Nestldown Photography for Catering for The Other Woman

We had always heard about Nestldown being a magical place for a wedding but have never been there to see it. Now that I have photographed a Nestldown wedding for Catering by The Other Woman I understand how beautiful it is. It is a gorgeous time of year there, the were tulips in bloom everywhere. The property is wonderfully landscaped and decorated with whimsical statues. The lawns, water falls, wooden stairs that brings you to the heart of the property and the many other groves and walkways are what make Nestldown so magical. The property gives you a feeling like you just escaped from the world.

The wedding ceremony took place in front of the lake. After the ceremony the guests were treated to appetizers prepared by Catering by The Other Woman. They were not only delicious but also tastefully presented. The Barn, where the dinner was served family style had been set up and was ready for the guest to start arriving. The couple had many unique details like the drinking jars with decorative straws as the favors and a dessert table instead of just a wedding cake. It was a beautiful event!

The Terraces at Los Altos groundbreaking ceremony event photography

Many people think we only photograph weddings. Well, we love weddings, but there are many different types of events that also need a professional photographer to document the event. We photographed such an event last week, a ground breaking for The Terraces at Los Altos.

The Terraces at Los Altos is a Senior living facility that allows access to a range of health care services on site, including assisted living, skilled nursing care and specialized memory support. They are renovating and expanding the Los Altos facility and asked us to document the event. It was a wonderful event that was attended by residents of The Terraces, the architect, the builders, the Mayor of Los Altos and many more.

The day included speeches from the Mayor, the Director of The Terraces and others. There was also a beautiful luncheon prepared to celebrate this special day. We photographed the Gold Shovel Ceremony of the first ground turning that started the project off.

I’m looking forward to the grand opening!

Those you attended the 50^th birthday celebration of Moushig and Grace were present at a party with family and good friends. Both Grace and Moushig have deep roots in the community and most of their friends are like family. You could see the planning that went into this wonderful celebration.

The evening began with friends catching up with each other and watching a slide show of the lives of Grace and Moushig. The dancing was started with a romantic dance by the birthday girl and boy after dinner. Both Traditional Armenian Dances and contemporary favorites that kept everyone dancing for hours!

We took group table shots so that Moushig and Grace would remember everyone who attended their special evening.

We have all planned events for many different occasions, some plain some more elaborate. Hiring a professional event photographer to document your event will help preserve the memories you make at your special event. A party like this New Year’s Eve Party took months of planning. You can see from the photographs the thought that went into the details of the evening. Documenting your occasion with a Professional Event Photographer insures you will always remember your event.
New York style New Year’s Eve in California complete with the Statue of Liberty, The Waldorf Astoria, and Time Square. This was the party that Just Catering provided for a party at a home this New Year’s Eve. They had amazing appetizers that included Luigi’s Café an Italian antipasto station, and passed hors d’oeuvres. After the appetizers the guests had dinner, after dinner around 1am, breakfast. Music was provided be Aaron of AVL Sound Design. The guests danced all night!

We have included a slideshow video and some photographs for you to view from this fun New Year’s Eve Party. We hope you enjoy the photos.

If you would like Hagop’s Photography to photograph your event contact us by email or call us at (650) 494-7215.

On the morning of November 27th we received this email with regard to San Francisco City Hall Destination Wedding photography.

“I came across your website and wanted to see about availability/pricing for an hour at SF City Hall for a wedding ceremony on December 23rd. We haven’t made a reservation yet, as we are still trying to coordinate the travel plans. It will be a small ceremony (still haven’t decided if parents will be coming or if it will just be us).

I look forward to hearing from you. – Neici”

We responded with our pricing information and received this response:

…I am planning on my wedding at 12:00. I will only be having parents at the wedding. My sister is also having a wedding on the 23rd. She has rented a portion of the city hall for an hour. She is planning hers at 2:00. Would we be able to arrange something with you to do both?… Thank you

We arranged it both sisters to photograph both of their wedding at San Francisco City Hall. They were both coming to California with their fiancés to spend the holidays with their family. Neici and Mike came from Alaska, and Cristina and Rodrigo are from Massachusetts.

