I was thrilled when Rachel reached out about her Palm Springs destination wedding! At the time, Rachel was working on the accounting team at a jewelry startup here in San Francisco that I collaborate with regularly for their campaign photos. She & Steve aren’t the traditional type and really wanted their wedding day to feel more like a vacation for their guests – how cool is that? Palm Springs was an easy choice for them as they began the search as it’s a special place that they’d traveled to for vacation and they wanted their friends & family to experience a little bit of that desert magic!

The day of was so laid back, casual and fun and the weather was seriously perfect! Believe me, it can get HOT in Palm Springs, but if you wait till late October it’s so gorgeous out! One of my favorite laugh-out-loud moments was when Rachel entered the ceremony from the top of the staircase to Dr. Dre’s The Next Episode and when she got to the top of the aisle said “sorry, Mom!”. I just loved how R & S captured their personalities and relaxed style throughout the whole day – everything was perfect! There was also a pretty dang epic dance party underneath the stars that night. Enjoy these photos!

getting ready

first look

ceremony

the happy couple

cocktail hour

reception

credits

Photos | Cheers Babe Photo

Second Shooter | Jessica Castro

Venue | The O’Donnell House, Palm Springs, CA

Coordination | The Events Department

Floral | David Rohr Studio

Rentals | Signature Party Rentals + La Tavola Linen

HMUA | Mobile Bridal

Dress | BHLDN

Suit | Indochino

Rings | Anna Sheffield

 

planning your wedding?

Inquire HERE today and reserve your date before it’s too late!

I met Chelsea as a bridesmaid at another wedding – an organized and totally attentive bridesmaid at that, who was also partially responsible for the design & beauty of the day. I can only imagine what she & James are cooking up for their special day here in San Francisco next May.

We started their engagement session on the secret rooftop of their apartment in the Marina & then headed to Fort Point for some photos near the Golden Gate bridge. We finished off with some pizza and beer at their favorite local spot, Final Final – a family owned sports bar. I’m still heart eyes over this session at some of the places that are most special to Chelsea & James. This shoot is classically San Francisco and so authentic to who these two are and their journey as a couple here in SF. Can’t wait to celebrate them & see where their adventures take them next!

Cheers!

book your engagement session today!

contact jess

Oh my goodness, Sara & Brent’s Sebastopol wedding was confirmation for me that you can’t beat Fall in wine country. The gorgeous fall colored trees on the front drive and throughout the vineyards were just breathtaking! More importantly, S + B’s wedding was full of family and love you could feel all day. Brent’s vows to Sara were some of the best I’ve ever heard – such a tender spirit in that guy! I loved that they carried on an old family tradition of exchanging roses at the ceremony in place of a unity ritual. Personal touches really made the day feel extra special.

story time!

The road to the altar was not paved in gold for these two. About 2 months after they booked me for their September wedding, they received a letter from their venue that they were being shut down by the city for noise & traffic complaints. We are talking 6 months before their wine country wedding (venues out here book up 12-18 months in advance typically) they had to find a new place to be married! Can you say panic!? I got the news & immediately sent them a bottle of bubbly because real talk: these major setbacks can happen when you’re planning a wedding, but you have to remember that you’re engaged, which is awesome, & that alone is worth celebrating!

But anyway, Sara & Brent handled the situation like total champs & found a new venue in just a couple of weeks. They ended up getting married in October (PTL I was available on the plan B date! phew!) and the day could not have been smoother. Be sure to check out their lovely engagement session HERE too! I just adore these two & wish them the happiest life & marriage!

credits

Photos // Jess of Cheers Babe Photo

Second Shooter // Zoe Larkin for Cheers Babe Photo

Venue // Vine Hill House, Sebastopol, California

Floral // Natalie Alice Floral Design

Hair & Makeup // Devotion Studios

Rentals // Encore Events Rentals

Video // Newlywed Cinema

DJ //AMS Entertainment

Live Music // Justin Diaz

Dress // Pronovias

Bridesmaid Dresses // I Heart Azazie

Suit // Suit Supply

Holy cow – you guys are literally going to FLIP when you see how cute Jillian & Justin are! These two were introduced [*cough* set up?] by Jillian’s Aunt who was Justin’s co-worker at the time. The pair was engaged this summer in Jamaica, how fun is that!? Pretty epic.

