Makeup was done by the lovely and talented Christi Reynolds…she is fantastic at what she does. And as an added bonus, she has a really soothing voice… perfect for a morning of nerves and anticipation (=

Ryan looking super stoked to be marrying his love at the Delta King!

The Holiday Inn’s expansive main entrance was a fun place to do their first look…having red stairs to descend and a place for bridesmaids to sneek a peEk was awesome (= and yes, I capitalized that E for my friend Rashell at Invitations Ink.. those invitation girls are grammar police!

You can’t pose romance like this.. 100% Ryan, scooping up his wife at their reception party held at the Other Office

It was a pleasure spending the day with you both, and I can’t wait to put that big fat album in your hands!

Much<3,

Dave

Thanks to Sarah Dawson for helping me shoot this wedding and getting this great shot of Alex dashing off to say I Do!

The indoor banquet room of the Monte Verde Inn Wedding venue looks just as amazing as an empty room… Alex owns this window!

Ryan’s mom hand-folded the paper cranes and created this display to honor Ryan’s part Japanese heritage…wonderful work mom!

And I can never blog a Monte Verde Inn Wedding without showing owner Kelly Dalisa‘s awesome cake-making skills! I mean…seariously? Those are edible flowers? You rock Kelly!










Joe Kalamaras of SJ Disc Jockey helped keep the party going and kept the guest entertained with this photo booth until they shut the place down!

Thank you for inviting me to the biggest and most important party in your lives!

Much <3,

Dave

Jeff and Rachel  are super fun, and totally in love, and couldn’t wait until next year to get married… so they held a small, private ceremony in Folsom, CA to make it official.  I was honored to be part of this family-only event, and the we got some great Folsom Wedding photos! This was a ceremony only, and a big reception will be held next year to celebrate the marriage of Jeff and Rachel…

thats love right there

Thank you guys for letting me be part of your wedding day, and I’m looking forward to the big celebration next year!!

Much

Dave

image couresty Oak Farm Vineyards

When I visited Oak Farm Vineyards to photograph Krystle and Ians wedding, I had no idea what to expect. You drive down a quiet two lane road with hills that go up and down, and it seems like nothing is out there.  Tucked into the outskirts of Lodi, CA. , Oak Farm Vineyards Weddings appeared on my left as an oasis of sorts…a patch of green earth amidst a sea of yellow.  You make the turn in and suddenly you start seeing that there IS something out here!  Oak Farm Vineyards is almost 150 years old, and was built as a personal estate for William DeVries.  It has been updated to serve as a winery and an excellent event destination, but still retains it charm.  With huge oak trees everywhere , white cottage buildings, and an awesome covered reception patio adjacent to a barn reception area,  its a beautiful place to get married…and a really fun place to shoot wedding photos.

I was especially stoked on all of the different places to shoot at Oak Farm Vineyards,  and I could shoot 30 weddings there in a row without using the same spot I bet.  I saw some excellent locations near the pond, where they actually have a rowboat floating there for the couples who like that classic picnic look .   They have an awesome growing arch for brides to walk through en route to their groom ,

and a massive oak tree that serves as a point of interest and a shade provider during the ceremony.    The obvious area at Oak Farm is the Vineyards, and if you catch them in the Fall they are filled with leaves!

Recently I got the opportunity to catch up with Sarah Vigil, who  is the Events Director for  the Oak Farm Vineyards Weddings,  and we chatted about  NPR,  being a young mom,  thinking about how tiring running is, and of course, the Oak Farm Vineyards and what makes them awesome.. here’s some of her prized brain matter, condensed into an enjoyable read:

Sarahs top 5 reasons Oak Farm Vinyards is bad-ass:

1. It feels like home, not some pretentious fake victorian villa.

2. You are able to relax here, and just be in your moment.

3. We dont have white roman-esque columns attached to any of our buildings…the architecture compliments the area

4. It’s a family owned property, and they take great pride in its appearance and presentation

5.  We have a gigantic Oak tree to get married under, and a boat!! Cmon, how many places have a boat?

Sarahs secret relaxation station on the property:

Theres a little grassy area behind the barn that is perfect for catching some peace and quiet… shhh, dont tell. (my bad, Sarah)

Sarahs favorite Oak Farm Vineyards weddings so far have contained:

• Shabby-chic styles
• Antique chairs
• Each table decorated slightly different
• Adorable country theme with cowboy boots as centerpieces
• Chandeliers, crystals and feathers combied for a glam reception
• All manner of DIY awesomeness
• Laid-back brides, low-key and down to earth groups whose priority is having a great time and keeping everyone smiling

Sarahs favorite season to host a wedding at Oak Farm Vineyards:

Early Fall is her p>ick,  with the cool mornings,  warm nights,  leaves on the vines,  and everyone mingling under the patio lights enjoying the party!!