Cristina and Rodrigo had rented the Mayor’s Balcony at San Francisco City Hall for their wedding. The Mayor’s Balcony is one of areas that are available to rent for a wedding ceremony at San Francisco City Hall. It is located just in front of the office of the Mayor of San Francisco. The balcony overlooks the city hall. It is an amazing place to get married. They said their vows in front of family and friends. We photographed a group shot of all of the guests with the bride and groom. The day ended for us with photos of Cristina and Rodrigo around city hall, but they had the whole day and night in front of them for celebrating.

Contact Hagop & Ano to photograph your San Francisco City Hall wedding.

More City Hall Weddings. Click on their names to see Neici and Mike’s wedding, Cynthia & Oliver’s Wedding, Jennifer & Mitchell’s Wedding.

Wow! Stephanie and Marcello did the traditional San Francisco wedding. From the bride getting ready at her parents’ home, the penny in her shoe, all the bridesmaids and family members at the home to the big church wedding at St. Anne of the Sunset Catholic Church and hotel reception at Hyatt Regency, Burlingame. We also hit some the “traditional” San Francisco wedding photo shoot stops like the Palace of Fine Arts and the Painted Ladies. We even tried Crissy Field, but as is “tradition”, too much fog to see the Golden Gate Bridge. Hagop even road in the bus for a while with the wedding party where he got a glimpse of the party that was happening there. Since Stephanie and Marcello weren’t on the bus, I’m sure they appreciated those photos. It was great! They went all out for a Traditional Italian wedding reception at the Hyatt Regency, Burlingame. The Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport has great big receptions rooms to accommodate this wedding reception. Stephanie and Marcello chose to have their names in Gobo Lights. Stephanie’s dad had unique gifts for the couple. He presented them with hammers engraved with their names so they don’t fight over where the hammer is when they are fixing things at home. It makes for a more peaceful home. The cousin played accordion for guests then the guest joined them and they sang traditional Italian songs. I don’t know about them, but we had so much fun!

View more of Stephanie and Marcello’s wedding photos.

On the morning of November 27th we received this email with regard to SF City Hall Wedding Photography.

“I came across your website and wanted to see about availability/pricing for an hour at SF City Hall for a wedding ceremony on December 23rd. We haven’t made a reservation yet, as we are still trying to coordinate the travel plans. It will be a small ceremony (still haven’t decided if parents will be coming or if it will just be us). I look forward to hearing from you. – Neici”

We responded with our pricing information and received this response:

…I am planning on my wedding at 12:00. I will only be having parents at the wedding. My sister is also having a wedding on the 23rd. She has rented a portion of the city hall for an hour. She is planning hers at 2:00. Would we be able to arrange something with you to do both?… Thank you

We arranged it both sisters to photograph both of their wedding at San Francisco City Hall. They were both coming to California with their fiancés to spend the holidays with their family. Neici and Mike came from Alaska, and Cristina and Rodrigo are from Massachusetts.

We photographed Neici and Mike at the city hall rotunda. The rotunda was beautifully decorated for the holidays with a Christmas Tree that was ornamented with origami folded cranes. They had a simple ceremony with some family members present. With the hour they hired us for, we had some time before and after the ceremony for photography.

Click on their names to see Cristina and Rodrigo’s Wedding, Cynthia & Oliver’s Wedding, Jennifer & Mitchell’ Wedding.

Audra and Sean – High School Sweethearts

Sean was here in Palo Alto studying at Stanford University from the Atlanta area. They decided to get married at Stanford Memorial Church with the wedding reception at Il Fornaio restaurant in Palo Alto. They needed a Stanford Memorial Church Wedding Photographer. We are familiar with the rules of the church. We also know the difficulties of photographing at the church. It was a small wedding with close friends and family.

Pre-wedding Photography on Stanford Campus

The pre-wedding photographs were a mix of posed and candids. That’s what Hagop does. Photojournalism and candids, that’s what I do. While Hagop concentrates on setting everyone up to get the best portrait, I look around see what’s going on and shoot. Both of our photography styles were very important to Audra and Sean. His cut away tuxedo jacket made Sean look like the southern gentleman he was.

