UC Berkeley Botanical Gardens Wedding - Heather and Chris - Nightingale Photography

UC Botanical Garden Wedding

Heather and Chris were married on May 5th, with a ceremony at the UC Berkeley Botanical Gardens and a reception at the Penrose Restaurant.

The thing that impressed me the most about this wedding was the way that Heather and Chris made everyone at the wedding feel loved and appreciated while maintaining a laid-back, no-drama approach to their celebrations. Right at the start of the day, as I photographed Heather getting ready, I could see how much family meant. Heather was surrounded by her cute little flower girls, her nieces, and her mom and sister. The girls thought that Heather looked like a princess, so she twirled with them and even made it a point to wear the plastic pink bracelet that her niece gave her for her wedding. Now that’s relaxed—and a great aunt! I couldn’t stop smiling as I saw the flower girls in their combat boots with their fancy dresses.

Their friends were also involved in other aspects of the wedding, including 4 or 5 friends who all took turns DJing for the reception. Each of them had created a special playlist for the party and for their turn.

I was incredibly touched by the raw emotion that Heather and Chris allowed themselves to show. Chris especially couldn’t stop crying, which was cute. It’s rare to see a groom willing to let himself show that much emotion, and it made the moments feel so real as I photographed them.

UC Botanical Garden Wedding Photography

Of course, I couldn’t talk about this wedding without mentioning the gorgeous venues that we were able to use. The ceremony was held in the Garden of Old Roses, so we were positively surrounded by natural beauty. The UC Botanical Garden is filled with natural splendor. The Garden of Old Roses is situated high on one of the slopes of the Botanical Garden, with sweeping, dramatic views of the San Francisco Bay below. The “old roses” the garden is named for are cultivated from the 19^th and 20^th century. These glorious blooms are mixed in with hundreds of annual and perennial blooms offering a magnificent blend of colors. Guests climbed up the hand-hewn steps of a lush, terraced knoll to arrive at the garden where Heather and Chris said their “I do’s.” Surrounded with roses, lavender and dahlias, the garden was a beautiful backdrop for their ceremony. The UC Botanical Garden is such a unique venue for wedding ceremonies. With 36 acres and thousands upon thousands of different species of plants, trees and flowers, the garden is a wonderful choice for wedding photography.

From there, we went to the hip Oakland restaurant, Penrose, where chefs made tapas over an open fire and guests enjoyed handmade cocktails. It was wonderful to see the smiles on Chris and Heather’s faces. Their joy was truly infectious.

Thank you, Heather & Chris, for helping everyone remember that friends and family are truly the most important. It was an honor to be your bay area wedding photographer.