Gen + Joe + I met up for coffee in San Francisco and instantly bonded on a number of things. The most unusual being that all three of us are from Minnesota! We kept joking in our correspondence about ‘What Would Paul Bunyan Do’ since he is our legend up there.
These two love being outdoors and we had a wonderful time exploring Point Reyes National Seashore for their engagement session. I added some highlights of that to get this post started. Point Reyes is arguably one of the best places in the bay area for dramatic seascape views and natural coastal wonders like the cypress tree tunnel. They even have a famed lighthouse that I was able to photograph with another couple once at sunset by accident. My favorite engagement images here are the abandoned shipwreck at Inverness 🙂
For their wedding day, Gen + Joe chose the enchanting Deer Park Villa located in Fairfax. The property sits just above San Francisco, nestled at the foot of the mountains among giant redwood trees. Deer Park Villa embraced their proximity to nature and celebrates the small grove of redwoods they have on the property. They have a two separate cottages for getting ready but Fairfax also has some good hotel and airbnb options for getting ready nearby. The main space works best for ceremony and dinner reception, if weather permits. There is a small indoor space for dancing and restrooms. I really like the bar inside, it feels like a little lodge dive bar and is really cozy in the cooler months. Deer Park Villa does a create job of curating their gardens and outdoor spaces.
They had a fairly large gathering of family and friends who came from the midwest and all over California. Details were elegant and romantic with layered candles during the ceremony and reception. They did a first look, shared lots of laughs and we did an epic drive up for sunset on the top of the mountain. For nature lovers, it just doesn’t get better. Dont’cha know.
Coordination and Floral design by Jenni Grubba Events
Venue: Deer Park Villa
First dance song was ‘First Day of My Life’ by Bright Eyes, a surprise for the groom. I added the remastered version here, press play and enjoy Genevieve and Joe’s love story.
Thanks so much for making it through the end of this story! Deer Park Villa is a special place