Stanford Memorial Church Wedding

Stanford Memorial Church is an amazing church for a San Francisco Bay Area Wedding. As most Bay Area Photographers know though, it is also one of the most challenging too. Balancing the light in the alter area with the rest of the church and the stained glass windows is not something everyone can do. Even with today’s cameras you need more knowledge that just putting it on automatic and shooting. And of course “No Flash Photography!”

After the wedding, at their request, we took Audra and Sean around campus for some photos of the newlyweds. Everyone else went to the wedding reception.

Il Fornaio Restaurant in Palo Alto next to the Garden Court Hotel

Il Fornaio provided for their wedding reception a private room that was great for the size of the wedding. Take a look at the wedding cake. It’s incredible in the picture, but it was even more incredible in person. When there was some down time we were able to get a few more romantic photographs of just the bride and groom around the Garden Court Hotel. Then bubbles!

You can find other Stanford Memorial Church Wedding Photographs on our Portfolio Page

I called Cindy, the mother of the groom, to get some more information about the wedding and what the couple would like. The bride’s family was coming from Korea, the groom’s family from South Dakota, and a few other friends. Cindy was making all the arrangements for the Stanford Church Wedding. The most interesting part though is that Chris (the groom) doesn’t speak Korean and Yoo Jin (the bride) speaks very little English. They communicate in Japanese.

We met Chris and Yoo Jin for the first time at our studio for the pre wedding consultation we have with all our wedding couples to discuss their wedding day details. We did a lot of head nodding and waiting for Japanese conversations to happen and then be translated for us. We covered everything. I think they walked away with a better sense of what would be happening on the wedding day.

They were a wonderful couple with great families. She was a beautiful bride. We communicated through Chris, and a lot of gestures. We learned how to say Mom, and Dad in Korean. Yoo Jin’s mother wore a tradition Korean dress, very colorful. My favorite part of Korean weddings is seeing all the vibrant colors that the women wear.

Cindy arranged a great Stanford Church Wedding for Chris and Yoojin.

Charmaigne is the 4th (and sadly the last) daughter’s wedding we have photographed in the Flores Family. I say sadly because they are a wonderful family to work with. All of the daughters (even as brides) were respectful and pleasant. It is amazing to see how 4 sisters can always be there for each other. To add to it, all of their grooms including Sam are great husbands.

If you would like to know how we met please read her sister Cherwyn’s blog. It’s a great story. You may also read Cherwyn’s testimonial.

Charmaigne and Sam’s wedding was at The Ritz Carlton Hotel Half Moon Bay. Being familiar with the Northern California coast we were preparing for a wedding with fog and cold weather. Well, it was not the case. They had a beautiful sunny day.

The Wedding Ceremony at the Ritz Carlton Hotel Half Moon Bay

The wedding coordinator Christie at the Ritz Carlton had aligned everybody for the processional. It was surprising how smoothly the processional went. Charmaigne’s 7 nieces and nephews were the flower girls and the ring bearers. The Officiant started the ceremony by asking the parents of the bride and groom if they support the marriage. Yes, of course!  A gift presentation from the bride and groom to the parents followed. The presentation was very emotional. The couple also lit a candle in memory of the bride’s father Eddie who past away 2 years ago. It was an amazing outdoor wedding.

Wedding Traditions

Traditions are a big part of weddings. Charmaigne and Sam used traditions for both Filipino and Chinese weddings. They lit the unity candle, had the coin ceremony, performed a tea ceremony and were presented with gifts by the parents.

The Wedding Reception at the Ritz Carlton Hotel Half Moon Bay

During the luncheon reception it was obvious that parents, family members and friends were happy for Charmaigne and Sam’s marriage. Speeches and toasts started with the father of the groom, followed by the best man, matron of honor, the mother of the bride and ended with a wonderful thank you from Sam. The second part of the reception started with a slideshow in the adjacent room. The slideshow was full of memoires from the bride and groom and was enjoyed by all.

The day ended with dancing. The wedding couple started the party off with an elegant first dance. From there they asked all married couples join them on the dance floor. The couple that was married the longest were present with the bride’s bouquet. After the wedding formalities, the party began!

We ended after the guests left with taking the bride and groom out on the breathtaking property of the Ritz Carlton Hotel Half Moon Bay for some romantic wedding photos.