Peonies and Golf Carts

Its been a while and I'm way behind on my weddings. The third wedding I went to was located near San Martin at the Corde Valle Resort. This venue was a golf course, winery, and country club. It has massive grounds that were all so beautiful to look at. As you enter the gates you are entering a valley of green and yellow hills that make you feel you are somewhere else completely different from the Bay.

Already impressed I was definitely blown away as the wedding began. You couldn't see the ceremony spot from the country club so when the golf carts pulled up to escort people to the ceremony I was getting excited. The golf carts took you the scenic route, that ha
d many deer on the path. Once you got up the hill we were going to watch the ceremony on an golf green that over looked the hills.As the ceremony began the sun was beating down on everyone. The venue offers parasols to the guests watching the wedding. It gives the vibe of elegance but it was difficult to see over others. Its a great look for a wedding but you have to take in consideration how are people going to see over them once the ceremony begins (especially the little ones).



Once the ceremony was over we were escorted by golf carts back to the country club for cocktails. The food at the cocktail hour was great so I was only anticipating how good dinner was going to be. The cocktail hour was out on a large patio that had Chinese lanterns dropping from the overhang.


The reception room was so bright and beautiful right after the cocktail hour. The accents of gold really gave the room a little bit of twinkle that added to the whimsy of the room. The gold frames were a great idea for place cards as they were already set at the table. Although it can be very time consuming to prepare such a detailed and exact seating arrangement, it was very beautiful to walk up to and see the table theme completely set up.

The reception was filled with Peonies which are my favorite. They are great because they are light and whimsical but can take up a lot of room so you can have a fuller bouquet or centerpiece. I also loved the branches with the hanging votives it really supported the airy, summer wedding theme, but transitioned into the night dance vibe elegantly when lit.


The rest of the evening was great. I had some great conversations with the people at my table and hopefully gave tehir kids some good life advice. Overall the wedding was enchanting with its pink peonies and was elgent with the gold accents.

Two Weddings Down Oh So Many To Go

So I forgot to mention that this is my first wedding season where I am a guest (rather than an employee). And of course my first season is going to be my most intense. I have four weddings back to back weekends. Then I get a break and have three more weddings spread out across July and August. But at this point I can't think past the next one coming up.




The first one I went to was my best friend's which was at a golf course. Because of how nice the venue was the wedding had to up its game. So It definitely took on the look of sophistication with its purple and brown palette and colorful flower displays.



The wedding I went to yesterday was just as beautiful but had much more of a cute, summery, garden wedding theme. The colors were my favorite part of the wedding: Yellow, Black, and White. Featuring black and white polka dots everywhere. One of my favorite parts were the party favors of little lemon drops in jars that have polka dot lids. That definitely made the table look very adorable. Picture Source

Since yellow would be incorporated into my dream wedding I found a lot of inspiration for creating such a charming wedding.

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I would definitely want those yellow shoes as wedding shoes under my gown. Its a nice surprise for anyone who sneaks a peak as you walk down the aisle.



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This inspiration board is everything I love. Has a slight french look to it but very modern and very ornate. I do get a little scared for things to look to much like a bumble bee. That is why I have now fallen in love with the grey/white/yellow color palette.

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This inspiration board showcases more of the white then grey. I am more attracted to the grey and yellow combination but the white keeps everything very light and bright. But I love all kinds of colors so I would like to throw in a bit of purple but more on the red side since red and yellow can compliment each other.
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I'm really obsessed with this color palette so since I'm not getting married anytime soon it will now be my new bedroom theme! Its the best I can do for now.

Christina Cowan Photography

Wedding Done and Done!

The wedding madness has passed and I actually feel so sad that there is not anything for me to go crazy over. It gave me "purpose." Oh but its nice not to worry anymore. But the final outcome was absolutely fabulous. The wedding went off with out a hitch.

The day was filled with waiting around and anticipation for the wedding to begin. As we sat around downing bottle after bottle of champagne we kept the conversation light so to keep the bride calm as she got ready.
I had to sneak a peak and check out what the room looked like for the reception. It looked amazing with the tons of orchids that were the centerpieces. I was really proud to see my work displayed at my best friend's wedding. The menus came out way better then I ever thought they would and the centerpieces.

Once the wedding began and we were all ready to go the wait just to get out to the ceremony seemed like forever. That and my six inch heels were making it seem longer than needed but I loved every minute of it. It was one of the most romantic ceremony I have ever been too.

Since I was in the wedding I was not able to do the photography during the wedding but I was able to take some shots before. Once I was able to go over these shots of the bridal photography I kind of discovered a new avenue I would like to go down with my wedding photography. There is a new trend of boudoir photography that is sexy and romantic. But it is mostly done in studio as portrait photography. I think that this type of photography would be great during the anticipation portion of the wedding. This time is the time where the bride will feel their most beautiful throughout the entire day. So taking the time to photograph the bride in such a beautiful and sexy manner is to capture what she offers the man she is marrying. Creating drama in the photography is what I want to strive for through lighting and poses. I definitely will be exploring this idea much more as I photograph more weddings.

Wedding T minus 4 days.... Mayhem!

So for the past couple of months Ive been helping my best friend plan her wedding which is going to be this Friday. So right now is crunch time and I am trying my best to be as helpful as possible.
But before this week we have had some great times in planning this wedding extravaganza! First step in the planing process... The Bachelorette Party!!! Lets just say we took Napa by storm!

Our first stop was AsiaSF which I highly recommend for any ladies out there looking for a good time with a few good "men." You will be totally surprised and jealous all at the same time! The food was amazing and the entertainment is well worth it.

Up next was the beautiful wineries that we visited and could not get enough of.

After a full weekend of fun we closed it out with a stop at In And Out!

After all the Bachelorette madness we now had to turn our focus on the wedding planning madness. After numerous venue searches,

(None of which were chosen... HA! But was fun to have many road trips.) bridesmaid dress shopping and color changes,(Also none of which were chosen... HA! But it is fun to shop with the ladies!)
the wedding is now coming together and is practically finished.

uckily through this process I rediscovered my love for design. Ive been always creatively inclined but never really put it too use. I faithfully watched Martha Stewart for may years so it finally paid off. So instead of being the happy couple's wedding planner I'd like to call myself the wedding designer! As soon as we have finished "designing" my next posts will be of all the creative objects we came up with... centerpieces, menus, place cards etc....

Christina Cowan Photography

New to Blogging

Alright here is my first blog... I am starting from the ground up my photography business. After years of "the grind" in the photography and art world I am ready to get my own business started. I have traveled around the world to learn about art and its influence in commercial photography. I finally found my niche in art and have began to explore where I would like to be in commercial world.

I have found myself drawn to newborn, infant and child photography. I have always been really good with "little ones" as I was a nanny for some really cute kids. For some reason (which may be my own child-like behavior) children and I get along like peas in a pod. That is why as my portfolio grew through the years I saw that my best work was of children I had met through my travels.

I hope that you find my work beautiful and playful; emotional and striking. I hope that you would like to explore the world of children through the lens of my camera.

Christina Cowan Photography - Website