Sonja & Brad Marin Art & Garden Center Wedding Photos
Terilyn
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Marin Art and Garden Center Wedding Photography
Sonja & Brad’s Summertime Marin Wedding
We met in Los Angeles at our alma mater, Loyola Marymount University. While stories of how we first met vary (studying at Library, baseball gathering, campus diner), one thing holds true – Sonja‘s friend Teresa was actually the one initially writing Sonja‘s texts back to Brad.
While in LA, Sonja‘s friends got a chance to know Brad and vice versa. There were UCLA football games, Dodger games and occasionally Brad even invited Sonja to his LMU games
Once graduated, Sonja and Brad moved up to San Francisco to start their professional careers.
We got engaged in golden gate park, one of our favorite spots in San Francisco. It’s tough to get a surprise by Sonja but Brad was able to surprise her with the timing of the engagement!
Brad picked out Sonja‘s ring, its simple, delicate, and sparkly. Sonja remembers her grandma by wearing her gold wedding band on her other hand.
“Sit back and see the bigger picture and know that some of the best moments together are those that are not planned. “
Most couples reserve their date in our calendars 12+ months prior to their wedding day.
Photography: Apollo Fotografie
We met in Los Angeles at our alma mater, Loyola Marymount University. While stories of how we first met vary (studying at Library, baseball gathering, campus diner), one thing holds true – Sonja‘s friend Teresa was actually the one initially writing Sonja‘s texts back to Brad. While in LA, Sonja‘s friends got a chance to know Brad and vice versa. There were UCLA football games, Dodger games and occasionally Brad even invited Sonja to his LMU games. Once graduated, Sonja and Brad moved up to San Francisco to start their professional careers.
We got engaged in golden gate park, one of our favorite spots in San Francisco. It’s tough to get a surprise by Sonja but Brad was able to surprise her with the timing of the engagement! Brad picked out Sonja‘s ring, its simple, delicate, and sparkly. Sonja remembers her grandma by wearing her gold wedding band on her other hand.
Our setting was gorgeous with all the flowers and nature around us, we really didn’t want to overshadow that, so everything we choose tried to align with our natural setting. We like the classic look of ivories and grays with just a touch of sparkle with candles all around.
I wanted my bridesmaids to be different yet uniform in a way. They all picked out floor length dresses in various shades of silver/gray/charcoal. They looked absolutely beautiful 🙂 The groomsmen wore navy suits and gray ties to compliment the bridesmaid’s dresses.
I love the classic look of a simple white and ivory bouquet. We had naturally hand-gathered and softly rounded bouquets in assorted shades of white, and ivory that were designed using varieties such as garden roses, succulents, ranunculus, and anemones, with foliage and other seasonal accents. We had satin ribbons on all our bouquets and boutonnieres, it adds such a delicate and soft touch.
A trio from the San Francisco Conservatory played at our ceremony, this was special to us because SF Conservatory also played for Brad‘s parents wedding 30 years ago. The wedding party walked down to Cannon in D by Pachelbel followed by Air on the G by Bach when Sonja and her mom walked down the asile. Our recessional song was Arrival of the Queen of Sheba by Handel. Brad‘s best friend from kindergarten, Brian, was our officiant, this was special to us and allowed us to make our ceremony personal.
Sonja, her parents, and older sister Petra designed all the centerpieces! We went to the San Francisco flower mart the week before and designed and created all our flower arrangements the night before the wedding! It was quite a production but made me realize what a great team my family is! They turned out beautifully!
Our menu was based on local and fresh foods! We loved how colorful our dinner was! Our first dance was to “Let’s Stay Together” by Al Green, this is a special song because over the years at times when we are upset with each other or not in 100% agreement, we play this song and seem to lighten up and laugh. It has become our song and every time we hear this song in the grocery store, in a commercial, etc. we look at each other and smile 🙂 .
For our wedding, we wanted music at all times! We had a great DJ that set up 3 different music stations to play music throughout the garden! Having a Photo Booth was a must and we knew would bring out the silly sides of our guests. We also wanted yard games so we had corn hole for a those with a little bit of a competitive spirit.
Our menu was based on local and fresh foods! We loved how colorful our dinner was! Our first dance was to “Let’s Stay Together” by Al Green, this is a special song because over the years at times when we are upset with each other or not in 100% agreement, we play this song and seem to lighten up and laugh. It has become our song and every time we hear this song in the grocery store, in a commercial, etc. we look at each other and smile 🙂 .
For our wedding, we wanted music at all times! We had a great DJ that set up 3 different music stations to play music throughout the garden! Having a Photo Booth was a must and we knew would bring out the silly sides of our guests. We also wanted yard games so we had corn hole for a those with a little bit of a competitive spirit.
Our Advice to couples planning their wedding, set back and see the bigger picture and know that some of the best moments together are those that are not planned.
