wedding photographer – Alexander Rubin Photography

Amanda and Maneesh – Auberge Du Soleil

Can you say COLOR?!

Among the many festival-related rituals in a Hindi’s life, weddings are by far the most extensive of ceremonies. Laughter, vibrancy and fun were the recurring themes of Amanda & Maneesh’s wedding on this gorgeous day in Napa Valley, and let’s just say they know how to party!

Auberge Du Soleil was the perfect setting for this wedding. This venue embodies the natural beauty of wine country, but with a luxurious and modern twist. The space is intimate yet has the capacity to host larger parties if needed.

After the heavenly ceremony was over, the reception was held indoors in the function room that provided a cozy and romantic environment for the celebration. The sweethearts were welcomed into each other’s family and shared a fabulous dinner thanks to the incredible culinary talents of the Michelin star restaurant at Auberge.

As you scroll through this beautiful wedding day, I hope you enjoy this gorgeous couple as much as I did – their smiles and their joy are contagious. Amanda and Maneesh, thank you so much for allowing me to capture this incredible time of your life. It was such an honor to be a part of it.

Amy and Andrew – Gardner Ranch, Carmel

I have been fortunate enough in my profession that I’ve traveled to many beautiful areas, but few hold a special place in my heart like Carmel-by-the-Sea.

AKA Carmel, this quaint town is located on the breathtaking coast of Northern California in Monterey County and is renowned for it’s food, wine and natural scenery that will take your breath away.

When Amy and Andrew first contacted me from their home in Texas about photographing their wedding in Carmel, I couldn’t be more excited. The venue of choice was Gardner Ranch, a charming property located on the banks of the Carmel River. Twenty-four acres of lush meadows and majestic oaks, while being walking distance to shops and restaurants made it the perfect venue for a destination wedding.

Every detail about Amy and Andrew’s day matched the mood and ambiance of Gardner Ranch to a tee. Elegant and charming yet rustic – with a big dose of fun and laughter at every stage of the day. For example, just look at these bridal party pictures… they were having a blast and it showed. When you have a group of people that are this relaxed and focusing on what’s important, it’s not hard to get great photos.

This vibe carried well into the day and evening. It’s clear that these two live life to the fullest and are so loved by everyone around them. And, they sure know how to throw a party!

I could go on and on about this magical day, but I’ll let the pictures do the talking.

I can’t thank wedding planner Andre Roberts enough for putting together such a seamless and beautiful day and a fabulous team.

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Napa Wedding – Howell Mountain Private Home

Howell Mountain Appellation is a short 10 miles from the center of Napa. If you’re not careful you can miss it. This area is famous for it’s rich Cabernet wines, and some of my favorites can be found here. It’s safe to say I spend a lot of my time here….working of course, working. When Jenny and Ryan asked me to photograph their wedding I was extremely excited. You see the wedding was to be held at a private estate owned by Jenny’s father on Howell Mountain. What more can you ask for than to do what you love, in a place that you love.

The property had features reminiscent of an Italian villa, and a stunning pool that served as a showpiece for many of the portraits I captured. Jenny and Ryan are both fun loving with great personalities. Their families are mirrors of them and you can see in the images how much fun everyone had. We got some great shots of the couple in the nearby vineyards. I love the shot I got with the on the sign post showing all the wineries on Howell Mountain. Shooting weddings at private homes is such an honor for me. They traditionally have an intimate group of a couple’s closest family and friends. It allows for a relaxed wedding where love and fun flow freely, and it shows in my shots. After dinner and formalities everyone let their hair down and partied with a live band under the stars. It was a great way to end a perfect day!

The Vintage Estate Yountville Wedding of Jennifer and Keith

When planning a Napa Valley wedding, there are many choices for a venue. Jennifer and Keith discovered The Vintage Estate in Yountville and I’m so glad they did. This stunning property gave me an abundance of spaces to capture beautiful images of Jennifer and Keith. Their ceremony took place under an Italian style gazebo. A particular shot that I love was Keith’s face as he watched his bride walk down the aisle to him. That gets me every time. It was a perfect Napa evening for their reception under the warm glow of lights during dinner, followed by dancing and celebration in a historic barrel room. This property has so many options and I love that my couple used several of them. It allowed me to get varied styles of shots all in one day. From rustic to elegance, this wedding had it all!

