Wedding and Reception: Wonder Valley Resort
DJ & Video: TNT

Lindsey and Chris were married at the beautiful Wonder Valley Resort in Sanger, California. With both of them growing up in the foothills, this location was perfect for their wedding day. Surrounded by hills, the resort was a wonderful destination for everyone to enjoy the weekend and celebrate with Lindsey and Chris. Their wedding day was full of unique touches including Lindsey’s purple bling wedding shoes, monarch butterflies release, sand ceremony and horse and carriage ride after the ceremony. These high school sweethearts celebrated late into the night surrounded by family and friends. Congratulations Lindsey and Chris!

Ceremony: Yosemite Chapel
Reception: Yosemite Lodge Cliff Room
Floral: Sweet Pickins
DJ: Dancing Sky

We first met Lori and Bob up at Glacier Point in Yosemite the morning of their wedding day. They had been camping in Yosemite Valley with their families and snuck away for a pre-wedding photo session. They were full of love and laughter and we could see such a fun connection between the two of them. Their wedding was an intimate event with close family and friends and the ceremony centered around their children and the uniting of two families. Following the wedding, everyone enjoyed a dinner reception at the Yosemite Lodge Cliff Room. Congratulations Lori and Bob!

Ceremony & Reception: The Ahwahnee Hotel
Hair & Makeup: Bellissimo Brides
Floral Design: Natalie Galasso Designs
DJ: Sierra DJ
Ceremony Musicians: Sierra Entertainment
Ring Bearer Bowl: Paloma’s Nest

Emily & Matthew’s wedding at The Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite was one that featured simple elegance. Their theme revolved around the idea of “Simple Gifts,” which was the song they walked down the aisle to. Their ceremony was personalized with a reading from the “Velveteen Rabbit” and was officiated by the bride’s sister. Their wedding rings (sitting in ceramic ring bearer bowl) were passed around during the ceremony to give every guest an opportunity to bless the union. Personal touches were also part of the reception decor. Emily’s Great-Grandmother’s beautiful glassware was used in the floral centerpieces, wedding favors were homemade strawberry jam and guests signed their well wishes on antique Yosemite postcards at the guest book station. The wedding also featured Thomas Kemper Ginger Ale as a signature drink, guests and the wedding party wore crazy, colorful shoes and an adorable hand-made peg doll was their unique cake topper. Everything about the wedding had a sweet, relaxed and loving atmosphere to it, matching Emily and Matt’s friendliness. Of course, the fun and crazy side came out the minute Emily and her bridesmaids hit the dance floor. These former show choir singers danced and sang the night away! It was the only wedding we’ve shot that ended with everyone singing along to Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody. Congratulations Emily and Matt!

Wishing you peace and love this holiday season!
-Johnny & Cindy

Ceremony, Reception & Lodging: Paradise Springs
Hair & Makeup: Bellissimo Brides
Floral Design: Sweet Dreams Wedding Flowers
Cake: Sweet Dreams Cakery
Catering: Yosemite Catering
DJ & Emcee: Yosemite Entertainment

Tristan and Keith’s wedding weekend was held at Paradise Springs near Oakhurst. It was a logging camp in the early 1900′s and later became a church camp in the 1960′s. The property is now renovated with a variety of cabins and modern/rustic event space. It was the perfect location for their wedding weekend. The festivities kicked off with a rehearsal and bbq. After the tri-tip was devoured, an impromptu wedding party volleyball game took center stage. The evening continued with dancing and line dancing lessons. On the wedding day, we went to nearby Nelder Grove (a grove of Giant Sequoias) for Tristan and Keith’s first look. It was such a beautiful and serene location to start the day. Both Tristan and Keith are locals to the area, so it was really meaningful to have the wedding in the mountain area. We returned to Paradise Springs for the ceremony, held on the deck of the Emerald Pond. Their reception featured colorful decor accented with butterflies, green apples and other hand-picked accessories. The celebration and dancing lasted late into the night. Congratulations Tristan and Keith!

Ceremony & Reception: The Ahwahnee Hotel
Hair & Makeup: Bellissimo Brides
Floral Design: Natalie Galasso Designs
Event Planner: Eventful Events, Inc.
Ceremony Music and Live Band: Yosemite Entertainment/Larkspur

Shannon and Mark had a beautiful and elegant summer wedding at The Ahwahnee Hotel. The morning started in the Presidential Suite, where Shannon and her bridesmaids made their wedding day preparations. The ceremony site on The Ahwahnee’s wedding lawn with the perfect view of Yosemite Falls. Beautiful decor, floral and gold Chiavari chairs were brought in to accent the gorgeous landscape. Shannon and Mark’s ceremony was full of so much joy as they celebrated with family and friends. Shannon beamed as she came down the aisle. The reception was held in the Solarium of The Ahwahnee, which was decorated in navy and gold with lovely custom linens and flowers. The cake topper was a specialty figurine of Shannon and Mark hiking in their wedding clothes. We’re sure that on any other day in Yosemite, they would be out hiking or biking the trails. They celebrated into the evening with festivities including dinner and toasts and a live band. Congratulations Shannon and Mark!

