The Goodness | Sacramento Wedding Photographer

We’re off to Asia! (out of the office)

admin — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 10:27:38 +0000

2011 was an incredible year and definitely a busy one! Geoff and I are off to enjoy some well-earned R&R and adventure in Southeast Asia for the next three weeks. We are beyond stoked! We’ll be visitng 4 countries, traveling with backpacks, and visiting Thai islands, checking out temples, eating lots of yummy food, and going to an elephant camp! :) :) :) :) We are SO EXCITED about our expedition together and there will be LOTS of photos to share when we get back. We’ll be checking email periodically, but we won’t be able to return voicemails until February 1st.

I think ‘Up‘ said it perfectly: ADVENTURE IS OUT THERE!

Diego and Christina are married! (teaser)

admin — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 06:16:15 +0000

Our last wedding of 2011 was an amazing one! I am seriously SO excited to share Christina and Diego’s wedding photos. They were married in Paso Robles, CA and oh my goodness was it a beautiful day. Not just because of the picture-perfect weather (in late December!), but all of the friends and family and love all around was truly inspiring. I cannot wait to share their full wedding post, plus the glamorous old Hollywood invitations we design for them! Come back soon to see more!

Best of The Goodness: 2011

admin — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 02:49:34 +0000

WOWZA. This has been SOME year! We are so thankful for everything that has happened this year. From all the fun new places we have traveled, to all of the unique couples we have met, to all that we have grown over the past 12 months, to QUITTING OUR DAY JOBS (woo hoo!), an everything in between. I just spent a good while looking back through all of our weddings and engagement sessions we shot in 2011 and reliving all of the fun moments we were able to experience and capture. So much fun! Here are some (okay, A TON) of our favorite images from the year. Enjoy!

And to finish us off, an image we took at yesterday’s wedding. Official teaser post coming soon!

What an incredible year it has been! Here’s to an even more amazing 2012!!

Andrew and Erica’s retro pink Christmas wedding

admin — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 03:04:11 +0000

I hope all of you had a delightful holiday over the weekend! Geoff and I enjoyed a couple days off to spend with our friends and family. I have such a wonderful holiday treat for you today! We posted about their wedding design suite last week and today we are so excited to share with you Andrew and Erica’s wedding photos! First of all, Andrew and Erica are one of the most stylish couples we’ve had the pleasure of working with. It’s so easy to see how perfect they are for each other. They are both so sweet and their San Francisco pink retro Christmas wedding was nothing short of fabulous!

I am so excited to show you all of the amazing details at this wedding! Andrew and Erica worked so hard to put together an incredibly beautiful celebration. I think Erica has to be one of the most creative brides we have worked with! Let’s get to it! Erica decorated her shoes with sparkles on the heels and pink bows on the toes. So cute!

She MADE all of the flowers for the bouquets out of crepe paper and arranged them herself.

Her bouquet’s ribbon had a heart emblem that matched Andrew’s boutonniere.

I was with Erica for her final touches of getting ready at the church. She looked amazing! I was in love with her dress!

Geoff got to snap some shots of Andrew before the ceremony. Her was looking as handsome and stylish as ever!

Loving the pink socks!

The ceremony was held at St. Ignatius Church. Wow, was it ever beautiful.

The programs were designed by us to match her bright pink retro Christmas theme. Be sure to check out their entire design suite in their design post!

After the ceremony, we headed to the Palace of Fine Arts for portraits.

We finished up as the sun set over the Golden Gate Bridge, then headed off to the reception at the Century Club of California. Let me tell you, this place was transformed into a Winter Wonderland by Andrew and Erica with the help of their friends and family. It was GORGEOUS!

We designed these cute escort cards. They are made out of chocolates, yum!

When the guests entered the reception room after cocktail hour, they were greeted with Glee’s version of “Pure Imagination” and THIS! It was magical.

They used photos from their engagement session as the table numbers.

Okay, this I think is just to die for. Check out the marquee-stlye letters that Andrew and Erica MADE! What an adorable and whimsical touch for the photo booth. SMILE!

This had to have been the cutest plate of salad EVER. The beets are cut into hearts! I just about died when I saw that. Could this wedding get any more adorable?!

Andrew and Erica, we cannot thank you enough for choosing us to be a part of your wedding! It was a beautiful, amazing, unforgettable day and we know your life together will be no different!

