Dara & Darin - Puerto Vallarta Mexico

I love it when people do things a bit out of the ordinary. I'm sure it's hard to do something different when it's a major event like a wedding. Weddings have been around for a long time and are chalk full of tradition. Traditions that never seem to vary really. But this couple, who both come from traditional Jewish families, decided to get married in Puerto Vallarta Mexico in February. It was three days of fun and sun with close family and friends. If you want to do something a little different with your wedding you should think about a destination wedding which may even be cheaper than having a large traditional wedding here in the states. This wedding was at the amazing and very private Casa Macumba and was flawlessly coordinated by Pricilla Arminio of prisavarllarta events. I heard twice that the bride thought the day went exactly as she envisioned it.

The view from my balcony...

Casa Macumba...












Something really out of the ordinary for a wedding, fire dancers!

Jennifer & Tom - Engaged

Jennifer and Tom met one night and he let this beauty get away. Her friend gave them a second chance to re-connect. He let her get away, again. As fate may have it they ran into each other. He didn't let her get away this time. Phew. I know SF is a really small city but how many chances do we really get to have these fleeting opportunities and then act on them? I think they're meant to be and these pictures just clarify it. Such a cute couple.

Erika & Roman - San Francisco, Ca

Wow, my first wedding of 2009 and I am so excited to post these pictures. Erika and Roman were married in San Francisco's beautiful City Hall. They are have a wedding in Mexico later this month but wanted some pictures for their civil ceremony. I love shooting at city hall because it's so classic San Francisco and old worldly.
Erika glammed it up with her super chic outfit, matching yellow accessories and white gloves and Roman was looking effortlessly handsome in a charcoal pin stripped suit. Talk about a stylish couple! They are the epitome of sophistication and style. Then Erika's sisters and mother showed looking equally stylish and beautiful. I was in photographers heaven. Yes, Erika is obviously a natural beauty but she went with the classic theme of SF's City Hall and pulled together an appropriate and stylish outfit which took it up a notch. Now this is how you get married at city hall!









Here's a slide show of the whole day...

Vicki & Craig - Carmel-by-the-Sea, Ca.

This post is a little late since it was the last wedding of last season and now I'm getting ready for the 2009 season. But like I said my one and only resolution this year is to be more grateful so I need to say a few words about this amazing wedding that I was fortunate to be a part of.
I just can't believe I've had the good fortune to be a part of three weddings in beautiful Carmel/Monterey area. Carmel-by-the-Sea is not your typical California beach town, can't you tell by the name? Not just Carmel, but Carmel-by-the-Sea please. The landscape is rocky and dramatic and is often foggy in the summer, but nonetheless a really beautiful charming town. In fact Craig and Vicki decided to get married there instead of where they live, the Bahamas!
This wedding was probably the most intimate of the year, only about 20 guests. We were able to spend a lot of time with this couple so we drove around looking for locations to shoot. We took pictures beforehand at the state beach and then again the next day at the uber secluded and modern Post Ranch Inn in Big Sur. They even got in the cliff side jacuzzi at the Inn fully dressed without much persuasion. Now that's taking advantage of their locations to the fullest. What a way to end the season. Here are some of the highlights.

Slide show included!

I just got a cool slide show program to offer in my wedding packages and I thought I'd bring back one my first weddings of last year to show off. Jennifer and Joe got married in beautiful sunny San Diego at the Thursday Club. I just loved everything about this wedding, cool location, cool people, and very intimate. It also reminds me of how far I've come in such a short amount of time. I could have showcased one of my more recent weddings like the one in Germany or the one in NY, but one of my goals for 2009 is to be more grateful for what I have. I am definitely grateful to Jennifer and Joe for letting me document their wedding when I was just starting out.
So if you're looking to book a wedding soon this is one of the many cool things you will get from a Michelle Hayes Photography wedding package. That and a pony! No seriously, this is a great and easy way to show off your fab wedding to your friends and family. Who lugs around a photo album anymore? That's so 2004. Enjoy!

Brooke, Greg & Bachelor - San Francisco

More family portraits! And how cute is this couple with their dog Bachelor? Bachelor is a special breed of Golden Retriever, he's all white. He is gorgeous, oh sorry really handsome.

Erin & Bob - Half Moon Bay Ca.

So lately I've been thinking about how lucky I have been with all my weddings I've shot this year. In particular all of the couples have been so sweet and wonderful to work with. Erin and Bob are an especially sweet and lovely couple that got married in Half Moon Bay at the San Benito House in their beautiful garden area. Erin wore her mother's wedding dress that she made back in the 70's and it fit her perfectly! Not many brides would do that these days, but I could tell that it meant a lot to Erin and as well to her mother by the proud look she had every time she looked at her daughter.
Oh and her makeup was flawlessly done by the talented Jira at wow pretty. Ladies, I cannot stress the importance of make up applied professionally for your wedding. Erin is a natural beauty yes, but even those with natural beauty need help with make up if you are going to have your picture taken because digital images can be unforgiving especially with harsh flash. We have all seen those pictures of the stars caught without makeup. Pick someone who has experience with make up application for film and not just everyday wear. Just consider it. I promise they are harmless and will not make you look unnatural. They will just enhance your beauty for perfect pictures.