Robert Valdes Wedding Photographer San Francisco Bay Area

This fake bridal expo is one of the latest wedding scams to hit the scene in quite some time. But this wedding scam not only targets would be brides, it also targeted the hard working wedding vendors who paid their money hard earned in the wedding business.

Here’s an interesting article we found on AOL NEWS about this wedding scam. Turns out, brides as well as wedding vendors were taken advantage of by some unscrupulous swindlers!

http://www.aolnews.com/nation/article/fake-bridal-expo-in-boston-scams-brides-to-be/19380474

Here’s an excerpt of the story on AOL NEWS about the fake bridal faire.

BOSTON (March 3) — You can, apparently, be jilted long before you walk down the aisle.

Boston police said the would-be attendees bought tickets for $10 to $15 each, while another 100 to 200 wedding-industry vendors were conned out of $350 to $4,000 for floor space at The Boston 411 Home & Bridal Show 2010, which was to be held this weekend. Officials at the Hynes Convention Center were only alerted when vendors began calling to inquire when they could set up their booths.

The perpetrators, who advertised for months via an eventbrite.com Web site, Facebook, and Twitter, lured betrothed shoppers with promises of goody bags and raffle prizes, and said portions of the event’s proceeds would go to Haiti earthquake victims.

Though more elaborate than most, the scam was by no means an uncommon occurrence for an industry where starry eyes are accompanied by open wallets, and most vendors require significant financial deposits months before the big day.

The majority involve financially ailing vendors who abruptly declare bankruptcy and hold on to deposits without delivering the goods. In the past 18 months, dress shops have shuttered everywhere from New Jersey, where brides angrily picketed outside the empty shop, to Oklahoma City. In 2005, a Baltimore-based online bridal retailer folded, leaving 1,100 women without a dress — or their money. And back in the Boston area, dozens of couples found themselves without a place to wed when the Georgetown Country Club unexpectedly closed

last September without refunding deposits in the $9,000 range.read there rest here http://www.aolnews.com/nation/article/fake-bridal-expo-in-boston-scams-brides-to-be/19380474

 

Just worked with a GREAT wedding disc jockey a few weeks ago. Chris Webb from California Disc Jockey’s is a great choice if you are planning your wedding in and around the San Francisco Bay Area. Please check out his website for complete details.

I now have TWO galleries of wedding photos taken at the Embassy Suites in Burlingame. Please follow the links below to view the complete Flash Wedding Galleries.

EMBASSY SUITES WEDDING GALLERY ONE

EMBASSY SUITES WEDDING GALLERY TWO

As I was telling you, I got along great with Tina and Landon. I behaved myself on the wedding day, provided expemplary service before and after the event, and best of all, delivered amazing wedding pictures to the happy wedded couple.

I got rewarded with a stellar 5 star review on a few of my very favorite wedding planning websites. Please click the links below to view them.

Wedding Photographer Review WEDDINGWIRE.COM

Wedding Photography review PROJECTWEDDING.COM

Review of wedding photographer Robert Valdes on YOURBRIDALPLANNER.COM

CLICK HERE TO SEE TINA AND LANDON’S WEDDING PICTURES on this wedding photography blog.

We found Robert to be very professional and knowledgeable. His ability to master the light was crucial for our wedding location. He gave us amazing pictures which will forever be our keepsake of that special day! We have already recommended him to friends as his price, pictures and policies (CD of your pictures without that “property of” crap) made him a crucial part of our day.

Here are some more of those amazing wedding photos I took at the Half Moon Bay Golf Links in Half Moon Bay, CA on September 6, 2008. I was hoping I would be back at the Half Moon Bay Golf Links sooner. I’m on their preferred vendor list and they also give out the following link to the original post I made of the pictures I took at this wonderful wedding.

Landon and Tina are both great people and Landon, especially is an extremely nice guy. Since he was my point person from the beginning, we were able to keep in touch afterwards. He has been kind leave some positive comments for me on various wedding websites. 

Click here to read a few of the reviews.

This was one of those weddings where all of the stars were aligned. The couple were absolutely perfect, their wedding at the Stanford Park Hotel was amazing and of course me and my team did a great job as usual. Here are the links to Jessica and Matthew’s profile on the top wedding web sites where you can read the client testimonial for my amazing wedding photography and wedding videography.

Project Wedding Web site

WeddingWire.com

YourBridalPlanner.com

Click here to see Jessica and Matthew wedding photos on my blog.