Ceremony: Glacier Point
Lodging: The Redwoods
Reception: The Ahwahnee Hotel, Mural Room
Floral Design and Reception Decor: Addy Rose Wedding & Event Design
Cellist: David Huebner

With a love for the high country (Deanna and Jeremy are from Mammoth Lakes and we did their e-session on Tioga Pass), not even the late season storms could keep them from a dream wedding day. The day before the wedding it snowed and the week before the road had just opened for the season. On the wedding day, though, the sun broke out in the morning and provided a crisp blue sky with dramatic clouds and a stunning view of snow on the peaks. The morning started at Wawona, where we did some portraits at the Pioneer Village before heading up to Glacier Point. They had a very intimate ceremony attended by close family and friends and officiated by Jeremy’s father. The ceremony was accompanied by beautiful cello music played by their favorite Mammoth musician. Their reception at The Ahwahnee Hotel’s Mural Room was very elegant. Custom linens, decorated with antique Yosemite postcards, pine cones, china and floral covered the tables that were arranged in a c-shape. It provided a very classy and intimate setting for the guests to enjoy dinner, toasts and the cake. Congratulations Deanna and Jeremy!

Ceremony & Reception: The Ahwahnee Hotel
Hair & Makeup: Bellissimo Brides
Floral Design: Natalie Galasso Designs

Zara and Bryan brought some Hollywood-style flair to their intimate wedding at The Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite. They were married on the East Terrace of The Ahwahnee Hotel with a dinner reception following in the historical Mural Room. We knew their wedding would have creative and unique touches. They both work in the creative field and are avid cyclists (they went on a cycling Honey moon through Europe). Everything at their wedding had an individual flair, from Zara’s “succulent” bouquet and gorgeous Alfred Angelo gown to Bryan’s TOMS shoes. For a different twist, they requested a night-time photo session after the reception. It was fun to find new corners of the hotel for some dramatic photos. Congratulations Zara and Bryan!

Ceremony: Sentinel Beach, Yosemite National Park
Reception: Cedar Lodge
Catering: Yosemite Catering
Bouquets & Cake: Sweet Dreams Cake & Flowers
Ceremony Musicians: Yosemite Entertainment
Wedding Coordination & Decor: Stacey Velazquez
DJ: Sound Express

Like many girls, Nicole has dreamed of her wedding since she was a little girl. Instead of a castle and carriage, though, Half Dome and waterfalls were always in her dream. Thankfully, Mike shares a love for Yosemite, too, and they visit frequently to hike. Sentinel Beach was a prefect location for their intimate ceremony with family and friends. Catching a sunny day right before a late spring storm, we were fortunate to have Yosemite Falls full of runoff in the background and a dusting of snow on the higher peaks. The wedding day started at Cedar Lodge where Nicole and Mike had their first look right by the river. With a crowd of friends and family to cheer them on, Nicole couldn’t hold back her happy tears. The happy tears resurfaced during their ceremony, where they exchanged vows and did a touching rose ceremony. After portrait time in Yosemite we headed back to Cedar Lodge where a larger gathering of guests were waiting to celebrate with the newlyweds. A video of the ceremony was shown for guests and the evening was full of dinner and dancing. Nicole and Mike had so much fun energy and love for each other.

Ceremony and Reception: Wolf Lakes Park
Ceremony Musicians: Philharmonia Strings
Florist: Tulip Design Studio, Rachel Sullivan
Baker: Gourmet Desserts & Wedding Cakes, Shelly Wade
DJ: AMS Entertainment
Hair – Zep Andelian
Makeup – Jennifer Link

Andrea and Bill couldn’t have picked a more beautiful weekend for their wedding at Wolf Lakes. They flew in from New York where it was snowy and cold and were greeted with a sunny spring day with lovely blue skies. Their ceremony was held at the Garden Pavilion at Wolf Lakes, which was full of blooming flowers. Andrea looked so beautiful in her ivory gown and birdcage veil and she had the cutest blue bridal shoes ever! Her wedding decor was a lovebird theme with table numbers named after birds of Central Park. Surrounded by friends and family, their wedding was full of so much love. Congratulations Andie and Bill!