The oldest church in Placer County

Yesterday was Amber and Zach's wedding. After the lightning storms we had earlier in the week, I think we were all a little concerned as to what the weather was going to be like today-it was PERFECT!! I had the wonderful opportunity to photograph at two venues I've never been to before. They were really incredible and I just LOVED the reception site-Headquarters House in Auburn. It's beautiful and the staff is wonderful. Actually, when brides and grooms ask me if I have suggestions for venues for them, I base what I tell them on how great the staff is. You can bet I will DEFINITELY be suggesting this location for my couples!

I met Amber and Zach about six months ago and knew I badly wanted to work with them. They are just the cutest couple!! Amber is from New Zealand, and ya gotta love her accent :) The church where they were married, Pioneer Methodist Church, is the oldest church in Placer County-almost 160 years old!!. Between the church, Amber's exquisite dress, all the personal touches (I'll tell you more about the amazing veil in a minute), I think my absolute favorite part was their two families. From the parents, to the siblings to the neices and nephews, every single one of them made me smile all day long! Amber's mom passed away when Amber was a young teenager. Her dad met and married her "bonus" mom a couple years later. What an absolutely charming woman she is. Amber and her sister were very lucky to have two incredible mothers! One of the personal touches I spoke of was Amber's veil. The veil actually belonged to her late mom. The veil was gorgeous with stitching that was hand done by Amber's paternal grandmother. I feel like Amber's mom truly gave her blessing over this wedding because of the coincidence involving this heirloom. There were flowers and birds stitched on the veil. Without having seen the veil, Amber and Zach had birds on their invitations and programs. If that doesn't make you wonder about our heavenly loved ones still having a hand in our lives, I don't know what would!
Because this was a smaller wedding, I really had an opportunity to talk with the families and get to know them a little. Zach's parents were just as charming and welcoming as Amber's and I cannot tell you how lucky this young couple is to have such support for their new life together. All day long I kept looking at Zach's mom thinking she reminded me of an actress. I couldn't remember the actress' name, but I knew she was in "Picket Fences". When I came home I looked her up, and sure enough I think she looks a lot like Kathy Baker!






If you follow my blog, you'll know that most of my weddings in the last year have been outside. I'm not sure why I've been doing fewer church weddings, but when I do photograph one in a church, I'm always excited. I LOVE the photos I can get in a church. Lydia, the coordinator at the church was AWESOME! She was so helpful and just really great to work with! As you can see from some of their church photos, this church really is an historical landmark. I had never been to this particular church or reception site. The reception was at Headquarters House in Auburn. This place was GORGEOUS! I wish we would have had more time to walk around the grounds and do photos, but it was time for the bride and groom to spend time with their guests and enjoy the evening!
I can't wait for you to see the photos and I hope you'll join me in wishing the best in the world for Amber and Zach. You two are so adorable, kind, gracious, and loved by everyone who knows you (that was truly evident yesterday). I hope you have a great time in Cancun and enjoy the ziplining!
Feel free to leave them a comment and enjoy the slideshow!