Planning the ultimate ladies party is pretty fun when you can go over the top with a theme like Moroccan! Sometimes we go a bit more subdued for the wedding color palate, so it’s fun to live it up at the bridal shower. This private restaurant patio was a beautiful setting for a party. Many restaurants let you rent out their patio, so this is a great option!
Peruse these fun photos for ideas!
I have been excited to share Amy and Michael’s beautiful brunch wedding at the Vizcaya. Ā The Vizcaya is a beautiful venue in Midtown Sacramento.Ā Ā I love the gardens (great for the ceremony), the huge windows, and nice architecture. Ā If you haven’t been there or are thinking of having your wedding there, definitely check it out!
Amy and Michael, along with their family and friends, were so nice, fun, andĀ easy to be around. Ā Here is a glimpse of the wedding…I picked a lot more photos to share than usual for a blog post, but I feel like these really tell the story of their special day…
enjoy!
Bon Voyage! What an amazing day!!
To see more of my photos, check out more blog posts or my website!
xoxoxoxox ~Julie
I love Lake Tahoe weddings!Ā This was a south shore wedding at theĀ Beach Retreat & LodgeĀ taken along side my buddy Josh ofĀ Josh Gatlin Photography. I think these photos speak for themselves as to what a great lake front spot this is! It was a gorgeous day in Tahoe, and everyone had such a great time. Sneaking away with Kristin and Chase toĀ walk out to the end of the pier was the icing on the cake and these two had no trouble creating chemistry for the photos…i’m not sure if they even noticed we were there!
We finished just in time…the wildfire smoke was coming over the mountains.
As you can see in the last photos, the smoke from wildfires started creeping in on the lake as we were finishing up the bride and groom portraits out on the peer. There were many firefighting crews from all over California coming to fight the blaze. These two sisters and their dadĀ took time to thank the fire crews for all their hard work! It was really a cool thing to see. We all love Lake Tahoe and are thankful for those who protect it!
xoxoxox ~ Julie
Kristin and Shawn met me in the littleĀ old town of Folsom, CA. I was glad to see them again and also excited to chat about their upcoming Mission Ranch wedding in Monterey! We had a relaxing jaunt around Old Folsom, which is a beautiful area right alongĀ the American River. The Folsom historic district, Folsom Powerhouse State ParkĀ , and Rainbow Bridge make greatĀ areas to hang out, sightsee or take photos!Ā Engagement sessions are always fun, and these two make it really easy to take great photos that captured how cute they are together.
Thanks Kristin and Shawn for choosing me to take your engagement and wedding photos. I wish the two of you a lifetime of happiness!
xoxoxox ~Julie
Check out more photos HERE!
Elisa and Truman were heading into the valley from San Francisco. I was looking forward to meeting up with them at Soul Food Farm, just 40 minutes west of Sacramento. I was eager to check out this spot, with reservations available onĀ hipcampĀ (aka: glamping), antiques, chickens, farm fresh eggs, an olive grove, and flower gardens galore. Just being surrounded by the golden hills covered in oak trees sounds like a good time to me, but now I know there is a lot more to this little farm than meets the eye. I will share more from Elisa and Trumanās photo session later, but for now I am going to give you guys a little glimpse of what it was like to explore the grounds ofĀ Soul Food Farm.
First off, I was greeted by the owner Alexis, and I wish I had watchedĀ this YouTube videoĀ of her Ted Talk before I went! This isĀ a wonderful story about her dream to be a farmer. If you have ever farmed, or grew up on a farm, it is definitely something that lives in your soul. And now I know why it is so aptly named Soul Food Farm. Their story, The dirt beneath my feet, can be read about here.
I’m pretty sure these photos speak for themselves, but one of the first things I noticed was the truck “garden” bed. Have an old truck laying around? Put it to use! Now i’m thinking I need to turn every available spot into a garden. They have the prettiest lavender growing and an amazing field of flowers, which they sell for bouquets and flower arrangements. I will definitely need to remember to stop here when i’m in the neighborhood to get some farm fresh eggs.
We had such a relaxing little adventure, I don’t think Elisa and Truman minded their picture being taken at all! Congrats to this beautiful couple and thanks for choosing me to take your photos and see Soul Food Farm!
xoxoxox~ Julie
Check out my website for more photos and testimonials!
Not too long ago, I drove up to the beautiful town of Foresthill to meet up with Staci and Shane. They thought it would be fun to come up to their wedding cite, the Grand Sierra Pointe atĀ Forest House Lodge to take some engagement photos, and I loved the idea. We got to do a lot more exploring than we will be able to on the wedding day, so it was nice to take a look at the area surroundingĀ the ceremony location. This place has the most awesome views!
