Christine and Steven’s summer wedding at Flying Cloud Farm in Petaluma was intimate, relaxed, colorful, and centered around what mattered most: getting married surrounded by the people they love.
But my story with these two actually started well before their wedding day.
From Their Bodega Head Engagement Session to Their Wedding Day
I first photographed Christine and Steven for their engagement session, starting in Sebastopol and ending along the Sonoma Coast at Bodega Head.
[LINK TO CHRISTINE + STEVEN’S ENGAGEMENT SESSION]
Right off the bat, they admitted they were nervous about being in front of the camera. And honestly, I hear this all the time.
Most people aren’t professional models. You shouldn’t have to know what to do with your hands, where to look, or how to pose to have photographs you love. That’s my job.
I assured Christine and Steven that we were going to have fun, keep things light, and not put pressure on every moment. One of my favorite parts of being a photographer is creating an environment where people can relax enough to forget about the camera. I’ll give direction when it’s needed, keep things moving, make you laugh, and leave room for all those real moments in between.
By the end of their engagement session, they were having fun with it. They fell in love with their photos, and even better, they went into their wedding day already knowing what it felt like to be photographed together.
A Summer Wedding at Flying Cloud Farm in Petaluma
Christine and Steven chose Flying Cloud Farm in Petaluma for their wedding on Sunday, August 2, 2026.
Flying Cloud Farm is one of my favorite Sonoma County wedding venues to photograph. The property itself is beautiful, but what makes it particularly special are the people behind it. The owners are exceptional and genuinely care about every couple who chooses to celebrate their wedding there.
The gardens, open spaces, rolling Sonoma County hills, and changing light give us so many opportunities for photographs without ever having to leave the property.
And when that summer sun starts pouring into the gardens, Flying Cloud is pretty hard to beat.
An Intimate Petaluma Wedding With 60 Guests
Christine and Steven wanted to keep their wedding simple.
Around 60 of their closest family members and friends. No wedding party. No need to fill the day with things that didn’t feel like them.
They even got ready largely on their own, with their parents stopping by toward the end to help with some finishing touches.
I loved the pace this created.
There wasn’t a room filled with a huge wedding party or a long list of photographs we needed to race through. Christine and Steven actually had time to experience what was happening.
They could slow down, take it all in, and enjoy the anticipation of what was about to happen.
A First Look Before Their Flying Cloud Farm Ceremony
Before the ceremony, Christine and Steven chose to do a first look.
It gave them a few quiet minutes together before everything began. They could see each other, soak up the fact that they were about to get married, and simply be together before joining their family and friends.
Their ceremony was officiated by Clay Kyle, who brought such a warm, professional, and fun energy to the day. He knew their story and genuinely cared about the two people standing in front of him, which made the ceremony feel even more personal.
And just like the rest of their wedding, the ceremony felt relaxed, personal, and completely them.
Cocktail Hour and Family Photos at Flying Cloud Farm
After the ceremony, guests moved into cocktail hour while we finished Christine and Steven’s extended family photographs.
This was another benefit of the way they structured their wedding day. Without a large wedding party and an endless list of group photographs, we could capture the people who mattered to them without turning the afternoon into one long photo shoot.
Once we finished, Christine and Steven could get right back to enjoying their guests.
Exactly how it should be.
Pastel Florals and a Garden Reception
The reception details were beautiful.
Soft pastel colors carried throughout the wedding, and the flowers by Seibel’s Unique Floral & Design complemented the gardens at Flying Cloud Farm perfectly.
One of my favorite things about photographing weddings at Flying Cloud Farm is watching the property change as the sun moves lower in the sky. The light coming into the garden during dinner was incredible.
It also gave me time to get creative.
Along with my digital cameras, I photographed portions of Christine and Steven’s wedding on film, played with double exposures, and sent up the drone for an entirely different perspective of the property and celebration.
We even made our way over to the photo bus for some fun photographs of the two of them together.
Golden Hour Wedding Photos in the Sonoma County Hills
As the sun began to drop, we snuck away for golden hour portraits.
If you’re planning a Flying Cloud Farm wedding, I highly recommend leaving a little room in your timeline for this.
Summer golden hour in this part of Sonoma County is hard to beat. The warm light, gardens, open landscape, and rolling hills gave us an entirely different look from the photographs we’d created earlier in the day.
And this is where doing an engagement session beforehand really paid off.
Christine and Steven already knew me. They trusted me. They knew they didn’t have to perform for the camera or suddenly become professional models.
We could walk around, chase the beautiful light, laugh, and create.
Then it was back to the celebration for their first dances, cake cutting, and the rest of a beautiful summer evening with their family and friends.
Why I Love Photographing Weddings at Flying Cloud Farm
As a Sonoma County wedding photographer, I’ve had the opportunity to photograph celebrations throughout Petaluma and Wine Country, and Flying Cloud Farm has so much of what I look for in a wedding venue.
There is variety without having to leave the property. The gardens give us beautiful color and texture. The open landscape and rolling hills are incredible during golden hour. And throughout the day, the changing light gives me opportunities to create photographs that feel completely different while staying in one location.
But Christine and Steven’s wedding was also a great reminder that a wedding doesn’t need to be enormous or overly complicated to be incredible.
Around 60 people.
No wedding party.
A Sunday in August.
Beautiful flowers, great food, gorgeous summer light, and their closest people.
Most importantly, Christine and Steven had enough breathing room throughout their day to actually experience it.
Looking for a Flying Cloud Farm Wedding Photographer?
If you’re planning a wedding at Flying Cloud Farm in Petaluma and are looking for a photographer, I’d love to hear what you’re planning.
My approach is a mix of candid storytelling, natural portraits, beautiful light, and enough direction to make sure you never feel like you’re standing there wondering what you’re supposed to do.
And if the thought of being photographed makes you nervous, Christine and Steven are proof that you don’t have to walk into your engagement session knowing how to be in front of a camera.
You just need to show up.
We’ll have fun with it, I’ll guide you when you need it, and we’ll create photographs that actually feel like you.
Click her to inquire about your upcoming wedding.
Other Wedding Inspiration
If you’re planning a wedding in Napa, Sonoma and or the Mendocino Coast, you may also enjoy exploring some of my other weddings and venue guides throughout wine country. Every venue offers something unique, and I’m always excited to help couples find the perfect location for their celebration.
Timber Cove Resort (Henry + Tyler)
Timber Cove Resort (Candace + Harry)
