Emily and Derek’s Woodside wedding was stunningly beautiful. I loved everything about this day, from when they got ready in the morning with their friends in the little room to the side of the wedding reception hall, to their burritos as wedding dinner appetizer (what started as a joke turned into something they *had* to have at their wedding! haha: loved it sooo much), to when they partied the night away under the stars, surrounded by their family and best friends. There was an open bar, there was a sweet first dance, there was a campfire under the oak trees: You can’t wish for much more than this kind of magical wedding day!
See their Pescadero Engagement photos right here and then read on for their wedding day story! xo
Before we even start with any of the “real” photos, I want to share a photo or two of Emily’s amazing engagement ring. I’m in love with the simplicity of it, the vintage feel, the gold band, the clasps that hold the diamond in… It’s absolutely stunning! Good work, Derek, good work.
The side view is also swoonworthy, no? So pretty!
Emily’s wedding dress is SO perfect for her. We snapped a few images of it on the beautiful glass doors in The Mountain Terrace’s bridal room and I gotta say I was impressed. It’s soft and flowing, but the beaded detail (more shots of that to come later), add some serious glam to the dress. Beautiful on the hangar, beautiful on Emily.
I also loved Em’s dress lined up next to all of her bridesmaids’ dresses. The deep, rich, flowing green was beautiful in such a nature focused venue and I really loved how they set off Emily’s wedding dress. So lovely.
Here’s Emily getting all did. Lucky gal – her sister is a professional at hair and make-up! Special thanks for the beautiful job on hair and make-up! Emily and the girls all looked beautiful all day.
It was an easy, team effort to get Emily into her dress.
Here she is getting zipped and buttoned up. It actually took her all of five minutes to put her dress on and then she just hung out, ready for the ceremony, looking excited and happy, and sipping a glass of champagne.
We couldn’t resist a few pretty bridal portraits in the doorway. How stunning is Emily’s hair against the deep red-ish color of the wood. You couldn’t have planned it better if you tried. Looking stunning, girl! xo
And then it was GO time! Here’s Emily and her father, looking absolutely radiant as he walked her down the aisle. Emily and Derek have actually known each other for TEN years! No wonder Emily’s dad looks so ready to hand her over. It was a big moment, but he just KNEW he was putting Emily in great hands.
The Mountain Terrace is a beautiful place for a wedding if you want to get married under the redwoods with a view of the whole entire San Francisco Bay… (I mean, who wouldn’t?!)
It was Derek’s parents’ anniversary on Saturday as well! As a part of the ceremony, his mom, who was SUCH a help during the getting ready and morning portion of the wedding (and all night, too!), stood up and spoke about love and marriage, from her experience and what she hopes for the two of them. It was a really emotional moment and all of her words came right from the heart. Ten seconds in and everybody was already in happy tears (yep, including me).
Derek was so happy to marry his beautiful bride!
Look at that happy girl! The ceremony had a really great combo of beautiful, touching moments, and light hearted, laughter filled moments. It’s the best when you get a bit of both!
Officially husband and wife!
Since Emily and Derek opted not to see each other before the wedding, we did all of the bridal party and family portraits right after the ceremony. It was a welcome change for me, especially since it meant we got to take advantage of beautiful, soft, afternoon light!
I love these images of Emily with her girls.
Aren’t those dresses absolutely stunning!? I was swooning over them all afternoon and evening.
A few quick family portraits, also in this pretty, soft light. I’ve been making an effort to share more family photos on the blog here. I didn’t used to, but they’re actually one of my favorite parts of the day and some of the images that my couples and their families are most likely to keep on display for many years to come.
Looking sharp, gentlemen!
See the gold chain? Derek’s mom gifted him a pocket watch for his wedding and it was truly the perfect accessory for the day!
Here’s the entire bridal party, looking sharp. They were SUCH a great team to have there as support for Derek and Emily – truly a group of friends who are their champions, best friends, supporters, and are also really good at making them laugh! The best.
This is probably my favorite image of all of them. So relaxed, so happy. This was a really good day and everybody knows it!
I loved the bridesmaids flowers! So wild and whimsical. They looked really good with the deep green dresses. Really really good.
When we finished images with the bridal party, we headed into portraits of Derek and Emily. We were so happy to have all of the space at the beautiful venue and so excited to work with the dreamy couple and lovely, golden light of this Fall afternoon.
I don’t usually go for a ton of dramatic light in portraits, but this one was stunning and remains one of my favorite portraits of Derek and Emily on their wedding day.
Although with the redwood trees and this magic, golden sunlight…. These portraits are totally MAGIC. Don’t they look lit up by rays of good fortune?! Yep. The answer is yes.
Emily, looking absolutely radiant on her wedding day. Girl, you are so beautiful! (Also, I’ve never seen anybody with such beautiful red hair! Dramatic and a totally successful statement. I love it!
Such a pretty bouquet, too! I love the eucalyptus, the bright pops of red from the dahlias, and the soft cream of the roses. It all comes together and sets off her lovely dress perfectly.
And here’s Derek, looking sharp as ever and SO happy. Have you ever seen a man so happy as this on his wedding day? I think not. He truly knows what a wonderful and beautiful human being his wife is.
Loved this sunset light. Looking good, you two! xo
Here’s that detail on Emily’s dress… OMG. <3
A little bit more beautiful light and they are off to their party!
Cocktail hour was a blast. Guests enjoyed chips and salsa as an appetizer and watched the sunset over the bay and through the redwood trees.
Hi, team!
… Mexican food for dinner! It was SO good! Served buffet style, nobody went home hungry. (They also had burritos to go. You can never have enough bean and cheese burritos.)
The Mountain Terrace wedding site has a really good view and it looked absolutely fantastic at sunset.
The toasts, as guests finished up dinner, we really sweet and touching. And then Emily and Derek got up, too. I love when a couple toasts their friends and families… and to hear Emily and Derek gush over what a fantastic, perfect day they were having really made me happy.
Beautiful couple! <3
Here’s the venue as the sun went down and guests headed inside to start the party party!
There was a beautiful, “naked” cake. I loved the layers and the fact that it was decorated with the same prettiness that made up Emily’s bouquet! So great.
Such a sweet first dance.
And a sweet moment as her sister and dear friends watched.
So romantic.
And then the sun went down, the music came up and guests partied all evening. There’s also a great fire pit on the property and the weather was lovely out. Between dancing or for those more interested in great conversation, it was a wonderful spot to hang out in the evening and talk the night away. (This fire pit is one thing that I really really love about a Mountain Terrace wedding!)
Derek and Emily, thank you SO much for having me there as a part of your day. You two are absolutely wonderful, such a lot of fun to hang out with, and some of the most happy and relaxed people I have had the pleasure to work with this year. It was an absolute honor to work with you and I hope we stay in touch for many years! xo
See Derek & Emily’s beautiful Pescadero engagement session right HERE and more weddings that I’ve photographed before and after their right HERE.
Vendors: Photography – Simone Anne Photography, Venue – The Mountain Terrace
See more weddings I’ve photographed right HERE and see Info + FAQ about having me photograph YOUR wedding right HERE.