Andrew and Erica’s pink Christmas wedding design

admin — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 23:48:27 +0000

We’ve got some great Christmas inspired wedding invitation design to show you plus the cutest Christmas wedding you have ever seen! first up, the design! When we first met with Erica about photographing their wedding we knew it was going to be something special. She would be getting married in December told us all about her ideas for a retro kitschy Christmas wedding with lots of pink and sparkly details. So when she asked us do design her wedding invitations and other paper details, we were so excited! Of course we started with the Save the Date. One of the major details for the wedding was romantic roses and bold saturated pink colors. I created this wreath of holly and roses with vintage lettering. There is even a little silhouette of the Golden Gate bridge, to get people excited about the location, San Francisco.

The back featured another big pink rose and website information.

When it came time to create the invitations, Erica and Andrew wanted something a little more formal with that same vintage vibe. I love the gold envelopes and the pocket fold enclosure.

Here is a close-up of the wedding invitation.

The front of the pocket fold featured a cute matching monogram.

Detail of the inserts. I really love the San Francisco map we created showing the ceremony, reception, and hotel.

Another favorite detail is the wraparound address label on the RSVP envelope.

We also designed a wedding logo incorporating the rose wreath form the save the dates.

We designed the covers for Erica and Andrew’s wedding programs. The bright bold colors were a big part of the wedding decor, so we created these beautiful pink covers with the wedding logo.

The last thing we designed for Erica and Andrew’s wedding were their escort cards. Erica’s idea was to have the name tags placed into gold covered chocolates. I designed these cute scalloped edge name cards. The back layers is a beautiful pink glitter paper. Here they are all set up at the wedding.

Coming up next is the wedding post! Oh my goodness, you are in for such a treat! This wedding was absolutely beautiful!

How to: Make a Face Stocking!

admin — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 12:40:21 +0000

Last year for Christmas I got a silly idea to make stockings that looked like Geoff and I and our two dogs. I drew a little picture and started sewing. They aren’t perfect but for my first try, they turned out pretty darn cute!

This year, my friend and Goodness worker-bee, Brit, asked if I could help her make some of the stockings for herself, her fiance, Tim, and their Scotty dog, Jacques. So I thought it would be fun to share how we created them! You can definitely get one of these done from start to finish in an evening and they would make FANTASTIC Christmas gifts! Here is all the stuff you’ll need to make a face stocking:

1/2 yard fabric for outer “skin” (or fur)
1/2 yard of quilter’s batting
1/2 yard of fabric for lining
1/8 yard of fabric for toe of stocking and hanging loop
Felt for hair, eyes, fur (if making a pet)
Embroidery thread for nose, lips, eyelashes
Black doll eyes (if making a pet)
A little bit of creativity to personalize the face!
Here is a template for the stocking shapes and hair. Use this as a guide, but feel free to customize and get creative!

Let’s start with the easiest one, The Boy.

Start by cutting the stocking shapes. We made our stocking template out of a paper grocery bag. Cut two of each: skin, batting and lining.

We made the eyes first. Simple shapes to create Tim’s blue eyes. Sew all the pieces together with a little embroidery thread and a touch of fabric glue.

Use a couple stitches to create catchlights in the eye.

Cut our the hair using the template as a guide. It’s a great idea to give the hair your own cut to match your boy! Lay the eyes and hair on your template and draw the other features. You can refer to this when you are doing your embroidery.

Sew on the eyes (a dab of glue helps too), then embroider the nose and mouth. Cut out eyebrow shapes and sew them on with your sewing machine. Pin the hair in place and sew lines to give the hair some definition.

Sew the hair on the back in the same way. It’s kind of like you are drawing with the lines of stitching. Tim is ready to become a stocking!

Attach the batting to the wrong side of the face layer. Baste around the very outer edge to hold the batting in place.

Cut out the toe piece from your contrasting fabric and pin it on the face layer at the toe. Sew a line along the edge as pictured.

Take your lining fabric and sew right sides together along the top of the stocking.

Do this for both sides.

Lay the two layers together like this. Sew all the way around the outer edge, leaving a hole in the liner near the bottom of the foot. Clip the curves and then flip the whole thing right side out using the hole you left. Sew up the opening of the hole in the lining.

Stuff the liner back into the stocking. Sew a top stitch around the opening of the stocking about a half inch from the top. Almost done! Create your hanging loop from a piece of the same fabric as the toe. Sew along the edge and flip inside out.

Use a zig zag stitch to attach the loop to your stocking. Hang it on your fireplace and enjoy!

The Girl is a lot like The Boy, but gets a little tricky with all that pretty hair. We made hair shapes using a paper bag to make templates and cut out three pieces: the back, the front, and the bangs.

