Tahoe weddings always have a bit of magic in them, and Noree and Doug’s beautiful day at the lake was no exception.

Their ceremony was at Saint Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, which has to have the prettiest light of any church in Tahoe. This was our second time shooting here, and there are just so many beautiful possibilities for creative shots. We did a few portraits of them after the ceremony, and we pretty much had to be pulled away kicking and screaming from shooting the ethereal, colorful light coming in through the stained glass.

The cabin where the reception was held offered perfect access to the lake, where guests sipped champagne in adirondack chairs, and even got a little wet later on in the night. A couple of hours into the dancing, an intensely strong wind kicked up for about half an hour, causing everyone to wonder if we were about to be rained on by an epic storm or if the party would have to stop early. But the band kept playing, and the guests kept dancing, and after a while it simply stopped and everything was calm again. No rain, and most importantly, no early cutoff. A lot of the credit goes to wedding coordinator Shawna Lee West, who is one of the most chill, yet completely on top of things, planners we know.

At the end of the night, we looked at each other and said “that was a really great wedding.” And it was. It had all the elements we love – beautiful light, heartfelt emotion, great dancing, and a little dose of mystery and magic. As photographers, you really can’t ask for more.

It is always so inspiring at the beginning of a new year to check out all the “best of” wedding photography lists and year-end contest results. Wedding photographers today work so hard, and are constantly pushing the envelope, to create new spins and fresh takes on traditional wedding photos. It’s a challenge that seems almost impossible in an era of such insanely talented photographers, yet we are all amped to keep trying with every wedding we shoot. We are extremely proud and honored to have been included in two “best of” lists for 2011, and to have picked up a few awards in the WPJA, ISPWP, and Fearless Photographers recent contests.

Ben, Erin and Mauricio all had a photo place on Junebug Weddings’ Best of the Best 2011. With 5,000 entries and only 50 photos chosen as the “best wedding photos of the year,” we feel extremely lucky to have been chosen for such a prestigious, competitive list. Ben also made Junebug’s 2010 and 2008 list with winning photos, and Ben and Erin both made the 2009 list.

Ben and Erin also made it onto the ProDPI Top 10 Fearless Photographers list for 2011. The Top 10 list comprises photographers from all over the world who have won the most awards for the year through the Fearless Photographers community. The photos shown here are their winning photos for the last round of 2011.

Ben picked up a 2nd place award in the Wedding Photojournalist Association’s 3rd Quarter contest for a photo from Yael and Or’s wedding reception in Israel this summer.

And lastly, Erin won six awards in the International Society of Professional Wedding Photographers Fall 2011 contest.

Thank you so much to all our awesome couples for being extraordinarily unique, dynamic and fun, and always willing to step outside the box with us. You are the reason we love what we do, and why we will continue to work hard to push the envelope for you.

Erin and Shawn live in one of the most beautiful places on Earth – the remote town of Hana on the island of Maui – but they decided to return to the mainland for their August wedding.

Erin and Shawn met in Tahoe and seem to love it almost as much as their beloved Hawaii. Their wedding was a fun, eclectic mix of their longtime California friends and their very tight-knit group from Hana, which includes a beautiful brood of children, all blond and all so close it feels like they are brothers and sisters. One of those kids is Ozzie, Erin and Shawn’s five-year-old son and ring bearer, who brought the rings to them on a skateboard and stood right beside his dad for the entire ceremony.

We were lucky to have our talented friend Kathryn Krueger shooting with us. She was visiting from Texas, and we roped her into joining us. Glad she did – she got some of our favorite photos from the day. All of hers are credited with the words “Photo by,” with no name afterward (blog glitch).

Erin and Shawn, thank you for bringing us into your world and trusting us with your wedding. We hope to see you in Tahoe again someday, or, if we’re lucky, in Hawaii! And thank you to Merrily Wed for once again planning a beautiful day on the lake.

When Lina and Rob are together, there’s always a lot of laughter, a lot of adventure, and a lot of hair.  They have a magnetism about them that just makes you want to be around them and soak up their infectious energy and love of life.

Lina and Rob live in San Francisco, and decided to bring us with them to their rustic wedding at Gedney Farm in the Berkshires of Massachusetts. The wedding incorporated traditions from Lina’s native country of Russia. Her father even imported a massive quantity of Russian caviar for cocktail hour, which guests paired with crepes and shots of vodka. And Lina’s mother, who planned the entire wedding herself, somehow also found the time to make Lina’s wedding gown.

Rob played football for the University of Pennsylvania and was surrounded at the wedding by a mix of his former football teammates and his Bay Area tech friends. Rob helped start the online shopping site Milo.com with founder Jack Abraham. Merchandising giant eBay bought Milo in 2010 and took Rob and Lina with it.

We’ve loved getting to know these guys over the past year. We shot their engagement session in the spring, and have spent a lot of time talking about photography, which Rob is passionate and very knowledgeable about. We’re looking forward to remaining good friends with these two over the years!

Lina and Rob, thank you for taking us across the country with you for a beautiful weekend we’ll never forget. You were an absolute blast to photograph.