The Couple:  Nicole and John Santos

Wedding Date:  June 25, 2011

Photography by Justin Buettner Photography

Tell us a little about you and your beloved:  John and I met in Thornton, California, at a Portuguese Bull Fight in October of 2009. From that moment on it was love at first sight. We now go to the bull fights in Thornton every year, kind of a reminder of how we met and fell in love. We now own a dairy and work with each other everyday — I wouldn’t change it for the world!!

What else would you like to share about your big day?  Our wedding day was the happiest day of our lives, we enjoyed seeing all of our family and friends dancing and having a great time right along with us. I also enjoyed seeing our whole year of planning come together as beautifully as it did.

Ceremony Site:  Saint Christopher’s Catholic Church

Reception Venue:  Our Lady Of Fatima Portugese Hall

Photographer & Videographer:  Justin Buettner Photography

Caterer:  Rayna’s Gourmet Catering and the meat was done by my friend, John Baranek.

Cake:  M & W Dutch American Bakery

Flowers:  The Flower Shop

Favors:  We had cookies with our pictures on them from The Cookie Jar.

Wedding Dress & Bridesmaid Dresses & Invitations:  David’s Bridal

Hair & Make-up:  Tammy Carter at First Impressions

DJ/Entertainment/Band:  Juke Box Music and The Jay Rollers Band

Honeymoon location:  Sandals Resort in Saint Lucia

First Dance Song:  ”Amazed” by Lonestar

Any advice you’d give to our readers who are planning their weddings right now?  Just remember that this is you and your husband-to-be’s day, people always have input —  some good, some bad. Don’t stress yourself out over the little things, because in the end you will enjoy every minute of your wedding day.

Anything that you would have done differently if you were given the chance?  The only thing different I would have done was have our wedding in a colder month —  it was so hot in June for the dresses I picked out for my poor bridesmaids. Everything else was perfect!!

Photos courtesy of Justin Buettner Photography.

Check out the Real Weddings Contest Page! Great bridal loot for real Sacramento-area brides!

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Congratulations to Online Exclusive Real Wedding couple Cori & Bryon Knight who were married on November 20, 2010 at a private residence.

Click here to read their story, see their slideshow of photos from Justin Buettner Photography, meet their wedding dream team and more!

Photo courtesy of Justin Buettner Photography.

Check out the Real Weddings Contest Page! Great bridal loot for real Sacramento-area brides!

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Congratulations to Featured Real Wedding couple Rebecca & Kyle Korinek who were married on May 16, 2010 at The Delta King.

Click here to read their story, see their slideshow of photos from Justin Buettner Photography, meet their wedding dream team and more!

Photo courtesy of Justin Buettner Photography.

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The Couple:  Adrianne Simon-Carlson and Christopher Carlson

 Wedding Date:  June 26, 2010

Photography by:  Justin Buettner Photography

Tell us a little about you and your beloved:  Christopher and I met in the spring semester of our freshmen year at the Sacramento State dorm basketball courts. We instantly bonded over our love of NCAA basketball, sports, our similar childhoods and our love of ”The Cosby Show.”

About a week before the proposal, I got a call from a San Francisco jewelry store asking for Christopher. When the caller revealed she was calling from a jewelry store, she immediately passed the message on to Christopher in an effort not to further ruin the surprise. That weekend we were going to watch my little brother play college basketball in San Francisco and both of our families would be there, so I thought for sure he was going to propose there. Instead, he waited (I think he knew I was expecting it) and proposed on December 14, 2008, at his apartment in Sacramento.

Currently we work in the education system as a counselor and school teacher. In our free time, we love hanging out with friends, watching and playing sports (still), and playing with our new puppy, Bella.

What was the most amazing part of your day?  The most amazing part of our day was walking back up the aisle after saying our “I do’s.” I think that was the happiest moment in our lives and we got to see that happiness reflected through our friends and families.

What else would you like to share about your big day?  We actually love that although we had over 150+ guests. We were able to talk to each and every one of them multiple times for longer than just a “hi and thanks for coming.” It actually made our larger wedding more intimate and personal. We felt that our guests knew how much we valued them being a part of our day and really appreciated that connection. It also made them more comfortable and eager to get on the dance floor later on in the evening.

Ceremony Site:  Croatian American Cultural Center

 Reception Venue:  Croatian American Cultural Center

Photographer:  Justin Buettner Photography

 Videographer:  Justin Buettner Photography

Caterer:  Croatian American Cultural Center

 Cake:  Ettore’s – Red Velvet, Lemon Chiffon, and Kahlua cake

Flowers:  Party Petals Floral Design

 Favors:  Wild Rose Photo booth and Oreo cookies

Wedding Dress:  De La Rosa’s Bridal and Tuxedo

Bridesmaid Dresses:   J’aime Bridal

Hair:  Marva from Jacquelyn’s Salon

Makeup:  Molly Wilson  

Invitations:  Exclusively Weddings

 DJ/Entertainment:  Sonny Gallardo from Exquisite Events & Entertainment

Photo Booth:  Wild Rose Photo Booth

Honeymoon location:  NCL 7-day cruise around Hawaii

Any other of your wedding vendor(s) you’d like to call out?  MGM Limousine

First Dance Song:  “Head Over Heels” by Rascal Flatts

Any advice you’d give to our readers who are planning their weddings right now?  Enjoy your engagement and the wedding process. It is so easy to get caught up in wedding planning that you forget to have fun.

