Sonora, CA Wedding Photographer | Nick and Aliza | Christine Dibble Photography

As I got into my car to drive to downtown Sonora to start photographing the story of Nick and Aliza’s wedding, it started to rain. Like rain hard enough to need an umbrella and windshield wipers on a steady speed. Rain can make a wedding photographer nervous…not because taking photos is difficult (there is always a way!), but because rain thrown into a day with such huge expectations can change a smiling bride into Bridezilla pretty quickly. But when I arrived at Mirage Studios, Aliza was all smiles. Preparations went on in a cheerful manner, with a few mentions of the rain. I went over to take pre-ceremony photos of the guys–dressed to the hilt in Zoot Suits!–and we managed to have a dry spell to shoot outside. But as soon as we pulled up to the Tuolumne County Historical Society Museum, the sky unloaded a torrential downpour. The beautiful crystal backdrop and pink lanterns in the trees were soaked and unusable. Guests stood huddled against the brick walls, trying to stay dry under umbrellas. Groomsmen were caught in the rain and dripping. Instead of focusing on the fact that her dream wedding was not going as planned, Aliza stood calmly in a dry corner of the museum and commented that she felt bad for her guests who were getting wet. So the decision was made to move to the reception site at the Best Western. From there, the ceremony went off with the only hitch that was supposed to occur that day, and the festivities began. The black and pink theme was carried out in lots of fun details.  Aliza made all the table centerpieces and put the flowers together from Costco.  Hair and make-up was all done by the girls at Mirage Studios, and they just happened to be the bridesmaids too.  The beautiful cake that tasted as good as it looked came from Skull Cakery. Tony Shaw, brother of the groom, played double duty as Best Man and DJ for Cornerstone Entertainment, and he kept the party on their feet. As I listened to all the toasts, the common thread was about the great people that Nick and Aliza are, and after watching them remain calm and as happy as if the day had been warm and dry, I knew for a fact that these two really are that great. Rain on your wedding day is supposed to be good luck, so Aliza and Nick are due for a lifetime of it!