Santa Rosa Wedding Photographer | AV Photo

AV Photo Featured on I DO VENUES

2012-01-26T10:29:00.000-08:00

Towards the end of last wedding season I got to shoot an amazing wedding in Lodi, CA... my favorite part of which was the fireworks :) Not too often you see those pop up at weddings! Well, thanks to Marisa Manna, the wonderful coordinator of the wedding, I Do Venues picked up the wedding for their blog feature, check it out here: http://www.idovenues.com/design-inspirations/the-perfect-backyard-affair/

And Then There Were 4!

2011-12-01T09:46:00.001-08:00

So, we managed to welcome Salem Adelle Van Gundy to the family right in the middle of the busiest period of the entire year for me :) Luckily Blogging was one of only a few things that needed to be put on hold in order to stay on top of other priorities... such as getting brides their wedding images within a week :) But now we are updated, albeit without as much written portion from yours truly... please excuse. But first... may I introduce you to the new little bug:

Lodi Private Estate Fireworks Wedding

2011-12-01T09:39:00.001-08:00

Rainy Day Wedding at Charles Krug Winery

2011-11-30T12:00:00.001-08:00

Hans Fahden Elopement

2011-11-30T11:59:00.001-08:00

Elopement at Charles Krug Winery in St. Helena

2011-11-30T11:56:00.001-08:00

San Francisco Intimate Wedding

2011-11-30T11:53:00.001-08:00

Santa Barbara Wedding at Heartstone Ranch

2011-11-30T11:50:00.001-08:00

Traditional Indian Wedding

2011-11-30T11:46:00.001-08:00

Awesome Petaluma Engagement Shoot

2011-11-30T11:45:00.001-08:00

Canadian Group Elopement to Andretti Winery

2011-11-30T11:41:00.001-08:00

Squaw Valley Wedding, Lake Tahoe

2011-11-30T11:32:00.001-08:00

Jason and Heather's wedding concluded a California tour for us as we met in Southern CA, did engagement pictures in Sonoma, CA, and they got married in Lake Tahoe, CA at Squaw Valley, a real treat during the spring and summer!

Simi Winery Wedding in Healdsburg

2011-11-30T11:20:00.001-08:00

Jeff and Kelly's wedding at Simi Winery in Healdsburg was gorgeous, but one of my favorite parts of the wedding was transporting all the guys from Clos Du Bois, where we started taking pictures, over to Simi. All the gentlemen showed up without a vehicle... getting dropped off by a ride that had to leave. So we ended up packing everyone into the back of my truck and driving them over to Simi Hawaiian style.

Healdsburg Little House Wedding

2011-11-30T11:13:00.001-08:00

One of my favorite weddings of the season was of Chris Porter and Tara Kendig at The Little House in Healdsburg. It was so high energy, high emotion, and included some fabulous music selections and was overall a very amazing event planned by Marisa Manna of So Eventful!

Charles Krug Still Rocking the House

2011-11-30T11:02:00.001-08:00

Charles Krug is famous for his contributions to the wine industry in Napa Valley, and his vineyards, which now belong to the Mondavi family still carry his name and make an amazing setting in which to have your wedding, as Mr. and Mrs. Escalante show it off so well!

Intimate Sonoma Wedding at Ravenswood Winery

2011-07-13T10:16:00.000-07:00

Michael and Lily had a beautiful wedding ceremony this last weekend at Ravenswood Winery in Sonoma, just minutes from the downtown Plaza. Ravenswood is the perfect Sonoma wedding venue for couples looking to have a small intimate wedding in Sonoma with a guest list of 30-45 family and friends. Check out some of the pictures of the happy couple:

Napa Valley Elopement

2011-06-13T15:45:00.000-07:00

A little Texas flavor filled the wine valley this weekend as Bill and Molly's elopement graced the lawn of Charles Krug Winery. With images at Harvest inn and Wine Country Inn as well, just one day after some late season rains, it was a gorgeous day to tie the knot!

