Real Palace Garden Wedding Of Oscar And Marilu’s
SF Destination Wedding from Province, California, originally from El Salvador. The brides parents joined them in the Palace Garden for their wedding ceremony.
By Ema
Real Palace Garden Wedding Of Oscar And Marilu’s
SF Destination Wedding from Province, California, originally from El Salvador. The brides parents joined them in the Palace Garden for their wedding ceremony.
By Ema
July 4th Childhood Memories
Dazzling Fireworks
My home town was a small village of boat builders. Main street ran along the shoreline of the St. Clair River. Our home was a hundred and fifty years old when we moved in. A large three-story home that was forever being remodeled. We were just blocks from the water’s edge where the July 4th fireworks display took place. My father would either take us into town or out on the boat to watch the sky be lit up. Many “oohs” and “ahs”
Fast forward to now and the firework shows on the San Francisco Bay have wowed me over and over with displays of light in the night sky that seem impossible.
The firework celebration I experienced in Tiburon years ago had built-in sound effects as the sounds cascaded up the hills it sounded like cannons being shot.
On a yacht floating under the fireworks. Really feels like you can touch them sometimes.
On a private lagoon where the fireworks where bigger and closer than imaginable.
The amazing unforgettable 75th Firework Celebration for the anniversary of the Golden Gate Bridge. Was amazing!
Those private parties in the hills of Sausalito with vista’s of the San Francisco Skyline in the distance and the Bay filled with boats. A haven!
Disneyland and Epcot – stunning fireworks every night. Big WOW!
As a photographer I have enjoyed photographing the fireworks from different vantage points. Each year sitting in a different perch to record the light show. A non-ending delight.
Cheers to your Red, White & Blue!
Image by Ema
By Ema
By Ema
Who Will You Invite To Your Wedding?
Wedding invitations decisions regarding family, friends, children and plus one. Deciding who makes the cut.
First Things First
Before jotting down names on paper, you and your fiancé need to come up with a number: an estimate of how many guests to invite. Create four lists and label them “A” through “D.”
Start eliminating with your “D” list and work your way backward.
Sometimes Mom and Dad have a guest list agenda of their own. If you are dreaming of having an intimate wedding a ballooning guest list is an issue. Here is one guideline for clarity – to not invite anyone that your fiancé and you haven’t seen in the last six months.
Make things clear to both your families early on. Traditionally, each family invites half the guests. You may choose to divide your list in thirds: one-third for the bride’s family; one-third for the groom’s; and one-third for the couple. This is a neat formula, but real life may not be so simple. Once you do, give each set of parents a pre-determined number of invites, and stick to it!
Children at the wedding? Consider management, meal, and entertainment for the children if you are including them. If you do invite children to keep a sense of humor about having the little ones there: If Isabel can’t keep her hands off the cake, don’t throw a fit. Instead, laugh and tell the photographer to catch it on film.
A plus-one is a must for anyone who is married, engaged, or in a long-term relationship. No exceptions there! A plus-one is also thoughtful for anyone who is single, but won’t have any other friends attending. But if someone is single and will be amongst friends or family, giving them a plus-one is not necessary.
When planning a small wedding the guest list can become a real dilemma. How do you have your small intimate wedding without offending family and friends that don’t make the list? This can quickly derail the joys of planning your intimate wedding. As the invitation list is compiled; concern, frustration, and confusion begin to mount. The bottom line is the fear and worries overhearing from someone who isn’t on your guest list expressing confusion, concern, or even anger. WHY WASN’T I INVITED!?
Dealing with your wedding’s guest list and deciding who’s in and who’s out can be a hard-line to draw. It becomes clear there’s no way to make everyone happy. Here are some key phrases you can use if an uninvited guest asks you if they’re invited.
If someone asks you if they’re invited, there are ways you can tell them that you love them, you SO appreciate their interest, but no, they’re not invited. Don’t get into the specifics of how many people you’re inviting or how you’re choosing guests. Keep it vague and loving.
Ideas To Consider
“Of course we want to invite everyone… but we’re really trying to kick off our marriage by being financially responsible for our wedding. We made the choice to keep our wedding pretty intimate, which means there are a lot of friends and family who won’t be there on our wedding day. I hope you can respect our wishes to keep our sacred event small.”
Ultimately no matter how loving or articulate you are, people are entitled to their feelings of disappointment. Try to remember that their disappointment comes from a place of LOVE: they want to be with you on your wedding day! You’re not responsible for their disappointment, nor can you control it — all you can do is try your best to be respectful kind, lovely and make sure they know that you understand how much they care.
Focus on who is coming and the lovely wedding day to come and enjoy! Remember this wedding is all about your marriage and how the two of you begin to make decisions together. Move from the love between the two of you, extend that love to everyone in appreciation for their interest and love.