12/30/2009

This is a wedding video taken at St. Vincent’s Church. The lovely couple had their wedding ceremony inside the church and the reception takes place out on the center courtyard patio.

I just shot some engagement pictures on this same property. Click here to see them!

LOL this one goes way back. I’m really reaching back in the archives now. I have worked at the Grand Island Mansion 8 times in my 20 year career. I’m surprised how I got booked for a wedding that far out off the beaten path. And trust me, it is a drive along a long dirt road that parallels the delta. It is a nice trip during the day, a little scary at night when the fog blankets the entire area. Anyway, I was working quite a bit there for a while. One time, I was there back to back weddings Saturday, then again the next Saturday.

This wedding took place back in the very early days of digital photography. The black and white you see here is actually TRUE black and white film. What I was doing back then was shooting with digital [in color naturally] and then augmenting the digital coverage with true black and white film. Moreover, this film was 645 medium format.

You can also get an idea of what my magazine style album designs looked like back then in 2003. Not bad, but I have come along way in the areas of wedding album design and creation of the layouts. I know often think of left and right as a single canvas with which to tell your wedding story.

The below images were shot in color with digital, then the color removed from various areas of the picture to give you what you see here. I only mention it because I said I was using true black and white film and for all except the below is black and white film.

I just remembered that they are still using one of my images on their website that I shot at this wedding. I was still known as Axiom Photography back then. I’m going to have to email them asking them to change it. Click here to see the pic that they are still using under CLASSIC WEDDINGS

If you haven’t been to the Ralston Hall in Belmont, CA for a wedding or any other type of special event, you are missing out on some amazing land and property. The MANSION that is the Ralston Hall is so elegantly appointed, it harkens back to the early 1900’s in it’s style and decor.

I feel very fortunate to have been able to work at the Ralson Hall doing wedding photography and wedding videography. I have photographed many weddings there and have shot many wedding videos at the Ralston Hall.

The property is laid out as follows: You drive up a long driveway and see a huge lawn and massive fountain in the front. The wedding ceremony typically takes place out in the front lawn, however in some cases like in the winter, the Ralston Hall has the ceremonies inside the main Grand Ballroom.

The orientation of the ceremony will be dictated by how many guests are to be seated. For instance, a smaller wedding will go straight from the Mansion down the stairs and have your wedding ceremony in front of the huge Water Fountain. For larger weddings such as Sophia & Paul [see picture above] you go down the stairs, make a left walk down, turn right and then back up the aisle so that you are in front of the water fountain but long ways on the lawn.

This wedding at the Ralston Hall was absolutely beautiful. We got many great wedding pictures on this day.

However, my main goal is the show the layout of your wedding reception at the Ralston Hall. So the following pictures are typical DETAIL SHOTS that a second or associate wedding photographer might be shooting whilst the primary wedding photographer does all the family and formal wedding portraits.

Here are some great shots of the main banquet room inside the Ralston Hall. I believe they call it the Grand Ballrooom.

They put the cake in the room that’s just outside of the Grand Ballroom.

Dancing commences in the Grand Ballroom. There is enough room for a band or large DJ set up. The ambient lighting looks very natural and makes for some great backgrounds.

This last shot below is one of my Marquee Shots. I love this shot. This wedding picture taken at the Ralston Hall in Belmont, CA kind of sums up our wedding photography style. Super fine, photo journalistic expee-alidocious LOL

Marisa and Joe got married at the fantabulous Spinnaker Restaurant in sunny Sausalito, CA. I’ve shot quite a few weddings at the Spinnaker in my 20 year career. I’d say I’ve been there at least half a dozen times. I’ve always tried to get on their preferred vendor list for wedding vendors. Maybe with this truly amazing wedding I photographed, I can finally achieve this goal.

The day actually started with a bridal prep coverage at a nearby hotel. After that, the ceremony AND reception commenced at the Spinnaker. If you are ever in town, Spinnaker Restaurant has the best seafood in Marin County, period!!!!

Marisa just left me a glowing 5 star review on YourBridalPlanner.com. Please  click here to read it.

AND THEN CLICK HERE TO SEE THE ENTIRE GALLERY OF WEDDING IMAGES FROM THE WEDDING OF MARISA AND JOE AT THE SPINNAKER RESTAURANT IN SAUSLITO!!!!!

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE ENTIRE GALLERY OF WEDDING IMAGES FROM THE WEDDING OF MARISA AND JOE AT THE SPINNAKER RESTAURANT IN SAUSLITO!!!!!