Rainy Day Private Estate Wedding in Healdsburg

2011-06-13T15:39:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday brought some unexpected rain, but it didn't slow Alyn and Dani down one bit as plans changed and tents were set up. Their beautiful personal estate was the perfect wine country wedding location and couldn't have been more beautiful even on this rainy day. The wedding was fantastic, a multi-day event, with an instant dance party after the ceremony, lyrical vows, wine pourings, live bands, the works! Check out some of the pictures from this wonderful event:

Temecula Wine Country Wedding

2011-05-30T12:07:00.000-07:00

There couldn't have been a more perfect day for Ryan and Danielle's destination wedding in the Temecula Wine Country. The sun was shining, the breeze was cool, the bride was at her best, the dance floor was busy, and the guests were happy. It was such a great wedding, and a lot of fun to return to Temecula, where I spent a couple of years going to school when I was younger. It's a beautiful town and a wonderful wedding location! Check out some of the pics:

Aaron & Kelly's Group Elopement in Sonoma, CA

2011-05-17T15:18:00.000-07:00

Aaron and Kelly and roughly 25 friends and family flew out to Sonoma County's Gundlach Bundschu winery this last Saturday for what threatened to be a rainy group elopement. But, with just the right amount of wedding day luck, the clouds parted for about an hour right when the ceremony was to take place. The vines are blooming, the clouds provided wonderful lighting and an engaging sky, and the wine cave set the perfect mood for the pre-ceremony cocktail party! Congratulations Aaron and Kelly!

Wine Valley Elopement

2011-05-07T22:50:00.000-07:00

I don't know what it is about elopements, but I think they are the most beautiful ceremonies! Nothing has to be flashy or over the top... nothing is done to please or entertain guests... everything is just for each other. Jim and Elena had a beautiful wine valley elopement at the Kenwood Inn and Spa this last Friday, and then we ran off to Chateau St. Jean for some pictures afterwards. The bride and the groom were stunning, and we got some of the best weather we've had in a few weeks! Check out a few of the images:

Jason and Lindly's Texas Wedding Featured on Style Me Pretty

2011-05-05T09:15:00.000-07:00

Style Me Pretty Texas just did an awesome write up of last November's wedding in Texas with Jason and Lindly... It was definitely a favorite, and reading through the article brings back memories of lots of great moments. Check out the article here: http://www.stylemepretty.com/2011/05/04/texas-wedding-by-keely-thorne-events/

Beautiful Occidental, CA wedding

2011-05-03T13:59:00.000-07:00

After 16 years, Peter and Kathleen finally took the plunge!!! :) The wedding in Sebastopol and Occidental was so fun. If you haven't been to either of these two towns, it would be worth spending a weekend out there. They are so beautiful and create the perfect backdrop for a wedding! Check out some of the pics.

How did I get the two most beautiful girls ever?

2011-04-20T13:13:00.000-07:00

Yep, I'm a lucky guy I guess. I have the most beautiful and caring wife you could ask for, and to top it off the most social, funny, and adorable daughter you could dream of. She's really into Minnie Mouse right now, hence the ears. As well as dressing up in tons of gear. In the last month, she's gotten her first real bike, we took a sweet trip to Disneyland, and headed to Jeff and Brittany's wedding in SoCal where Amanda was a bridesmaid... one of the first weddings in 7 years that I was able to be a guest at (but of course I still clicked some pics).

Sonoma County Engagement Shoot

2011-04-20T13:07:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Jason and Heather came out from the South Bay to beautiful Sonoma, CA for a sweet engagement session. A lot of the places we shot at were firsts for me, and we had a blast doing it. A lot of areas are restricted on taking photos, so we had to be bad boys a little bit and do some running across Highway 12 for some quick pics. The wedding at Squaw Valley in Lake Tahoe this summer is going to be epic!

Crazy Wind, Great People, Fun Times!