If it’s possible to have a larger gathering later, let people know they are invited to come to share in your joy. Perhaps play a video of your wedding ceremony so that everyone can feel included.
Deciding who will and won’t be there to witness your marriage can be very stressful, once you’ve finalized your list then the fun begins. Cake tasting anyone?
By Ema
California Marriage License Information
Do I need a marriage license to have a wedding ceremony?
No. You do not need a marriage license to have a wedding ceremony. A wedding ceremony without a marriage license is not a legal marriage.
For a wedding ceremony to become a legal marriage – a marriage license needs to be applied for prior to the wedding ceremony taking place. Both the bride and groom need to go together in person to the country clerk – to show I.D. and sign in person.
You can apply for a public marriage license anywhere in California and get married anywhere in California.
If you apply for a confidential marriage license you need to have your wedding ceremony take place in the same county as the you received the marriage license. A confidential marriage license does not require a witness to sign.
When the marriage license is brought to the wedding ceremony and signed by the officiant the license can be filed for legal reasons. A marriage license can not be signed after the wedding ceremony itself.
When a marriage license is forgotten and not applied for before the wedding ceremony. The couple can later have a civil ceremony and file a marriage license.
When the marriage license is filed, the legal nature of marriage is bestowed.
So you don’t need a marriage license to have a wedding ceremony. You do need to have an officiant sign a marriage license to file with the clerk.
If you are having a wedding ceremony for the two of you without any witnesses My SF Wedding will provide a witness for your public marriage license.
By Ema
Real San Francisco Beach Wedding Of Ryan And Courtney
San Francisco Destination Wedding Photography
Ryan & Courtney arrived from Granite Bay, California for their romantic beach wedding.
Ryan proposed to Courtney in the Marin Headlands so they returned to take their wedding vows in their treasured memory spot. They brought their parents with them to join in the celebration of their wedding day.
They stayed at one of my favorite accommodations in Marin- The Inn Above Tides, right on the water overlooking the bay and the San Francisco Skyline. There is no place else like it on the bay.
On their wedding day, I arrived with the flowers for the Bride and Groom, a lovely contemporary wedding ceremony was performed and then the photo shoot. It was a beautiful day on the beach and 10 am provided the best time on the beach with fewer people and very little wind.
It was a lovely wedding filled with sweet moments.
With this ring…
By Ema
Fourth Of July Bay Area Fireworks
Independence Day! Here come the fireworks, flags and cookouts.
July 4th Fireworks Around The Bay…
Inland – Away From The Fog…
July 4th Cookout Food
Some menu ideas for your cookout:
Appetizers: Pasta salad, fruit salad, coleslaw, chips, and grilled vegetable kebabs
Main Dishes: Burgers, veggie burgers, assortment of kebabs (swordfish, lamb, and chicken)
Desserts: Apple pie, rhubarb pie and patriotic popsicles
All-American Drinks: Some perfect all-American beverages to consider are iced tea, lemonade, July 4th red rum punch, and red/white sangria
Wave Your Flag
For more than 200 years, the American flag has been the symbol of our nation’s strength and unity. It’s been a source of pride and inspiration for millions of citizens. A prominent icon in our shared history.
However you celebrate your independence, let it shine!
Photography by Images by Ema
By Ema
Watch Seasonal San Francisco Fog Pattern Over The Bay
The entire coastline of California experiences Fog as a typical weather pattern. The area is being covered in low-lying stratus clouds, San Francisco brings the clouds down to earth.
These visually beautiful fog formations are especially favored in the summer. Tule fog, can occur during the winter and then there are occasions when both types can occur simultaneously in the Bay Area. It’s just one of the elements that add to the allure of the city.
The fog adds to the romance of the city. Often the fog and low clouds blow in on the marine layer. Even when the clouds are not present, the coolness of the marine layer exacerbated by the strong winds can chill the City even in mid-summer creating San Francisco’s “natural air conditioning”.
Under normal summertime conditions, a daily pattern of fog and low clouds occurs.
Morning sun heats the ground which in turn heats the marine layer over the land areas.
Usually by noon, the marine layer clears back toward the coast.
By mid-afternoon, inland areas have heated sufficiently to decrease the air pressure and increase the onshore flow.
By late afternoon, the wind increases and begins to cool the onshore marine layer, allowing the fog and low clouds offshore to progress inland without evaporating. Cloudiness streams in over the Bay and through the various gaps. How far the clouds can penetrate inland depends on the depth of the marine layer and the strength of the cooling winds.
As night falls and inland areas cool down, the winds usually decrease, but the fog and clouds remain wherever they have blown in until the following morning when the cycle repeats.
