The Brazilian Room in Tilden Park is one of our favorite wedding venues in the East Bay. Just minutes uphill from downtown Berkeley, this mountain retreat is a fabulous sanctuary. The rustic house is perched at the top of cascading glen full of pine, eucalyptus, and towering redwood trees. The building’s old english architecture is a dreamy compliment to the natural surroundings. It’s a deeply peaceful setting and a photographer’s paradise. Cocktail hour on the flagstone patio as the sun sets through the trees is a dreamy combination of nature and culture. 

I first met Caroline and Sam at a coffee shop in Rockridge. Sipping a really strong brew, they told me that they were drawn to honest and real photography to document the feeling and the experience of their Brazilian Room wedding. After chatting for a few minutes about work and the Golden State Warriors playoff run, Caroline confided: “We weren’t in a hurry to start wedding planning with a year and a half before our date, but then we found your website and fell in love with the authenticity and vibrancy of your images. So we thought we’d reach out early before you got booked.”

We hit it off immediately. Conversation was easy, like we had already known each other for years. This type of connection is so important. As a journalistic style wedding photographer, connection and trust enable access. And it’s this access that leads to powerful photos that tell a story. Here are a few images from Caroline and Sam’s Tilden Park wedding story.