A Beautiful Danville, CA wedding in Record-Breaking Heat

Brides and grooms take so much time to plan their wedding day. Working with a wedding planner like Lisa from Bravo Weddings & Events can help the day run seamlessly, and definitely makes my job easier. However, with all of the planning and conversations about Stephanie and Mike’s Danville, CA wedding, none of us could have predicted temperatures hitting 109 degrees on their wedding day.

Nearly a year earlier, I met Stephanie and Mike as a referral from their wedding planner (and cousin of the groom), Lisa who said my name comes up all the time in Facebook groups. I sent my website and portfolio over to the couple, and they loved my pictures. 

The couple and I had a face to face meeting to see if I would be a good fit for them and we agreed that an engagement session is a perfect way to take me for a test drive and see if I would be a good fit for their wedding. Mid-December we met at the Lafayette Reservoir and took some beautiful engagement photos which was followed by Mike and Stephanie saying without a doubt, I would be the perfect fit for their wedding day. 

Leading up to the September 2, 2017 wedding, I worked with both the couple and Lisa. She and I were able to work together regarding the tiny details, leaving the couple to enjoy their engagement. Lisa and I even met at the venue prior to their wedding to talk about specifics of their day. Lisa is based out of Walnut Creek, but the majority of her business is in the Napa area. She loves to embrace each couple's style that she works with, whether it's traditional or unique. Lisa was a joy to work with on this wedding. 

Stephanie and Mike rented the Town Green & Bandstand at the Danville Community Center for their ceremony, and the Valley Oak Room and Las Trampas for their reception. They rented white ceremony chairs from the community center, and opted to use those chairs for inside as well—though the community center doesn’t typically do this, they were really pleased with the way it looked.

People don’t often associate the Danville Community Center with the Town Green. Having the cocktail hour on the patio really bridged the two together, however the heat impacted how long guests stayed outside. The main building of the Danville Community Center is probably the least used of the large event halls they have. Though this facility is the oldest and not updated like the others, when pairing a beautifully stylized venue and an awesome photo team, it can really showcase the true beauty of the location. 

The day of the wedding, I was thankful to have Lisa there. With the ceremony being outdoors, and some of the guests being older, it was necessary to have someone with Lisa's level of experience. She was thoughtful by ensuring all guests remained hydrated on the out of the ordinary heatwave of a day. She also helped with family formals with moving the desired family members in and out of photos so they could return to the cool AC. Lisa was able to seamlessly move guests and wedding items behind the scenes so the couple did not have to worry. 

When Stephanie’s family, who traveled from out of state, and local guests arrived, they were overcome with the beauty of the day. Stephanie and Mike enjoyed their first look at the altar.

After the ceremony, John Sanabria and his Pleasanton team served delicious food to the guests. They created a range of food such as Hors d'Oeuvre's like Tortellini Skewers marinated in olive oil, fresh herbs, and garlic, then skewered with cherry tomatoes. The main meal was a buffet with Caesar salad, bacon spinach salad, and a selection of pastas.

The reception was enjoyable thanks to Amos productions. Stephanie and Mike chose the company’s Level 3 DJ & MC package with a ceremony sound system and uplighting. Ben, their DJ with Amos, advised the Stephanie and Mike on their planning forms when choosing their music and worked with the couple from start to finish.

Despite the heat, everyone had a wonderful time and Stephanie, Mike, and their guests had a day they will never forget.