The Brazilian Room is located in Tilden Park, a gorgeous 2000+ acres in the wooded hills of Berkeley. We love Tilden Park in general for all the fun things to do there (the steam train, botanic garden, trails, the Little Farm, the carousel...) but the Brazilian Room is where we shine. We absolutely love photographing weddings here.

At this venue, couples get a picturesque ceremony up on the hills...

...followed by a reception inside the Brazilian Room itself:

Cassie and Drew actually only looked at one venue and chose it on the spot. The fell in love with the Brazilian Room immediately. An added bonus was that they both have huge extended families. Choosing this spot with its max capacity of 150 people made it much easier when it came to the guest list and everything involved in planning a big wedding. Plus, as Drew said, "You just couldn't beat the price!"

First Look

We usually recommend a first look, and these two were no exception. We just love Cassie and Drew's reactions to each other. Adorable!

It all started in 2012

Well, technically before 2012. Cassie and Drew had met a few times through mutual friends before they got together. But, according to Drew, they "never interacted much." Cassie attended veterinary school at UC Davis and lived with one of Drew's good friends from high school. While Drew was visiting Davis from his new home in San Francisco to watch his sister's water polo match, he went out with some friends in Sacramento. That's when Cassie and Drew really started to hit it off.

That night led to a relationship that unfortunately had to be long distance while Cassie finished vet school and Drew lived in SF. Once she finished school, they decided to move to Oakland. First, they got an apartment together, but soon afterward purchased a condo together! "What is more daunting than an engagement?" asked Drew, "Pooling all your money together to buy a place and having a shared mortgage!"

After long distance, moving all around Northern California, and buying a place together, they finally got engaged. Drew romantically proposed at the jaw-dropping Burney Falls near Redding during a weekend get-away.

The Wedding

The wedding party and many of the guests booked rooms at the Marriott Oakland City Center, which doubled as a perfect place for getting ready. They loved the gorgeous views of the bay, and unexpectedly much of the hotel had just been remodeled. Bonus!

After their first look, we took lots of photos of the wedding party at Tilden Park, close to The Brazilian Room. Doing this saves quite a bit of time between the ceremony and the reception. That way, once the ceremony is over, we can focus on photographing the couple while the guests settle into the reception venue. Since the ceremony and reception were at the same location, the guests didn't have to wait long at all. We were able to get quite a few photos of Cassie and Drew in varying poses all around the beautiful grounds.

I also need to point out Cassie's bouquet. Succulents with white roses and purple hydrangeas! Gorgeous!!

Only a Couple of Mishaps

It's a wedding, there are a ton of people having a great time, lots of planning and details are involved, so things are bound to go wrong somewhere! It rarely ruins the day but merely gives you a good story or two to tell about your wedding day.

To save some money, Cassie and Drew decided to get their cakes from Whole Foods. However, when the cakes were picked up, the order was wrong. They felt terrible about it and did give them extra cakes on the house, but it was a disappointing mistake. But it was ok, as the cakes were delicious! We personally recommend going to a reputable baker experienced with weddings, but we also understand the need to save money.

The second story...well, we'll let Drew tell this one.

"Other than the Whole Foods cake mix-up I already mentioned, towards the end of the night, the Mother of the Groom was running around barefoot (there were quite a few beers involved) and stepped on a broken glass behind the bar. Since this happened just before our "farewell", she threw a napkin over it and lined up. Thankfully there were quite a few medical professionals there to help her wrap up the foot before sending her home."

Way to stay strong, Mom!

Really though, the reception was so much fun for everyone. DJ Crimson kept the party going. Thank you Cassie and Drew for making us a part of your amazing Brazilian Room wedding!

Vendors

DJ - DJ Crimson - from the groom: "he was organized, communicative and seemed to do DJing because he really enjoyed it (he has a full-time job outside of his DJing gig)"

Wedding Gown - BHLDN - from the groom: "Cassie is a big fan of Anthropologie"

Hair & Makeup - Angela Womack - from the groom: "very receptive to the look my wife was trying to go for"

Cakes - Whole Foods

Suit Rentals - The Black Tux - from the groom: "I originally looked at suit rentals from The Men's Warehouse but they were so expensive. We ended up going with The Black Tux because they had a much better selection and better prices. They even send you the suit weeks in advance to ensure everything fits. A much better experience than renting from Men's Warehouse."