Pete and Alyssa were married at the beautiful and stunning Ruby Hills Golf Club in Pleasanton, California! The day was beautiful, the couple a pleasure and the wedding a wonderful celebration! Pete and Alyssa are two of the nicest people you will ever meet. Both are smart, kind, generous and very pleasant to be around. Their love, care and concern for each other was evident. I would even go so far as to say “elegant”. What better wedding venue to have than the equally elegant Ruby Hill Golf Club. Needless to say, if you are looking for a great wedding venue in the Bay area or specifically in Pleasanton, Ruby Hills would be a great place to consider. I hope you enjoy the photography for this wonderful San Francisco area wedding!
I am tempted to overstate what a great wedding venue Ruby Hills Golf Club in Pleasanton is, but hopefully the wedding photographs will portray this by themselves! One thing is for sure, it is a dream wedding venue for any Bay area wedding photographer!
I know I can get a little carried away on wedding ring shots…but they are so beautiful! I don’t know what it is about them, but I truly do enjoy and value a fine ring shot. I think most of my clients really like them as well. I’m leaving out at least 5 more ring shots that I wanted to include in this post, but even I thought it would be overkill.
Such a beautiful and delightful flower girl. What a precious sweetheart!
It’s fun to imagine what this little angel must be thinking as she plays with a pair of shoes!
The morning started at Alyssa’s parents house as Alyssa, her mom and grandmother prepared by having their hair and make up done. This is always a great time for me to document the time while I have a great time interacting with everyone as I shoot whatever detail shots I can.
In between the guys getting ready and the girls arriving at the the venue I caught this moment of the bride’s father preparing his toast/speech for the reception. I’m sure he wanted to get it just right for his precious only daughter. Having been there to see how it turned out, I can truly say: “He did!”
Gorgeous wedding flowers. Classy, elegant and colorful!
My second shooter for this wedding, Monica captured the below shot of the bride headed down the stairs. I love the photojournalistic feel to it.
Quite obviously Alyssa was a beautiful bride and her authentic smile can really light up any room!
Pete was quite the handsome gentleman.
I usually don’t do a lot of special effects, like the ones shown in these two photographs. But with such a beautiful window and it so obvious to me that both the bride and the groom were thinking about each other before the wedding, I thought it only appropriate to use this effect.
Not only is Pete a stand up guy and super nice gentleman, but he has a great natural smile as well!
Contrary to the photos of the bride and groom where I photoshopped images into the windows, the below photograph contains no photoshop. It’s a real reflection in the window of the girls as they posed. My assistant for the day Monica is very sharp and creative…and she took this images while I was posing the ladies.
Not that all the guys didn’t do a great job of jumping in this photograph, but the guys on the right side did especially great “ninja jumps”.
Another beautiful sun kissed California day…perfect for a wedding!
The day before the wedding I made my way to Ruby Hill Golf Club to check things out and see where the sun would be and at what time my favorite spots would have the optimum sunlight. I was very excited as I realized that the sun would be at “the right spot” for many key points in the day. The couple had planned their timeline well. Ruby Hill Golf Club has many great spots to capture great wedding photographs.
After shooting Pete and the guys and Alyssa and the girls separately, we set up a “first look”. It’s always a special moment for the couple as they see each other for the first time and can spend a little time enjoying each other before the equally special ceremony moments! It is usually very helpful for the wedding day timeline and photography as well – since we are able to get a lot of the photography done before the wedding and are less rushed after the wedding ceremony. Obviously, each couple has to decide for themselves as to if they want to do such, but it is something to consider.
Almost every wedding, when the father walks his daughter down the aisle to give her away – it is one of my favorite wedding moments. The expressions they each have, the glances at one another, the smiles, tears or laughter… just can not be beat and it is so fun to think that I have the privilege of capturing some of these greatest life moments! Wow! I love it!
More once in a lifetime wedding moments to be cherished, preserved and that will last forever!
Let the party begin! The ballroom/reception area at Ruby Hill Golf Club is second to none! Pete and Alyssa descended down the royal stair case with their family and friends waiting below to congratulate them and start the evening of fun! I set up special remote flashes to provide more dramatic lighting in what is a very grand room, but fairly dark in a dim but romantic kind of way. This enabled me to capture these photographs that have a “sparkle” to them. It’s a lot of work and at great expense, but I whole heartedly believe my clients are worth it!
While I photographed the couple coming down the stairs from the bottom, my assistant Monica photographed them from the top. With such am amazing room, it was great to get both angles!
Just like the first kiss during the wedding ceremony is the climax of the ceremony, the couple’s first dance is one the most exciting moment during the wedding reception. It can be a very emotional time!
If a flower girl is set doing her thing on the dance floor…it can be hard to get a moment alone on the dance floor even if you are the bride! After all, who is going to stop this little angel!??
I always suggest the idea of taking a large group shot of EVERYONE when there is a location and opportunity to do so. It only takes a few minutes and is a lot of fun! It’s the couple decision as to if they want to do it. When they do, I’m ready willing and able! I’m almost certain that this photograph (below) will be of great interest, conversation and appreciation to the couple for decades to come. We did the same type photograph at my wedding and it’s always fun to go through (even if it is with a magnifying glass) and see each person who was at the wedding and their expression.
Seriously, I’m not “blowing smoke”, but it seems that Pete and his brother really like a good cigar.
I have to hand it to Pete and Alyssa! Late in the evening, even though I’m sure they were a little tired, they took the opportunity to utilize a few of the spectacular backdrops this wedding venue offers. We snuck out from the party and headed to the above window area and below spot in front of Ruby Hills Golf Club to quickly make use of these once in a life time opportunities! I quickly set up my special lighting, took a few photographs and encouraged the couple to make their make back to the party!
Thank you Pete, Alyssa and to all your family and friends. Everyone was so nice, welcoming and fun to be around for your most special day. Everyone felt like family. You two are a special couple with a wonderful and elegant love for each other. Keep loving each other more and more each day. God bless you guys and your life together! Don’t forget you always have a friend in my neck of the woods!
Kindly,
Trent
Check out the wedding slide show of Peter and Alyssa’s wedding at Ruby Hills Golf Club:
Ruby Hill Golf Club Weddings. Pleasanton Wedding Photography from ProImage Weddings Photography on Vimeo.