rizzarizphotography » san francisco wedding + portrait photographer

It is spring (or as spring can be  in San Francisco). And they say that with spring ‘love is in the air’. Love indeed was in the air and in the Haight no less which is where my session with Dijonne + Russell took place this afternoon.

One day the brilliant universe decided that a young, beautiful and hopeful Dijonne and a young, ruggedly handsome Russell would cross paths. They had previously met in passing through friends but it would only be a matter of time before they’d be forced to share some heavy duty time together, in the dugout. Not an actual dugout, but the SF Giants Dugout store where you’re likely to come across Tim Lincecum bobbleheads and jerseys and not Tim Lincecum himself.

When I learned that I would be working with Dijonne + Russell I was beyond thrilled! Being around Dijonne + Russ really gives you some perspective on love and life. The connection they share is astounding and the love they have for one another is paramount. This September Dijonne + Russ will exchange their vows and I am more than honored – I am humbled to document their day.

Until that day, a few of my faves from this day:







After a day of play in The Haight, Russ + Dijonne say ‘peace’….

Oooh! So sexy it hurts!

Rather than just showing a few typical wedding shots, I wanted to share something a little different for this post. If you don’t already know, I for the most part second shoot for my girl Jen Hosler at Candid Moments Weddings. Her creative genius never ceases to amaze me, in fact her energy is always refreshing. She came up with the great idea of having a ‘Fun Photo Booth’ as an alternate to dancing reception photos. It turned out to be quite a hit and in fact, the party moved to our tiny little set-up. Why just look!

Imagine you are young and decide to join the Peace Corp. You travel half-way around the world to the Kingdom of Tonga and by the sparkly magical wand that is called fate you meet the person you are meant to spend the rest of your life with. Perhaps not all of us can imagine this but luckily KT + Andrew don’t have to because it is their story. They have traveled the world on camel-back, rickety tuk-tuks and ‘new-car’ scented Hertz Rentals. Now they come full circle as they continue forward on the very soil where they first met. But before they did, KT + Andrew celebrated their lives together in front of 200 of their closest relatives and friends on her parent’s beautiful property in Staunton, VA. The day was absolutely perfect to boot and although a storm was brewing just miles ahead that day, its timing was impeccable. The reception held at Sugar Loaf Farms would be no exception.

**KT + Andrew – I wish you both the very best. Your families and friends are extraordinary and are very lucky to have you both and vice versa. It was my absolute pleasure to document your day. Thank you so much for reinforcing what I love to do which is being behind the lens.

Now for some photos…..

Flower arrangements that were good enough to eat!
KT’s nieces will make gorgeous brides one day. I hope I’m still physically able to shoot when that day arrives…
[insert sarcasm] Excuse me, but can anyone tell if KT’s happy in this picture? It’s hard to say….





Rrrrraaaaaaaawwwwrrrrrrr……..

The gorgeous barn at Sugar Loaf Farms.



I just love KT’s expression during the father/daughter dance…

Some great speeches were shared that night…


Hopa!

THIS my friends is what a darn good band can do!

The last dance of the night and possibly my favorite from the entire day…..

The Slideshow:

So I finally made it back home to the Bay Area in one piece! While I’m tired and sore I did want to share a few teasers of KT + Andrew’s wedding. Usually I post just one, but thought I’d be a little generous this time and share a couple highlights. But wait! There is more to come! Oh so more to come! Rr.

The couple’s first dance for now….


Entertained by only DC’s finest band, BSANDM.

And a gorgeous detail shot until then…

I leave for Virginia this week to document KT+Andrew’s destination wedding in KT’s humble hometown Staunton, VA. There are no bloggable words good enough, big enough or close enough to come within miles of how I excited I am. The idea that KT + Andrew trust me with their big day (and are happy to fly me out) is an overwhelming idea and a flattering one at that. My schedule is going to be so jam packed for this trip since I also have a TTD (Trash The Dress) session in D.C. right before my trip to Staunton!

Since these last few weeks have been absolutely killer on me, I’ve decided I’m going to take a break and catch up on some reading I’ve been meaning to get to. And speaking of reading, if you’re ever in San Francisco I highly recommend stopping by the City Lights Bookstore in the North Beach Area.

So stay tuned until then. I may have a blog post or two up by the end of this week with several sneak peaks and good stuff. But for now, THIS is what I plan to do on the plane:

Also know that I’ll be checking email intermittently throughout the week but should be responding on Monday. Cheers!

Just wanted to share a quick couple teasers from a wedding I shot with my girl Jen Hosler at Candid Moments Photography. The wedding took place at the Ride Hotel in Ride, CA. If you’ve never been, The Ride Hotel is comfortably placed along the Sacramento Delta. It’s a very old art deco themed building surrounded by charming greenery. The bride and groom were SUCH a dream to work with and to boot the weather cooperated. In my full feature entry for this wedding (which will likely take place upon my return) I will be posting a few of the guests because they were quite amazing themselves. Dude, they were THAT special!

The ‘cute as buttons’ couple….

Just a couple of many funny personalities in attendance at this wedding…

They exchanged vows on the very grounds you see here sometime twelve years ago. There they were a family of four literally taking a stroll down memory lane. We walked to the small, patchy grass where they once stood and said forever ‘I do.’ While looking over at Joseph, Michelle muttered, “I think is it. I’m pretty sure it is.” She paused and in a slight nano second I caught a glimpse – nay, a flirty twinkle really, of how much Michelle continues to adore her husband. Moreso now than I imagine twelve years ago.

What captivates me about the Galan Family is the ‘happy chaos’ that exists around them. It is chaotic in the sense of love, happiness, loud laughter, faith, and much devotion. And more laughter. Which brings me to reason #957 why being a photographer has its perks. And as always, it really is a tough job to chose from my favorite moments for these posts so I’ll just stick the more memorable ones.

Like my good friend Paula always says, ‘your partner should be your best friend.’ I think this moment definitely captures that.

This one isn’t too far behind either (Avery aka “Big Brother and Julian aka “Little Brother”)

This post would be remiss without a close-up of my new favorite little guys!




We convinced Avery to stay like this for 15 minutes! (j/k)

What a handsome family!

**Michelle, Joseph, Avery and of course, Julian: You were all such a pleasure to work with. Thanks for a wonderful afternoon before a perfect sunset! Best, Rr. xoxo