Testarossa Winery Wedding Photography~ Jodie & Glenn

Jodie and Glenn love to travel, play games and dance. Add to that, their favorite beer is Sierra Nevada and they also collect magnets from their journeys. (Ummm, I think I want to marry them! Those just happened to be some of our favorite things too!)

On a perfect afternoon, right after the break of a heat wave, these two had a celebration for the record books at Testarossa Winery! Testarossa Winery makes you feel like you were transported to Europe.  Come take a trip down their wedding day with me…. I can’t give you a magnet at the end but if I could-I would!

Ok I know what you’re thinking, no Jodie is not an Elfin bride. Her Oscar de la Renta dress happens to be tea length which not only suited her perfectly but also allowed for some amazing dance moves… more later on that! What does a shoe loving bride do for her wedding day?  She treats herself to a custom pair De Siena shoes from Italy of course!

With the  help from the Moms (Jodie’s in purple and Glenn’s in the blue) and her bridesmaids, Jodie got ready for the ceremony.
Glenn’s sweet Grandmother was there too, smiling away approving of her grandson’s choice of bride!Jodie had her Mom’s handkerchief with her, the same one she had on her wedding day!.Tea length dress, a fascinator andddddd amazing custom gloves! Jodie ordered extra material from her wedding dress to have these gloves made. She had them designed so the palms were not covered in material and she could give great high 5s!  First high 5 goes to Grandma!In a little wine cave around the corner, the guys were putting on their finishing touches too. While usually the boutonnieres can be the struggle of the day, these ones were really unique in that they were created using magnets! No more fussing over the pins and wondering if you are going to puncture yourself when you hugged someone!Glenn looked so handsome in his custom made suit from Franco Uomo!The ceremony site was ready.  The flowers, created by Bloomster’s were so beautiful, full of color and texture! Wait til you see the table setting further down, there are even artichokes in the flower arrangements!Glenn was escorted down the aisle by his Grandmother, that look says it all! This photograph makes my heart melt!Jodie was escorted by her Dad. This is the moment when Jodie and Glenn see each other for the first time on their wedding day! Jodie you looked sensational!
I love these first few moments of the couple soaking each other in! When the officiant, Reverend Timothy Mills, mentioned that Jodie and Glenn probably were not hearing a word he was saying I bet he was right!The ceremony site has a little hill behind it that offers a really unique perspective.These two were dressed to the 9s! I love how much personal style they put into their outfits! Jodie even had a pocket square for Glenn made out of her wedding dress material so the two would have a matching element!Jodie’s wore her Grandmother’s bracelet. The parents looked on with big smiles and dewy eyes!
Still staring at each other. They never looked away!Jodie and Glenn exchanged rings….…then Glenn got to finally kiss his bride!!!Whoot! Whoot!! Married! Best smiles ever!Everyone paraded back up the aisle blowing horns and celebrated the newlyweds!The guests headed off to cocktail hour. I loved Jodie and Glenn’s idea of using a Cornhole game for guests to sign as their guest book!
Inside was the seat assignment table with a corresponding map of Jodie and Glenn’s travels and also where all their guests came in from!While the guests were enjoying cocktail hour, Jodie and Glenn took their family photographs and then we headed off to do some bride and groom portraits. What’s really cool about the Testarossa Winery is that within a very short walking distance there was a ton of variety in the settings. There was even a field but we had to skip it due to ground being too dry due to the drought. But even still, we were able to do so much in such a small amount of time and limited distance. We started off within some mossy stone walls, I loved the European old town feel of this!Just down the way we came across a beautiful ivy wall. You can’t beat the smiles on these two!  Pure joy and love!Maybe it was my 22 years in Brooklyn and Harlem that always leaves me searching for a little urban on a wedding day. Nothing like the loading dock of a winery! Jodie and Glenn were so game and they jumped right up there! Jodie hair and make up was perfectly done by Teri Lacro at the Charismatic Bride.Just a short walk away was a cluster of trees creating a woodland vibe. I can’t get over how all their outfit details were so perfect, stylish and unique!
We had now done a loop of the grounds and these two were off for their first dance…. which was not your ordinary first dance!Before we get to the amazing first dance, I need to give the reception room a little love! The tables each had a picture on it that corresponded with the name of the table.

Also there were the magnet favors, a nod to Jodie and Glenn’s own personal magnet travel collection!Look at these centerpieces!!! How cool are these?  I have never seen anything like them… EVER! I mean look at the artichoke on the bottom!Jodie and Glenn were announced in and it was time for their first dance.  I don’t think the guests had any idea what was in store for them! Jodie and Glenn had been taking dance classes with  Christine Maldonado of the CM Dance Company, and blew everyone away with their dance! And honestly, our photos do not do it justice!They even had lifts! I know Patrick Swayze was smiling from up above!And the perfect ending, a dip sealed with a kiss!Since the cocktail hour was used for family and bride and groom portraits, we had limited time with the bridal party. But this group was super cooperative and fun and within 5 minutes we got the pictures done!Glenn’s stepfather started the meal with a blessing. Glenn’s Best Man then gave the first toast, he let us in on some hysterical stories of the journeys the two had been on. We might have even learned about Glenn being slightly OCD about packing a car for a road trip!Next up was Jodie’s Maid of Honor. She also had everyone laughing as she told us girl’s nights out stories!  We learned from her what some of us might have already imagined…. Jodie’s loves SHOES!!!Jodie’s Dad was the next to speak, such sweet words about his little girl and his fondness for his new son!Glenn’s Dad expressed some of those same feelings as well, having only sons he was excited to welcome a daughter into his family!After all those kind words, Jodie and Glenn took the mic to thank everyone for coming from near and far!!! 
Jodie’s bouquet, it was more like a stunning flower sculpture.The rings and for the record, Jodie has the tiniest finger of any bride I have ever had!The time had come for parent dances, always such a sweet time. They always get me a little dewey eyed behind the camera- good thing for my Nikon’s great auto focus feature!The wedding cake was beautiful but I’m not sure anyone looked past the adorable shoes on top! Jen’s Cakes did a wonderful job!
The cake was delicious!  In fact Glenn’s brother Jason insisted that I try some… as in he didn’t take no for an answer. And he wasn’t lying, the cake was in fact extraordinarily delicious! As a wedding photographer I can tell you that not all pretty cakes are yummy! All sugared up, it was time for Jodie and Glenn’s 2nd dance. And again, they wowed the crowd! It was hard to take the pictures, it was one of those dances you just wanted to watch!!That dress was made for a dancing bride!!The dance floor was then open and the party got shaking, I had a feeling no one had as much fun as Grandma! Erica of Heart of Gold DJs was amazing! Yay for girl DJs!!!This should be an advertisement for Sierra Nevada!Love the beer koozies with the double 8’s on them for their wedding date- August 8th!The best high 5 of the night!
Grandma with her 4 children… don’t mind the photo bombers in the back 😉Ummm guys, let’s leave the choreographed dancing to the newlyweds. Sadly super fun weddings seem to always come to an end fast! The crowd gathered around Jodie and Glenn as they had their last twirls of the night!Jodie and Glenn thank you so much for allowing us to capture all that style, charisma and LOVE!!!  Here’s to you guys! Wishing you a lifetime of dancing, great shoes, cold Sierra Nevadas and a growing magnet collection!

Also a big thank you to Marilena and Andrea from Testarossa for their amazing wedding coordination!