It was a great exercise for me to go through all of my 2011 images and pull out my favorites from the past year.  This is my fourth full year of being a portrait photographer, and my second full wedding season, and I have certainly been blessed to have met so many wonderful people – brides, grooms, moms, dads, kids and families, over this past year.  I am so thankful for every one of you!  Thank you for making 2011 such a great year for me, and I’m so excited to see what 2012 holds for me!

If you are getting married and looking for a photographer at the Citizen Hotel in Downtown Sacramento in 2012, I have a deal for you!  Every year, I choose two premier locations that I have not shot a wedding at before, and I offer a package discount to the first couple to book  a wedding at the locations I want to feature. This year, I am featuring the Citizen Hotel in Sacramento as well as the Old Sugar Mill in Clarksburg!

I LOVE the Citizen Hotel with its beautiful charm and elegant beauty.  I have shot at the hotel more than a dozen times – I hold all of my boudoir marathons at the Citizen.  I love the library area off of the lobby, and the lobby and entrance are so grand and beautiful for wedding photography.  I have been so excited to shoot at wedding here, so if you are looking for a photographer, I would love to work with you in 2012!

You must be getting married in the year 2012, and I must have your wedding date available.  The offer will no longer be available to additional couples once a contract is signed.  It will be first come, first serve.  My photography packages start at $2150 and go up to $4150.  You will receive a $250.00 discount off of any of my four wedding photography packages available.  Email me at stacey@lovelyyouphotography.com for additional details.  I have a .pdf document that I can email you that goes over all of my wedding pricing.  I’m so excited to shoot your wedding at the gorgeous Citizen Hotel!  Looking forward to hearing from you soon!

Did you know that three out of my four wedding photography packages come with a local engagement session!  I can’t wait to work with you!

Ok, not a engagement photograph, but my brother and his lovely wife!  I have found a gorgeous new location in Folsom where I would love to shoot an engagement session.  This time of year may not seem ideal for an engagement session, but honestly, its WONDERFUL for photos.  The sun stays very low in the sky most of the day, and lighting is very important for photography.  The last hour of the day, “the golden hour” seems even more beautiful and intense during this time of the year.  And it doesn’t rain much this time of year.  I took my brother and his family out for a shoot this past weekend, and had to share this beautiful shot.

I am so excited to share images from this gorgeous Indian wedding that I second shot for my friend Scott this weekend.  I spent the morning with the beautiful bride, while Scott was with the men.  This day was so exciting for me.  I have always been fascinated by India and their beautiful traditions and it has been on my list to experience photographing an Indian wedding.  When Scott asked me to shoot with him, I jumped right on the opportunity.  I arrived at 7:30am, anticipating the unknown of the wedding day, especially this one with new ceremonies and traditions.  This family had two traditional ceremonies – first a Sikh ceremony, followed by a traditional Hindu ceremony.  It was beautiful watching both ceremonies… After the ceremonies and lunch, there was a very long afternoon break… then Scott and I were back to work in the evening at the Citrus Heights Community Center for the evening reception.  The food was amazing, the decorations were amazing, the saris were amazing, the ladies were so sweet.  It was a beautiful night and I was glad to have experienced this. Just a few images for now – I will be adding more shortly!

I had a great time working with this couple, during our shoot at Empire Mine State Park.  This is one of my favorite locations to shoot, after having shot a wedding here this past Spring, as well as one this coming summer!  Jet and Nancy will be getting married next June at Oak Farm Vineyards in Lodi, and I’m so excited for the two of them.

I’m so excited about the new albums that I will be offering. In 2011 I offered a beautiful, but very basic flush mount album to my clients. There were not a lot of fabric or upgrade options. If you have already signed your 2012 wedding contract, you will receive my original basic album. If you would like to upgrade to my new album option, there is an additional cost. For anyone booking a 2012 wedding after 12/1/11, this new album (in basic form) will come with your package! There is also a beautiful parent album available.. .you have to SEE these gorgeous albums in person. They are also flush mount, but there are tons of cover options available. You can add fabric strips, paper cameos or metal cameos. They are beautiful and I know that my clients are going to love them!

Tony & Vanessa’s wedding took place on a beautiful fall Saturday, at St. Clare Catholic Church in Roseville.   I had a great time getting to know them this year from their engagement session in Coloma, to their beautiful day in Roseville.

I was so happy to be a part of photographing this beautiful day for this beautiful couple.  The wedding was set in a fun little tucked away corner of the Delta called Walnut Grove, CA at the Ryde Hotel. I have always found the delta area very interesting, and this little town of Ryde was no exception, with its population of 60.   I second shot this wedding with my colleague, Nicole DiGorgio from Sweetness & Light in the Bay Area.  We had a great time, with this fun bridal party.  Nicole covered the bride with her girls, and I covered the groom with his guys.  The wedding took place in the beautiful outdoor garden, and the reception inside of the restaurant ballroom.  My favorite spot was under the “dance” sign… love it!  Thanks Nicole for having me.

I am so excited to be working with Brian and Jillian at their wedding next October at the Saint Claire Hotel in San Jose.  We met up to do their engagement session at Ralston Hall in Belmont, where they met at school!  They are an adorable couple, and it was fun getting to know them before their big day.

I have had a great 2011 season!  It has been great photographing so many of my own client weddings, as well as second shooting for colleagues that I love working with.  My friend Heather Prettyman asked me to shoot this beautiful Napa wedding with her at the Napa Valley Country Club.  We had a great time, and since the bride and groom saw each other prior to the ceremony, we had a lot of time with just the two of them for photos.  It was a fabulous event, and I thank Heather for having me along!