What should we name their wedding movie?

Leigh Anne and John had one of the most fun weddings I had ever been to. A simple, sweet backyard complete with whiskey for everyone followed up by great food and dancing at the San Mateo Historical Museum in Redwood City (just south of San Francisco if you don’t know). Then when I didn’t think it could get any better, an amazing belly dancing troupe enchanted the crowd with moves that are simply beyond words.

And now I need your help. With the magic of photoshop, we can make the Fox theater (which is right across the street from the museum), announce Leigh Anne and John’s movie. I’m looking for suggestions for the movie. Leave your suggestion(s) in the comments below. The winning title will be immortalized in the wedding photo.

What should we name Leigh Anne and John's wedding movie?

What should we name Leigh Anne and John's wedding movie?

San Francisco Wedding Celebration for Kat and Wency

Last month I met Kat and Wency in San Francisco’s Alamo Square for a wedding day photo session.  They got married at City Hall and wanted to celebrate that occasion with a photo shoot in Alamo Square and the lower haight.  I’d have to believe that San Francisco is one of the few places on Earth where you can get amazing skyline photographs and then walk a few blocks to get shots with a 10 foot tall psycho pink bunny.  We had a great time and got some seriously memorable photographs.

This month I joined them for a wedding celebration at Rouge on Polk Street with a hundred or so of their family members and close friends.  No psycho pink bunnies but there were great tacos from Nick’s Crispy Tacos and an amazing tower of cupcakes from the San Francisco Cup Cake Artists at That Takes the Cake.  Kat and Wency were in fine form and I have to say I loved seeing that they made t-shirts with photos from our earlier session.  There was a video with more then a few embarrassing moments and since Wency has trouble growing a mustache, the celebrated the hairy lip with chocolate mustaches and a game to guess historical figures that sported stashes.  But I think the highlight of the night was Kat singing her vows to Wency a-cappella.

Please join me in extending congrats to Kat and Wency for their fabulous and heart-felt wedding celebration.

Here are a few of my favorites.  Please leave a comment if you are so moved.  That makes them happy.

Wedding couple in Alamo square with parasol

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vintage wedding couple kissing at alamo square in San Francisco

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vintage wedding couple kissing in front of pink bunny in San Francisco's Lower Haight

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vintage brideposing in front of pink bunny in San Francisco's Lower Haight

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bride and groom kissing at shoe garden in San Francisco's Alamo Square

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Man with sticky on his back at wedding reception at Rouge in San Francisco

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boy with paper mustache at wedding reception at Rouge in San Francisco

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Bride and auntie at wedding party at wedding reception in San Francisco

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girl eating cupcake in front of cupcake tower at San Francisco wedding reception

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Boy and Girl dancing at wedding reception in San Francisco at Rouge

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Bride reciting vows at San Francisco wedding reception at Rouge nightclub

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groom kissing bride in t-shirts at San Francisco wedding reception at Rouge nightclub

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wedding couple with t-shirts from engagement session at San Francisco wedding reception at Rouge nightclub

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If a wedding is in your future (or someone’s that you know), I would love to talk with you.  I love to work with fun loving people that want a photographer to capture the beauty and soul of the day.

Reach me here.

Family Photographs with Molly and JB

Last week I was invited to photograph Molly and JB out at their Noe Valley Home.  The little ones are growing and their mom wanted photographs at this rambunctious age.  JB is a fun loving and eloquent 3 year old.  He showed me all around the house and helped me get Molly’s attention when needed.  Little Molly has about the biggest smile I’ve ever seen and is just on the verge of walking.  She does about everything she can to keep up with her oder brother and I’m pretty sure she will be running in no time.  The light in their home was beautiful and the kids did nothing but play and smile so the photos came out great.  After that was finished we went up to Walter P Hass park which has one of the most amazing views of San Francisco anywhere.  The kids loved being up their but it was a tad windy so our session there was cut a bit short.  Fortunately the kids were so cute and so much fun to photograph that we got more then enough great shots.

