Chris Andrews
Chris Andrews has been involved with the special event industry in Chicago and Northern California for over 20 years, most recently working as a licensed music talent agent through her company, Ecoutez Music. In her work contracting musicians for hundreds of special events each year, Chris developed an extensive knowledge of the event industry in the Napa and Sonoma wine country and had the opportunity to work with event professionals throughout these regions.
NapaWeddingSource.com and
SonomaWeddingSource.com have given Chris the opportunity to carry on her passion for marketing, design, writing and promotional work, and for supporting the highly talented and hardworking entrepreneurs that make the events in this area the best in the world!
Adriel de la Cruz
Adriel de la Cruz, our website developer/tech guru, hails from Miami, Florida, where he heads up the company Ivolv, Inc. A product of his 10+ years of experience using the Internet as a major business resource, Ivolv is helping to shape the new, more profitable web; creating wildly successful Internet properties in the process. Adriel's meticulous attention to detail, his “can-do” attitude and technical wizardry have made him a joy to work with. We have him to thank for this fabulous site! He is a fitness buff and self-made nutrition expert, and is constantly in search of the secrets of longevity. Adriel hopes he’ll be able to play in Miami Beach, walk the world and dance salsa way after he’s 100 years old. To find out more about his services, visit:
www.ivolv.net.
Richard Wood
Richard Wood is one of the Napa Valley 's most sought-after wedding photographers. Prior to photographing weddings, Richard spent four years at a motion picture film studio in San Francisco, shooting commercials and music videos. He then studied still photography in Napa, returning to San Francisco to shoot editorial fashion and the performing arts (which included photography stints with the San Francisco Ballet and the rock band U2). Richard's fashion work eventually lead him to bridal gown designers some of whom commissioned him to photograph custom gowns for display in their boutiques. Soon the brides began to take notice of his work and the rest is history. Richard's wedding photography business comes primarily from word-of-mouth referrals. His popularity has soared in recent years…he now photographs nearly one hundred weddings per year! Enjoy Richard's photography throughout our site. It appears on our homepage, our vendor category pages, in ads throughout the site and on many of the slideshows for our wedding ceremony sites. His work is elegant and sophisticated and through his gentle, unobtrusive approach, he is able to capture some of the most poignant moments as they occur through the course of a wedding day. Be sure to visit:
www.richardwoodphoto.com to see more of his work.
Paul Franson
Paul Franson publishes NapaLife, a weekly insider’s newsletter about Napa Valley, and has written a weekly column about what’s new at Napa Valley restaurants, wineries and other businesses in the Napa Valley Register for more than nine years. He also appears each Friday on KVON 1440 with This Week in Wine Country.
Paul also writes for Napa Sonoma, Wine Enthusiast, Wines & Vines, Wine Business Monthly and Senior Connection as well as for other magazines, including Food & Wine. He has lived in the Napa Valley almost 12 years. Paul has two web sites,
www.NapaLife.com and
www.TravelTastes.com.
Martha Blanchfield
Martha Blanchfield, a contributing writer to both NapaWeddingSource.com and SonomaWeddingSource.com, is a passionate researcher/writer and a gown designer of international repute. Martha combines her writing skills with an in-depth knowledge of fashion, design and the wedding industry. A third generation Napa native, Martha has a B.S. in marketing from Syracuse University and has been designing and sewing couture gowns for private clients for over 15 years. In addition, Martha has worked with many apparel companies including The Limited, Buyer, Wilke Garment Company and Kiyoko. You'll find Martha's witty articles sprinkled throughout our sites and she'll soon have a regular column which covers all the latest and greatest wine country wedding trends. To see Martha's beautiful gown designs, visit:
www.marthablanchfield.com.
