This incredible Napa vineyard wedding has all the makings of a delicious photo story: a gorgeous winery setting, rustic barns, the rolling hills of northern California, sumptuous wine, games, music, a lovely couple, tears and laughter, and a live band and dance party to remember.

Christine and Ryan were living in New York City when they first emailed me. Christine’s family lived in the SF Bay Area and they were planning a wedding in Napa wine country at venues that had special meaning in her family history. “It’s a destination wedding for us, but not for you,” Christine joked.

During one of our first conversations Christine and Ryan explained that they were “looking for a wedding photographer to capture the day in as natural and genuine a way as possible.” They wanted some creative portraits and family photos, too, but it was most important that they have a “collection of artistic photos that capture us with our family and friends so we can remember exactly what our wedding day felt like.” At hearing this, I smiled. This was music to my ears and I knew Christine and Ryan’s wedding story was in perfect alignment with my journalistic and storytelling style of photography.