Casa Real Winery Wedding

Sam and Summer’s Casa Real Winery Wedding in Livermore, California was one for the books. I photographed this sweet couple’s Half Moon Bay engagement session almost six months before their wedding and knew I would be looking forward to their wedding every week until it happened.

Their wedding started in the morning before the full preparations with a simple and sweet tea ceremony. Lots of good wishes and happy smiles with family were exchanged.

From there, we headed into the bridal room to get Summer dressed and into the foyer to get Sam in his jacket.

I love this image of Summer’s beautiful wedding dress against the solid doors of the venue.

She was a lucky girl (who wanted to be able to dance, too! haha) and she actually had two dresses. Both looked stunning on her. This simpler wedding dress was for the dancing and evening reception. 

But she wore her stunning high heels the whole day… and even danced in them!

I have raved over Summer’s Tiffany solitaire before – so classic and stunning – but I wanted to share this image with you today.
… And this one, too. I mean, come on! Isn’t this ring too pretty?! 

After capturing a few of the details, I spent some time with Summer and her bridesmaids, helping her get dressed and ready for the pictures and the ceremony. 

Summer unfortunately was not able to have her mother there to celebrate with her, but her best friends truly stepped in and were with her every step of the way.

And her best dog! <3 

Sam looked equally dapper getting ready for the ceremony. I love these strong images of him getting all suited up.

And then we headed outside where I snapped a few photos of Sam before he saw Summer for the first time. Strong and happy, this man is excited to see his beautiful bride.

I mean, how cute are they!? Love the twirl.

I loved Summer’s all white bouquet – it totally set off her beautiful dress and sweet personality.

Next we headed outside for a few quick portraits and sweet kisses before they were joined by their wedding party and immediate family.

Summer’s ladies looked so pretty in their soft pink bridesmaids dresses.

It got emotional pretty easily though. Definitely couldn’t have done life without these incredible ladies by her side.

Beautiful soft pink flowers to match the bridesmaid dresses.

Sam and his groomsmen looking dapper!

And a few more of Sam and Summer before we headed out to the beautiful vineyards at Casa Real at Ruby Hill Winery. Aren’t these two cute, hanging out under the kissing tree? <3 

Happiness is marrying your one and only.

Love these images we created in front of the vineyards. The winery is so beautiful, with the hills and endless sunshine. Fantastic location.

After the portraits, we headed back into the bridal room to cool off, enjoy a glass of champagne, and wait for guests to arrive and get settled.

The welcome room was impeccable, with images from their engagement session, beautiful flowers, and lovely and romantic candles.

The outdoor ceremony site at this venue is beautiful and Sam and Summer decorated it perfectly for their celebration.

Here’s Sam walking in with his Mom and Dad. So cute.

As usual, the ring bearer totally shined. What a cute little guy for the sweetest little job!

And then Summer took everybody’s breath away, coming down the aisle in her gown with her father. <3 

Beautiful. 

Yay! Happily married! Officially husband and wife! XO

We snagged a few photos of these two right after their ceremony (just on the fly) and then headed into cocktail hour to mingle with guests.

After cocktail hour, Summer changed dresses and as guests sat for dinner, we headed back into the vineyards for a few more portraits. I love these soft golden photos in Summer’s lovely soft reception dress. 

How cute is she!?

My favorite thing about these images is that the vines frame a heart around the couple. So cute!

Love these two.

Happiness. Seriously though. So cute.

And then we headed inside for their reception. The hall was done up beautifully and I love the way the lights looked like stars in the night sky above.

Instead of a cake, Sam and Summer opted for a delicious cupcake tower! Yum!

The toasts, done in three different languages (Chinese, Korean, and English), were heartfelt and touching. Even when I couldn’t understand exactly what was being said, I knew it was important because Summer was in happy tears. <3 

Probably the cutest part of the whole toast was when Sam gave a toast to Summer’s father (who speaks Korean only) IN Korean (Sam speaks only English and Chinese). He’d practiced for months leading up to the ceremony and it was such a powerful and loving gesture. There wasn’t a dry eye in the whole place.

The sweet choreographed first dance was the best. These two get each other and it was so clear in the way they moved together.
And then the dance party was a blast! Great music, tons of fun.

Sam and Summer, I adore you two. Thank you both so so much for having me along to celebrate and document your love. It was such an honor to be a part of your wedding day and a pleasure to see you two together. <3

For more weddings that I’ve photographed and blogged, see HERE. For engagement sessions, see HERE. To reach out for details on having me photograph your wedding day, see HERE.