Michelle Imbach
Michelle Imbach, local graphic artist and commercial illustrator, was born and raised in the Napa Valley. Michelle is a great animal lover and fine food enthusiast. Much of her whimsical artwork depicts dogs and cats or dancing wine glasses and martinis. Years of varied artistic and intellectual pursuits have contributed to Michelle's multifaceted personality. She is a fish keeper, illustrator, writer, sculptor, winemaker and web coder…no creative endeavor is out of her reach! As an artist, Michelle has worked with humane societies across the United States to produce art for promotional mailings. She designs logos and marketing materials for Bay Area companies and creates custom paintings for pet lovers and wine enthusiasts. Michelle's artwork can be seen throughout our site as “place holders” on the vendor pages that lack imagery. Her artwork is available for sale and makes a great gift for your favorite wine/food enthusiast or animal lover. To see more of her work, visit:
www.michelleimbach.com. You can also reach Michelle at:
shellioop@gmail.com.
Maud Durland
Maud Durland's exceptional watercolor paintings of Napa Valley scenery provided the inspiration for the color scheme and demeanor of our site. Maud is an award-winning Portland, Oregon artist who captures her motifs in a figurative and contemporary style. She is known for her calm renderings of landscapes and she also paints a variety of other subjects. Light and shadow are essential components in her paintings. Born and raised in Sweden, Maud learned to paint at an early age. After college she continued to pursue her love of art by enrolling in the Famous Artists School. Maud has continued to advance her painting skills by attending the workshops of artists such as Alvaro Castagnet, Tom Lynch, Tony Couch, Arne Westerman and Susan McKinnon. Maud's original works, as well as limited prints are available through her website:
www.maudart.com. Maud's artwork makes a perfect and touching gift for any couple who has wedded in the Napa Valley.
Dana Hawley
Dana Hawley’s beautiful oil paintings are featured on the homepage of
SonomaWeddingSource.com. Dana is a native of Marin County and studied Biological Illustrations at University of California Davis, where she graduated with honors. She then studied at the San Francisco Art Institute where her major influences were Julius Hatsofky and Bruce McGaw. A major influence for Dana Hawley was William Wheeler who drove her creativity and developed her appreciation for selecting unique scenes to paint. Dana paints quickly capturing the simple beauty in nature in a complex world. Her attention to detail with every brush stroke, line work and color harmony reminds us of the true power of nature. Dana’s appreciation of nature drives her style, and she brings her love of nature to her audience with sense of integrity, sincerity along with her strong spirit and countenance that balance her inspiration to bring those simple beauties to the world. For more information on Dana Hawley’s paintings, visit:
www.danahawley.com.
Nanci Kerby
Nanci Kerby lives and works in the Napa Valley and is well-loved as a special event and fine art photographer. You'll find Nancy 's beautiful wedding and scenic imagery sprinkled throughout our Napa and Sonoma websites. Nanci has worked with thousands of clients and artists over the last twenty years, her work has appeared in magazines and newspapers and her art prints are widely collected domestically and abroad. Nanci offers complete commercial and wedding coverage designed to fit your needs. She has worked extensively in the Napa Valley and Sonoma County, covering events in St. Helena, Calistoga, Sonoma, Santa Rosa, and Healdsburg. Nanci's experience with the natural surroundings of the wine country, as well as with winery, vineyard and cave settings ensures that you will receive artistic, high-quality imagery of your special event. Be sure to visit her website:
www.nancikerby.com.
David Smith
David Smith, our financial guy, advises us on everything from business planning and bookkeeping to finding investments that perform better than the savings accounts we were keeping at Sheboygan National Savings and Loan. David's business degree is from Pepperdine University and he has had extensive experience working with small business owners throughout the Napa Valley. When he's not working with us, David works for Trinchero Family Estates or is out biking, playing tennis or jogging. For more information on his services, call (707) 363-1094.
Chuck Gravett
Chuck Gravett, our legal advisor, has been practicing law since 1975, the year he graduated from the University of Virginia Law School, in Charlottesville, Virginia. For twelve years Chuck worked in the legal department of Scott Paper Company, a Fortune 500 Company, where he focused on business law including mergers, acquisitions, antitrust, marketing, employee issues, and complete litigation. Since 1987, Chuck Gravett has lived and worked in Napa. Chuck Gravett now practices in the areas of business and contract law; landlord/tenant law; corporations, LLCs and partnerships; business transactions and litigation. Chuck also represents clients against the IRS, Franchise Tax Board (“FTB”), State Board of Equalization (“SBE”) and other tax agencies. Chuck prides himself on finding practical and creative solutions to your business problems. For more information on his services, visit
www.gravettlaw.com. On his lunchbreaks, Chuck can frequently be seen at Community Projects (a favorite local thrift store), looking for hats, tweed sports coats and accessories to fill out his extensive and stylish wardrobe.
