Vivas Family - San Francisco, CA - Mission District/Bernal Heights Engagement/Family Session

When we first met Jasmine and Chris about their wedding day, they made it abundantly clear that San Francisco was going to feature prominently in their day. Their venues of Mission Delores Basilica and The Social Hall were chosen specifically to speak to this vibe as an expression of the pride they have as native San Franciscans. That same sensibility featured prominently when we discussed the plan for their engagement session, it only made sense that we’d explore Bernal Heights and The Mission District, where Jasmine and Chris grew up, respectively.

We were excited to visit both places for all the texture of Clarion Alley and the vistas from Bernal Heights Park that were made all the more special because both places symbolized important times in their lives. We were also glad that we got to meet and work with their son Carter, making this a special “hybrid” engagement/family session. We loved the energy and attitude that the whole family brought to our time with them, from being able to look great together in a shot to being able let loose a bit just going down a sidewalk. We loved their style and appreciated their verve.

The shoot was a ton of fun, starting at the apartments where Christ grew up, and then exploring nearby murals and street art. The Mission District didn’t disappoint and gave us awesome color and light to work with on the Fall Sunday we met with them. When we took a break from the family time to shoot just mom and dad, we loved how they could seamlessly turn it on for us — definitely a set of cool parents. We appreciated that everyone was so comfortable working with us, and the whole shoot just felt like hanging out with old friends. In that vein, as we made our way up to Bernal Heights park, we all felt like we needed a snack, and Chris was nice enough to introduce us to the life-changing Torres Truffle Potato Chips; we really can’t thank him enough!

We closed our time with the Vivas taking in the the southern vistas of The City right around a beautiful sunset and getting a family silhouette at the top of the hill of the park. Those shocks struck us as a great conclusion to our time with them, embodying their brand of San Francisco radness.

Much more from Jasmine, Chris, and Carter from the actual wedding day, stay tuned!

Janelle+Danny - Los Banos, CA - Visionary Events & Design Wedding

At this point, there isn’t much for us to say that we haven’t said already about Janelle and Danny — from their engagement shoot in a gown and suit on the beach, to their can’t-get-enough-casual session in San Francisco, we’ve found them not only to be wonderful customers, but grown together as friends and creative partners. In retrospect, it was an inevitability as we spent time with them, considering that they are both incredibly gracious people, and that they are creative mind and custom fabrication behind Visionary Events and Design, respectively.

Janelle and Danny have been working towards Gatsby-styled day for the better part of two years, and it shows — from their awesome custom acrylic invitations, ceremony decor, guest seating board, and custom-fabricated Deco feather centerpieces, their flare for the dramatic and creativity were on full display.  There was so much more, and only then do you get to mention the suite of guest entertainment in the form of trapeze artists, bubble contortionists, champagne-skirted drink server, incredible Bachata performers from In Essence Dance and fantastic Samba dancers from Amore do Samba.

That said, what made their day stand out were Janelle and Danny themselves, and the love and style we’ve been lucky to help them express over the past year of working together.  There was a bit of hustle to get the day going, but once suited, booted, and gowned, that all quickly melted away into complete focus on their day and life ahead.  This sentiment trickled down from them to their entire wedding party, and indeed their crowd of friends and family.  Despite being an event of about three hundred guests, we were struck by how intimate and emotionally connected the entire party seemed to be, and we were lucky to get caught up in it.  

Their ceremony was marked by a dramatic entrances by Janelle and Danny, the former arriving in a horse-drawn carriage before meeting her parents for the final few feet to the alter to meet Danny. As the ceremony progressed, the crowd fell into emotional lock step as they hung on every word of their vows, and watched them seal their marriage with their kiss. It was all joy from then on, continuing the day with a great reception. The entrances of their bridal entourage were appropriately grand, but Janelle and Danny topped them all themselves, with a high energy dance routine that started in warm-ups and ended in Bachata unitards and slacks. Heartfelt toasts from their friends and family were listened to with rapt attention peppered with applause that would come just at the right time for each speaker.

As the night progressed, it became apparent that Janelle and Danny is THAT couple who are great hosts, with a lead in Janelle and Danny as the heavy-lifting backbone who makes the hard stuff happen.  Together, it only made sense that they start their dance party with Samba dancers, continuing to a surprise dance by Danny and his guys, and ended with a great DJ and taco truck.

We could go on and on about this event and the people at its center, but just know that Janelle and Danny are meant to be together — they were able to make their own day the party of the year, so we can only be excited to see what they make in the future (I mean, he’s already traded in the Camaro for much more practical transport, ;-) )

Congratulations to Janelle + Danny — we’re proud to be a part of their production.

Wedding Planning/Concept/Fabrication @Visionary Events and Design || Day-of Coordination Jennifer Pham (@Jennifer_Smittenkiss) of Smittenkiss Weddings and Events (@smittenkissweddings_events) || Makeup Pang Thor (@PangFouaThor) || Hair Marlene.C (@Mars_Luvvvsu) || Gown from Flares Bridal || Her Shoes Badgley Mischka (@BadgleyMischka) || His Shoes Christian Louboutin (@LouboutinWorld)|| Second || DJ/MC/Lighting/Dancefloor Ace Entertainment (@ace.ent.bayarea) || Bachata In Essence Dance Co. (@inessencedanceco) || Samba Dancers Amor Do Samba (@AmorDoSamba) || Circus Performers Mezzanine Beecomb Circus Arts (@mezzanine_beecomb_circus_arts) || Second Photographer Reggie Ballesteros (@reggiebphoto)

Whitney+Noel - San Francisco, CA - SoMa, Yerba Buena Gardens Engagement

Noel proposed to Whitney shortly after embarking on a cruise through the Caribbean with some of their closest friends demonstrating a spontaneity and verve that we've come to know as distinctly them.  We first met them at our favorite San Francisco Design District happy hour at Skool, and unbeknownst to us, we were already just adjacent to their reception venue at the SF Design Center.  Upon hearing of their choice of venue, it made a lot of sense; these are a couple of Bay Area kids with impeccable style, so it only made sense that their wedding venue would reflect the same.  

When it came time for their engagement session, we were into their stylish outfits that struck us as both distinct but complementary to the other in an undeniably cool way.  Noel’s ensemble from Express and Whitney’s BCBGeneration fall colored tea party length print dress and killer ankle strap heels marked their slick style.  They wanted modern and clean with a unique city vibe so they decided to explore Yerba Buena Gardens and its surrounding SoMa neighborhood with us.  Shooting them was a breeze because they were able to channel their inner Beyoncés (hey, guys can learn from Queen Bey, too!) but also pivot to being just about the sweetest couple ever.  They were electric on camera contrary to their warnings when we met them at Skool, only giving us more reasons to never believe our clients they say they’re awkward/weird together. 

More than anything, we just loved being with them; they made us feel like old friends and collaborators taking our ideas and adding their own edge.  We really appreciated their trust in our ideas; one example would be the title image to this blog, when we had to get Noel to snuggle tight into Whitney’s neck and kiss her.  No problem at home, but you know, in the middle of San Francisco and some leery eyes, it was a bit of a performance they had to concentrate and tap into some sort of mental fortitude to pull off for us.  Newflash, it totally worked.

We loved our evening with Whitney and Noel, and are looking forward to their special day soon.  We can’t thank them enough for bringing us into their fold and gracing us with their spirit and style.  Congrats guys!