Colson Griffith Photography Blog

Stephanie and Matt’s San Francisco Engagement Photo Session

JoyBianchiBrown — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 18:47:56 +0000

Stephanie and Matt are solid people… like… SOLID! I met Stephanie while she was helping host a charity fundraiser here in San Francisco, and Matt who at that time was the BF, was attending to support the charity… you know… not because they had cheap drinks or anything! ;D

Both of them are the kind of people that when you meet you immediately start thinking, “How can I infiltrate their friend circle so we can hang out more.” At least that’s what went through my head! Matt’s a good ol’ boy from the East Coast. He has actually said the word, “Broseph” in a sentence and I felt as though it was a term of endearment. If I said that… well… I might just smack myself! Stephanie is constantly on the go getting involved in charity and event planning around the city. (Well at least thats the case when her leg is not busted from a skiing accident (post engagement photos thankfully!).

For their engagement session I asked them about what they loved to do together, and almost simultaneously, “FOOTBALL!” came out of their mouths at the same time. Sundays are sacred in their household. Stephanie dons a Skins jersey and Matt’s Pats jersey might as well be considered a second skin! I loved the concept of creating a Skins vs Pats engagement session, so we set a date for some good ol’ fashioned football watching. By the looks of it, I’d say the Skins won! ;D

The city of San Francisco also played a huge role in their relationship. These two literally traveled across the country for each other, starting their long distance relationship only after having one date before Matt moved 3,500 miles away. Stephanie flew out often to see him before finally making the move. This city might not be their home forever, as I think they have their sights on a house back East, but Stephanie will always remember sitting under a tree at the Beach Chalet and deciding that Matt was the man she wanted to be with forever. When they leave the city my hope is that these images serve as a memento from San Francisco that will remind them of how it all came together.

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Ashley and Angela’s Lands End Engagement Session

Colson Griffith — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 15:46:15 +0000

Ashley and Angela have one of the best wedding related stories I’ve ever heard. I sat down with the two of them over coffee and just dove in… “Where did you guys meet!?!” ”How did your engagement go down!?!” and the stories just started flowin’! Then we got to the ring story. Ashley and Angela had been vacationing on the East Cost shortly after their engagement. Angela was sloshing around in the ocean when someone siad, “Maybe you should take your ring off?!?!” So she grasped her finger, pulled, and then PLOP!!! Her brand new engagement ring, just took a high dive dip into the Atlantic! NOOOOO!!!! She immediately dove down into the water. The tide was receding pulling water, sand, and RINGS back into the ocean’s depth. Frantically she called everyone on the East Coast to come help forage for her missing ring! For 4 hours they dove, poked, prodded, sifted, and dug into the ocean floor looking for it, and nothing was found. Completely distraught, they left the beach with the plan of visiting when the tide was low. That evening they went out for round two… renting metal detectors this time, getting their inspector gadget on, but with no luck. It was gone. This to Ashley might have been the worst feeling in the world. Angela, on the other hand, said, “Honey, we’ll go home and get you a new one.”

On their way to the airport, Ashley decided her efforts were not over! She decided to contact a local beach comber. One last ditch effort, reaching out to a stranger on the internet. She left him a note. ”I lost my ring 15 fence posts down from this hotel on this beach. The time of day was XYZ and the tide was at this height. If you find a ring in that area….” She got on the plane and headed back to the West Coast.

By the time they landed, Ashley and Angela had plans to go ring shopping the next day. They had all but given up on the ring in the ocean. Then Ashley got an email. It was from the beach comber! He had studied the tides, gone to the beach, used a SUPER metal detector, got a buzz, and started digging. One FOOT under the ocean floor, he found a ring. HER RING!!! Holy CRAP! What are the chances of that happening!?! See??? Crazy right?