Thanks JB and Molly.  Have a great summer and I can wait to see you this fall.

Here are a my favorites.  Please vote on your favorite.  I’ll give them a copy of the most popular.  And do leave a comment if you are so moved.  They make the family happy.

Baby girl crawling in grass at San Francisco Park

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Boy running in San Francisco Park

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Boy smiling for photographs on bed

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Baby girl crawling in bedroom

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Girl smiling in her crib for family photographs

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Baby girl crawling in San Francisco Home

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Bother and Sister sitting chairs for family photographs

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Boy in a thinker pose in a San Francisco Home

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Baby girl smiling and crawling in San Francisco Home

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Boy sitting on stairs in San Francisco Home

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No time like the present for family photographs.

Book your session today.

Blog link:  http://jchandlerphotography.com/5933

Beautiful Naming Ceremony for Baby Megan

On Friday, I was asked to photograph a naming ceremony for client’s 1 week old daughter. Honestly, I had never been to a naming ceremony and I have to say it was a really moving experience. Family from around the country had flown to San Francisco to support Erica and Dana with the newest little one and to be appart of the ceremony. Just have to love family photographs with 4 generations and to see a family that so love each other. They put together a nice party complete with a gaggle of super cute friends of Alec – Megan’s older brother. During the ceremony, the Rabbi, Erica and Dana told the story of Megan’s name and what it meant to them and their family. The Rabbi described how the naming (and the raising of the baby) is a community effort. And with so many layers of her family present it was clear that Megan has been born into a incredibly loving community. And with today being father’s day, the entire ceremony was a great reminder of the power and the importance of family.

Thanks for inviting me Erica, Dana, Alec and Megan. I had a great time and I wish you the very best.

A few samples and please vote on your favorite. I’ll give the Rabb family an extra print of the most popular. And if you are so moved, leave a comment for the family at the bottom. Those are nice to read.

Sign saying Welcome Baby

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Mother, Father, son and newborn baby girl

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large family photo at naming ceremony in San Francisco

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Older brother kissing newborn baby sister at San Francisco Naming Ceremony-11

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Newborn baby girl sleeping at her naming ceremony in San Francisco

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new born girl looking at big brother

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Cousin playing at San Francisco Naming Ceremony

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Boy singing at naming ceremony in San Francisco home

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Grandmother holding newborn granddaughter in San Francisco home

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Great great grandfather smiling with champagne glass

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Rabbi toasting newborn girl at San Francisco Naming Ceremony

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Sharing Challah bread at San Francisco Naming Ceremony

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little boy and great-great grandfather at San Francisco Naming Ceremony

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Why not schedule a family session today?  They are great fun and a perfect way to capture memories especially when family is visiting from out of town.  Contact me to schedule a session and to get more information.

Blog link:  http://jchandlerphotography.com/5880

Sea Girt Family Beach Portraits


Boy standing on boggie board at the beach in Capitola

 

Joey Chandler Photography is headed to New Jersey

I’ll be in Sea Girt, NJ from June 30th – July 10th.

Available for Family portraits, Child photographs and Engagement pictures

Looking for Families and Couples in Sea Girt, Spring Lake, Manasquan, Brielle, Bay Head and other places in Monmouth County.

 

Your personality shines through at the beach. Your photos should show that.

Portrait Packages start at $500 and include digital files for printing.

