I originally got in contact with Alexandra and Zachary through Alexandra’s mother, Melissa who found me through a referral and hired me to shoot her daughter’s wedding.  Alexandra and Zachary live in Florida because Zachary is based there in the military.  But because they fell in love with Grand Island Mansion in Walnut Grove, they decided to have a destination wedding here!  I bet you didn’t know that people have destination weddings in the Sacramento area, did you!?

Their wedding took place on Feb. 1, 2020.  Anytime you plan an outdoor wedding in February its a risk because you never know if it is going to rain.  However, they lucked out and it turned out to be a beautiful day.

A growing trend for weddings is to have a ‘brunch wedding’ as opposed to an evening wedding. This can be more convenient for guests who need to travel and can allow for a prolonged evening after-party.  This is what Alexandra and Zachary did.  They had a little bit of midst in the morning, and there was a bit of a chill factor but I think it added to atmosphere of their wedding.

Grand Island Mansion provides such a gorgeous backdrop for photos, so I don’t have to work too hard to find great spots to take portraits.  My second shooter, Nate, was amazing photographing the Groom getting ready and giving me an assist during the portrait session.  We also got all the fun moments of the reception, and their exit.  DJ Elizabeth from Behind The Scenes Sound was the DJ for the wedding, and she did an excellent job getting the crowd on their feet, dancing and celebrating.  I’ve worked together with DJ Elizabeth several times, including one of my first professional weddings I shot, so it’s always great to find out that she is the DJ for my weddings.  All in all, a successful wedding day!