Personally, I’m a fan of this venue, I enjoy shooting there, and I think brides benefit from having a large, open property like this at their disposal. It is secluded and big enough that you can let your hair down, get great pictures almost anywhere on the property… and if you run out of wine… they have you covered!!  I wrote this review and contacted Sarah for two reasons:

1.  I want to shoot more weddings here, and I am hoping one of my brides will fall in love with this place

2. I think Oak Farm Vineyards deserves the attention, because they are awesome!

Reach out to Sarah at  sarah@oakfarmvineyards.com and schedule a consultation, or head over to their CONTACT page and there is much more info.

Much <3,

Dave

It has been a little while since I’ve photographed a sacramento Chinese wedding, but it is always nice to see everyone! The community is intertwined and most of my brides/grooms are connected in some way, which makes it so much fun to see them again at the reception! Mi and Wa had a great day with family all around, lots of laughter, hugs, and dancing into the evening at Happy Garden Restaurant. Here are some of my favorites from the day..(there’s going to be more than usual since it was a 16 hour wedding):

Mi started the day in a traditional Chinese dress.. the detail was beautiful!!

The guys have to accept challenges to get into the door of the Bride’s parents home. The guys got tired of waiting… Wa wanted his woman!!

One more challenge to go… sing your bride a song!! Since Wa doesnt sing or play guitar, this was pretty much hilarious.

During the Tea Ceremony, the bride and groom receive jewelry and gifts from the elders in their family. Kinda makes me wish I had a Tea ceremony at my wedding!




The men and women played games during the day, some for fun, some for cold, hard cashola.


13 smiles.





The reception was held at Happy Garden in South Sacramento. Happy Garden Wedding photos look even better now that they have remodeled. I love this picture of them being introduced!


Kiss? REJECTED!

Thanks for inviting me to be a part of your wedding day! You know I just did it for the food (= Seriously though, you guys are wonderful, and I look forward to seeing you at the next Sacramento Chinese Wedding as Mr. and Mrs Ngu!

Much <3,

Dave

Every time I go to Tahoe, there is usually one thing in mind: Snowboarding.  Freshies.  Shredding the gnar pow-pow, if you will.  This time I had a whole new mission… complete the coldest wedding I’ver ever done!  Sam and Jason are two lovebirds who were attracted to Lake Tahoe’s winter beauty… what they didnt expect was the coldest week that the Northern California region had experienced in YEARS.  Records were being set daily… It was snowing below 1000 feet, and temperatures in Lake Tahoe were in single digits.  Knowing I faced  the possibility of missing the entire wedding over the weather, I left the night before and braved 6 hours of traffic to arrive in Incline Village.  Even though the snow cleared and the next morning was nothing but sunshine, I was glad Jessica and I left the night before to guarantee that I wouldn’t be late.  This was actually the first time I had stood in single-digit weather, and I think my breath was freezing. It was craaaazy cold!   Fast forward to the next morning, and it was sunny, but still below 20 degrees… poor Sam had to stand out in that weather in a strapless wedding dress for photos… I had to stop taking pictures when her arms began to turn purple.   Forget getting the dress dirty… Sam is the new queen of I’ll-do-anything-for-my-photos.   Enough of my blabbing, here are some of my favorites from the day:

We started the day getting ready at a house they rented across from the Chateau at Incline Village.  This definitely made things easy!  Window light poured in from one side of the room, and we used every last dropfor Sam and Jasons wedding photos!

*Jasons awesome shaving photo by Jessica Moores. Thanks for your help Jess, you rocked it out!

This is Sams smile. The real deal.  Her and I had an agreement… I would stand and wait for the real smile as long as necessary.  She never kept me waiting long (=

She is happy in this picture for 2 reasons: 1. she is marrying Jason today at the Chateau at Incline Village and will have an awesome wedding and rad wedding photos… and 2.  Jason is keeping her warm while its 17 degrees outside. Good work Jay!