The beach comber packaged up the ring, insured it, and shipped it back to Ashley. Incredibly thankful, Ashley and Angela tride to compensate him with check after check. Each time the check was sent back. After being denied they found a way to thank him for his efforts. Ashley wrote the editor of his local newspaper and told the story of a local beach comber who found a lost ring for a San Francisco couple. A few weeks later the comber read the story of his own tale. Im sure that was a memorable morning for him. How freaking awesome is that?

I dont know… I just have a great feeling about these two. Since we met, they both have been super friendly, hard working, driven, and fun focused people who are crazy in love with one another. I’m lucky to have the opportunity to shoot their wedding down at The Hollins House at Pasatiempo later this summer. Its going to be a raging party, and I cant wait! ;D

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Lia and Dan’s St. Peter and Paul North Beach Wedding in San Francisco, CA

Colson Griffith — Wed, 29 May 2013 16:57:12 +0000

Quotes from the “Godfather”, Two Italian families running around North Beach, A RIDICULOUS family dance to “Shout!” and an open bar featuring bottles of Don Julio made this wedding nothing but incredible. First and formost, this was an Italian wedding… like… two great Italian families joined by a combination of red wine and tradition. With history going back to the vineyards and farms in Italy where the Vincenzi and Ciradella families originated, I was amazed to learn how far back these two families had run in parallel. Lia’s father described how members of their families knew each other back in Italy years and years before these two ever met! In this crazy melting pot of a world its hard to believe these small town family encounters would make their way across oceans and countries here to San Francisco. For Dan, family tradition was a HUGE part of this day. St. Peter and Paul church in North Beach is where his parents, grandparents, sister, and a most importantly Marilyn Monroe and Joe Dimaggio got married! I can’t count the number of times I was told, “When I got married here my photographer took a picture of the clock when it read five minutes to three” or “When I got married here, the photographer got a shot of such and such.” So, of course we had to recreate those images! You know… for tradition!

Their reception was held down at The Westin at the San Francisco Airport in Millbrae CA. Donning Giants Orange and black decorations, table numbers that were not sequential, but rather the jersey numbers of some of San Francisco’s best ball players, and even a groom cake in the shape of a Giants 5950 New Era Cap (Is there any other kind of official baseball cap? No.) And then the dancing started… HOLY WOW, people got down! From young to old, and even older, everyone had moves! Dan had prepped me before the wedding to look out for the Vincenzi signature dance. Never have I seen a more coordinated, enthusiastic, and simply ridiculous dance to “Shout” in my entire life. 10+ Italian men, literally shaking on their backs like a dead stiff horse flipped upside down. This was no dance mind you, this was a right of passage. A family tradition that could only be joined if you had the the gumption to do it THE RGITH WAY! None of this half way, “Mehh, I dont really like dancing” stuff!

For me, getting to see the closeness and tradition of an Italian family, with a strong heritage right here in San Francisco was super cool. As I got to know Lia and Dan I learned about new restaurants, bars, what growing up in the city was like, the best way to get from one place to another and even the name of “Hospital Curve” which… I never even knew had a name!

I’ve got to give Lora Mae and Hanif props for their help on this day. I shot it one month after having back surgery and both of them made it easy for me to get around without risking me re-injuring this old man back of mine!

Other vendors that made this possible:

Beautiful Flowers from: Edmond’s Plaza Florist

Cake provided by: The Cakery

Hair and Make up by: Epic Artistry Make up

Rockin tunes thanks to: DJ Stan Mobile DJ Service

Gown by the lovely: Paper and Petals Bridal

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Ali & Justin’s outdoor mountain Tenaya Lodge Wedding

JoyBianchiBrown — Sat, 25 May 2013 04:51:06 +0000

I’m not sure if Ali and Justin have ever heard the term, “G.U.” That would be my dad’s term for Geographically Unavailable. When I was growing up he would say, “Ohh you like that girl in Oregon huh? Well too bad she’s a G.U.” For these two, geography had nothing to do with keeping them apart, even though there seemed to be quite a bit of it separating them physically for MANY years!