The drive up was so nice…on the way back, I just had to stop at the viewpoints to snap some photos of wildflowers that I caught a glimpse of on theĀ way up.
I am excited to see these two again at their Forest House wedding! It will be here before we know it!
Till next time…check out my website HERE!
Feel free to follow me on Instagram! And Twitter! And Facebook!
xoxoxo~ Julie
I admit it, I am a little behind in blogging weddings! It is not summer, it is winter. But you know, a girl gets busy and blogging gets put to the bottom of the to-do list. So here is a summer wedding to warm you up, since it is cold and rainy here in Northern California. And yay for rain and snow! Keep it coming, we don’t like this horrible drought.
There is not much I love more than the mountains, so this wedding was in the perfect foothill location in Camino, CA…right in our very own Apple Hill. Most people know this area for it’s apple pies, like mama Vicky makes at Apple Pantry Farm, which we passed on the way there. The wedding was at a private residence, which was surrounded by wooded areas and amazing greenery. When your neighbor has a Christmas tree farm, you can consider yourself pretty lucky!
This wedding was a group of friends that we had already photographed weddings for, so it was nice to see familiar people and catch up since we last saw them. I had trouble picking photos for this blog…the people were awesome and the scenery was pretty great too.
Instead of regular seating for the ceremony, they gathered a bunch of quilts and spread them over the grassy hill. It made the ceremony very casual and unique.
It was a beautiful and emotional wedding ceremony and I could see that afterwards, everyone was ready to party celebrate! š
This wedding was one where the toasts stood out to me. You didn’t need to be an insider to see how strong these friendships are…they all had me tearing up!
Here’s to many more years of celebrating for these friends and families. I wish them the best.
To see more of this and other weddings, please visit my website…HERE!
Jewel Photography is growing and changing!Ā I’ve been really busy lately and now I’m going to be a whole lot busier! I’m changing my business name to “Julie Apichino Photography!”
Recently, I was contacted by another photographer in TennesseeĀ who goes by “Jewels Photography.”Ā A year ago sheĀ obtainedĀ the federal trademark on that name (without notifying other businesses already operating with that name). These other businesses (mine included) have been busy building great reputationsĀ for many years and she’d like to reap the benefits by expanding into our geographical regions. At least one of these businesses has a good chance to have this Tennessee photographer’sĀ trademark overturned–turn around is fair play, right?!!!
Well, I decided, “Why get bogged downĀ in this mess, even if I’ve got a regional claim to the name?” Besides, I’d much rather spend time with my clients!
So, with your love and support, I will be changing my business name to “Julie Apichino Photography,”
Truly,
Julie š
UPDATE: I am still operating my business as Jewel Photography. I have worked hard to gain SEO in my area and I have put a lot of time and effort into my business so I will keep running it to the best of my ability. This means put time into taking care of my clients instead of worrying about changing my business name!
I left it up to Jennifer & Jeremy to pick a spot for their engagement photos, and they did a great job in finding a beautiful location just outside of Woodland in Yolo county. Windmill Farm & Vineyard is a quaint wedding venue and it was so nice to be surrounded by olive orchards and grape vineyards. There are barns and tractors, old fences and an old porch to sit on while you gaze out atĀ the rolling hills. This is a great spot for a country vineyard wedding! We started by the pond and worked our way up the road to watch the sunset behind the hills of Northern California wine country.
Their dog Indiana joined us, and he was very willing to take photos.
Windmill Farm & Vineyard has beautiful views in every direction! I can’t wait to go back someday and take more photos! And I cannot wait for Jennifer and Jeremy’s wedding day!
If you would like to see more of my portfolio, please visit my website!
Thanks!
xoxox~Julie
This small country wedding was so relaxed and intimate, I felt like a guest and not a wedding photographer. Tara and Zac rentedĀ a country house 45 minutes from Downtown Sacramento, in Wilton, CA. Their quaint wedding had a pond backdrop surrounded by trees and countryside. Tara made her bouquet, favors, and much of the decor. The groom made amazing enchiladas for the guests…yum! Everything was so laid back and personal, it was a great way to spend their most important day. The sun was setting behind the big house when they said their vows. It was perfect.
Succulent wedding favors (my favorite) and very cool DIY paper bouquets.
I got to hang out with the groom and groomsmen for a change. These guys were goofing around and having fun. True friends.
Tara and Zac were lucky enough to have Zac’s dad officiate the wedding.
The bride and groom had each other’s wedding bands engravedĀ and waited for a special moment to read what the other wrote…let’s just say Zac has a good sense of humor!
I wish Tara and Zac a lifetime of happiness!
For more examples of my work as a Sacramento wedding photographer, feel free to peruse the galleries on my website. Thanks for stopping by!
xoxox ~Julie
Jewel Photography 