We began their session at the iconic Palace of Fine Arts in the presidio of San Francisco, then headed to Baker Beach to catch the sunset near the bridge! Be sure to catch Justin’s ACTUAL backflip at the beach! These two are planning one heck of a wedding party & I cannot wait to capture it all next August. Cheers to J&J!

Palace of Fine Arts

Baker Beach

Engaged?

Inquire HERE about your engagement photos! I’m available in the Bay Area & Los Angeles!

Okay, story time! First things first, the second Jessi’s inquiry came through to my inbox I was so excited! See, I went by Jessi for years as a kid – spelled just like that with no “e” at the end. Kindred spirits already! Then on top of that, I found out she & her fiancé Craig are friends of friends of mine & Chris’! We got to meet them at our friend’s wedding just a couple weeks later.

For their engagement photos, we started the session at the spot where Craig proposed – a classic SF corner with a view a.k.a. “their spot”. Then we walked around North Beach during golden hour! Jessi & Craig’s Fall wedding next year is going to be SO much fun & I cannot wait for the major party these two are throwing!!

When Gaetano & his brother reached out about his proposal to Erica during their trip along the California coast, I could not contain my excitement! Erica & Gaetano live in Toronto and were making a trip along the coast all the way from San Diego up through the Bay. Gaetano wanted to propose with the beautiful golden gate bridge as the backdrop, which was so lovely!

We tricked Erica by telling her we were just doing a photo session to capture this leg of their trip (the two have hired a photographer on vacations in the past, so this wasn’t out of the ordinary for them!). Little did she know that Gaetano had a surprise for her down on the beach! Her surprised reaction was so pure & exciting to capture! We even got so lucky because the beach was totally empty that evening and they had the space to themselves. Please enjoy these precious & exciting moments!

Planning on proposing soon? Email me so we can make a surprise plan!

Céline & John are the two cutest & sweetest Canadians living in SF and their Presidio engagement session was to die for! The two met when they were living in Montreal and John even proposed right outside the Parliament building (in the freezing snowy weather!) where they first met. SWOON!

Please enjoy these beautiful images that capture Céline & John’s love story as we wandered through the Presidio and enjoyed the sunset at Baker Beach. Cheers babes!

Credits

Photos by Cheers Babe Photo

Hair & Makeup by The Makeup Dolls

Sara + Brent had an absolutely lovely engagement session! We started at the Legion of Honor Museum in SF (this place gives me major Paris vibes & I love it!) and then drove across the bridge for drinks and sunset at the Sausalito docks. I can’t wait to photograph their wedding in Sebastopol!

Ohhhhh my goodness gracious, Jordan & Austin’s wedding was 😍😍😍! Yeah — I don’t even have words!

These two sweethearts had such a meaningful wedding day and I had all the feels all day long. The amount of work that Jordan (the stunning bride), her mom & many people around her was astounding from hand-dyed napkins, foraged pampas grass and custom signage. It was incredible, babes. Just wait to you see her dress! AH! I die.

Also, who knew there were gorgeous redwood parks in Oakland? Hello Piedmont Community Hall – I see you! I hope you all enjoy these precious images and don’t forget to check out Jordan & Austin’s engagement session as well!

Credits

Venue | Piedmont Community Hall

Photos | Cheers Babe Photo

Coordination | JL Events

Floral | Fresh Petals

Rentals | Stuart Event Rentals

HMUA | Bay Area Beautiful

Photo booth | Penny the Photo Lounge

DJ | DJ Meghan of Heart of Gold DJs

Ice Cream | Fenton’s Creamery

Dress | BHLDN