WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER ROBERTA CLAIRE SHOOTS WEDDING AT LOVELY BROWNSTONE GARDENS.

OVERVIEW

Brownstone Gardens in an "outdoor only" venue located just outside the city of Oakley, CA. This is one of the most unique wedding venues that I have had the pleasure of photographing.
The site fee is very reasonable, there is ample parking and the venue does have a bridal room for the bridal party to dress and wait for the ceremony to begin.
The venue has three distinct areas: The Grand Court, The Koi Garden and Bridal Falls. Guests have use of the entire property if you are having both your wedding and reception there.

Tables,chairs, linens,set up,clean up,and a wait staff in uniform are included with your catering package. You can upgrade chairs and linens for an additional fee. I would strongly advise the use of a DOC (Day of Coordinator) for this venue as they do not provide someone to help you to navigate through your wedding day.

Weddings generally take place in the Grand Court (see pictures), which is lovely.

Bar services include wine and beer only.You may bring your own wine, beer, and champagne, but you must hire an insured bartender. The venue is happy to assist you with finding vendors from officiants to DJs and everything in between.

PROS:
Lovely location with lots of foliage and plenty of room for guests to roam around and mingle.

Very reasonable prices.

CONS:
It can get very hot in the Grand Court area during the summer. There is little to no protection from the direct sun.I suggest having chilled bottled water available to guests. I would also advise you to bring your elderly guests into the Grand Court area just before the ceremony, so that they are not sitting in the hot sun on summer wedding days. There is plenty of shaded area where guests can wait adjacent to the Grand Court.

IMPORTANT NEWS FOR ENGAGED COUPLES.

It is with great sadness that I have had five of my longtime, professional photographer associates close their doors and go out of business in just the past three weeks.
I realize that the current economy is a mess and people are trying to save money wherever and whenever they can. I do the same thing, believe me.

There has been a proliferation of "newbies" popping up all over the place that purchase a camera and decide that they are now "wedding photographers.Since this is an unregulated field, ANYONE can say that they are a wedding photographer.

It is a tough job being a truly excellent wedding photographer. It takes YEARS of experience and the investment of thousands and thousands of dollars worth of camera bodies,back up equipment, good lenses, lighting equipment etc to really be prepared to shoot under the very difficult conditions that weddings and receptions often present.

Please think carefully before trusting someone to capture the memories of the most important day of your life. Pick an experienced, licensed, insured, professional photographer. All that you have left after your wedding day are the memories. Make sure that your photographer captures your memories for you by providing you with pictures that represent how you felt on your wedding day, the laughs, the tears of joy, the true emotion that you felt on that day.

YOU CAN'T AFFORD NOT TO HIRE A TRUE PROFESSIONAL.
www.robertaclaire.com

WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER ROBERTA CLAIRE SHOOTS WEDDING AT RIOS-LOVELL ESTATE WINERY: VENUE REVIEW INCLUDED IN ARTICLE.

OVERVIEW

Rios-Lovell is located in the beautiful "wine country" area of Livermore,Ca.
As far as wedding and reception locations go,this is one of my all time favorites.I've included pictures from a wedding that I shot there in October that shows a sample of some of the beautiful grounds.

The venue has a lovely garden area and gazebo that will accommodate up to 300 guests. The indoors reception area will hold a MAXIMUM of 230 guests and if you plan on having that many guests, just be aware that it is a very tight squeeze with very little room to move around the tables.

Rios-Lovell has their own winery and provides all beverage service. No outside beverages are allowed.

You must choose from one of the two following catering services: Scott's Garden and Bon Vivant, both of which provide delicious meals (no rubber chicken dinners served here!)

You must also choose from one of the following Dj's: Eastwood Entertainment or Fantasy Sound (both are excellent).

Although the venue has a preferred list of photographers, you may select your own.

Guest chairs and tables are provided by the venue.

The unique thing about Rios-Lovell is that besides the garden area and gazebo,there are vineyards, large grass areas, a pond, and a section of the grounds has an area that looks like it came straight from a European country.

The staff and service are top notch. I highly recommend this wonderful venue.

PROS: Beautiful,spacious grounds,hand painted wall mural behind cake cutting area, great food and service. There is also a very large bridal dressing room overlooking the ceremony site.

CONS: The only con that I can think of is that if you are planning an event with more than 230 guests, this venue will not work for you.

DISCLAIMER:The opinions expressed in this review are solely those of Roberta Claire Berry, owner of Roberta Claire Photography, Oakley, Ca.
This review is based on personal experience. Venues and Vendors are welcome to leave feedback. Solicitations for review will not be accepted. All images taken by Roberta Claire Photography.