SPECIAL: I will include a 6×6 album with 30 images for anyone that books a Bay Bridge or Golden Gate Package by 6/27

Contact me to set up a session

 

Family Running at Stinson Beach

Beautiful Girl at the Beach

Child Portrait at the Beach

Portrait of a girl on the beach in Aptos

Boy running in the water at a Beach in Aptos

Boy smiling on a beach in Aptos for a family photograph

Girl smiling for a family photograph on a hammock in Seagirt

Girl smiling on the beach at Seagirt for Family Photographs

Muni Station & Playground – perfect place for family photos

 

I got an email the other day that sounded perfect.  Not word for word, but the gist was “we have a crazy active two year old that loves the playground and trains.  We want family photographs.  Can you help us?”  ”For sure” I said and we set up a family portrait session at their San Francisco home.  And when I met Sara, Steve and little Rex at their San Francisco home I was ready to run but I had no idea how cute Rex was.  I walked in just as he was putting on his shoes and the doorway was just lit up by his big blue eyes and beautiful smile.  I grabbed my camera immediately and even before I said hello, I took a few shots that turned out to be some of the best child photographs that I have ever taken.  Probably could have left after 5 minutes but I figured that wouldn’t have been nice.  Rex was all fired up and lead us directly to the playground .   I chased him around the swings, slides and see-saws and we got some really nice photographs of him and the family in action.  Then we piled into the car and drove over to Rex’s home away from home – the West Portal Muni Station.  So much fun seeing him point out the buses and muni trains.  Nothing like the excitement of a two year old when he sees a train go by.

Thanks Sara, Steve and Rex.  I had a great time.  Good luck keeping up with the little one.  I’m sure he is only going to get faster and faster.

Here are a few of my favorites.  Please take a moment to vote on your favorite.  I send them an extra print of the most popular.

 

Beautiful boy smiling for family photographs in San Francisco

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Blonde Boy Clapping for Family Photography in San Francisco

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Father pushing son on swing during Family Portraits in San Francisco

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Mom kissing son during San Francisco family portraits

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Mother and son waiting for train at San Francisco Muni Station

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Husband and wife smiling for family portraits at San Francisco Muni Station

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Boy crying at San Francisco muni station

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Blonde boy running with toy car at San Francisco Muni Station

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Boy smiling with Parents at a Muni Station in San Francisco

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Family looking at trains at Muni Station in San Francisco

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Dad holding son upside down during family photographs in San Francisco

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I grow my business through the help of other people.  If you or someone you know would be interested family photographs like these, please contact me.  I promise to treat them well and extend my biggest thank you to you.

Blog link:  http://jchandlerphotography.com/5628

San Francisco Engagement Photographs – Erica and Nate

Love, love, love photographing people who are visiting San Francisco from some other place. Just gives a great feel to the entire day. Erica and Nate are moving out to the Bay Area from Pennsylvania this summer and were out looking at places (can you say “sticker shock”?). Their wedding is back home but they wanted to have a few engagement photographs from San Francisco. Both Erica and Nate love the outdoors so we started at the the Presidio woods and then finished at the iconic Baker Beach for a few photographs with the Golden Gate Bridge. As always the Presidio was beautiful. The light was gorgeous and with all the spring rain everything was super lush. A friend of their’s gave them Erich Segal’s “Love Story” as a memento. Spend just a few moments with Erica and Nate and you’ll realize that this was a perfect addition to their photographs. So we strolled around the presidio looking for light coming through the trees. Showing them this place that is really special to me was a lot of fun and the photographs game out great. We then drove over to Baker Beach. As we were going past the World War II Memorial in the Presidio, the sun was setting so we pulled over to get a few photographs of them walking in the trees. I’ve only ever driven by there and I was really happy to get a chance to photograph there.  Another lesser known beautiful place in San Francisco.  After a few shots there we ended up at Baker Beach.  Great fun but I have to say that I had never seen the water so high.  You probably can tell that Nate is definitely not the smallest man you’ll meet so it was fun to see him showing off his hops.

Congrats Erica and Nate with the engagement and wedding and I hope to see you again when you move here.

These are a few my favorites.  Take a moment to vote and I’ll send them an extra print of the most popular.

