A California wedding in Sacramento, Ca

April Showers

Kelsey and Matthew planned their Sacramento wedding for one of the most perfect seasons of the year in Sacramento – springtime. You can almost bet on the fact that it will be gorgeously sunny, not too hot and wonderfully pleasant for the bride & groom, as well as the guests.

Well, to everyone’s surprise…it rained. I don’t know if you’ve heard, but California has been in a bit of a drought lately so it was even more shocking that on an otherwise beautiful week in April, the clouds rolled in a gave us some showers.

And you know what? It made the day something really special. The romantic moody light went perfectly with Kelsey and Matthew’s sweet connection. As the photographer, I was very grateful that the bride didn’t freak out or get too upset. I tell all my brides – I am from Paris! Rain happens all the time during weddings, no matter what time of the year, and I love to just roll with it. It actually creates a gorgeously soft light which I love to play with, for example these rainy day weddings I shot in Paris, Leeds, or the French countryside.

California Capitol Wedding

Not only did the rainy day really add something intimate to Kelsey and Matthew’s day, but because of the rain, we got special permission to shoot inside California’s beautiful Capitol building. I just love the classic lines and ornate decoration, but the deep colors really made for a great improvised shoot. It would have had a totally different effect if we would have gone with Plan A – to do the couple’s shoot in the Capitol Park nearby.

We had a relatively short amount of time to accomplish the couple session in the Capitol, so I was really happy to have already gotten to know Kelsey and Matthew during their engagement session. It immediately put everyone at ease, and establishes trust from the first moment of the wedding day.

Strictly Ballroom

A particularly fun part of their day was shooting the dancefloor activities during the reception, which was held at Spotlight Ballroom. Kelsey and Matthew are ballroom dancers, along with many of their friends who attended the wedding, so the dancing was not only fun to watch, but awesome to capture with the camera. I used my flash along with the great ambient twinkle lights to capture the festive mood of the party. I rarely get the chance to see so many accomplished dancers enjoy themselves at a wedding. So fun!

I hope you enjoy the images of their wedding – a romantic mood, with just a touch of ballroom drama. Love it!

Wedding Reception: Spotlight Ballroom
Wedding Getting Ready: Hyatt Regency

Sebastien Bicard is a wedding and portrait photographer based in California. He specializes in international travel and intimate weddings worldwide.