Experience a Time Lapse of Magical SF Adrift
Best Fog Viewing
When the tide of fog is in, a walk across the Golden Gate Bridge is for the hearty and adventurous. Along Crissy Field, the Golden Gate Promenade, Marina Green and Fisherman’s Wharf, the wetness and wind may be a bit less chilling, best to bundle up.
For a peak experience, rise above the mist atop one of San Francisco’s Hills and look down upon the shroud of fog as it penetrates the entrance of the bay. First as wispy tendrils, then as a blanket of fleece, fog sometimes covers even the tips of the Golden Gate Bridge towers and stretches itself out into the Bay.
In the same glance take in the city skyline with the unmistakable silhouettes of Coit Tower and the Transamerica Pyramid reaching upward. Breathtaking!
SF Gate’s animated 24 hour fog forecast for The San Francisco Bay Area.
Other posts with location weather information: SF Beach Weddings – SF Sunset Weddings
By Ema
Show Your Love On Father’s Day
Father of the Bride & Father of the Groom…it’s just one way we mark our special love for Dad.
The History of Father’s Day in the United States
Sonora Smart Dodd came up with the idea of honoring and celebrating her father while listening to a Mother’s Day sermon at church in 1909. Sonora’s dad was quite a man. William Smart, a veteran of the Civil War, was left a widower when his wife died while giving birth to their sixth child. He went on to raise the six children by himself on their small farm in Washington.
To show her appreciation for all the hard work and love William gave to her and her siblings, Sonora thought there should be a day to pay homage to him and other dads like him. She initially suggested June 5th, the anniversary of her father’s death to be the designated day to celebrate Father’s Day, but the celebration in Spokane, Washington was deferred to the third Sunday in June.
In Fairmont, West Virginia on July 5, 1908. Grace Golden Clayton suggested to the minister of the local Methodist church that they hold services to celebrate fathers after a deadly mine explosion killed 361 men. While Father’s Day was celebrated locally in several communities across the country, unofficial support to make the celebration a national holiday began almost immediately. William Jennings Bryant was one of its staunchest proponents. In 1924, President Calvin “Silent Cal” Coolidge recommended that Father’s Day become a national holiday. No official action was taken.
In 1966, Lyndon B. Johnson, through an executive order, designated the third Sunday in June as the official day to celebrate Father’s Day. In 1972, during the Nixon administration Father’s Day was officially recognized as a national holiday.
Father’s Day is celebrated across the world.
By Ema
Memories Of My Dad On Father’s Day
Day’s With Papa Bear
My Father was the first love of my life. My knight in shining armor. My rock, my buddy and my world. Six foot tall, dark eyes and hair, with an easy manner and deep voice. He had a charm about him that most people responded to. He loved to enjoy life and he took us along on his adventures.
I learned to have a deep appreciation for the water being raised on the Great Lakes. But this love of the water was a gift from my father. He would bring home a boat and park it in front of the house. The neighbors would come over walk around the boat and declare that he would never get it to float. Of course he turned it into a luxury ride for us all to enjoy. He built twenty-three boats. He built our homes on main street USA. Right on the water. He built over 33 homes.
Later in life he would throw himself out of bed drawing up plans for what ever his mind had designed. He was indeed a builder. A do it yourself-er! We learned how to do things ourself. If we wanted it then it was worth building.
Dad always provided the most reassuring hugs. The best laughs and the most fun of all. He took me to dinner when I made the honor roll. He waltzed me around the floor on his toes. He sat and played tea with me. We were close as close can be. We raced motorcycles and snow machines together. We even won trophies a couple of times. My Father taught me a love of life. He is forever in my heart holding me and reassuring me that all is well.
In the photo I’m standing next to my Dad with my Mom. In front of the house that Dad built dressed in the cloths Mom had sewn. A small town USA life that was rich in every way.
We have been creating wedding memories for over twenty years. We are your guide for having a truly special wedding day. We have removed the work and added to the ease. Our couples are provided all the details they need to feel relaxed and comfortable on their wedding day. ~ “Ema is personal and genuine and was an irreplaceable part of our special day.” More…
Your Guide To Being An Outdoor Bride~Part 3 The Perfect Bouquet For Your Skin Bridal Accessories…Fresh Flowers & Jewels · The bridal bouquet is the brides largest accessory. It should compliment her shin, the reflection of the color will reflect on her face and skin. White rarely adds anything as it washes out and fades […]
Your Guide To Being an Outdoor Bride~Part 2 The Bride’s Crowning The very best hairstyle & veil for your outdoor wedding. · Have the top of the hairstyle be smoothed back off the face and brought to curls at the crown in a busy arrangement. The beauty of this style is that a veil can […]
Click To View Officiant Conducting A Wedding Ceremony
Sunday | 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM |
Monday | 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM |
Tuesday | 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM |
Wednesday | 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM |
Thursday | 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM |
Friday | 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM |
Saturday | 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM |
By Appointment Only