Photograph of Engaged couple hugging in San Francisco's Presidio

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Engagement Photograph of couple playing in San Francisco's Presidio

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Engagement Photograph of hugging couple in Presidio trees

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Engagement Photograph of couple with E Segal's Love Story

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Engagement Photograph of a tender moment in San Francisco's Presidio

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Couple kissing under trees for engagement photographs at the World War II Memorial

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Classic enagagement photograph of couple walking at Baker Beach-7

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Couple jumping for enagement photographs in San Francisco-1

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Engaged couple kissing at San Francisco's Baker Beach

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Engagement Photography smiles in San Francisco

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I grow my business almost entirely by word of mouth.  If you know someone that maybe interested in my wedding or engagement photography please let me know.  I will treat them great and give you a nice thank you present.

Blog link:  http://jchandlerphotography.com/5597

San Francisco BNI – Ace Networking Chapter Presentation

This week I had the opportunity to present to my San Francisco BNI Chapter about my photography business. Since I rarely speak to a group of people about the specifics of my business I was a bit nervous.  I decided to split the 10 minute presentation into two sections – the first was a bit about me and my work and the second was about picking a print size for a specific wall.  Next time I talk I’ll focus more on the education side rather then my story but since I’m new to the group I thought it was important to give the other 25 or so members at the meeting some back ground about myself.  I talked being in business since 2009 and how I focus on the relationships between people and apply that approach to weddings, families and even business headshots.  I highlighted my 5 star yelp rating and how I am recommended on most San Francisco parent groups like Mission Parents, Noe Valley Parents, Nopa Parents and the Golden Gate Mother’s Group.  But I figured my work was the best speaker for what I do so I showed them this:

The familiar face at the end is one of the members that I had photographed the day before.

For the second part of the presentation I did a demo of how I help clients size prints for their walls.  I wanted them to get a sense of the power that large prints have so showed them one of the 24″ x 36″ canvas prints of Lucius that I have hanging in my house.

 

Boy standing on boggie board at the beach in Capitola

 

Then I ran then through a short print sizing demo and showed them what a photo of Dale (the person I photographed) would look like in different sizes on a wall.  For the presentation I used a photo of his office but below is a sample from a stock gallery.

Sample portrait displayed in three sizes on a wall

I needed more time to show them all that can be done to really determine the best combination of photo and size but I think it was enough to give people the idea.  Overall all it was a great experience.  Always nice to have a challenge that is a little different then the normal day-to-day.

________________________

The BNI Ace Networking Chapter meets Thursday mornings at 7:15 at the Serrano Hotel – 405 Taylor St. (Near O’Farrell St) in San Francisco.  We are growing and looking for:

Florist
Aesthetician
Commercial Real Estate Leasing Agent/Sales Agent
Landscape Architect
Massage Therapist
Physical Therapist
Banker
Event Planner
Hair Stylist
Attorney – Bankruptcy

If you (or some one you know) do any of these professions and interested in taking a look at our group, then please give me a call.

 

 

 

Marin Center for the Arts Wedding – Melissa and Cappy

Last month, I had the great joy of photographing Melissa and Cappy at their fabulous wedding in Marin. They chose the Marin Center for the Arts (just north of San Francisco in the Marin Headlands) for their ceremony and it was spectacular. Just a perfect location for photographs, the ceremony and the celebration. I met Melissa a few hours early as she and her girls got ready. Bara K. did an awesome job with Melissa’s hair and make up and we had a great time. I loved Melissa’s rustic elegance for decorations with chalk boards directing everyone and the rocks for table settings. They were perfect choices to highlight the beauty of the Center. I loved when they saw each other for the first time. They both were so giddy with excitement as Melissa walked towards Cappy. That first hug is always a great moment. We had a bit of rain during the family and bridal party shots but that actually worked for the better as it forced us inside where we go some really great group shots. My favorite moment of the night was the impromptu toast that the bridal party did for Melissa and Cappy right before the ceremony. There was so much love and support in that room that it set the stage for a great night. The ceremony was sweet and fun – complete with a dog-delivery for the rings. Katie Powers Catering continued the rustic theme with a platters upon platters of amazing dishes served family style.   But a bear stole the show – Cappy’s men hired the Cal bear to make an appearance and the room exploded when he walked in an shared more then a few beers with the party.  The night ended with lots of dancing and laughs and minus a few shuttle bus technicalities it was a great evening.

