Bliss Fotography

Hilton Newark Fremont Wedding – Hughette & Confesor

Ananda — Sat, 12 May 2012 03:06:51 +0000

Hughette and Confesor are a match made in Heaven, according to a compatibility test in which they had basically perfectly matched scores. But it doesn’t take a test to see they are meant for each other.

They were married April 14 at the Fremont Community Church, where Hughette has been going for years. Before the ceremony, Fess gave Hughette a charm bracelet and said he plans to give her new charms to represent each stage of their life (How sweet is that!?). When I met them it was crystal clear the California girl and the New Jersey boy were eager to begin their journey together.

Their entire wedding day was overflowing with so much emotion. Tears were flowing in every direction and it wasn’t just during the toasts, where Hughette’s father talked about how proud he was of her for getting the education and career that she did and then for finding an incredible husband, or when her best friend Freshta talked about how they have always felt they were sisters separated at birth or how Fess’ best friend said he knew Hughette was the one for Fess from the second he met her. No, it wasn’t just then, guests were tearing up throughout the day and into the evening as they danced the night away in a gorgeous & meticulously-decorated lilac and sage ballroom at the Hilton Newark Fremont. What a sweet, sweet day.

Catering: Newark-Fremont Hilton

Cake: Tucker’s Ice Cream

Dress: Janene’s Bridal Boutique

Flowers & Coordination: Chesha’s Flowers & Accents

Make-up: Natalie Zachau

Hair: Sam of Avalon Salon

Hot Mama Mother’s Day Contest

Ananda — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 17:45:09 +0000

Hiddenbrooke Golf Club – Vallejo Wedding – Missy & Francisco

Ananda — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 16:45:14 +0000

Missy & Francisco were married Feb. 26 at Hiddenbrooke Golf Club in Vallejo. I helped Brandee Lucas of Cherry Bazaar Photography shoot their wedding. It was a freezing cold day, but nothing could keep Missy from glowing. White buds on trees that surrounded the golf course blended with her dress so beautifully. Francisco and Missy were tough as we wandered around the hillside, smiling wide as the fierce wind chilled them to the bone. It was nice to venture back to a roaring fireplace at their reception. Missy did most of the decorations herself – a beautiful assortment of books, bird cages and lace.

Hot Mama Mother’s Day Boudoir Package Special

Ananda — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 04:47:00 +0000

Clubhouse at Boundary Oak – Walnut Creek Wedding – Kylie & Craig

Ananda — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 01:56:21 +0000

A few photos from a Mickey and Minnie Mouse-themed wedding I helped Mike with Dubnoff Wedding Photography shoot in Walnut Creek at Clubhouse at Boundary Oak. Kylie wore eggplant-colored shoes that matched her and Craig’s purple cake that was decorated with Minnie and Mickey donning wedding attire in a miniature convertible car. Craig and Kylie drove off in a limo after the wedding, rather than a Disney convertible, but it was clearly still a fairytale wedding.

Murietta’s Well Wedding – Livermore – Lorene & Michael

Ananda — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 21:25:40 +0000

Lorene and Michael have fun, lots of fun. Lorene smiles constantly, Michael kind of smirks. They are playful and just seem to have a zest for life. They are the type of couple you just want to be around because you know it will be a good time. I felt honored to have photographed their wedding March 3 at Murietta’s Well in Livermore. The vines were still bare but the venue was gorgeous nonetheless – surrounding the winery is a mix of cherry blossoms and cactuses. We wandered down a road below the winery for some portraits before they tied the knot and they smiled and laughed as their guests arriving for the wedding caught a sneak peak of them before the ceremony. They had a Jackson Pollock wedding cake, as a reminder of a conversation they had when they had first met. The art-centered talk was the beginning of a journey they may not have anticipated but one that certainly seems meant to be.

Baja Bush Pilots International Excursion 2012

Ananda — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 00:47:33 +0000

Far away from the day-to-day errands, chores and work obligations is a land where sea lions snooze, snort and bump bellies on volcanic rock formations, pelicans flirt and splash in turquoise water at the edge of white sand beaches, and dolphins chase each other in a sort of choreographed dance. In this place sunsets are so brilliant they make you second guess what you are seeing. And things are just slower. This is Baja. I spent a few days there in March as part of an excursion with the International Baja Bush Pilots – my second time going in two years. It’s a seven-hour flight in a Cessna 180 across barren deserts, sharp mountain peaks and over the Sea of Cortez. In the sea, schools of fish swim around in black swarms. We stayed in Loreto this time. Last time we were north in the village of Mulege. We were greeted with margaritas at the airport – a pleasant treat after a long journey. Our friends who took another airplane down were already at the hotel, pool-side with cocktails in hand, when we arrived. More margaritas? Please. Yes, thank you. We traveled to a lagoon on the Pacific called San Ignacio, where hundreds of gray whales gather to mate. We were taken by an old fisherman with Coke-bottle glasses and missing teeth in a panga into the lagoon. Whales swam under our little boat, and nudged the side of it. A mamma and her baby let us touch their rubbery skin. We are tiny creatures in comparison. It is good to be reminded of our place on this planet every once in a while. The rest of the trip was spent enjoying a clam bake on the beach, having a home-cooked meal at Canipole by Sophia, a woman whose heart and soul seems to go into every morsel. There is no menu – she feeds you what she wants. She showed me the adobe oven she uses to bake bread. Our multi-course meal included things like mole that had 27 ingredients, the best chile relleno I have ever eaten, black bean soup and candied pumpkin for dessert. If vacation could only last just a little bit longer.

Engagment Session – Stacey & Shawn – Joaquin Miller Park – Oakland

Ananda — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 21:57:05 +0000

Their wedding cake will be cut with a sword. And I can’t wait.

Stacey and Shawn met in August in Oaklahoma when she was there for a family member’s wedding. He proposed not long afterward. She lives in Sacramento and will be joining him there after they are married in June in Piedmont. She has a twinkle in her eye when she looks at her fighter pilot fiance, especially when he’s in uniform. There is an undeniable spark between these two. Stacey’s mom, Julie, told me she agrees her California girl and the Iowa boy are meant to be together.

Bay Area Engagement Sessions

Ananda — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 21:54:54 +0000

Life gets chaotic sometimes. I feel so lucky to be so busy that I don’t often know whether I am coming or going. That being said, I am a bit sad I have not been blogging many of the sessions I have had with some amazing couples and families. It, of course, has not been because I didn’t want to. I simply haven’t had the time. There have been quite a few engagement sessions I have photographed in the past few months. Rather than trying to play catch up now, I am just doing a posting featuring several of them together. Each couple I meet with connects in such a unique way. And no matter how many engagement sessions I do I am always fascinated by the different ways people love each other and build their futures together. I always feel so lucky to have people who let me into their personal spaces momentarily to share a moment of their lives.

Engagement Session – Amy & Felipe – Treasure Island

Ananda — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 22:55:09 +0000

Their fairy tale began about 10 years ago when Amy was 15. Amy and Felipe were high school sweethearts.

He proposed to her recently at Disneyland in front of a castle. “It was so sweet, ” Amy said of the proposal.

We headed out to Treasure Island, along with Felipe’s sister, on a blustery day in February. The cold winds on Treasure Island made me feel like we had mysteriously landed in a place far far away where such cold weather is normal. We Bay Area folk are wimps when it comes to frigid conditions, but they were troopers as Amy traversed across boulders that line the San Francisco Bay with sky-high stilettos and as we made our way around the island seeking out spots to capture their romance.

Their French rustic-style wedding is set for May 19, 2013, in Alameda.

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