Ali and Justin went to college together at UCSB but did not meet until after they both had graduated. They met at a bar here in San Francisco called “Tonic” where I’ve since increased my attendance as this is now the second couple I’ve photographed that have met at that bar! Im just scouting… you know… for couples and dates at the same time! Seems to make sense, right?

Ali and Justin dated long distance for about 5, YES! FIVE YEARS! before they got engaged. Holy smokes! I remember them telling me that books on tape saved their relationship. They both would listen to books during the 4-5 hour drives to see each other every weekend. That’s dedication people! When the time was right, Justin asked Ali to marry him during a trip they took together to Yosemite. He set up a camera on video mode and told her he was, “Just taking a time lapse of the scene.” One knee went down and the words came out of his mouth. He got it all on video. Brilliant!

One of my favorite moments I’ve ever had the opportunity to witness at a wedding was during their first look. Ali snuck up behind Justin and when he turned around he immediately became overwhelmed at the sight of his bride. She did one complete turn around and by the time she had made it all the way around, Justin had fallen to a kneel right before her with his hands up near his face in awe as he stared at his glowing bride. Justin was physically struck by the sight in front of his eyes. As a wedding photographer, creating images during moments like that is quite possibly the most rewarding thing that I could imagine.

These two chose the Tenaya Lodge in Fish Camp for their gorgeous rustic looking wedding because of their love of the mountains and their Yosemite engagement. Ali likes all things Anthropology — that cool home made, classic chic look, and by the images here you can tell she was successful in her efforts!

Other vendors who made this happen:

Sweet Dreams Cakery & Florist in Oakhurst

TNT DJ & video in Fresno

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Lindsey & Mick’s quaint Los Gatos Opera House wedding

JoyBianchiBrown — Mon, 20 May 2013 23:56:29 +0000

When I first met Lindsay and Mick, I’ll just say it was not exactly love at first sight… haha. No, this is not typically how I start most of my blog posts. Lindsay was a bridesmaid in Amanda and Chris’ wedding a few years back in which I was the photographer. Two weeks prior to that wedding, Lindsay had been a bridesmaid in another wedding, so she had some experience working with photographers by the time she was in front of my camera.

Ten minutes after finishing the same day slideshow and putting the laptop on the bar a tall Irish man, who happened to be Lindsay’s fiancé, Mick, comes up to me and says (and this is a direct quote), ”You need to come talk to my fiancé, She doesn’t like you, she thinks you’re too laid back and that there is no way you could get good photos because you are not serious or something. I saw your photos on the slide show and they are amazing… We need to show her!” Ha! This to date, might be my favorite introduction I’ve ever received! Challenge accepted!!! Apparently the guy that Lindsay worked with the previous wedding had been some Army Sergeant barking out orders, commanding people to march over here, stand there, look here, etc. Compared to that guy, yes, I probably looked laid back in her eyes, but alas… the proof is in the pudding!

Mick rushed me over to meet Lindsay and she looked at me with skeptical eyes. She said, “We’re getting married and we need someone who can make us look good.” I told her that was not a problem and explained that my preference is to get people ready to boogie and have fun as opposed to some regimented-photo-shoot-invasion of bridal party entertainment. We met for coffee once we were back in the Bay and as they say, “The rest is history!”

Their wedding day was a crazy-fun, energy-charged, tour around Saratoga and Los Gatos. After getting ready, Lindsay, Mick, and their bridal party posted up at the Palacio Restaurant for a glass of champagne and some appetizers before things got kicked off for the day. Their wedding was held at St. Andrew’s Church in Saratoga followed by their TWO HOUR cocktail hour and reception at The Los Gatos Opera House (yes, Lindsay’s biggest request was a supercharged cocktail hour!). There was even a miracle on this wedding day! Lindsay’s sister pointed out that Lindsay had been late to everything in her life, including her own birth (quite literally if I recall from the speech), but on this day… *her wedding day* she actually made it to the altar on time!!! OMG!!!! Haha.

