Kristina & Peter | Family Farm Wedding | Sebastopol Wedding Photography

With her glowing smile and those stunning big brown eyes, Kristina is undeniably beautiful. But she has never been the princessy type. As her mother offered her glitzy jewelry options, she insistently declined. And she only reluctantly removed her sporty black watch when her friends decisively banned her from wearing it to the wedding.

The theme of my wedding is simple, she stated, defending her case. And so it was. Simple, understated, beautiful. From the bride herself to the gorgeous ceremony surrounded by vineyards and orchards at the family farm, it was a day filled with natural beauty and love and fortified by the simplicity of it all.

Kristina and Peter were married in the most amazing of venues in California’s wine country. We began our day with the girls getting ready at a lovely cottage in Sebastopol, we later made our way to the ceremony site, a beautiful several-acre farm property owned by Peter’s grandparents, and we ended the evening at a charming French restaurant. Photographing them all day in those settings was an absolute dream.

What better way to start the day than by photographing an absolutely gorgeous J Crew gown outdoors on a trellis?

Kristina hand knit these most incredible shawls– a beautiful cream colored shawl for herself and gray shawls for each one of her bridesmaids. Gorgeous, and so soft to the touch.

I love subtle, elegant details mixed in with bolder pieces. Kristina’s sandals compliment her flowy dress perfectly…

…while her necklace makes a statement. The necklace belongs to Peter’s grandmother, and Kristina’s mother helps her put it on.

I could photograph Kristina for weeks!

I convinced her to lie on a dirty chaise in the middle of the woods. But no dresses were harmed! She’s a good sport. I should’ve known she’d climb anywhere by the rickety cart photos we got from their engagement session.

Meanwhile, back on the farm, the men got ready in the basement of the house, affectionately nicknamed the cave. This was captured by my second shooter Christopher.

Kristina approaches for their “first look.” I cannot emphasize how much I love when couples do a first look, because it gives them some quiet time together to touch base before the ceremony begins.

And you just get the most precious interactions in the first look.

Doing a first look also allows plenty of time for portraits. We had the most amazing backdrops for Kristina and Peter’s portraits, and it also helped that we had the engagement session behind us as experience! All of these things help the wedding day to be an even better, smoother experience.

Beautiful girls! I’m so impressed by the DIY bouquets.

Some more portraits of Kristina & Peter in the gorgeous light.

This one may be my favorite!

Christopher captured this landscape. Imagine having this in your front yard!

Two sponsors place the veil on Kristina’s head and around Peter’s shoulders in the traditional cord & veil ceremony.

And at the end, the happy married couple!

Such unique rings. I love Kristina’s engagement ring with the leaf design.

The reception was held in the French Garden Restaurant, Sebastopol.

The food was absolutely amazing. Hands down the best wedding food I’ve ever had! I felt bad scarfing it down so I could get back to work though.

The adorable cake toppers were made from paper clay by Sara, one of the bridesmaids.

Another shot of the rings with another one of Kristina’s hand knit shawls. The whimsical cake was by Judy Giorgi of Giorgi’s Wedding Cakes.

A super sweet moment in the first dance.

Meanwhile, on the sidelines… inspired by love. This is why I love shooting weddings.

Vendors:

Wedding & Bridesmaids Dresses: J. Crew
Hair & Makeup: DIY
Florals: DIY
Ceremony Venue: Family Farm, Forrestville
Guitarist: David Blakey, AMS Entertainment
DJ: Frances Nelson, AMS Entertainment
Reception Venue: French Garden Restaurant, Sebastopol
Cake: Judy Giorgi, Giorgi’s Wedding Cakes
Photographer: Anna Wu Photography, assisted by Christopher Mackessy

Finally, a few behind the scenes shots from my second shooter Christopher. I don’t know why I wore long pants this day. It was 90 degrees outside, though the bride and groom are so cool, calm and collected, you’d never know.

I love this! Kristina and her maid of honor react to her model moment in the same-day slideshow I created as a surprise. I think they absolutely fell in love with the images! For any photographers out there, if you have an amazing second shooter to cover for you (shout-out to Christopher), you should really consider creating a same day slideshow. I think it really pays off!

Finally, a photo with the bride and groom. Kristina & Peter– you are such amazing, wonderful people. Thank you so much for allowing me to be there documenting your day.