The Lab Event | January 14, 2012 | Sonoma, CA

Hey all!

Going to take a moment to encourage all of my present and potential 2012 brides to join me at The Lab Event in Sonoma this coming January 14th. It's going to be a seriously fun event and one not to be missed if you want to hob-nob with a selection of the very best wedding vendors in the bay!

This event is not only going to be an opportunity to meet up with some great wedding resources but there are also a lot of really fun things planned from a runway show showcasing some seriously gorgeous wedding day fashions to a Q&A with one of my favorites, Miss Emarie, from The Collection. Here's where I come in ... Sometimes in this big bad world of weddings things can get a little tricky. Emarie is going to be chatting with all of the guests about hiring vendors.. what you should ask for, look for, watch out for, etc. and we want to hear from you, brides! What do you most want to know? Have you run into any snags with vendors that you need a little help understanding?

SO the good news...I am giving away two free passes to this epic bridal experience .. all you have to do to enter is:

- submit your question in the comments below- be sure to include your name and email address

and for extra chances at winning:

{tweet this}

I want to go to The Lab Event: an epic bridal experience ! @megperotti #thelab

and/or

{like me} and {facebook this}

I want to go to The Lab Event: an epic bridal experience ! @Meg Perotti : Photographer #thelab

Make sure I am tagged on both of those or you'll get lost in the web shuffle.....

Ready.. set..... GO!

San Francisco Bay Area Wedding Photographer | Carolyn & Ben | A wedding at Julia Morgan Ballroom on Style Me Pretty

I've been out running around all morning (meetings, album shipping, and Christmas shopping - local shops only this year!) and was so excited to come home to the news that Carolyn and Ben's gorgeous city wedding at the Julia Morgan Ballroom in San Francisco from earlier this year was featured on Style Me Pretty | California today! Carolyn and I are style soul mates... every little detail about her wedding I absolutely loved and am thrilled to finally share these images with you. Check out the style me pretty post and scroll down for more of my favorite images!

Wedding Photography: Meg Perotti / Wedding Ceremony + Reception Location: The Julia Morgan Ballroom in The Merchants Exchange / Floral Design: Chestnut & Vine / Wedding Dress: Vwidon / Bride’s Shoes: Jimmy Choo / Bridesmaid Dresses: Jenny Yoo / Hair + Make-up: The Makeup Dolls / Groom + Groomsmen Suits: JoS. A Bank / Ties: Brooks Brothers / Wedding Cake: Beaux Gateaux Wedding Cakes, / Catering: Union Street Catering / Wedding Videography: On Bended Knee Films / DJ: Denon & Doyle / Programs, Place Cards + Invitations: Hello! Lucky / Save the Date + Table Numbers: Photographed by Jay Tsai Photography, Designed by The Groom / Styling + Planning: Bride and Groom

Joyce and George | A wedding at the Los Altos History Musuem | Style Me Pretty

So excited to share this lovely wedding I shot earlier this year that is featured on Style Me Pretty today. Joyce and George got married on a gorgeous hill at Crystal Springs Golf Course with their reception at one of my favorite south bay venues The Los Altos History Museum. Karen Pan coordinated this beautifully styled day with florals by Nicole Ha. More vendor info at the bottom of this post and check out the Style Me Pretty feature for more images (and a lot more details!) - Onward!

Wedding Coordinator: New Sunrise Events / Wedding Photography: Meg Perotti Photographer / Ceremony Venue: Crystal Spring Golf Course / Reception Venue: Los Altos History Museum / Catering: Greenfish Catering / Wedding Cake: Satura Cake / Floral Design: Nicole Ha Floral Design / Entertainment: Big Fun Disc Jockeys / Make-up: Michelle Tan / Hairstylist: Mimi and Taylor / Rentals Napkins: La Tavola / Photobooth: Magnolia Photobooth Co. / Limo: Limo Fiesta

Julie and Mark : A wedding at The Bel-Air Bay Club : Los Angeles, CA

Quite awhile back (coughJulycough) I had the pleasure of heading back down to Los Angeles to photograph Julie and Mark's wedding at The Bel-Air Bay Club. I usually have a lot of time to meet with my clients before their wedding and spend some time really getting to know them through emails, a dinner, and their engagement session but since we weren't living very close to each other Julie and Mark had never met me before their wedding day! I always get nervous before weddings, no matter the couple, but not knowing the bride and groom adds a little bit more pressure than normal... so I was pretty excited and relieved when I stepped into Julie's getting ready suite and was greeted by one of the warmest smiles ever!

Thanks to miss Em for making the trip to LA to shoot with me and for being not only a great friend but an awesome second photographer too! We had both had pretty long months of shooting already and it was really nice to have such a friendly face by my side that weekend. :)

Onward!

Bay Area Wedding Photographer | A wedding at Creekside in Los Gatos, CA |Erica and Derek

So many weddings to share with you .. so happy to be spending so much time in my office this past week or two. Playing catch up is serious therapy for me ... checking things off of my todo lists never felt better. I talk a lot about finding balance in life while being a business owner and as much as I know I need to practice what I preach it is really easy to just work. all. the. time. when it is you and only you who can create your income. It's important to know when to pull back and spend some time cultivating your craft rather than executing it. Since I shot my last wedding of 2011 last week I fully intend to spend time on some house projects, design lots and lots of albums, finally send images to patient vendors (more on this later), and enjoy decorating for the holiday season!

We are having new stairs installed today ... hopefully this:

will look more like this soon....What?! A girl can dream.. right? ;)

Lets talk wedding photography....

Erica and Derek had a lovely outdoor wedding at Creekside earlier this year surrounded by not only friends and family but beautiful towering redwoods. Weddings in the Santa Cruz Mountains always hold a special place in my heart .. I always pictured myself getting married surrounded by redwood trees .. there is nothing like that fresh smell of the woods. Alas, we tied the knot in November so redwoods would have meant freezing evening temperatures but in May the mountains were in beautiful form and the sun peeked through the tree boughs for perfect light on their big day.

Onward!