amenities of a full catering service on site.  If you're looking for a great outdoor venue (with a pretty decent "plan b" if it rains), you should look

Holly + Patrick – Wedding

Holly and Patrick were married at St. Anthony's in Reedley, CA with a huge reception following at the Visalia convention center.  Holly and Patrick are living the quintessential "High School Sweethearts" story of the football star and a cheerleader, having dated all through high school and several years after before getting married.  I'd like to wish them many "happily ever afters".

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