I am very excited to share some photos today of Julie & Chris’ beautiful winter wedding at the Berkeley City Club. The day started off quite memorably as I arrived to the Claremont Hotel to photograph the bridal parties getting ready and the power went out due to heavy rains. Other guests were walking around the corridors with glow-sticks and flashlights while the ladies were trying to finish their hair and make up with very little light to see by! They made the most of it by drinking champagne and laughing it off. I was so impressed by Julie remaining so calm despite it all, and that her bridesmaids were all so supportive and positive, and that no one let it get them down.
Luckily soon after we all arrived to the Berkeley City Club to begin our first look photos the power magically came on and everyone was so relieved! Needless to say they held their ceremony indoors in a room downstairs, then everyone headed to the library for cocktail hour, and finally everyone got to see the beautiful ballroom where they ate dinner and danced the night away.
Because it was wet, we didn’t want Julie to go outside and risk ruining her lovely and delicate dress, which at first threw me for a loop because I had really hoped to take photos of them together in the beautiful courtyard. But luckily it was one of those moments where having a constraint forced me to think differently about the situation and in the end I am thrilled with how sweetly the portraits turned out below of them standing in the door frame, bathed in warm light coming from behind them, as something unexpected and just perfect.
Other highlights to look out for: their CHEESE-cake, for real though! A tower of wheels of cheese rather than traditional wedding cake. I’ve never seen that before and thought it was genius. Their best man and maid of honor gave incredible speeches, and trust me I’ve seen hundreds of them. Also, check out Julie’s killer jumpsuit she changed into later in the evening. The band really got people up and celebrating. And oh, I almost forgot to mention, their guests had a lot to celebrate because Julie & Chris have already spent ten years together. So it was one of those momentously happy occasions that their friends and family had been dying to experience for years.
A big congratulations to Julie & Chris on their gorgeous wedding and starting life as newlyweds!
Kudos to their awesome team of vendors who helped make their day a big success:
Venue & Catering: Berkeley City Club | Wedding Planning: Jenna Lawson | Florist: Lorena, Home Sweet Flowers | Cheese Wheel Cake: The Cheese School | Band: Busta Groove | Hair & Make-Up: Jenn Acierto | Photographer: Manali Anne Photography