Sew a few lines of stitches near the outer edge of the hair, then pin to the stocking and sew more lines to attach the hair to the face layer. VERY IMPORTANT! Do not sew the hair over the edge of the face layer. Leave a gap of that layer near the edge free. This will make more sense in a minute, I promise!

Finish attaching eyes and embroidering features. You can do more of a girly lip and even some eyeliner or eyelashes. Have fun and make it you!

Here is what I meant about not sewing the hair all the way to the edge. You’ll need to pin back the hair to baste on your batting.

Again, sew along the outer edge to attach the batting to the face layer.

This is where it gets a little different than The Boy stocking. Sew the front and back of the face layers together, right sides together. Leave the top open. Clip the curves and turn right side out. The seams should look like the second photo. Unpin the hair.

Sew along the edge of the hair to attach the two sides. Near the opening of the stocking, try to get as close to the seam of the face layers as possible. Trim off any excess.

Turn the face layers inside out. Sew the lining layers right sides together, leaving the top open and hole in the foot to flip the stocking inside out.

Stuff the lining into the stocking. They should be right sides together at this point. Sew along the opening of the stocking.

Flip the whole thing inside out and close the hole in the foot of the lining. Stuff the lining back into the stocking and sew a top stitch around the opening.

Make a loop to match the toe fabric and sew it in place. Done!

The Dog is probably the most fun to make and lets you be really creative with design and materials! Here are the three dogs I have made, Jacques (Brit’s Scotty dog), Charlie (our Poodle mix), and Little Dog (our…we think he’s a chihuahua-terrier mix? Who knows!). For Jaques and Charlie we used a fuzzy, low pile fur for the stocking part, accented with bits of faux fur for ears and hair. Little Dog is made of corduroy! Our dogs’ collars match their real-life collars, while Jacques sports a Scottish plaid in festive red and green. Get creative!

Start by cutting out your layers of fur, batting and lining.

Baste the batting to the fur layer.

Cut out the toe piece…

…and matching collar! You can see a little peek of the sketch we did before we got started.

Sew on the toe piece and collar to both sides of the stocking.

Now comes the fun part! Start to cut out the pieces you will need to make your dog look like your dog! For Jacques, we cut out a mustache, eyebrows, side fur, tongue, nose, ears, and another piece of the fur layer fabric to give some definition to his LONG nose. It might take a few tries to get it perfect. Lay out everything on your stocking before sewing anything permanently.

Once you are ready, start sewing! Just like with The Girl, don’t sew any pieces all the way up to the edge of the stocking. Make sure to leave enough for the seam allowance when you are joining front to back.

All of the features are sewn on!

Sew the lining to the top of the stocking.

Important! Just like with The Girl’s hair, pin back all of the facial features that extend over the edge of the stocking so they don’t get sewn into the seam! Attach the two sides like so.

Sew around the edge, leaving a hole in the foot of the lining like in the photo below. Clip the curves.

Flip the whole thing right side out and sew up the whole in the foot. Stuff the lining back into the stocking and sew your top stitch around the opening.

Time to make our loop for hanging!

Sew the loop into place and this doggy is done!

We had a blast making these adorable stockings that will be enjoyed for years to come! Have fun creating your own face stockings for your family!

Marc and Jen’s Arden Hills wedding

admin — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 19:06:29 +0000

Today we are sharing Marc and Jen’s wedding which we photographed earlier this year. They both are such fun and unique people and it was definitely a treat to be able to work with them. Their wedding was at Arden Hill Resort Club & Spa in Sacramento.

I could have photographed Jen forever! She was so gorgeous.

Geoff hung out with Marc and the guys.

Marc and Jen shared a very emotional first look. Looking at these photos again makes me a little teary. They were so sweet.

It was such a beautiful ceremony. Marc and Jen were so happy to have each other. One of the reasons we love weddings so much is that they are always a reminder of how lucky Geoff and I have each other to love. :)

We had a few more minutes for portraits before we headed off to the party!

How flipping adorable is this cake? The splashes of bright yellow everywhere were just perfect.

Just before we left for the night, Jen changed into this adorable party dress, so we stole them away from the party for a few more photos.

Congratulation to Marc and Jen! I told Geoff after this wedding, I love how much we get to really know the couple because of the wedding. Meeting their friends and family, hearing stories about them, and learning even more about their love story. Getting to work with amazing couples like Marc and Jen just another thing we love about our job! Many years of happiness to you both!