Jason broke many hearts that evening.. these guys were taking it a bit rough that Jay was no longer a member of the Wolf Pack!

I literally had one of these boots stolen off of a foot for this  photo.. Jay, now you know why you were walking with that limp for 5 minutes (=

shhh… dont tell anyone that we were standing in the  parking lot of the Chateau at Incline Village for this awesome wedding photo, ok?  pinky swear!

Thank you for inviting me to the coolest wedding ever! (literally)  I had a great time, and I remember thinking how much fun it would have been to be a guest… which is probably why I spent the last 1o minutes dancing (=

Much <3,

Dave

There are many reused parts that make up my booth. I needed the entire fair to cost me less than $300.00, so reusing and repurposing items was not only responsible, but cost effective as well!

Items reused/recycled  to make this section:

• baseboards
• construction adhesive
• latex paint

Items reused to make this section ( the upper wall)

• leftover Gray primer
• Old picture frames from Goodwill

I bought some spray primer and spraypaint and made all of the frames a nice crisp white color… shabby to chic in 20 minutes!

The best deal of all… my laminate flooring!  This was removed from a home and destined for the trash. I rescued it very inexpensively, and had more than enough for my showroom floor!

The tables were the only completely new items… except for the paint I covered them with. The tables were made from table rounds at Home Depot, fence posts, and wooden legs.

I had fun building my DIY wedding fair booth, and I can use this setup for quite a few bridal fair’s to come ( reusing is the whole idea!). Next time you are faced with a big project, search craigslist, check out an anthropologie store and see how they use “junk” and make it look fantastic, and break out the toolbox!

Much <3,

Dave

There are wine barrels everywhere at the Old Sugar Mill wedding venue,  and they made a nice accent for this dress photo

The shoe shot….my way.  Old Sugar Mill Wedding photos must have bricks in there somewhere!  Thanks for your help Courtney! <3<3

Courtney and Owen were married in the Barrel Room… a nice, dramatic spot for  ceremony at The Old Sugar Mill wedding venue.

Thank You for inviting me to photograph your wedding, I really enjoyed being there for your day!

Much <3,

Dave

Krystle and Ian are just plain adorable.  They are that couple that you can be around for 5 minutes and just feel how strong their love is. They came all the way from New York  to get married at the Oak Farm Vineyards in Lodi, CA. and the ceremony was gorgeous. I had the opportunity to work with another photographer who is family friend of Ians named Andrea of Your Every Color Photography Oak Farm Vineyards weddings take place under a huge, majestic oak tree,  and Krystle and Ian added a chandelier to personalize the space and add extra charm. Their wedding was personal and charming,  and the ceremony was hearfelt… Ian waited for her anxiously at the end of the aisle,  and on a cool summer evening he married his beautiful bride under that big oak tree.

Venue: Oak Farm Vineyards,  Lodi, CA

Photography: Dave Shilling and Laura of YourEveryColor

Videography: ipomoea films

Flowers:  Made with love by family

DJ: DJ 5on5

Krystle and Ian also had video done by Man Yip Li of ipomoea films... check out their wedding video teaser here!

Thank you for letting me be a part of your day, I had a wonderful time!

Somebody out there in the universe was trying to make sure Ashley and Todd would meet and fall in love. They both went to Sac State, and probably crossed paths a hundred times, but never said a word to each other. They both lived in the same neighborhood, but never found the chance to meet and see the sparks fly. Finally, when they both got a job at BJ’s Restaurant ( who has the best pizza in the country), they were forced to meet eacthother…and well, third time is a charm! Todd moved on and began training for his new career across the country, and Ashley decided he was worth the wait. Good choice, Ash! Then on one warm day, Todd knelt down pretending to take a picture, but pulled out a ring instead…You are the MAN for that one Todd! They got married at a beautiful family home in Auburn, CA, and it was a rad party, with food stations and these amazing beef sliders…mmm I can still taste them. When I photographed their engagement session, I knew that they were a fun couple, perfect for each other, and the wedding was going to be awesome! Here are some of my favorites from their wedding day:

I’m so glad I could be there when Ashley married Todd… thanks you guys!

Much <3,

Dave