Getting to know Lindsay and Mick has been such a pleasure. Never have I met two more ambitious and passionate people. Lindsay is an avid horse jumper (as in winning state competitions with a few of her SEVEN horses!) and Mick, well, let’s just say Mick’s brain consumes and retains more information about worldly topics than I can ever hope to imagine. I always feel a little more educated after visiting with these two. It’s like… osmosis!

I’m lucky enough to have had the chance to work with them, and thankful Lindsay and Mick live right here in San Francisco (in a ridiculously awesome new pad!), so I know we’ll be kicking it again soon!

Check out the gorgeous venue, the Los Gatos Opera House. Unfortunately it’s closed for business, but you can still check out the Yelp site.

And the vendors who helped make it possible:

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Jen and Demetri’s Engagement session at Santana Row in San Jose CA

Colson Griffith — Mon, 20 May 2013 16:29:51 +0000

Jen, Demetri, and I all have something in common… We’re all really really ridiculously good looking! Ha! Juuuuust kidding!!! Well, no, these two really actually are quite good looking if I say so myself. Me? Well… that verdict is in the hands of someone else! But, the truth is: we all work or worked at Lockheed Martin down in Sunnyvale making big bad space thingys that fly over our heads without us little earthlings ever knowing about it. I worked there after college (didn’t last long!) and these two have been there for a while now! They actually met on the Lockheed softball field one summer afternoon. I don’t know if it was the combination of space and softballs that did it for these two, but something in there worked!

For their engagement session we had a bit of a covert operation over at Santana Row. They apparently don’t like professional photographers taking pictures of their privately owned buildings and such, so they tend to send security after anyone with a camera and two beautiful people in front. We actually managed to not cause any trouble and along the way had quite a few laughs. Jen and Demetri love to go wine tasting on the weekends, so we attempted to hit up the Mountain Winery, but by the time we got there the gates were locked! (“but thats when the light is PERFECT!” I exclaimed to the photo Gods!). Instead we found our way to Sanbourn Park which is up in the Santa Cruz mountains and we finshed up the session with some nice outdoor shots as the sun went down.

I’m looking forward to spending time with these two this summer on their wedding day. They are getting married at St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church followed by a reception at The Corinthian Center in San Jose which should be a blast to photograph!

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Oceano Hotel Half Moon Bay Wedding – Stephanie and Ryan

Colson Griffith — Thu, 16 May 2013 16:49:20 +0000

My compliments must go to Stephanie for being such an easy going bride. To say we had a little bit of a brides maid dress malfunction would be putting it lightly. Just as the dresses were going on, Maura’s zipper decided it wasn’t going NOWHERE, and gets stuck about half way up. Okay we can handle that, just get some soap and grease it up right? Uhhh… not exactly… Maura had three ladies, all hands on deck, trying to zip up, zip down, move, inch, budge, push and fudge that dang zipper and it was going no where. As these ladies are tugging, prying, and pulling, a quick “zzzziiipp” sound lands in my ears and instead of nicely sliding up in place as its supposed to, the bottom half of the zipper just releases and opens up. Crap! Now she’s bare above the zipper and bare below. YIKES! Stephanie calmly calls Jen, the coordinator at the Oceano Hotel, asking for help. ”Ummm, Hi Jen, we have a little bit of a dress situation.” Up she came and after a quick inspection we determined this dress needed to be sewn together. At this point we realized this is going to take some time. Our plan had to change, we no longer could run down to the beach for photos, we had to improvise. I gathered my thoughts about what we could do with what remaining time we had, and ran the plan by Stephanie. She looked at me, smiled, and just said, “Okay, whatever you think is good” and that was that. No tears, no phone calls, no sad faces, she just refused to let this little mishap ruin the pace of her day and I totally admire her for that. Cool as a cat. No problemo. That, my friends, is an amazing bride!

