Rachel and Patrick are my favorite kind of people. They are both crazy thoughtful and always make you feel like they are genuinely interested in what you’re saying or doing. At this point we are sending each other messages on Instagram weekly. I met them two summers ago when Patrick was a groomsmen in Margo and Peter’s wedding (who I never blogged, because I was really bad at blogging that year. Sorry guys, I love you) They were living in Portland at the time and reached out for engagement photos. Not too long after that they moved to New York for work, but we kept in touch and I was crazy excited when they asked if I’d come to California to capture their wedding. Spoiler: I’ll always go to California to shoot a wedding!

The day started with the guys getting ready at The Sandman Hotel which was a literal design DREAM. An old motel remodeled with Funky wallpaper, neon signs, rattan and cacti. I was in love. If you’re ever in Santa Rosa you need to stay here! We took some really fun portraits of the guys sipping frosé in the bar and lounging in their suits by the pool, just to get a little extra sun on their face before the day really started. I secretly love hanging out with the guys before the wedding. No stress, fun style and a lot of extra time to just hang out. After that I headed over to DeLoach to meet up with the ladies. They have a pretty guest suite with lots of light that overlooks the vineyard and pool area.  Kiss and Makeup Creations was there beautifying all the ladies and Rachel was relaxed and all smiles, as I expected she would be.

The ceremony was beautiful and warm and sunny. Cocktail hour by the pool was the same. When it came time to sit down in the grove for dinner a coastal fog started rolling in and all of a sudden it was freezing! People were running to their rooms and cars to find anything they could use to get a bit warmer. But that didn’t stop the party of the cheerful spirits. Another fun aspect to DeLoach is they have a beautiful outdoor brick pizza oven. The Girl and the Fig put the oven to good use, making tasty farm to table pizzas and other delicious sides to warm everyone up. The never ending supply of wine helped with that, too.

Once the dancing started everyone forgot about the chill in the air and concentrated on partying into the night under the California stars. Cue Billy Brag and Wilco.

Thank you again, Rachel and Patrick,  for including me in your wedding and sending me random photos from New York to make me miss living there. You guys are seriously the best.

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