Andrew and Erica are married! (teaser)

admin — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 19:24:33 +0000

It’s so hard to only post a couple teaser images from Andrew and Erica’s wedding because it was So. Dang. CUTE! They did such an amazing job putting together their San Francisco retro pink christmas wedding. So excited to share those! Above all, it was a wonderful celebration for two people who love each other very much. Erica and Andrew just seem to “get” each other so well. Their love is very admirable. More images to come!

What an adorable couple! And talk about an amazing dress!

Josh and Nichole’s wedding featured in Real Weddings Magazine!

admin — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 22:27:06 +0000

Congratulations to Josh and Nichole who had their wedding chosen to be featured in the current issue of Real Wedding Magazine! We can definitely see why it was chosen — Josh and Nichole did such a fantastic job planning a super fun celebration for their friends and family. All of their personal touches made a big difference in creating a unique event.

We are excited to blog their wedding today! Josh and Nichole were married at the beautiful Catta Verdera Country Club in Lincoln. Those clouds looming over the club did give us a few showers that day, but everyone was having too much fun to care!

To kick things off, I was with Nichole and her girls for getting ready. She was one of the most organized, easygoing brides ever!

Nichole looked so beautiful! I really loved her wedding gown, it was perfect for her!

While I was hanging out with the girls, Geoff was with the guys as they got themselves gussied up.

Oh my gosh, this little guy was so darn cute.

Josh was looking very dapper.

Josh and Nichole are so awesome for doing a first look! We loved all the joy and emotion.

We got to take some pre-ceremony portraits of the newleyweds-to-be. Everything was looking so green and pretty at Catta Verdera!

Time to get married! It started raining right as the ceremony started, but Josh and Nichole didn’t let it put a damper on their day! I’d say it only added to the memories.

Catta Verdera has such a cool, long walk-in for the bride. There is definitely plenty of time to soak it all in!

Despite the rain, it was a really wonderful ceremony. Josh’s dad was the officiant, so it was a very emotional and happy time for everyone.

Nichole’s sisters sang during the ceremony while the couple and their parents stood together in prayer. It was very sweet.

Married!

A few more photos of the happily married couple, then party time!

The reception was so beautiful!

The beuatiful florals were done by Blooms by Martha.

Talk about an intricate and unique cake! Sweetcakes by Rebecca did an awesome job!

One my my FAVORITE details at the wedding was this table that Josh and Nichole set up featuring all of the strange gifts they got for each other over the years.

I couldn’t help but take a ring shot with one of the weird gifts!

The couple made their grand entrance and went right into their first dance!

Josh and Nichole have the most expressive faces ever! Photographing them was so much fun.

They knew their party would not be complete without our awesome Shot Spot photo booth! Check out some of the photos here! Everyone had so much fun! One of our craziest Shot Spots ever!

They ended the night with a fantastic sparkler exit!

Josh and Nichole, you two were so much fun to work with! Congratulation to you both and we wish you many years of happiness!

Ceremony and Reception Venue | Catta Verdera Country Club
Florist | Blooms by Martha Andrews
Catering | Catta Verdera
Cake | Sweetcakes by Rebecca
DJ/Entertainment | Extreme Productions
Photo Booth | Shot Spot by the Goodness!
Napkins | Mimi & Co.

Dane and Erin’s engagement session at home

admin — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 19:34:53 +0000

One of the best things about doing an engagement session is choosing a location that has special meaning to you. For Dane and Erin, who just bought their first home in East Sacramento, what could be more perfect of a location? What is even cuter, is we finished the photo shoot at each of their homes growing up, which just so happen so be on the same street! We love shooting couple’s homes. It’s such a personal place where so much of their lives together are spent.

Dane and Erin’s house is so adorable! It was built in the 50′s so they made sure to include a lot of retro and kitsch in their decor.

I love the pink flamingos in their front yard!

After we took photos at Dane and Erin’s home together, we headed up to El Dorado Hills to take photos at the home that each of them grew up in! How awesome is it that they grew up on the same street less than a mile away from each other? First stop was Dane’s house. A swing, a hammock, and a tree house — could we ask for anything more!?

How amazing is this tree house that Dane’s dad built!?

Then we headed over to Erin’s parent’s house. This view was so beautiful!

Erin’s dad has this incredible ’56 Chevy that we were lucky enough to take a few photos with.

Maybe one day I’ll have a backyard that looks like this. So pretty.

Love this one!

Dane and Erin, thanks for taking us in to your homes (literally). We had so much fun getting to know you! The wedding is going to be so much fun, we can’t wait!