2011-04-20T13:02:00.001-07:00

I enjoy music, but Chris and Tara live, breathe, eat, drink and sleep music! They love it, and I always have a wonderful time hearing anyone who has a passion for something talk about it. Both Chris and Tara work at The Fillmore in San Francisco, so it was only fitting that we started the engagement session there. And then on to the City... it was a blast racing around in the Mini Cooper to our various spots and I can't wait for the wedding this Summer!

Wonderful San Francisco Engagement Shoot

2011-04-20T12:58:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's been some time since the blog has been updated, and the weekends are getting busy again. Engagements are rolling out almost every weekend now as we near the craziness of the wedding season in full swing, so I wanted to make sure I had a chance to share all these fun images we had a blast taking over the past few weeks.

Dylan and Bethany were so fun to shoot, and of course dogs always take home a special prize in my book :) I was so stoked to have been able to shoot with these two, even though their wedding is way out on the East Coast. Wishing you two the best, and I really want to see all the moto toys in your garage :)

Chris and Tara Get Air

2011-04-13T15:22:00.000-07:00

Sonoma Wedding Guide Highlight

2011-02-07T13:06:00.000-08:00

The Sonoma Wedding Guide is a new resource for brides planning a destination wedding in the sonoma wine country. The site is just launched, but we will be looking for them to be hosting only a selection of the best vendors in each wedding category. The site is using AV Photo images! Check out the Sonoma Photographer listing we've got running and the write-up done on their Wedding Planning Blog! We're stoked to be considered one of the best in Sonoma!

Tour de San Francisco

2010-12-16T13:15:00.000-08:00

The wedding season has come to a close for me, I'm getting all caught up on vacation :) albums, side projects, and of course blogging! The last two weddings of 2010 for me were amazing! The first, in late October was in San Francisco! Scott and Ann were stunning, but we had also planned a tour of the city via party bus! We didn't get to hit every location, or shoot every picture idea we had because it was raining a bit here and there, but we still had the 4 hours of photo time scheduled and we made the best of it! From Coit Tower, to the Embarcadero and the Piers, The Presidio and the Palace of fine Arts, Baker Beach and a bunch of sweet photo spots in between... we came away with a ton of great photos. And to end the night on a boat, cruising the bay couldn't have been better. The sun finally broke through for sunset, just as we were sailing under the Golden Gate Bridge... Amazing! Check out the pics below!

The last wedding took me out to Houston for Jason and Lindley's wedding! Houston was gorgeous! This was the second time that I've been there to shoot, and each time it seems like the Santa Barbara weather had followed me there. Jason and Lindley had their wedding out at their family's ranch a bit out of town. It was breathtaking to say the least. After 5 years or so in construction, the final pieces came together literally days before the wedding... and what a wedding it was! Everything from skeet shooting in the morning, to a live band, cigar rolling, hat shaping, and even fireworks to close the night down! This definitely is going down as one of my most memorable weddings ever! But which Arnoldy wedding hasn't? This family knows how to throw a party!

After the wedding season slowed down a little bit, I was blessed to let my facial hair grow a little bit, relax a little, and head down to Ixtapa Mexico with my wife, daughter and her family for some much needed rest and relaxation. A week sitting by the pool, sipping pina coladas is hard to beat. Even Cheyenne was double fisting the virgin pina coladas at times :)

And upon arriving back home I got to connect up with Alexandra and Ricardo and their new baby boy! I shot Alexandra and Ricardo's wedding a couple of years ago, so it was a lot of fun to hear from them, catch up and get together to shoot some family pictures. I don't shoot that many family pics for whatever reason, and I don't mind, but it's always a lot of fun and a blessing to do so when I do get the opportunity! Cheers to everyone whose lives I got to share in this year! Looking forward to an amazing 2011!!