Stephanie and Ryan had their wedding at the Oceano Hotel in Half Moon Bay California. It’s Nestled along side the Pacific Ocean in the shadow of the massive hill that blocks a view of the famed surf spot, Mavericks. It’s nautical decor is classically styled, bright, and airy. Beautiful for a wedding by the ocean. Stephanie and Ryan told me their wedding would be a party. I had been warned. I had been cautioned. I had been…. ENCOURAGED! Haha… They weren’t lying! I dont think I’ve laughed at the utter enthusiasm of a bridal party more than I did at this wedding. On the dance floor, I was introduced to the earth shattering nature of Skrillex’s Bangarang, and possibly the perfect sing along song for anyone who ever attended college, Toby Keith’s Red Solo Cup (don’t ask me what hole I was hiding in that prevented me from ever hearing these songs). I think the wedding party tried to stomp holes in the ground when each was blasted through the speakers. Lora and I waited on on our toes at the edge of the dance floor just to see the next thunderous dance move to shake the earth. A party it was!

Many thanks to Stephanie and Ryan for including me on their memorable day! I’m off to go blow my mind up with some Skrillex. :D

Vendors:

Venue: Oceano Hotel & Spa

Florist: Flowers by Yip

Cupcakes: Kara’s Cupcakes

Hair and Makeup: Lindsey Welsh

DJ: Curtis Bakich

Second Shooter: Lora Nardi

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Rachel and Brandon’s Engagement Session – A Tandem Bike in San Francisco’s Presidio

Colson Griffith — Mon, 13 May 2013 16:23:44 +0000

Rachel and Brandon are busy people! She’s running around the country doing awesome stuff for Google and Brandon’s equally as traveled working numbers with dollar signs in front of them, always on the look out for the next big thing. BUT… when these two are home, they are up to some pretty stellar stuff! They live in a part of the city I never get over to… The Lake Street Neighborhood. Heard of it? Nope?… Neither had I. Turns out Martha Stewart would probably be living all incognito over there. It’s a super nice, quiet, street nestled between the craziness of Clement Street and the meditative calm of the Presido. It’s one of those places where the road noise significantly drops and you feel like you’re in a suburb all of a sudden. Ooooohssaaaaaa. I had a zen moment when I realized that the road noise of Geary Boulevard that is a constant buzz in my ears at my apartment was suddenly missing.

One of their favorite spots over near Lake Street is Angelina’s Cafe where they stroll on weekends to get a sammy so we made that the first spot for their session and afterwards we headed back to their house to shoot in their backyard. A.K.A The Presidio. LITERALLY they have a state park as their backyard! Ohh you have a half acre lot? Well they have three square MILES of backyard! I can’t say that they grab tandem bikes and ride around the park dressed all cute three days a week, but I can guarantee you that these two bust out the road bikes and put some miles underneath the wheels. As we drove from location to location Rachel pointed out some of her favorite spots to run and bike all of which were seemingly in the middle of nowhere, but actually no more than 4 blocks from a busy downtown. I think that just makes San Francisco one of the greatest cities in the world.

Can’t wait to shoot their wedding at the Julia Morgan Ballroom later this year!

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Emily and Drew’s Carnival Themed Wedding at the Music Concourse in Golden Gate Park and the Golden Gate Club in the Presidio

Colson Griffith — Thu, 09 May 2013 16:09:06 +0000

If there ever was a wedding that I think I’d like to model my own after… This one might have been it. When I met Emily and Drew at Starbucks downtown over lunch, the two of them detailed out for me what they had in mind. A carnival themed wedding, complete with custom crafted brides maids dresses, an outdoor theater venue, the SF Brewtruc for carting around the bridal party, double decker tour busses for guests, and taco trucks! This was going to be a massive party in which there just happened to be a wedding at the same time! Did I mention the fact that they finished the whole thing off by renting out the Presidio Bowling Alley for a night cap? AWESOME!

In a day and age where brides run around looking for cutesy things to decorate their weddings, it was refreshing to see a couple who maintained focus on the things that they themselves loved. Their friends. Their Friends. And their friends. Really… that was the focus. Everything they did was dedicated to creating an environment where the people closest to them could come and have a fan-freaking-tasting time!