Be sure to remember to truly show your guests how much you appreciate them. Consider their experience during the planning and try to make time for all of them during the reception.

Remember you don’t have to decide right away. If you’re unsure on a decision, give yourself a deadline and think about/research it. That way, when you finally make your decision you’ll be more certain and less likely to regret it afterward.

Have a friend/family member take pictures throughout the weekend. It’s nice to have pictures from your wedding right away.

Emergency kits will come in handy. Make sure it includes a sewing kit and eye makeup remover.

Anything that you would have done differently if you were given the chance?   I think we would have chosen to get married in a church. We absolutely loved our outside venue, but it was quite warm on our wedding day. One of my bridesmaids actually fainted during the ceremony. In retrospect, it would have been nice to have a more temperature controlled, traditional wedding ceremony venue.

Photos courtesy of Justin Buettner Photography

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This week, we have feature one of the nicest guys we know, Justin Buettner of Justin Buettner Photography. Whenever we send Justin an email, he responds practically the minute we hit the “send” button! We LOVE that! So take it away Justin! (Plus we love him because he filmed a short film in our offices!)

Justin Buettner Photography

Specialty?   Wedding Photography

When did you establish your business?   2004

What sets you apart from your competition?   Aside from my own style, I do not have hourly restrictions, and I give the copyright and negatives to the bride and groom.

Where do you find inspiration?   A love for the visual arts and an interest in people. I love being a wedding photographer because each event is unique.

When you opened shop, what was your promise to your customers?   Customer Service. Even if people are not booking me but have questions in photography in general, I always take the time to help any way I can.

Do you have any hidden talents?   No, most are out in the open.

What color(s) gives you the most joy?   Vibrant colors.

What song is the soundtrack to your business day (or at least to how you feel right now)?   ”Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride”

What is your favorite flower?  Venus Fly Traps, they’re crazy looking.

Do you regularly blog? What’s your blog site?   I post on my Facebook page, is that blogging?  Justin’s Facebook Page 

Where is your favorite place to travel?   I have always wanted to visit Australia.

What’s your favorite local restaurant?   Any pizza or sandwich shop.

If you weren’t in the wedding industry, what would you be doing?  Making movies.

What three things are you most grateful for in life?  My family, friends and good health.

If you were to plan your own wedding, or re-do your wedding, what element would be most important to you?   Music and pictures.

What is the best advice you can give to brides and grooms getting married today?   Accept any help you can get. Remember it’s a celebration, don’t forget to have fun!

Anything else you’d like to share with Real Weddings Magazine’s brides?   It is easy to get bogged down on the details when planning a wedding, just don’t forget the big picture because that is what is important. If you do this everything will work out, I promise.

Photos courtesy of Justin Buettner Photography.

To find out more about Justin Buettner Photography, visit Justin Buettner Photography online.

Be sure to check out his recent Inspiration Board on our blog and some of his other featured real weddings from Real Weddings Magazine:

Rosemarie & Alexander – from our Winter/Spring 2010 Issue

Holly & Jeff – from our Summer/Fall 2009 Issue

Lacey & Cayleb – from our Summer/Fall 2009 Issue

Veronica & Joshua – from our Winter/Spring 2009 Issue

And more at Real Weddings Magazine’s Web site!

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You’ve told us over and over and over again, how very much you are inspired by the real weddings that we feature in the print magazine and on our Web site: www.realweddingsmag.com/.

In our quest to constantly inspire you, and to help you plan the wedding of your dreams, we’re so excited to announce our Real Weddings Magazine Inspiration Boards!

Each week, we hope to present you with a new set of Inspiration Boards — with photos, details and fun from each couple’s wedding!

So without further ado, may we present…Sara & Steven Schelk, Real Weddings Magazine Inspiration Boards!

The Couple: Sara and Steven Schelk

Wedding Date: April 25, 2009

Photography by: Justin Buettner Photography

What was the most amazing part of your day?
Everything was so amazing it’s too hard to choose!

Of course I would have to start with the ceremony first, the part where we became husband and wife in front of our closest friends and family. But, along with that I would say seeing everything come together. It was important to me to plan my own wedding and have everything look exactly the way I imagined. So much so that I woke up very early the day of the wedding to be there and to decorate (with the help of my friends and family) prior to getting ready. I had so much fun planning the wedding and could not have hoped for better results. It was beautiful :)

What else would you like to share about your big day?
I spent a long time thinking about what I should use as a wedding favor. There are so many wonderful things out there, but I really wanted to choose something I knew people would actually use.

I had been to several weddings where I witnessed the wedding favors literally being thrown away, which is heart breaking when you consider all the money and thought that goes into the favors.

So after months of thinking about it, I decided to order champagne glasses, have them engraved with our names and wedding date, and tie a ribbon around each one that read “thank you.”

I realized later that this choice of favor killed two birds with one stone as I didn’t then have to supply champagne glasses for the toast.

I received a lot of compliments on these favors, and our guests tell me all the time they use them!

In 2000 he became the Head of Graphics for Jewelry.com. Justin started their digital studio photographing and creating a digital catalogue of over 10,000 unique images before the company was sold in 2001. He then went on to serve as a motion capture editor at House of Moves working on special effects for film and video games.

After relocating to the Sacramento area, Justin started his own business and has specialized in portraiture and wedding photography. Over the last five years Justin Buettner has photographed over 130 weddings and numerous other events. Although his professional experience began in Los Angeles, Justin grew up in Grass Valley located just north of Sacramento.

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