Lauren & Mauricio (or Lola & Mau Mau as they affectionately call each other) live right on Lombard Street in San Francisco, one of the area’s most iconic hilly streets. We started their session in their hill filled neighborhood and then captured them doing one of their favorite weekend activities – riding bikes at Fort Point! It was pretty dang cute! These two met on the dating app, Hinge (shout out to online dating once again!) and are getting married this Fall in Marin! I love that the Golden Gate Bridge was a part of their proposal as well, as Mauricio proposed at Baker Beach. Legend has it that a rainbow came out right after he popped the question! How sweet!! I can’t wait for their wedding day!

You know what? Things don’t always go as planned at weddings! GASP! And you know what else? That is OKAY because that’s how life is! Even though Elisa & Mike planned an outdoor late Spring wedding, San Francisco decided to deliver a big big rainstorm all day long. This couple handled that like champs! The two were so laid back and trusted us vendors to deliver our best anyway. There was even a moment that the party was threatened when the power went out for a few minutes! Thankfully, Kellyne of Hand & Heart Events was there all day to make each mishap literally disappear! It was amazing. In the end, we still got Elisa & Mike married and the day was absolutely more memorable for it and the photos still came out stunning! Thank you guys for rolling with the punches and being so wonderful!! Congrats!

Vendor Credits

Venue // Presidio Golf Course, San Francisco, CA

Planning + Design // Hand & Heart Events

Photos // Cheers Babe Photo

Floral // Sarah Padilla Designs

HMUA // Pins & Curls and Lip Service Artist

DJ + Photo Booth // Denon & Doyle

Dress // Pronovias

Suit // Bonobos

Bridesmaids Dresses // Show Me Your Mumu,  Dessy + Adrianna Papell

Rings // Padis Jewelry & Mist Fine Jewelry

YOU GUYS. Can you believe?! I had the massive privilege of capturing Kara & Zlaja’s destination wedding in Positano, Italy this May, just off the Amalfi Coast! It was so much fun getting to know these two first here in SF during their engagement session and then flying across the world to watch them tie the knot with their closest friends and family.

They chose the Villa san Giacomo to be the backdrop of their special day & lemme tell you, the villa did not disappoint. Not only were there amazing textures and details everywhere, the view was drop dead gorgeous – like, truly-take-your-breath-away-beautiful. Kara stunned in a champagne beaded Lazaro gown. One of my favorite touches was that the garden showcased 1000 paper cranes made by the bride herself to honor her Japanese heritage. Enjoy this beautiful wedding!

Vendor Credits

Venue // Villa san Giacomo

Photos // Cheers Babe Photo

Hair // Piero Mansi

Makeup // Amalfi Makeup

Paper Goods // Lichen Ink

Menus // Romey Hooper

Dress // Lazaro

Suit // Indochino

Claire & Brad or such troopers because we landed on Plan C (!!) location-wise for their engagement session! Between the crazy wind at the beach, & strict garden closure times, we ended up at a third option location, Golden Gate Park, for their session & they could not have been more relaxed about it. They rolled with the punches, kept calm the entire time & trusted me to do my thing regardless of the location & I could not be more grateful for that! They ended up with a totally sweet session after it all, too!!

These two cuties met through mutual friends of theirs (all of whom are endurance sports crazy) & after spotting each other at a couple group outings, they ended up spending the entire day together at Ironman Santa Rosa, went out together the next day & the rest is history! I cannot wait to capture their special day this August!

As soon as I saw Jasmin & Jon’s instagram profiles, I knew we’d get along. Let me explain … they are fellow wine lovers & it was clear they spend as much time as they can in Napa & Sonoma tasting wine and I just think that’s just about the best way to weekend!! They love it out there so much, they’ll be tying the knot this August in Rutherford & I cannot wait to capture all the festivities!!

In the meantime, enjoy their adorable Walnut Creek cactus garden engagement photos!

Bride’s Hair & Makeup by Carrie Aldous

Now THIS was a super fun wedding!! Carly + Bryant were surrounded by their closest friends and family all day for their beautiful wedding at the Sonoma Golf Club. Not only did Carly and her bridesmaids look like total supermodels, the couple’s joyful spirit could not have been more present throughout the day – their excitement just oozed out of them! Major thanks to Violet at The Makeup Dolls for beautifying the ladies, not to mention the backdrop of the hotel & venue were so stunning especially with the clean, crisp white floral arrangements by Vanda Floral Design. Carly & Bryant ended the evening with one EPIC dance party, so keep scrolling to catch all the fun memories from their day!!

Vendor Credits

Getting Ready Location // Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn

Wedding Venue // Sonoma Golf Club

Photos // Cheers Babe Photo

Planning + Coordination // Maryssa of Hannah Smith Events and Save The Date!

Floral // Vanda Floral Design

HMUA // The Makeup Dolls

Rentals // Encore Event Rentals + Bright Event Rentals

DJ // DJ Aykut

Invite // Minted

calligraphy + signage // Paper Supply Station + Pink Posies and Pearls

Dress // Jovani

Tux // The Black Tux

Bridesmaid Dresses // Lulus

Rings // SF Diamond Exchange

I just HAD to get this post up today because Becca & Brad are getting married tomorrow!! I can’t believe how quickly this day came. I’ve loved getting to know this sweet pair & their funny, set-up of a love story. We had so much fun roaming around downtown Los Gatos eating gelato, piggy back riding and laughing at each other’s dance moves for their engagement session – you’re gonna love it!

“the Japanese art of finding beauty within the imperfections of life and accepting the natural cycle of growth and decay — celebrating cracks, crevices and all other marks that time, weather and love leave behind”

For years, I’ve been drawn to this Japanese idea that things get more and more beautiful with age and wear.

