A Love Letter to Oakland (In Wedding Form)

Shannon, Communications Coordinator for a higher education policy and research nonprofit & Fernando, College Success Coordinator

ONE SENTENCE SUM-UP OF THE WEDDING VIBE: 

A love letter to us, our friends and family, and the place that we call home.

SOUNDTRACK FOR READING:
Bloc Party’s “This Modern Love”


OTHER COOL STUFF WE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT

Fernando and I met in college at the University of California, San Diego, and moved to the Bay Area shortly after graduation. We’ve lived in the East Bay and Oakland ever since, and wanted to make sure that our wedding day was a love letter to us, our friends and family, and the place that we call home.

One of our first adventures in Oakland involved Fernando sweet-talking a security guard into letting us tour the Cathedral of Christ the Light (our amazing ceremony venue) before it was open to the public, and we connected with the space instantly. Fast-forward seven years, we knew that that’s where we wanted to marry. We wanted to show our guests the beauty of Oakland and knew the Cathedral would take our guests’ breath away.

My bridesmaids and I got ready at the Waterfront, a Joie de Vivre hotel, in Oakland’s historic Jack London Square, and the Waterfront not only kept their hotel bar open to our guests well past their normal close time the night of, they let us use the hotel lobby until the wee hours of the morning where my husband, guests, and I drank champagne, laughed, watched the sunrise together.

I considered myself to be a pretty low-key bride during the planning process, and owe that to my amazing vendors. As I told them, I’d never been married before and didn’t know what I was doing, so I put my faith in them. The only things I truly cared about for the wedding were photography and the flowers, and I couldn’t have been more pleased. Sammy Go of Bud Botanical Banditry took our vision for a dramatic fall wedding and turned it into a reality. The romance of autumn was captured perfectly, and my bouquet (dubbed Purple Mountain Majesty) was truly a thing of beauty. Jerry Yoon Photography turned our wedding day into a work of art, even secretly setting up one of my favorite moments (the sparklers!) with my day-of wedding coordinator Kathleen Mather of Love, Laughter & Ever After.

Our reception was held at the Brazilian Room in the Berkeley Hills, catered by Culinary Excellence, who took care of everything from food, to custom linens, to rentals (and our point person Jessica Hardy even showed up to wish us a happy wedding day only a week after being in a major car accident!). Not everything can go perfectly, so when we found out the churro cart we rented wasn’t able to make it to the venue, we were so glad that my best friend’s wife made mini cheesecakes for us (in cookies and cream, chocolate chip, and pumpkin!) from the kindness of her own heart.

People who talk about our wedding call it a love-fest, and we couldn’t be happier. Everyone always says your wedding is the best day of your life, and now I know why. Having every single person that we love in a single room, laughing, and hugging, and dancing made my heart swell, and now I’d have a wedding once a year if I could!

LA’s Evangeline Lane Does Editorial Wedding Photography with Heart

If you’re planning a wedding in LA, you know there isn’t a short supply of creative talent available for hire. But trying to find creative talent that you can afford, and who isn’t part of the giant LA wedding industry machine? Totally different story. And that’s where APW’s newest sponsor, Evangeline Lane, comes in. A native New Englander, Evangline’s style is airy, romantic, and editorial, but her approach is all APW (and bonus: while she’s in CA, she’s offering a deal to everyone outside of the state, so stay tuned.) In short, I think you’re going to be very excited to work with her.

Evangeline Lane_APW (1 of 1)-27

Evangeline Lane is a dyed in the wool romantic and she’s not afraid to admit it. (Read how she talks about her partner/second shooter and try not to get a little teary.) But Evangeline’s penchant for romance isn’t in a Swarovski Crystal “most important day of your life” kind of way. It’s an authentic appreciation for the hugeness of weddings, which makes Evangeline super passionate about her work, and her photos kind of breathtakingly awesome. Evangeline says:

I have the best job in the world and I’m addicted to it. I am witness to you living in and experiencing the most extraordinary feeling of all and not only do I get to watch it happen, I get to tell your story through my lens, capture the beauty of your tiny moments that, strung together, make up one of the most important days of your entire life. I will travel to destinations across the world, climb mountains, and camp in the woods alongside you to capture the perfect shot. It’s a privilege to watch this chapter in your story unfold before my eyes, before my camera.

Evangeline Lane_APW (1 of 1)-22

And while Evangeline herself might be a hopeless romantic, her photos aren’t of the cliché variety at all. Instead, her style just has an extra dose of heart that you don’t always see in more editorial photography.

Evangeline Lane_APW (1 of 1)-11

In an industry that can often be self-serving, what sticks out to me most about Evangeline’s business is that it’s deeply rooted in giving and gratitude. Evangeline says:

I feel incredibly grateful when I’m asked to document these beautiful and private moments because I know how important my job is. Your photographs become family heirlooms, and it’s a privilege to give you such a gift. I include an engagement session in all of my packages because I think it’s very important to get to know each other before the wedding. Your quirks and curiosities. I want to hear your story, watch you interact, hear you laugh together and finish each other’s sentences.

We have an adventure together, bond, and become friends, so that when I show up on your wedding day, you’ll be at ease and confident, knowing that I’m there to support you and have your back.

Evangeline Lane_APW (1 of 1)-14

Full wedding coverage with Evangeline Lane starts at ,500 (elopements are $2,000). And of course all weddings (excluding elopements) include an engagement session in the base package. But, Evangeline really wants to travel more this year, so she’s offering a crazy awesome destination wedding deal. All weddings outside of the United States are twenty-five percent off, plus for a limited time, you can also get free travel throughout the United States (just make sure to book by the fourth of July). And while Evangeline is normally located in Southern California, she’s offering free travel within the state of California as a special APW-only travel deal that expires… never.

Evangeline Lane_APW (1 of 1)-12

Wedding photographers often fall into two camps: those who are driven by art, and those who are driven by emotion. But Evangeline Lane approaches her work with an appreciation for both. So if you’re looking for a wedding photographer who gets the bigness of the commitment you’re making, but who can translate that into breathtakingly stunning photos, well then it doesn’t get a whole lot better than Evangeline Lane.

untitled-1-of-1-780x520

Book your destination wedding by July 4th and get 25% off wedding photography (plus free travel) with Evangeline Lane! click here to get in touch today!