Don Hirsohn
Don Hirsohn is our local Mac guy (yeah, we use Macs, big surprise). Don is the owner/operator of Napa One and has done a beautiful job getting our computer systems up to snuff. He's reliable, fast and doesn't confuse us with excessive “tech talk.” For more information on his services, visit:
www.napa1.com.
Lawrence Lauterborn
Lawrence Lauterborn, whose work appears extensively throughout our SonomaWeddingSource.com site, is one of our favorite photographers because of his uncanny ability to capture the quirky personalities and unbridled emotions of the people he photographs. Lawrence 's photos are remarkably fresh and each one has a wonderful story to convey. Over the course of his career, Lawrence Lauterborn has photographed many celebrities, including Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, Nancy Pelosi, George Lucas, Alice Walker, Alex Haley, and Neil Armstrong. Lauterborn has also had the honor of photographing His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama over a span of 12 years. About this experience Lauterborn says, “His wisdom and compassion have had a profound influence on everything in my life. Spending ten days at the Kalachakra Initiation (1991), in Madison Square Garden, was the most rewarding of all my professional experiences.” To see more of Lawrence work and to find out about his wedding photography services, visit:
www.lauterbornphoto.com.
Paula Philipps
Paula Philipps is our sassy writer from Texas (who now lives in Napa). Paula has had an extensive career, doing everything from writing and management for Zale Corporation and Diamond Shamrock, to leading press conferences for Henry Kissinger and other dignitaries to freelancing her way westward to California. Paula's intelligence and forthright nature, combined with her love of all things wine country-related make for great content on our site. Paula is always at the ready when it comes to "checking out" gourmet restaurants, testing the quality of the local champagnes and sparkling wines and interviewing good-looking event professionals, such as Richard Wood and Lawrence Lauterborn :) We love her! For more information on her freelance writing services, contact Paula at:
pt925pp@yahoo.com
Nick Elias
Nick Elias is a professional photographer from Lake County, California. In 1998, Nick founded Water Pear Press (
www.waterpearpress.com) for the purpose of publishing and distributing postcards and other products that feature his imagery of California 's "wine country.” Nick's inspiring scenic photography appears in a number of our articles on Napa and Sonoma Counties and much of it is available for licensing through his online catalog (
www.waterpear.com). Decorative enlargements of his scenic photography make an excellent gift for couples getting married in the wine country. Nick's work has appeared in numerous books, magazines and on websites worldwide.
Jay Bjerkan
We like to think of Jay Bjerkan as the Ansel Adams of the Napa Valley. His amazing artistry inspired us to make scenic imagery one of the most important components of our site. Jay's photography can be found in various spots throughout the site, but you'll find some of our favorite images in the “About the Napa Valley” section of our site. When Jay isn't doing photography, he's working full-time at the Silver Rose Inn and Winery in Calistoga (
www.silverrose.com). Check out more of Jay's work at
www.jaybjerkan.com. If you'd like to order prints of his work as a gift for your favorite bride and groom, shoot him an email at
info@jaybjerkan.com.
Brian Cole
Photographer Brian Cole is a Napa Valley resident who teams up with his wife, Valerie Saribalis-Cole to cover weddings throughout the Napa Valley. This down-to-earth, hardworking couple knows everything there is to know about the Napa Valley and weddings. In addition to wedding photography, Brian is also an award-winning fine art photographer whose intimate portraits of wildlife and scenery speak to his special connection with nature. Brian's nature photography can be found in our “About the Napa Valley” section of the site. For information on Brian and Valerie's wedding photography, visit:
www.saribalis-colephotography.com. You can find samples of Brian's beautiful art photography at:
www.saribalis-colephotography.com/Nature/index.htm. Brian's fine art images are available in large-format prints and as notecards.