When I shared this idea with planner, Kellyne of Hand & Heart Events, she immediately thought of a monochromatic shoot incorporating dried florals and pampas grass (hello, pretty!). For the tabletop decor, she chose handcrafted ceramics because she wanted to incorporate the imperfection that comes with handmade goods. Each plate has its own unique marks, color, and texture — embracing the idea that beauty can be found in asymmetry and imbalance. To nod to Japanese heritage and western custom, each setting was set with chopsticks and a fork and knife. For the custom cocktails, she chose two cocktail glasses that featured the traditional Japanese “Yari” pattern. This is a common technique used in Japanese glass making and refers to the weave pattern on the glass. We were even lucky enough to have a professional bartender create a custom cocktail using traditional Japanese whiskey and ingredients!

The stationery suite and paper goods were created by the very talented Stephanie of Bowerbird Atelier, who was inspired by natural textures, and used handmade paper overlaid with vellum for a romantic effect. Classic typography was paired with illustrations of cherry blossoms to symbolize spirituality, beauty and impermanence. The menu cards were embellished with blossoms embedded in pearlescent wax for an extra touch of natural elegance. She used broken pieces of neutral ceramic pottery for the place cards, embellished with a gold edge to mimic Kintsugi (the Japanese art of highlighting broken lines with real gold when fixing ceramics). This nod to the practice of the kintsugi tradition is also reflected on the stunning cake created by Natty Cakes.

The floral creations were the genius of Carrie from Boheme Tipi Events! She created a stunning asymmetrical ceremony altar anchored by a giant dried palm. Her hanging pampas grass installation above the table made the perfect wow-moment impact on the design. One of my favorite little details of this shoot is the way the accordion silk fabric of the bride’s dress mimics the fan palms used throughout the decor! The bride wore a gorgeous champagne diamond ring from Lauren Wolf Jewelry to match the monochrome look of the shoot. Scroll to the bottom to check out all of my talented collaborators – this was a fun one! Also head to 100 Layer Cake to see our feature!

Vendor Credits

Photography + Art Direction // Cheers Babe Photo

Planning, Styling + Decor // Hand & Heart Events

Paper Goods + Signage // Bowerbird Atelier

Floral Design // Boheme Tipi Events

Hair + Makeup // Beauty by Lia

Cake // Natty Cakes

Bar // John McKenna

Models // Hannah Tokuno & Alex via Stars Management 

Jewelry // Lauren Wolf Jewelry via Shop Esqueleto

Dress // Alexandra Grecco via Lovely Bride SF

Suit // Knot Standard

Hello again & happy Friday! Over the last couple of years I’ve seen some really exciting momentum in my business & so many business concepts finally “clicked” for me. Now, part of this I attribute to trial and error and showing up every day ready to learn. However, along the way I have read some extremely useful business books & I’d love to share them with you today! I try to read one business book every other month these days & that’s been an invaluable practice for my business. Continual learning has really become a core value of my business because things change so quickly these days & we can literally never know all the things! Here are some of the best books for business that I’ve read & would highly recommend to you!

disclosure: the links below are affiliate links, meaning at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

Business Books You Have to Read

click the book’s cover to grab it over on amazon!

 

Building a StoryBrand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen

This book is my NUMBER ONE recommendation to anyone running a business! After reading this book by Donald Miller, I literally added an entire new page on my website to clarify the message I was putting out into the world & it’s been a game changer! My favorite part of the book is when he talks about how to position your voice with your audience so that what you’re saying compels your ideal clients. Go buy this book now if you haven’t read it!

 

Creative Confidence: Unleashing the Creative Potential Within Us All

Co-Written by brothers Tom & David Kelley who founded the incredible design firm IDEO where they use creativity to solve major human problems and create positive impact for the world. Although this isn’t technically a business book, if you’re offer a creative service to clients like I do, you’re always trying to solve your client’s biggest problems and improve their experience. The problem is, doing that sometimes takes big risks and can be scary! This book dials down on basically how to think creatively and make bold, creative decisions.

 

Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business

 I’ll be honest – I’m actually only about halfway done with this book, but I HAVE to include it in this list because it’s already that good! As I look into the future of Cheers Babe Photo, I’m super excited to grow my team & this book talks all about how to do that well — all the way from how to hire & what to look for through day-to-day systems to put in place that both motivate your team and grow your business. Definitely pick up this book if you’re thinking about hiring!

 

This Is Marketing: You Can’t Be Seen Until You Learn to See

First of all, Seth Godin is like a business genius and has written many books that are worth reading. Most recently I read his book This is Marketing which talks both about how you should be approaching you marketing today as well as how you shouldn’t be, which is so useful! My favorite line in the whole book is about realizing that you’re not a good fit for every client and that is totally okay! — “When we find the empathy to say, “I’m sorry, this isn’t for you, here’s the phone number of my competitor,” then we also find the freedom to do work that matters.” – S.Godin

 

The Road Back to You: An Enneagram Journey to Self-Discovery

While obviously this isn’t actually a business book but a book about the enneagram, I’m including it in my business books list because as I dive deeper into the psychology tool that is the Enneagram typing system, the more empathy I gain for my couples as well as potential clients who end up going with someone else. If you’ve heard about the enneagram (yes, I know it’s trendy right now, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t great!), this book is a really great place to start & even determine your dominant type!

 

WorkParty: How to Create & Cultivate the Career of Your Dreams

Part business book & part-memoir by Jaclyn Johnson, the founder of ultra successful Create & Cultivate is a really fun & quick read. Hear her story, her mistakes, her triumphs and best advice for women running their own business today while remaining a healthy & taking care of yourself too!

 

What should I read next, babe?