Mission Canyon Wedding

2010-10-21T10:48:00.000-07:00

If you know Santa Barbara, you know the properties along Mission Canyon road by Rockwood Women's Club... you know, the ones that you're always trying to sneak a peak at because they are so awesome! Well one of those amazing properties is where Javier and Robyn's beautiful wedding took place! I always tell my Fall brides that rain will make for beautiful lighting, but it's not that often that I actually get to shoot in the rain (which I think is pretty fun)! So it was a refreshing change to have a little drizzle, along with a gorgeous wedding, great friends and family, a rocking mariachi band, live entertainment, and to top it off we also had the Brown Booth photo booth working it's magic at the wedding as well. The photo booth is by far one of my favorite photo projects that we've done, because it's totally automated, and when you put a bunch of close friends in a small confined space with a camera and a little privacy it's VERY fun to see what comes out of that! Cheers Javier and Robyn!

101010

2010-10-15T12:02:00.000-07:00

The big date this year, 10.10.10 was perfect! Felicia and Ed's wedding at the Rooster Run Golf Course in Petaluma, CA was perfect. Felicia and my wife went to high school together in Santa Rosa, and the stories I was welcomed with topped off an already amazing day! Congrats Ed and Felicia, you guys both have such an amazing group of friends and family!

All the way from Shang Hai

2010-10-15T11:48:00.000-07:00

Though it would have been a cool trip to go to Shang Hai for a wedding, I guess bringing Shang Hai to wine country is a pretty close second! John and Karen had a gorgeous ceremony out in the heart of Napa! Amazing views, amazing location, and I LOVED the exotic aspect of everything: the bride speaking Mandarin, English, and Afrikaans! Check out some of the pics!

2010-09-21T15:25:00.000-07:00

Sunday's wedding at the Canary Hotel Rooftop in Santa Barbara was a wedding that I've been looking forward to awhile now... actually ever since first sitting down with Al and Nikki however many months back that was now. They are so kind hearted and easy to get along with, so taking great pictures with these two was a breeze! And Nikki's dress... wow! It was perfect for her! I told her how I've seen a lot of dresses since starting to shoot weddings over 6 years ago, and hers stood out among so many others that I've seen. Then, when we got to the Santa Barbara courthouse where Rich Tobin was officiating the ceremony, he whispered to me "man, I've seen a lot of dresses in my time, and wow!" :) So Nikki, from Rich and I, great job! Congrats you two! I had an awesome time!

A Whole Lotta Love

2010-09-21T11:48:00.001-07:00

This weekend was a whole lot of love because it was one of the infrequent weekends when I have two weddings back to back, but besides that I spent both Friday and Saturday down in the San Clemente area with Phil and Katie and their families for both their rehearsal/ dinner and all day on their wedding obviously. Not only was it evident by the multitude and quality of speeches that were pulled out that Phil and Katie are and have amazing people as friends and relatives, but it was very clear how much they love and were loved by the people around them. Guests traveling literally all corners of the globe to be there and the countless hours of work put in by family and guests giving Phil and Katie a truly amazing wedding! It was a blast being a part of such an awesome wedding! Check out some of the pics!

The Gem of Camarillo

2010-09-09T21:01:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure if it's a compliment or an insult to say that I was utterly surprised by the Maravilla Gardens in Camarillo at Eric and Katie's awesome wedding this last Sunday. It was definitely NOT what I was expecting to see... it FAR EXCEEDED them!!! This place was gorgeous! And I think that I can count all of the weddings that I've shot that have actually been AHEAD of schedule on one hand. So it was a pleasure hanging out without the typical time stresses a wedding brings and getting to enjoy the day and the evening with an amazing couple, surrounded by smiling friends and family! Congrats you guys, I had a blast!! Can't wait to shoot together again soon!!!

Round Barn Engagement Photos

2010-08-31T14:18:00.000-07:00

Rounding out the weekend was a super fun engagement shoot at Round Barn in Santa Rosa! Ed, also known apparently as Joe, and Felicia and Buster busted out some great moves at the Barn! This was my first time here, and it's SO cool, I guarantee that it would have meant big trouble for me if I went to high school in Santa Rosa... it's just yelling to be investigated :) Check out some of the pics from the engagement session! Ed and Felicia's wedding this October should be an amazing one!