Thank you so much Melissa and Cappy for a night full of love, friendship and fun.

 

 

A few of my favorites. Your vote gets them an additional print of the most popular.

Bride Laughing at the Marin Center for the Arts - San Francisco Wedding

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Bride and Groom's first look at Marin Center for the Arts - San Francisco Wedding

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Bride and groom walking at the Marin Center for the Arts - San Francisco Wedding

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Bridal Party - Marin Center for the Arts - San Francisco Wedding

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Bridal Party Toast - Marin Center for the Arts - San Francisco Wedding

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Wedding rings - Marin Center for the Arts - San Francisco Wedding

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Wedding Ceremony at Marin Center for the Arts - San Francisco Wedding

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Bride and Groom celebrating at Marin Center for the Arts - San Francisco Wedding

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Fire truck at wedding at Marin Center for the Arts - San Francisco Wedding

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Goodnight kiss at Marin Center for the Arts - San Francisco Wedding

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San Francisco Wedding – Alysse and Cody

I wrote about Alysse and Cody’s beautiful San Francisco engagement session a couple months back. That was a wonderful day so I knew that their wedding was going to be just gorgeous and it was. I met Alysse in Sausalito as she got ready with her mom, sisters and her best friends. Tara Brooks did a fabulous job with Alysse’s makeup and the room was alive with the joy and laughter of the bridesmaids getting ready.  We drove across the Golden Gate Bridge and out to Sutro Heights Park.  I’ve blogged about the beauty of Sutro Heights Park so I was really excited about the wedding.  It was a beautiful, if windy day and Cody and the crew did a great job of setting up the chairs and decorations.  They were planning for a short wedding but had a ton of family photos so we decided to do all the photographs ahead of time.  That plan worked out great.  They saw each other for first time along a nice wooded path and we played around the Sutro Heights Gazebo.  After a series of family shots we all went up to the buttress for drinks and cocktails.  Loved this schedule because it allowed everyone to relax and really enjoy the day.  At some point, the guests took their seats and the ceremony began.  Alysse was nothing but big smiles and she and her friends did a “Friends Forever” cheer just before she walked down the aisle.  I have to say, more then anything else, friendship was so present on that day.  They both clearly had strong friendships with many, many people and that made the day a perfect celebration.

Congrats Alysse and Cody – good luck in your new life together and thanks for letting me be apart of your special day.

 

And here are my favorites. Please vote on your favorite of these. They get an additional print of the most popular.

Wedding dress hanging in door way-San Francisco Wedding-Alysse and Cody

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Bride smiling in her makeup mirror-San Francisco Wedding-Alysse and Cody

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Bride smiling after putting on her wedding dress-San Francisco Wedding-Alysse and Cody

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Couple playing in Sutro Heights Gazebo - San Francisco Wedding - Alysse and Cody

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Sutro Heights Wedding flowers - San Francisco Wedding-Alysse and Cody

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Bride and Groom smiling at Sutro Heights - San Francisco Wedding - Alysse and Cody

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4 votes

Bride and Groom kissing under Sun Flare at Sutro Heights - San Francisco Wedding - Alysse and Cody

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Groomsmen pulling groom away from bride - San Francisco Wedding - Alysse and Cody

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Bride and Groom exchanging wedding vows at Sutro heights

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Bride and groom celebrating at Sutro Heights Wedding - San Francisco Wedding - Alysse and Cody

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Bride and Groom eating wedding cake - San Francisco Wedding - Alysse and Cody

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Bride throwing the bouquet at Sutro Heights- San Francisco Wedding - Alysse and Cody

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Bride and groom kissing at sunset at Sutro Heights - San Francisco Wedding - Alysse and Cody

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