April 2016 – Alexander Rubin Photography

Napa Valley Engagement Session of Alisa and Adrian

This May I’ll have the great opportunity to photograph the wedding of my friends Alisa and Adrian. We recently got together for their engagement session in Napa. Lucky me, I was allowed to choose some of my favorite Napa locations for the session. This couple’s electric personalities and their impeccable sense of style made for some amazing shots. They surprised me showing up dressed formally for the shoot in all white with touches of blue. SPECTACULAR is the only word I can think of to describe their choice of attire for the session. Napa_Valley_Engagement_Session_Alexander_Rubin_4

Our day started in the Carneros Region and ended in Napa in the Stags Leap District to Regusci Winery. Moving to different locations allowed me to shoot them in several environments. From beautiful vineyards, to floral fields, and even a rustic winery building from the turn of the century, all of my favorite places served as gorgeous backdrops for this dynamic couple. As you can see Alisa and Adrian love to have fun! They even got down and dirty rolling around in vineyards. Those are some of my favorite photos of this series. I can only imagine how much fun their wedding day will be.

Sonoma Indian Wedding of Anna and Atish

I love the movement, color and drama of Indian Weddings. From the cultural rituals, to the many colors, I just can’t decide what I enjoy most. When I was chosen to shoot the wedding of Anna and Attish at Olympia’s Valley Estate in Sonoma, I was honored. This is Part 2 of Anna and Atish’s wedding weekend. I just blogged their Jewish Wedding, and their Indian Wedding was just as amazing. The ceremony was held beside a pond surrounded by weeping willows on the most beautiful day in the hills of Petaluma. Olympia’s 150 year old rustic barn was the scene for the reception. No detail was left to chance under the helm of Nicol Turner of Little Blue Box Weddings. Anna and Atish’s families and friends were overjoyed for them. You can see from the smiles on everyone’s faces that love was all around them. It was hard for me to wipe the smile off my face as I captured their photographs.

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Madrona Manor Wedding – Anna & Atish Part One

Many of our clients travel to Northern California for their weddings because of their love of world class cuisine and wines. These were certainly a priority for our client’s Anna and Atish. They also were having two weddings in one week. Luckily they hired Northern California Wedding Planner Nicol Turner of Little Blue Box Weddings. She helped them to plan both a Jewish Wedding and an Indian Wedding which honored both of their families and cultures.

There we so many beautiful images to share that we have to break up their blog post into two posts to show off both of their weddings. The Jewish wedding took place at Madrona Manor in Headlsburg. This venue really hit the mark for this couple because of its beauty and history. The fact that they have a One Star Michelin Rating from 2008 to 2015 didn’t hurt either. I had just as much fun photographing the food as I did the couple. Make sure to come back for Part Two.

Vendor Credit:

San Francisco Engagement Session of Jillian and Tom

“The Golden Gate Bridge……..offers enduring proof that human beings can alter the planet with reverence” – Kevin Starr

The above quote sums up the feeling most residents and visitors of San Francisco feel about the iconic bridge. It’s certainly how I feel. The bridge made the perfect backdrop for Jillian and Tom’s engagement session. Even though their upcoming wedding will take place in wine country, they wanted an engagement session in the city they fell in love in.

When Jillian and Tom were first together, they lived on Russian Hill and wanted to incorporate that memory into their shoot. We had a blast running up and down the hills and finding the most picturesque areas that also had meaning to them. The smile on Jillian’s face conveys how much fun all three of us had that day. Then we were off to our second location the Golden Gate Recreation Area near the Presidio Yacht Club just in time for sunset. I have to confess this was my favorite part of the day. My creativity was fueled with the light from this perfect location. The warm light made for some epic images for my couple. As a photographer these are the kind of days that just remind me of why I love what I do.

A Proposal Above The Fog

High above the Napa Valley Floor is a place called Howell Mountain. A select group of vintners built their wineries here high above the fog. One of those wineries is Cade Winery which produces bold yet balanced high-elevation Cabernet Sauvignon. My client Michael borrowed some of that bold spirit when he was ready to propose to his love Melanie. With high clouds off in the distance, the day couldn’t be more perfect. Michael took Melanie to Cade Winery under pretense of a bit of wine tasting and meeting with the winemaker. I just happened to be standing by to capture the moment he dropped to one knee, presented a beautiful engagement ring, and popped the question. As you can see from the images, she said yes! I loved capturing the two of them Face-timing with friends and family to announce their engagement! After we toured, tasted and captured images around the property. Congratulations Michael and Melanie!