This wedding was about my great aunt Barbara and her new husband Fred, but I’d like to think that my great uncle Frank was there as well, in spirit if not in body.

Frank was a pretty amazing guy.  When I was a kid, he and Barbara owned an almond farm in Modesto, and Frank taught me how to drive a tractor and an ATV, which was pretty much the most incredible thing in the world for an 8 year old boy.  He could also wiggle his ears.  Actually, FLAPPING would be the correct word. He was always smiling, always had a quick comeback, and was a genuinely good person.

He and Barbara were very active in their church, and when Frank was diagnosed with cancer, everyone just sort of pulled together.  Barbara and Frank’s friend Fred was there to help as well, being there for whatever was needed.  When Frank finally passed away, Fred was there then, too.  And then, after a time, Barbara and Fred fell in love, and got married at the church that meant so much to all of them.  And everyone came. Everyone who knew Barbara and Frank and Fred.  There were so many people there that they had to bring in extra chairs, and people were standing in the back and spilling out into the hall.

Because love crosses all boundaries, and is not hindered by time or experience or sickness.  Sometimes it’s a surprise, and sometimes it’s something that’s been there for years without anyone realizing.

To close, here are some famous words from Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet about love:

Love gives naught but itself
and takes naught but from itself.

Love possesses not nor would it be possessed;
For love is sufficient unto love.

When you love you should not say, “God is
in my heart,” but rather, “I am in the heart of God.”

And think not you can direct the course of love,
for love, if it finds you worthy, directs your course.

This post is part 1 of a 3-part series. Read part 1 – Read part 2 - Read part 3

We thought you might like a taste of WEDDING SEASON, so in the next few posts I’ll be showing you photos from the delightful nuptials of Holly and Zach.

While shooting a lot of weddings, it’s easy to forget how scary a wedding day can be for those who are intimately involved in it. I’ve never gotten married, so I don’t know firsthand, but I can imagine- all eyes are on you for most of the day, you have to walk and talk and exchange rings in front of others while wearing something you normally wouldn’t be wearing (for the bride, often something white and strapless), you have to dance and kiss and cut a cake while being photographed and videotaped. Not only that, but you’re making a lifelong vow to another human being, and everyone is listening. For those who like attention, this can be thrilling, but it sounds terrifying to me!

From my safe place behind the lens, I am always admiring the nerve of brides and grooms as they go through with it. I’ve never failed to be impressed with their poise. In this first set of photos, you can see Holly’s transformation from beautiful and very nervous bride-to-be to beautiful and very relieved married woman. Zach didn’t seem nervous at all, but I think he was quaking just as much on the inside. They did just fine, though.

This post is part 1 of a 3-part series. Read part 1 – Read part 2 - Read part 3

I hope your heart center is feeling soft and open today, because I’m about to throw some love at you. 19 photographs of it, in fact! But don’t worry, they’re optimized so they should load pretty fast. Just keep reading while that’s happening.

Emily and Matt got hitched at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Joseph in San Jose, a stunning place to launch into married life if ever there was one. That place is gorgeous. We were worried about the light, wondering if there would be enough, since we couldn’t use flashes during the ceremony and wanted to avoid using them anyway (we are big fans of natural light). As it turned out, the light situation was challenging but not impossible. We got plenty of great shots just working with what was there.

The Red Bats had the pleasure of following these two throughout their wedding day, starting at 7 am (yes, we will get up early for our clients!) and ending up at the Capitol Club in the afternoon. It was a small wedding, just the family and some friends, and this made it easy to focus on the bride and groom and their delight in every detail of getting legally wed. They were so happy about the whole thing, so sweet to each other and everybody else, that they made falling in love and getting married seem like the only logical thing for anybody in their right mind to do.

It was easy to see they both felt they’d hit the jackpot in the romance department. Working on their photos later, I kept getting teary-eyed looking at the two of them together. (Have I mentioned yet what a cheeseball I am? Well, now you know for sure.) I’m not including the most touching photos here because some moments are too private for a blog post.

But I will reveal, in words anyway, that the bride’s father cried during his first dance with his newly married daughter, and almost everybody in the room cried too (including me) and I am sure the ones who didn’t were either not paying attention or holding it in. I told you these were some sweet people.

Congratulations, Emily and Matt!