I have to give some props here… The whole event was coordinated by Jessica over at Dreams on a Dime Events. Sarah Stanitz did all of the invitation, save the date, and card designs. Super creative stuff that just tied the whole theme together. Rebekah Nummer did the hair for the ladies on this one, and holy crap did she make it come together! I’m pretty sure the 1940′s are jealous of the hair that went down at this wedding. Finally, Hilary Busher did the makeup which just made these ladies’ look pop! Seriously… all this talent made my job EASY!

Emily and Drew missed their New Year’s party this year as they were traveling in Argentina for their honeymoon… but I’m just going to throw this out there: If I ever get word that they are throwing down a party in the future. I am sneaking in. Regardless of invite. ;D

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Custom Men’s suits for weddings and an offer from bows-n-ties.com

Colson Griffith — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 21:45:14 +0000

I don’t typically feature men’s fashion stuff here on my blog, because, ummmm, the groom is the coat hangar on which the beauty of a bride rests. Juuuust kidding!!! but in all seriousness I feel men’s fashion is starting to make a little bit more of a priority in weddings. Which I’m STOKED about! While I’ve found some great solutions for helping brides create a cohesive look for their bridesmaids (a-la Weddington Way), there are not as many go to options for guys. Men’s Warehouse? Uhh if you are into that cardboard box tuxedo with that expand-o-belt waist strap thingy? What the heck is that attachment anyways? “Here is a size 42 pant for you.” “But I’m a 32!” “Yah they’ll fit…” WHAT? Annnyyyyyways!

So, how do we create a cohesive look for the fellas? One of the most UNDERRATED additions to a groom and his groomsmen’s would be a custom tailored suit. I’m not talking about $2500 italian stuff here people! I’m talking about a reasonably priced garment that was created with YOUR measurements in mind! Custom tailored suits and tuxedos can be picked up on the cheap! Holy WOW!, I don’t think guys understand how much a fitted suit can enhance their look. Confidence just oozes from each thread! Once you slip into a suit that was made for your body, you would punch Men’s Warehouse in the face if they tried to make you switch! For as little as $400 sites like Indochino.com offer really stylish looks and if you’re budget is on the higher end, Astor and Black will bring a dude from Jack Black to James Bond for less than a $G.

Now, you’ve got the suit, to make it compliment the colors that the bridesmaids are wearing, you can easily select a tie or bow tie and a pocket square to match. These little accent pieces compliment the colors that the bridesmaids are wearing and make a guy look DOPE. Right? (Ladies nod your head!).

Recently I discovered that a bride can shop for bridesmaids dresses through Weddington Way, and at the same time they offer a swatch matching tool to order mens accessories through partner site, Bows-N-Ties.com. Lavender dresses for the ladies? Matching ties for the fellas… DONE! Why run around from store to store looking for matching colors, when you can just purchase the goods from your desk?

After sitting down with the founder of Bows-N-Ties.com, Hendrik Prohl, we came up with an idea that might convince the world that this is a great tool for a bridal party to shop and get that suave look for their wedding. Hendrik has offered to provide 10 of my bridal parties with free bows and ties just to show how easy it is to finish that shopping experience for your bridal party. Just pop onto their site. Select a color pallet, and shop solids, stripes, patterns, etc. order and your set!

I’m stoked to have the opportunity to partner with Bows-N-Ties.com this year and have my grooms and groomsmen be the beneficiary of this great opportunity. So, if you’re reading this blog post and I’m shooting your wedding this year, let’s chat, and we’ll hook you up! ;D

Catch you all on the flip side… and I hope to see you fellas wearing some fitted threads!

Ohh and while were on the topic… learn how to properly wear a pocket square. My friend John Bozeman has a hot tip over on gentleman’s blog site, Dromo.co - http://dromo.co/personality-manifested-how-to-wear-a-pocket-square-part-1/

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