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Viansa Winery Wedding of Esther and Ryan

Northern California is arguably one of the most beautiful places to live and work. The light here is like no other place I know. On the day of Esther and Ryan’s wedding it seemed to more so than ever. Especially at that magical hour when the sun just begins to set and it creates a warm glow over everyone and everything. Our couple got ready for their wedding at Napa Valley luxury resort, The Carneros Inn, and wed at Viansa Winery in Sonoma. Viansa sits high above a hilltop with views of the Sonoma Valley, and features a natural wetland with waterfowl native to the area. It’s truly a spectacular place for a wedding.

Esther and Ryan both have great style and it really showed in their choice of shoes! Esther chose Louboutin and Ryan chose sneakers. Let’s admit it guys if you have to be in a tux all day, you deserve to be comfortable. I had a great time whisking the couple away to get some private shots with them around the property at Viansa. There are some stunning areas on this property, including a barrel room that’s warm and romantic. Ryan and his groomsmen surprised everyone with a choreographed dance for Esther and it was a huge hit. Those sneakers came in handy! This is only a sneak peek of this incredibly fun wedding. I can’t wait to share more with you.

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Auberge Du Soleil – Proposal of Kate & Eldridge

Auberge Du Soleil in Napa Valley is one of the most beautiful places for a proposal. After being here recently for one shoot, I was absolutely ecstatic to be back again so soon. The resort itself is one of the most stunning places in Napa Valley. I could shoot here a hundred times, and still find new and interesting places to capture my couples.

My groom Eldridge is from Texas but loves the Napa area. He’s always looking for new ways to surprise his girl Kate. I think he outdid himself this time! Working with the event staff at the resort, he chose one of their package proposals and everything was in place for the one of the biggest surprises of Kate’s life. As they came upon the private table with a customized wine bottle, Eldridge popped the question, with me there to capture it. I can’t begin to tell you how much I love getting the shot of the look on a woman’s face when her soulmate drops down on one knee. It’s pretty exhilarating. Can you tell I’m a hopeless romantic? After sharing such a precious private moment with these two, we explored the property and had a lot of fun. I especially enjoyed getting creative with the engagement ring as you can see. One of my favorite shots of the day is Eldridge and Kate under the most beautiful flowering trees. I think you’re going to love it too!

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Style Me Pretty Feature – Theorem Vineyards Wedding

Destination weddings are perfect for couples who want an intimate weekend where they can spend quality time with a smaller group of their family and friends. In the case of Leslie and Cory who hail from Texas, they worked with Kate Whelan Events to host a beautifully designed rehearsal dinner and I was lucky to be able to photograph it. The couple’s love of travel is such a strong part of their relationship. In fact Cory proposed to Leslie on one of their many adventures. When it came time to plan their wedding, they decided a destination wedding would be perfect. Theorem Vineyards was recently purchased by a family member so they had a special connection to it. Their loved ones felt right at home with a Texas meets California rehearsal dinner. With the venue at their disposal they created a beautiful environment with a tent, lounge furnishing, lounge furnishings, elegant glassware and a Texas sized menu. The design was rustic chic with a country twist. Kate and her team hit this one out of the park. Wherever you turned there were thoughtful design elements to behold.

With so many stylish details this rehearsal dinner and subsequent wedding caught the attention of Style Me Pretty. We love being featured, and when it’s by SMP we’re over the moon!

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:

Vineyard Picnic Engagement Session

As I am photographing I am constantly struck by the beauty of the Napa Valley wine country. The endless vineyards, the warm light, and lets not forget about the delicious wine. Nicole and Stephan let me choose the location for their engagement session. I choose a few of my favorite vineyard locations in the Carneros region of Napa. We tasted wine, enjoyed the scenery and we created some amazing images.

Napa Engagement Photographer from Napa By Alexander Rubin Photography_0007