Gem & Mike | Casa Real | Pleasanton Wedding Photography

Mawwage! Mawwage is wot bwings us togeder today. Yes, the ceremony from The Princess Bride. A (Jewish) friend dressed in full Catholic bishop regalia kicked off the wedding with his hilarious rendition of the ceremony, performed with a straight face all the way through. This happened after the bride walked down the aisle with a potted cactus that had been Mike’s early gift to her and before the real officiant, a friend dressed with traditional Islamic headwear, took over with the actual ceremony after a few jokes of his own. So needless to say, Gem and Mike had a very nontraditional wedding, filled with lots of humor, plenty of eccentricity, and a good dose of heartfelt moments too.   Casa Real at Ruby Hill Wedding Photography | Unique Nontraditional Wedding Gem and Mike got ready for the wedding together.

Casa Real at Ruby Hill Wedding Photography | Unique Nontraditional Wedding

And in keeping with the nontraditional wedding, Gem (Jennifer) rocked a bold red dress as her wedding gown.

Casa Real at Ruby Hill Wedding Photography | Unique Nontraditional Wedding Casa Real at Ruby Hill Wedding Photography | Unique Nontraditional Wedding

Casa Real at Ruby Hill Wedding Photography | Unique Nontraditional Wedding

A gorgeous day for portraits around Casa Real!

Casa Real at Ruby Hill Wedding Photography | Unique Nontraditional Wedding Casa Real at Ruby Hill Wedding Photography | Unique Nontraditional Wedding

Casa Real at Ruby Hill Wedding Photography | Unique Nontraditional Wedding

Here’s Gem walking down the aisle with her potted cactus.

Casa Real at Ruby Hill Wedding Photography | Unique Nontraditional Wedding

The cactus goes up on the mantle and the fake officiant comes out with his Princess Bride bit.

Casa Real at Ruby Hill Wedding Photography | Unique Nontraditional Wedding Casa Real at Ruby Hill Wedding Photography | Unique Nontraditional Wedding

Mawwage!

Casa Real at Ruby Hill Wedding Photography | Unique Nontraditional Wedding

Casa Real at Ruby Hill Wedding Photography | Unique Nontraditional Wedding

Then the real officiant came in and relegated the “bishop” to the corner. After a few jokes, they went for the real ceremony and real vows.

Casa Real at Ruby Hill Wedding Photography | Unique Nontraditional Wedding

Casa Real at Ruby Hill Wedding Photography | Unique Nontraditional Wedding

And most importantly, they were married!

Casa Real at Ruby Hill Wedding Photography | Unique Nontraditional Wedding

Some lovely portraits around Ruby Hill Winery:

Casa Real at Ruby Hill Wedding Photography | Unique Nontraditional Wedding

Casa Real at Ruby Hill Wedding Photography | Unique Nontraditional Wedding Casa Real at Ruby Hill Wedding Photography | Unique Nontraditional Wedding

Casa Real at Ruby Hill Wedding Photography | Unique Nontraditional Wedding Casa Real at Ruby Hill Wedding Photography | Unique Nontraditional Wedding

And a chance for the bride and groom to mix and mingle with their guests at happy hour too.

Casa Real at Ruby Hill Wedding Photography | Unique Nontraditional Wedding

Casa Real at Ruby Hill Wedding Photography | Unique Nontraditional Wedding

Casa Real at Ruby Hill Wedding Photography | Unique Nontraditional Wedding

Casa Real at Ruby Hill Wedding Photography | Unique Nontraditional Wedding Casa Real at Ruby Hill Wedding Photography | Unique Nontraditional Wedding

Casa Real at Ruby Hill Wedding Photography | Unique Nontraditional Wedding

In lieu of a wedding cake, the couple had three different types of chocolate chip cookies made.

Casa Real at Ruby Hill Wedding Photography | Unique Nontraditional Wedding Casa Real at Ruby Hill Wedding Photography | Unique Nontraditional Wedding

Casa Real at Ruby Hill Wedding Photography | Unique Nontraditional Wedding

Casa Real at Ruby Hill Wedding Photography | Unique Nontraditional Wedding

And it turns out that Gem is an awesome ballroom dancer, and so are many of her friends! There was swing dance, waltzing, and all sorts of amazing stuff happening on this dance floor.

Casa Real at Ruby Hill Wedding Photography | Unique Nontraditional Wedding Casa Real at Ruby Hill Wedding Photography | Unique Nontraditional Wedding

Casa Real at Ruby Hill Wedding Photography | Unique Nontraditional Wedding

Casa Real at Ruby Hill Wedding Photography | Unique Nontraditional Wedding

With a nice little conga line to cap it all off.

Casa Real at Ruby Hill Wedding Photography | Unique Nontraditional Wedding

Casa Real at Ruby Hill Wedding Photography | Unique Nontraditional Wedding

Casa Real at Ruby Hill Wedding Photography | Unique Nontraditional Wedding

Casa Real at Ruby Hill Wedding Photography | Unique Nontraditional Wedding

What a fun and unique way to celebrate a wedding. I love couples who aren’t afraid to be a little different. Congratulations, Gem & Mike!

Wedding Vendors:
Photographer: Anna & Rosa, Anna Wu Photography
Venue & Catering: Casa Real at Ruby Hill Winery
Hair: Maggie, Ming Yuet Stylist
DJ: Big Fun DJs
Rings: Gem; Settings: ABC Jewelry Imports

Anna Wu is a wedding and portrait photographer based in San Francisco. She creates beautiful, soft, and timeless imagery while capturing the most fleeting of moments. View her work at annawu.com or contact her to book your own session today.