We shot such a great wedding day at Villa Montalvo awhile back, it was a fun day with a great couple and think I am going to have to break the blog down into 2 posts since there are so many photos I want to include. Normally I try to post under 10 images of a wedding to keep the blog short and sweet and so it loads quick. This wedding started off at Villa Montalvo in Saratoga and then we stopped over at Hakone Gardens on our way to the St. Claire hotel in San Jose. Along the way we captured some great shot of the bride and groom and their families. I think i’ll seperate the blog into morning at Villa Montalvo and the the evening at the St. Claire Hotel.

So, here is a little glimpse into the morning of this beautiful wedding at Villa Montalvo.

wedding rings

bride getting ready at villa montalvo

bride getting ready at villa montalvo

wedding ceremony at villa montalvo

wedding ceremony at villa montalvo

wedding ceremony at villa montalvo

Montalvo arts wedding

villa montalvo wedding

Also for any of you who haven’t visited Villa Montalvo (actually really now called Montalvo Arts Center) its a great place to check out. Here is a little history of the property;

Montalvo Arts Center was previously known as Villa Montalvo, a historic landmark built in 1912 by James Duval Phelan (1861-1930). Phelan, a passionate Californian who had been a three-term progressive mayor of San Francisco, went on to become California’s first popularly-elected U.S. Senator. Villa Montalvo was Senator Phelan’s favorite home and a center of artistic, political and social life in Northern California. Phelan invited leading writers and artists to Villa Montalvo to work on individual artistic projects in an environment rich in dialogue and fellowship. Jack London, Ethel Barrymore, Mary Pickford, Douglass Fairbanks, and Edwin Markham were among Phelan’s many guests.

– Mark

Over the past years we have photographed a lot of weddings out at Villa Montalvo (now Montalvo Arts Center). It is really a gorgeous spot to get married, such a classic and elegant spot to have a wedding. There are so many great little areas around the grounds for weddings I can shoot there over and over and always find new places to shoot at that just look amazing. Greg and Sheren were such a sweet couple and so great to work with on the day, here are just a couple of favorite shots of the day:

villa montalvo bride

villa montalvo ceremony

villa montalvo wedding photo